Port OK's comprehensive plan, seeks rail link to Ephrata

MOSES LAKE — Commissioners overseeing the Port of Moses Lake on Monday approved a land-use “scheme” for the port that includes possible plans for a rail extension to the BNSF rail lines at the Port of Ephrata.

According to Jeffrey Bishop, the port’s executive director, the comprehensive plan is required by law but isn’t itself a legal document.

“The scheme does not mandate that we do any of the projects,” Bishop told commissioners during a regular meeting on Monday.

The plan, which was unanimously adopted by the two commissioners present, Stroud Kunkle and Kent Jones. Commissioner Mike Conley retired earlier this year, and his seat remains vacant.

The commissioners also approved a property acquisition policy. Bishop said the new policy will allow the Port of Moses Lake to acquire and own land “when it relates to or is incidental to” the port’s core functions and do so in an open and transparent way, but will not compete with private interests.

While the new policy gives the executive director the ability to negotiate purchase and sale deals, Bishop said a land deal would require the approval of the port commissioners.

He also told commissioners the land use plan and the port’s inventory of assets will be regularly updated.

“We will no longer have our comprehensive scheme wait 20 years to be updated,” he said.

Among the projects in the plan are the rail connection west to the Port of Ephrata, an extension and refurbishing of current tracks east of Moses Lake that go into the port, and an industrial wastewater reuse project immediately to the west of the port that calls for a connecting road between State Highway 17 and Road 10 Northeast.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.