Shipping hub could be boon to local farmers
While there is still a long way to go, the distribution center would ship apples, onions, potatoes and other produce by rail to Albany, N.Y.
There's an old saying that goes something like: ``For every door that closes, another door opens.''There are times when it must have seemed to those working in local economic development that every door was being slammed shut. Agriculture was hit particularly hard. Walla Walla and Dayton lost a large employer when the Seneca plants closed.
Milton-Freewater will suffer when Tree Top shuts down.
It was feared the closure would have a ripple effect throughout the local agricultural scene. Doors through which farmers could market many of their crops had not only closed, they had vanished.
About the time the shock wore off, a new door appeared. The Port of Walla Walla announced last week that it had embarked on a plan to create a shipping hub for Northwest produce. The Port had secured $1 million from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board to build an access road to 183 acres of Port property in Wallula.
Ironically, it is the same property that was to become a natural-gas-fired power plant before the utility company slammed the door on that project.
While there is still a long way to go, the distribution center would ship apples, onions, potatoes and other produce by rail to Albany, N.Y. The proposal carries more than a $14 million price tag, which would be shared by the Port, Union Pacific and a new company called RailEx.
If it succeeds, it would create an estimated 148 full-time jobs, and it would be one of the largest economic developments ever completed by the Port.
This seems like a perfect match for this area. It would help local agriculture, it would create new family-wage jobs, it would add to the tax base, it would be located on land owned by the Port and zoned appropriately, it would lessen the reliance on trucks for shipping, and it would require only a relatively small financial investment by the Port.
It sounds like opportunity is knocking.
Comments:
This is your opportunity to speak out about the story you just read. We encourage all readers to participate in this forum.
Please follow our guidelines and do not post:
Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo, such as accusing somebody of a crime, defaming someone's character, or making statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment, or posting comments that incite violence.
Comments using another person's real name to disguise your identity.
Commercial product promotions.
Comments unrelated to the story.
Links to other Web sites.
While we do not edit comments, we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
If you feel someone has violated our posting guidelines please contact us immediately so we can remove the post. We appreciate your help in regulating our online community.
Your comment will be posted after it has been verified.
