Royal City suffers the loss of a great man

ROYAL CITY — When Frank Mianecki Sr. passed away on April 7, his departure was felt throughout the community.

Frank was a big man in physical stature. He was even bigger in presence. If something really needed to get done, you went to Frank — and he never asked for anything in return.

“I missed the opportunity at his services to tell everyone how much he cared for this community,” said Cathy Potter, executive director of the Port of Royal Slope. “He wanted to make the Royal area better by bringing in businesses to create jobs.”

Frank served on the Port’s board of commissioners from 2002-2015. He was also its No. 1 volunteer devoting countless hours working to clear the tracks on the rail line.

There were many other chores Frank took on as well, so many in fact that it would be nearly impossible to list them all.

He spread compost on Lot 18 to hold dust down. He cut and placed 4-inch steel pipe in the ground to protect the Port’s valves on Road F and 13.9.

Frank cleaned up old hay that was stacked on Lot 4. He cleared sagebrush and broke rock into gravel to use for approaches to Royal Ridge’s pump house.

Frank also brought in the boulders used for the landscaping in the Port’s office area. He helped put in a submersible pump and pipe in the well and pulled the pump back out when the Port had the two well pump failures.

On top of all that, Potter said Frank was instrumental in bringing rail service back to Royal.

“Frank spent many hours clearing the rock and debris on the railroad to get it opened up so a train could go from Othello to Royal,” Potter said. “We then received $750,000 to rehabilitate the line. The 26-mile Royal Slope Railroad was then transferred to the Port and we leased it to an operator. We have rail service largely because of Frank.”

Frank was born on Oct. 14, 1940, in Racine, Wisc. After graduating from Seymour High School in 1959, he joined the U.S. Air Force. During his post at Mountain Home, Idaho, he met his wife-to-be, Elin (Chris) Peterson, whom he married on Dec. 1, 1962.

In the spring of 1964, Frank and Elin moved to Washington state. In July of that year they made Royal City their permanent home.

Frank’s passion and life-long career was farming. As a young boy in Wisconsin, Frank tended the family garden and helped on the family dairy farm.

But it was at the Port where people really came to know the kind, gentle nature of this man who put other’s needs before his own.

As a commissioner, Frank attended 264 meetings, which entailed roughly 681 hours. Not included are the hours he spent in Olympia or touring facilities or going to banquets or other meetings on behalf of the Port.

“Frank came to every meeting with a smile and a mind that was as sharp as a tack,” Potter said. “There were times we would all grab calculators to figure numbers, and Frank would have the answer first by working it out in his head. He never got mad or irritated and never complained about anyone or anything, even when the meetings ran extra late.”

During Frank’s time on the board the Port acquired more than 400 acres, built over a mile of Road F SW, and spearheaded the project to get turning lanes on Highway 26. The Port also made improvements to its water system, extending the lines to all the lots in its Industrial Park looping the system, all the while constructing a 100,000-gallon water storage tank at well No. 1.

As part of the Port’s wastewater treatment feasibility study, Frank toured facilities at Connell and the Port of Morrow. He also participated in an over-night retreat to create a Comprehensive Plan for the Port of Royal Slope that is now updated annually at regular meetings, and made at least three trips to Olympia to talk about the railroad.

“Frank was a man of respect and integrity,” Potter said. “He was very humble and didn’t want recognition for all that he did. We wanted to do something to honor him when he retired, but he wouldn’t have it. The one thing we agreed to was having a celebration when the first train came to Royal. Sadly, for one reason or another, we didn’t have one.”

“Frank was a mentor and a good friend and will be missed a lot. He made such an impact on this community that his story needs to be told. We lost a great man.”