Port cuts ribbon on industrial park road

MOSES LAKE — On Wednesday afternoon, Grant County Commissioner Cindy Carter, Port of Moses Lake Commissioner Stroud Kunkle, and Moses Lake Mayor David Curnel cut the ribbon on Road G Northeast, making the port’s new Westside Employment Center a reality.

“This is just the opportunity to bring in more industry, more varied industry, into Moses Lake and Grant County,” Kunkle said after the ribbon-cutting. “We’ve got a lot of land, and a lot of companies are looking at us.”

“We’ve gone a long way to show the world, now that they know where Grant County International Airport is, that we’re a lot more than just an airport,” Kunkle added.

The 2,400-acre industrial park – a combination of port- and privately-owned land – will provide businesses the ability to custom-build on 100-acre or larger sites served by a full set of utilities, including industrial wastewater treatment.

“We’ve had several inquiries, and currently we’re talking with about four different industries,” said Richard Hanover, director of business development for the Port of Moses Lake.

The brand-new, 3.5-mile road, which skirts the west side of Grant County International Airport connecting state Route 17 to Road M Northeast, and the industrial park were a project seven years in the making.

According to Milton Miller, facilities director for the Port of Moses Lake, the port originally set out to build an entrance along SR-17 for a future Road G but found the cost of that alone was beyond what the port could afford.

“So we reached out to adjacent property owners to help offset the costs, and in talking with them, it became apparent that we could make the project bigger through a public-private partnership,” Miller said.

The total cost of the west side project, including utilities and the industrial wastewater treatment system, was $6.5 million. It was funded largely through a local improvement district levy on nearby property owners and a Washington state Community Economic Revitalization Board grant, according to the port’s executive director, Don Kersey.

Even though it is outside the city limits, Curnel and Moses Lake City Manager Allison Williams were present at the ribbon-cutting as well, highlighting the importance of Port of Moses Lake to the city and the region.

“I think anything that the port does that brings in new businesses benefits the city,” Curnel said. “So, I think this is a win-win for us.”

In his 10 years as a member of the city council, “What I’ve seen is a much better relationship between the port and the city,” Curnel added. “And so we want to be out here to support them as much as we can.”

The port is expected to formally hand the road over to the county in mid-November.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.