Moses Lake chamber talks water, education with governor

MOSES LAKE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee had an opportunity to hear about the challenges facing Moses Lake at a round table discussion at the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce Wednesday. Besides Chamber President Debbie Doran-Martinez and Marketing Director Lori Robins, the governor met with Moses Lake Mayor Don Myers, City Administrator Kevin Fuhr, Grant County Economic Development Council Executive Director Brant Mayo, Port of Moses Lake Director of Business Development Richard Hanover, Big Bend Community College President Sara Thompson Tweedy and Group14 CEO Rick Luebbe. Accompanying Inslee was Washington Department of Commerce Engagement and Outreach Specialist Soo Ing-Moody. “First of all, Governor, we want to thank you for the $36 million that went into the budget to help us with water, more specifically getting surface water to do more irrigation,” Doran-Martinez told Inslee. “Also there was $4 million that was in the transportation budget that helped with bridges. So we were able to widen some bridges, put some bigger culverts in to deliver more water into the Columbia Basin Project. And then we've leveraged that and got more federal dollars as well for that project. We still don't have enough money to get it over the finish line, but every little bit helps.”