Transportation leaders meet at BBCC

Commission rides dinner train Monday

MOSES LAKE - Members of the state's transportation commission get a close-up view of local rail needs before their regular meeting next week.

Rep. Judy Warnick, R- Moses Lake, asked members of the Washington Transportation Commission to participate in a train ride Monday at about 1 p.m., prior to their regular meeting the next day.

"Columbia Basin Railroad graciously worked it so the (Spirit of Washington) dinner train will be up here in the Columbia Basin area," Warnick said. "So we're hoping to do a little bit of a tour around some of their track - what is needed up here, what conditions we've got and look at the expansion they're putting together."

It will be the first time the dinner train is in the area, Warnick added.

Warnick said the meeting's location in Moses Lake is a chance to show the commission what the area needs and why.

"I think the area is expanding, it's growing, it's critical that we get our crops and other goods to market," she said. "It's not just agricultural produce, we have other industries and businesses in the Moses Lake area that are highly dependent on rail."

Washington State Transportation Commission Senior Policy Analyst Paul Parker said the commission joins city, county and state officials Tuesday to discuss transportation issues around the Columbia Basin area.

The meeting takes place in Room 1870 A and B at Big Bend Community College beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

The transportation commission holds several meetings throughout the state each year to hear from local government, industry and citizens about transportation issues affecting their communities and region. The information helps the commission develop and implement a vision for transportation, Parker said.

The commission held a similar day-long local meeting in Pullman in April and will meet in Bremerton and Friday Harbor later this year.

Meetings are open to the public, and residents will have an opportunity to address commission members during a public comment period.

The meeting consists of a series of panel discussions and short presentations about current activities, future plans and needs for transportation at the local, regional and state level.

Representatives of the City of Moses Lake, TransCo, Grant County and the other three counties comprising the QuadCo Regional Transportation Planning Organization - Adams, Lincoln and Kittitas counties - will share with the commissioners their perspective of local transportation challenges and needs.

On the state level, WSDOT Region Administrator Don Senn will lead the discussion on current and future transportation projects and plans.

Other topics on the agenda include biofuels, "The Future of Farming and Transportation" and "Economic Development and Transportation."

For more information, access the commission Web site at www.wstc.wa.gov.