Articles by Robin Wojtanik
Kennewick public hospital board shifts its focus
No longer tasked with operating a large hospital, leaders of the Kennewick Public Hospital District are focusing their sights on how best to serve the community going forward. “We will try to make the most impact we can with the money we have,” said Marvin Kinney, commissioner and board president for the Kennewick Public Hospital…
Vintage video games on tap at Kennewick bar set to open in March
Level Up to combine bar with arcade above Porter’s Real Barbecue In a true blast from the past, original video game machines from the ’80s and ’90s will soon be available at an arcade-bar in Kennewick. “It hits over a lot of generations for playing these things. It’s a wide spectrum of people as far…
Indoor playground slides into vacant Kennewick building
A three-story playground will be one of the highlights at the new iPlay Experience, an indoor play center under construction in Kennewick intended for year-round use, but especially during cold winter months or sweltering summer days. Standing 19 feet high and filling a large part of a 10,000-square-foot space, the indoor playground includes slides, tubes…
Kennewick coffee roaster to expand, open shop in Richland
A massive coffee bean roaster will need to be disassembled and moved to a new building in north Richland when Treasure Valley Coffee of the Columbia Basin opens its new headquarters, along with a retail store, in the Horn Rapids Business Park this summer. The $1.9 million investment includes land bought from the city of…
$1.9M land sale pending for packaging plant
A Midwest paper processing giant is preparing to build a large manufacturing plant in the Horn Rapids area of Richland, bringing with it about 150 family-wage jobs. Packaging Corporation of America, based in Illinois, is set to close on 42 acres in the Horn Rapids Industrial Park. The sale of the city-owned 3003 Kingsgate Way…
New owners of Kennewick apartments to invest $19.8M to overhaul 455 units
A massive remodel totaling $19.8 million in improvements is underway at the Heatherstone Apartments in Kennewick, where work will continue through late spring 2020. All 38 residential buildings will receive interior and exterior renovations, including new roofs, siding, parking lots, garage space and landscaping. For the individual units, tenants will benefit from an overhaul to…
Bath & Body Works store to open in Richland next year
Construction is underway on the Tri-Cities’ second Bath & Body Works store, planned for the Queensgate area of Richland. The company’s corporate office said the store is scheduled to open in early 2019 at 2471 Queensgate Drive, Suite A7. The developer of the Vintner Square property, Bowman Development Co., narrowed the store’s opening date to…
Retail outlook strong for holiday season
Tri-City retailers are optimistic about the upcoming holiday shopping season. “Our market usually outperforms the national trend due to our strong local economy,” said Barbara Johnson, general manager of Columbia Center mall in Kennewick. “It’s always kind of like looking into a crystal ball. I’m expecting consumer spending locally to be up 4.5 percent over…
Kennewick hardware store changing gears after 100 years
The owner of a 100-year-old retail mainstay in downtown Kennewick is winding down operations. “Age and time and generations running out; the business is healthy, happy and doing great, but it’s just time for us to change course,” said John Gravenslund, owner and general manager of True Value Washington Furniture and Hardware. After three generations…
New $3.4M union hall under construction in Kennewick
An expansion plan approved nearly 20 years ago is underway for the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. IBEW Local 112 is building a new $3.4 million union hall that includes an auditorium on vacant land at 114 N. Edison St. in Kennewick, just south of West Clearwater Avenue and east of…
