WSU Tri-Cities buys building off campus

A business and research building currently leased by Washington State University Tri-Cities campus for a research institute is now part of the Richland campus.

The building at 2892 Pauling Ave., just northwest of the WSU Tri-Cities campus, has been home to the university’s Institute for Northwest Energy Futures since it was formed in the fall of 2024. 

The university bought the 15,000-square-foot building for $1.6 million so that it could continue to serve as the institute’s offices as well as provide space for visiting researchers from throughout the WSU system, said Leslie Streeter, WSU Tri-Cities director of marketing and communication, in an email to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

City of West Richland starts two well projects

The city of West Richland is replacing two non-functioning wells as part of its effort to bolster the municipal water supply, leading to some potential traffic disruptions. 

The 2R/Collins well, located at Flat Top Park, has not functioned for some time and the new one planned by the city will feature upgraded water treatment, improved pumping and greater capacity to support the city’s current and future water needs. 

The additional capacity the new well will provide is also prompting the city to install a larger water main along Collins Road. City officials say that work will close the road until late October, and detours will be in place. 

Work has already begun on the 3R well located south of Tapteal Elementary School on 62nd Avenue, according to a release. The current wellhouse ceased functioning several years ago.  

City officials said the 3R well project will have limited impacts to pedestrians and traffic using 62nd Avenue and visiting Tapteal.

Work moves forward on second Pasco Goodwill store

Goodwill Industries of the Columbia has the green light to build a new building at 7511 Wrigley Drive in Pasco.

The new $7 million facility will be larger than the Kennewick store on Columbia Center Boulevard, with a footprint of 35,200 square feet compared to the Kennewick building’s 20,205 square feet, according to the building permit for the Wrigley Drive store.

The new Pasco building will include both a thrift retail store and employment services office space, according to the permit application. 

The nonprofit bought 5 acres of undeveloped land between the Walmart and Mid-Columbia Libraries West Pasco branch for $1.17 million in 2020. 

At the time of the purchase, Goodwill indicated that its new Pasco store would mirror the $3.1 million Kennewick store that opened in 2019. 

Chervenell Construction Co. is the contractor for the work.

Benton County opens new waste facility

Benton County celebrated the opening of its newly renovated Benton County Moderate Risk Waste Facility on Aug. 19 at 1709 S. Ely St., Kennewick.

The retrofit of the facility cost about $1.5 million.

The 3,550-square-foot building accepts household hazardous waste from Benton County residents for safe disposal.

The building was previously a Benton County Road Department maintenance shop. In 2015, the maintenance group moved operations to a new facility on Wiser Parkway south of Interstate 82 and west of Badger Road. 

The interior of the waste facility has a designated office space for waste technician staff and household hazardous waste areas for storage and separation of disposed materials. 

The exterior has a large drive-up area for customers to pull into for household hazardous waste inspection before transferring it. There are multiple lanes for additional traffic within the grounds for times when the facility experiences a high number of customers. A separate lane is in place specifically for the disposal of spent oil and antifreeze.

The waste facility provides areas for material unloading, collecting/processing and material storage of moderate risk waste, which consists of conditionally exempt small quantity generator waste and household hazardous waste as defined by Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-350-100.

Final project completion was Oct. 1, 2024. The operational permit was awarded to Benton County Public Works in August 2025 through the state Department of Ecology and Benton-Franklin Health District.

HDR of Pasco was the general contractor.

Wondering how much the fee is for that project? Kennewick has you covered

Ever wondered how much it costs to have a police officer provide support for a special event? Or what is the difference in cost for building permits for projects above and below the $500,000 threshold? Or maybe what the fee is for construction or demolition work involving blasting? 

If you’re in Kennewick, wonder no more. 

City officials have published a full master fee schedule on their website that details every fee, fine, rate and other costs for city services. Recently approved by the Kennewick City Council, the document aims to provide transparency and a standardized means for residents and business owners to assess potential costs. 

The city will continually update the document. Officials said some fees and charges that are included in the city’s municipal code but not yet in the master fee schedule remain valid. 

Go to: go2kennewick.com/1630/Master-Fee-Schedule.

Time is running out to claim federal energy tax credits

Thinking about making some energy efficiency improvements for your home or considering buying a new or used electric car? You may need to act fast to take advantage of a slew of energy tax credit that are expiring. 

House Resolution 1, better known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, expedited the expiration dates for eight different energy tax credits ahead of when they were originally set to sunset, according to the Internal Revenue Service. 

Three credits for new or previously owned clean energy vehicles will no longer be available for any vehicle bought after Sept. 30. 

An energy efficient home improvement and residential clean energy credits will not be provided for any property where that work is completed after Dec. 31. 

The remaining three credits are related to new residential and commercial energy efficiency, as well as installation of alternative energy fueling facilities. 

The IRS has an FAQ document online to help taxpayers navigate the recent changes. Go to: bit.ly/faq-tax-credits.

Airport receives federal funding for repairs

Port of Benton-owned Prosser Airport has received $3 million in federal funding from the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program.

The funds will go toward repairing and sealing cracks in pavement joints of the airport’s runway, taxiways and aprons. The grant also will fund upgrading the airport’s runway and taxiway lights, lighted runway signs, approach and landing lights, runway end lights, and lighted wind cones to an LED system.

“These upgrades will enhance safety, reduce maintenance costs and improve energy efficiency at the airport,” said Quentin Wright, the port’s airport manager, in a statement.

The port has additional improvement projects planned at Prosser Airport through 2030.

First Dream Court in state debuts in Prosser

The first Dream Court in Washington state recently opened in Prosser.

Basketball Hall-of-Famer and Olympian Nancy Lieberman visited Prosser on Aug. 28 to celebrate the opening of a new outdoor basketball court at the Prosser Boys & Girls Club, 999 Seventh St. 

The so-called Dream Court features a special surface designed to create true ball bounce, consistent play speed and increased safety during potential falls. The court also has new fiberglass hoops. 

And good news for pickleball fans, it also will be striped for pickleball play.

Nancy Lieberman Charities has built more than 100 Dream Courts in communities across America. This is the first one in the state, according to a release from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties.

Communities that have embraced Dream Courts have reported noticeable impacts, including decreased crime and gang-related activities, improved trust with local law enforcement, and heightened engagement with health and wellness activities – a key component of Boys & Girls Clubs programs, the Kennewick-based nonprofit said in a release.

The $150,000 project was funded in part through a $75,000 state grant spearheaded by Washington state Reps. Chris Corry and Jeremie Dufault and Sen. Nikki Torres, with $75,000 contributed from Nancy Lieberman Charities in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Corps approves $1.2M to improve Yakima River salmon habitat

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District has issued a five-year construction license to the Benton Conservation District for a $1.2 million project to improve fish habitat. 

The Amon Creek Habitat Restoration Project will reroute about 1,400 feet of the lower Amon Creek channel to connect with a deeper pool in the Yakima River, and a low-flow deflector will be installed to maintain cooler water during the summer months and natural scour at higher flows.  

The changes will increase average water depth from 0.5 to 1.6 meters, which creates cooler, deeper habitat for salmon and trout at the Yakima Delta Habitat Management Unit. 

Work will also include planting native vegetation to improve channel stability, water quality and riparian habitat. 

In addition to the cooler waters, the project could also reduce physiological stress and improve reproductive outcomes for salmon populations.  

Construction will take place in three phases: creating the new channel, installing the deflector, and dewatering and replanting the old channel. Work is expected to begin in the winter and spring of 2026 and will be completed by the spring of 2027.  

The project is led by BCD along with Mid-Columbia Fisheries and Yakama Nation Fisheries, with support from the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, the Washington Department of Ecology and Salmon Recovery Funding Board.

Port waits on soil test results to chart route forward 

The Port of Kennewick paused its work on constructing parking lots and utilities at Vista Field after receiving a report of synthetic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, on one of the private commercial lots under construction in late June. The amount of PFAS detected was slightly above limits set by the state Department of Ecology. 

Development at Vista Field was moving quickly earlier this year, with two groundbreakings taking place within several weeks of each other.  

Now, the port is waiting on test results from Seattle-based Landau Associates, expected in mid-September, to determine its next course of action. The environmental consulting firm has specific experience in testing for PFAS, which requires following strict protocols due to the prevalence of the chemicals.  

“They’re in raincoats, they’re in cosmetics, they’re in candy wrappers, they’re everywhere,” said Tim Arntzen, the port’s CEO.  

So far, Ecology has not called for construction to halt on the private lots, Arntzen said. Kuki Izakaya, Blueberry Bridal and Columbia Point Eyecare are all in various stages of development at Vista Field.  

The port has worked to communicate with all of the parties who have either bought lots or are considering buying lots at Vista Field. The port is also working with the city of Kennewick to determine what was used at the former airstrip that could have caused levels of PFAS in the soil. 

Richland-based company builds CO2 conversion plant 

A Richland-based company pioneering artificial photosynthesis has partnered with human and animal nutrition company ADM to launch a carbon dioxide conversion facility in Decatur, Illinois.  

The site is home to an ADM corn processing complex, and the new plant will convert CO2 from ADM’s ethanol production steam to formate molecules, which can be used in various consumer and industrial products.  

OCOchem’s technology makes it cost-effective to convert captured CO2 into carbon-negative organic molecules. Its facility at the ADM site will help replace existing fossil fuel-based formates with the carbon-negative formates it creates. 

Plant construction will begin later this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

“The partnership with ADM will help enable OCOchem to bring our CO2 electrolysis process to a commercial scale and start meeting early customer demand for our carbon-negative, biogenic, sustainable formate products at competitive market prices,” said Todd Brix, co-founder and CEO of OCOchem, in a statement. 

Bluewood’s new high-speed lift put on hold for a year

Skiers and snowboarders looking forward to shorter lift lines and faster travel up the mountain at Bluewood will have to wait another year as the installation of its new high-speed quad lift is on hold.  

Bluewood announced Aug. 29 that some parts of the new lift have not yet arrived, citing a dispute with the lift broker. The delay has prompted legal action from Bluewood to resolve the situation and ensure delivery of the remaining parts.    

To ensure that the slopes will still be open this winter, installation won’t begin until spring 2026 because starting installation work now would mean fully dismantling the current Skyline Express lift.  

Groundwork has already begun, including digging tower pads along the lift line, pouring concrete footings for the new towers, and preparing the loading and unloading terminal sites. That work will continue up until winter to be sure Bluewood can work quickly once the final lift shipments arrive.   

As a consolation to disappointed guests, Bluewood will issue a $100 credit to season passholders when the season begins. The credit can be used on any of Bluewood’s services, including food, gear and lessons.