HBA seeks exhibitors for fall home show

The Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities is seeking exhibitors for its 2022 Fall Home show.

The Oct. 7-9 event will be held at the HAPO Center in Pasco.

Fees for the 10-by-10 exhibits are $500-$600, depending on location and configuration.

Go to hbatc.com or email heather@hbatc.com for information.

Fortify finalizing Richland project, starting another

Fortify Holdings, the Portland-area company transforming Tri-City hotels into microapartments, is moving to wrap up one Richland project and begin another.

The firm removed most construction fencing at the former Best Western Plus, 1515 George Washington Way, in July and is finalizing details before it begins renting units to tenants.

Hailey Leeming, spokeswoman, said Fortify is obtaining final signoffs for the units and working toward securing a certificate of occupancy for the property, which has been rebranded “The Franklin.” It will begin accepting tenants once the city signs off, she said.

Fortify paid $15 million for the former hotel in a deal that closed July 28, 2021. The hotel closed shortly afterward and was surrounded by fence for nearly a year.

The company is preparing to begin converting another former hotel as well.

STK Hosford South LLC, led by Fortify founder Sean Keys, secured a permit to convert the former hotel at 615 Jadwin Ave. into a 103-unit studio apartment complex on Aug. 3. Cliff Thorn Construction is the contractor for the $3.5 million project.

STK Hosford paid $3.9 million for former Days Inn in September 2021.

Pasco slated for regional cop training center

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed developing a regional training campus in Pasco for law enforcement as part of a statewide move to improve recruiting and training.

All police officers in Washington are trained and certified by the Criminal Justice Training Commission. Entry-level officers must complete a 19-week Basic Law Enforcement Academy, currently at the campus in Burien near Sea-Tac International Airport.

Inslee, flanked by law enforcement, including Pasco’s Chief Ken Roske, announced the regional campus plan in late July, saying it will address challenges for communities beyond commuting distance to the Seattle area.

Roske said installing a branch in his city will improve recruiting efforts. Pasco has an existing police training center at First Avenue and Clark Street.

“The regional academy concept will help us find talented officers and allow for local cultural influences that will better reflect our communities,” Roske said.

Richland permits McDougall’s remodel

The former R.F. McDougall’s Irish Pub & Eatery at the Richland Wye is being converted into a new location for Fable Craft Bar and Kitchen, part of the J. Bookwalter Winery family.

The city of Richland authorized kitchen and restaurant demolition work valued at $250,000 to begin on the conversion in July. The building, 1705 Columbia Park Trail, was the longtime home to McDougall’s, which closed in the pandemic and never reopened.

Bookwalter Winery bought the property for the second site for its Fable Craft Bar and Kitchen, which is part of the Fiction restaurant at the winery.

The move will allow owner John Bookwalter to offer casual dining at the new location while focusing on transforming the original Fiction into a restaurant worthy of being nominated for a James Beard Foundation award.

Pasco port lands funding for Darigold rail work

The Port of Pasco has secured $3.6 million in federal funding to help it build the last mile of rail needed for its Reimann Industrial Center.

The project supports Darigold’s expansion in Pasco as well as additional users at Reimann.

U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell steered the money to Pasco in the 2023 Senate Transportation Appropriations bill.

The Reimann Industrial Center is being developed by the Port of Pasco to bring new manufacturing companies to the Port District.  Darigold was the first business to purchase ground at Reimann and expects to break ground on Sept. 8 for its state-of-the art production facility.

The final appropriations bill is not expected to be complete until after the November 2022 general election, where Murray is facing a reelection challenge from Tiffany Smiley, a Pasco Republican.

Prosser to ask voters  to approve bond for  new City Hall

The city of Prosser plans to ask voters on Nov. 8 to approve a 31-year bond not to exceed $16.8 million to pay for a new building to replace the city’s damaged police station and City Hall.

A fire destroyed the buildings on May 8, 2021. City staff has since relocated to temporary offices: City Hall moved to 1002 Dudley Ave. and the police department moved to 205 Hagarty Lane.

The bond also would cover land acquisition, design, construction, renovation and equipping the space.

It would cost homeowners about $379.75 per year, or $31.65 per month, for the owner of a home assessed at $350,000, according to city officials.

The Prosser City Council voted to spend $1.6 million to buy six acres, owned by DenHoed Parkway LLC, east of the intersection of Wine Country Road and North River Road for the city complex.

Kennewick food truck hub is now open

A 28-spot food truck hub with a 7,000-square-foot building that includes indoor and outdoor seating has opened just off Canal Drive in Kennewick.

Brady’s Brats & Burgers anchors the hub. It’s the second location for the fast casual restaurant that first opened in Sandy, Oregon.

KC’s Biscuits and BBQ, Gray’s Wings & Things and Delicious Crepes & Waffles are among the food trucks that have announced plans on social media to join the hub, with more trucks expected to move in soon.

Summer’s Hub is at 6481 W. Skagit Ave. in Kennewick, near Chuck E. Cheese and Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Downtown Kennewick to welcome Mexican restaurant

Picante Mexican Taqueria recently announced plans to close its food truck and open a restaurant in downtown Kennewick.

Picante closed its food truck doors on Aug. 12.

It plans to open a restaurant at 20 S. Auburn St. in downtown Kennewick by October, it announced on Facebook.

The building once was home to 4th Base Pizza and Wingz, Don Antonio’s Mexican Restaurant and O’Henry’s A Go Go.

Chaplaincy Health closes Pasco thrift store

 Chaplaincy Health Care has closed its Repeat Boutique thrift store in Pasco.

The nonprofit announced the move on July 18, saying it will be better able to serve its community at its one remaining store, which is in Richland. 

“We remain committed to our mission of providing great value and a great shopping experience for a great cause,” it said. The Pasco store closed following an online liquidation auction in late July. 

The Pasco boutique opened in a 10,000-square-foot space at Sandifur Crossing on Road 68 in mid-2020 after a three-month delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, Chaplaincy closed its shop in downtown Kennewick, saying it was moving to Pasco.

Repeat Boutique sells donated clothing, furniture and household goods and serves as a source of income to support Chaplaincy’s mission to care for terminally ill residents in their homes and at its facility in Kennewick. 

The Richland Repeat Boutique is at 1331 George Washington Way in the Uptown Shopping Center. Store hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday.

Go to chaplaincyrepeatboutique.org.

Detours planned at Van Giesen railroad crossing near bypass highway

Drivers should expect a multi-day closure at the busy Van Giesen Street railroad crossing near the bypass highway beginning at noon Aug. 18.

The Port of Benton plans to replace the railroad crossing, rail, ties, concrete crossing panels, and the road on both sides of the panels will be repaved.

The project requires full closure of Van Giesen, with the crossing reopening for traffic at 6 a.m. Aug. 22.

Detours around the area will be in place.

The port has contracted with Railworks Track Systems for the project.

Plans are in place to replace the crossing at Swift Boulevard and Sunset Gardens cemetery in September. Both rail crossing projects are fully funded by the port.

For more information and a map of the detour routes, go to portofbenton.com/projects, or call 509-375-3060.

Paddleboard shop announces closure plans

Northwest Paddleboarding announced plans to close its Richland store at the end of the season.

The shop that rents and sells paddleboards will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout August, with September hours potentially changing depending on the weather, the store announced on social media.

Northwest Paddleboarding is across from Howard Amon Park, at 710 George Washington Way, Suite E.

“We have given this business and our community everything we have. We have sacrificed so much to make this dream a reality. There has been a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and sunburns. Sunrise to sunset every day, all summer long.️ It’s not an easy business to run but we have done it successfully for a solid eight years. We are very proud of that. The best part is all of the amazing memories we made,” they said.

Though the storefront is closing, Northwest Paddleboarding said it may continue operations in a different form next year.