City seeks input on $6.5 million MLK Community Center renovation

Planning is underway to renovate Pasco’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center to meet residents’ growing and diverse needs.

An open house to collect “the wishes and dreams of the people of Pasco” is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 16 at the center, 205 S. Wehe Ave.

The $6.5 million project is being funded through a $1 million capital projects appropriation from the state Legislature during the 2021 session, $3 million in federal money and $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Hanford groundwater treatment expansion project to require 10 miles of pipe

Hanford contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Co. is installing 54,000 feet — more than 10 miles — of specialized plastic piping to connect the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility, the site’s largest groundwater treatment plant, to about a dozen new groundwater extension wells.

The expanded network of wells will increase the facility’s capacity from 2,500 to 3,400 gallons per minute to capture more chemical and radiological contaminants from the groundwater. The project is expected to be completed in September.

Yakama Nation receives $32 million for solar-hydro project

The Yakama Nation received $32 million for its Solar Canal & Hydro project from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.

The project aims to convert inefficient, open-water irrigation canals into a solar and micro-hydropower irrigation system to conserve up to 20% more water and to save users up to 15% on utility bills, according to the award description.

Additionally, the project team plans to build solar panels on land that the Tribe knows does not risk disturbing cultural resources, providing a replicable solution for responsible solar siting. It is anticipated that deploying solar technologies will increase the Yakama Nation’s renewable power supply, while improving its energy resilience and reliability. Improvements in irrigation efficiency could also benefit grazing and irrigated agriculture, the area’s key economic drivers.

The project team plans to train and hire local tribal members to ensure project dollars are reinvested and continue to circulate within the community. This project aims to create at least 10 full-time positions.