Articles by Wendy Culverwell
Sewer inquiry prompts stark reminder: No live-aboards at Clover Island
An inquiry about extending sewer lines to boathouses at the Clover Island Yacht Club has prompted a strong response from the Port of Kennewick. Boathouses are for boats, not people. Living on boats or in boathouses is not allowed by the port or the Army Corps of Engineers The port leases the marina land, including submerged lands, from the Corps and in turn…
Tenant’s death leaves port in awkward position
The Port of Kennewick is in an awkward position after the death of a tenant who held a lifetime right to occupy port–owned property in east Kennewick. Audrey Bouton died Sept. 14 in San Tan Valley, Arizona, where she had moved to be cared for by a daughter. She was 90 and held the right to occupy a 4.5-acre site…
Could Tri-City Raceway be West Richland’s Carousel of Dreams?
When the city of West Richland bought the former Tri-City Raceway in 2019, it saw a spot to build its new police station and a place to steer commercial development. But a team of fans, including the raceway’s former operator, see something different. Instead of tearing out the raceway and what is left of its…
New owners buy Marineland Plaza for $7M as legacy investment
Marineland Village, the storied Kennewick shopping center known for its sea otter statue, marine theme and a landscape that once featured palm trees, has changed hands for the final time after 15 years. Vancouver-based Inland Ocean LLC, consisting of Jane Schmid-Cook and her partner and former husband, Rod Cook, promises to bring stable ownership to…
Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center seeks new operator
The Port of Benton is seeking a new operator for Prosser’s Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center after the nonprofit that established the wine industry showplace vacated the property because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The port, which owns the taxpayer-funded wine and event center, pledged to move quickly to find a new partner to continue…
State budget, data privacy are top priorities for retailers in 2021
Washington retailers will be laser-focused on the state budget when the 2021 Legislature convenes in January. They also expect lawmakers to revisit a data privacy bill that passed in the Senate this year but not the House. It has been revised for 2021. Mark Johnson, senior vice president of policy and governmental affairs for the…
Ban on single-use plastic bags takes effect Jan. 1, unless it doesn’t
The Covid-19 pandemic and a supply shortage could prevent a ban on single-use plastic bags from taking effect in Washington on Jan. 1. Gov. Jay Inslee signed a reusable bag bill — a plastic bag ban — into law in March after it passed in both the House and Senate. The state Department of Ecology…
Goodwill Industries secures future Pasco store site
Goodwill Industries of the Columbia will build a store in Pasco after securing a site next to Walmart. The store will mirror the newly built Kennewick Goodwill. However, it will not take shape for several years, said Ken Gosney, executive director for the nonprofit, which serves people with disabilities. Goodwill paid $1.17 million for a…
KGH on track to become recovery center
The former Kennewick General Hospital will become a recovery center serving clients with drug addiction and mental health issues under a plan approved in late October by the Kennewick Public Hospital District Board. The district’s board of commissioners accepted a two-part feasibility study that lays the foundation to convert the hospital on Auburn Street into…
New in-patient facility to offer senior psychiatric care
The Tri-Cities isn’t often the second location for any growing chain. But it is for a Salt Lake City-based joint venture that is building psychiatric hospitals for seniors in the West. Sana Behavioral Health will open a $2.8 million, 16-bed hospital at 7319 W. Hood Place next spring. It will be the second of five…
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