HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence - BOCCMarch 26, 2024
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GRANT COUNTY
OFFICE OF THE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
P O Box 37
EPHRATA WA 98B23
(509) 754-201 1
Re: Support of Phase 3 Federal Funding Request for the Port of Warden Truck
Access/Bypass Road Project
To whom it may concern,
The Grant County Board of County Commissioners write in support of the Port of Warden (Grant
County Port District No. 8) request for $2.5 million in FY 2025 Federal Congressionally Directed
Spending (CDS) Funding for Phase 3 (the final phase) of the "Port of Warden Truck
Access/Bypass Road Project", which would build a truck access/bypass road from/to SR 170
to/from Port -owned industrial zoned properties in southwest Warden, WA to help trucks bypass
disadvantaged residential neighborhoods on that side of town and to help handle the increasing
growth in freight from industrial, food processing and agricultural shippers. Warden, WA is a rural
socioeconomically disadvantaged community (in eastern Washington) in which nearly 85% of the
students qualify for free and reduced -price lunch.
The Port of Warden received $2.5 million in Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funds in
2023 from a Federal CDS funding request for Phase 1 of this project and then $2.5 million in
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funds in 2024 from a Federal CDS funding request for
Phase 2 of this project. Phase 3 would finish the Port of Warden Truck Access/Bypass Road Project
following Phases 1 and 2.
In the past few years, a great deal of economic development and freight
p g growth have occurred at
the Port of Warden, including a canola crushing and canola oil refining facility, a new fertilizer
distribution facility, additional fresh produce packing and frozen and dehydrated food processing,
and the associated warehousing for these products.
As a result of the growth and expansion of these industries in the Port of Warden, industrial road
infrastructure in Warden is near capacity and now more industrial rade roads
. g ads are needed to allow
for the related growth in truck freight coming from andoin Port
g g to of Warden to service the
above industries, and also to attract new industries. More importantly,this project will help the
Port to build a truck bypass road so that trucks will not have to travel through'
residential
neighborhoods in Warden in the future.
Danny E. Stone Rob Jones Cindy Carter
District 1 District 2 District 3
"TO MEET CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS9 SERVING TOGETHER WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES WHILE FOSTERING
A RESPECTFUL AND SUCCESSFUL WORK ENVIRONMENT."
Additionally, the Port of Warden has received significant recent interest from various '
nous agri business
and food processing and cold storage projects that would create hundreds of family wage jobs and
would result in hundreds of millions of dollars of positive economic impact and investment nvestment in the
Warden community. As a result, building a truck by ass/access road is critical to help elp attract these
projects, increasing safety for neighborhoods, as well as bringing jobs
g g more and economic
opportunities to the Warden community.
In summary, we support the Port of Warden's request for X2.5 million in funding q ding for Phase
3 of this project which would complete the final piece of this important truck
p bypass/access
road to enhance safety, jobs, freight mobility and economic opportunities in
pp the Warden
community.
Thank you for your consideration of this important request.
Sincerely,
BOARD OF GRANT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Cindy C er, Chair
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CC: Port of Warden
Danny E. Stone, Vice -Chair
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Rob Jwmsember