Tri-Cities Real Estate News & Views

Richland School District Buys Land for New School

The Richland School District has recently decided to buy 15 acres of land south of Mountain View Estates on Belmont Boulevard in West Richland. The purchase was approved by the school board earlier this week. According to the school board president, Rich Jansons, the price of the land will be about $675,000. The land is currently being used as farmland and will continue to be used as such for the next several years until a new elementary school is built on it.

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Tri Cities not as Dependent on Hanford Anymore

The Tri Cities have used to be highly dependent on the Hanford economy, but according to a study by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory less that 8% of local jobs in the area were with Hanford prime contractors last year. Even though billions of dollars are poured into the cleanup at Hanford the area just isn’t as dependent on Hanford as the used to be. Employment jobs in Benton County and Franklin Counties have gone up 33% since 1994. An economist believes that in order for the Tri Cities economy to keep going up they need to diversify a little more but right now everything is looking good, there are scientific jobs, health care jobs, food processing jobs, along with other new jobs in the area. If the Tri Cities keeps adding more jobs and …

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Real Estate Excise Tax Bill Could Allow Local Government to Have the Money

Did you know that there are currently two bills being proposed in Olympia, Washington that, if passed, could allow the local real estate excise tax of .25% to be used by the local government? House Bill 3179 and Senate Bill 6424 were create to take the tax that was originally created to provide infrastructure that is necessary for the Growth Management Act and instead give it to the local governments are now looking to use this funding for operating expenses and/or public buildings that could be funded with bond authority or other mechanisms.

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School Levies in the Tri Cities Passing

Around the Tri Cities school maintenance and operations levies are passing at the polls. These levies help pay for extracurricular activities such as sports, art, music, along with other day-to–day expenses such as transportation and utilities. Levies have to have 50% of the votes a yes in order to pass. The Kennewick School District received 62% yes votes; Richland School District is at 65%; and the Pasco School District is passing with 56%.

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Presentation for Black History Month at Franklin County Historical Museum

This month the Franklin County Historical Museum will be holding a presentation in honor of Black History Month by Katie Barton. The presentation will be on February 20 beginning at 10:00 am at the Pasco Museum. Katie Barton, who is 91, has lived in Franklin County for nearly 62 years, she was the first black to be elected to the Pasco City Council. Barton is very active in the community, she is involved with various community service activities as well as being a member of the Tri-Cities Senior Companion program. The museum will be featuring a new collection of photos and artifacts that go along with Black History month. Admission is free to get into the museum, their hours are Tuesdays through Fridays from 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm.

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The State of Washington Possibly Cutting Main Street Revitalization Program

As part of the Washington State Main Street program, the Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership is joining with various communities statewide to help save the program. As a result of budget cuts the Main Street Program could be cut. Since 1991 the program has helped 11,810 people to get jobs in 3,721 businesses. A majority of the money going into the program is from private contributions, for every $1 the program has to put out there is about $96 coming in from investors. Last year the program was cut back 75% of what it originally was. Even though the budget is in a pinch, last year the Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership had one of its best years with plenty of private contributions from local businesses and the City of Kennewick. Many…

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Art Exhibit Opening at WSU Tri-Cities

Washington State Tri Cities will be opening the Chancellor’s Art Exhibit on Wednesday at 5:00pm. The exhibit will showcase several artists from in and around the Columbia Valley. Fourty-four pieces will be on display until the end of the April in the East Building administration corridor. The exhibit will be open to the public on weekdays from 7:00 am until 10:00 pm. There is no charge for the opening or to view the art pieces.

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Cavalcade of Authors this Friday at Red Lion in Pasco

The second annual Cavalcade of Authors will be happening this Friday, February 10, at the Red Lion Hotel in Pasco. The authors that will be attending are: Buckingham, Dia Calhoun, Patrick Carman, Brenda Cooper, Lorie Ann Grover, Maureen McQuerry, Ben Mikaelsen, Deborah Reber and Suzanne Selfors. Some authors will be going to local schools this week to encourage them to read and begin to write stories. There are a few authors who will be going to local schools that will not be attending the Cavalcade of Authors event. The Cavalcade is a daylong event, students can only attend if they have read books from four of the authors going. The organizers are expecting about 225 students this year from Richland middle and high schools along with some…

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Leadership Tri Cities Looking for Artist to Paint Mural at YMCA in Pasco

The Leadership Tri Cities Class XV are looking for an artist to paint a mural at the YMCA’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Pasco. The chosen artist will work with a group of students and members of the leadership class to design and paint a 75 by 10 foot indoor mural. The mural will be titled Three Rivers, Four Cities, One Heart: Inspiring Leadership Through Art. Artists who are interested are asked to attend an information session at the Martin Luther King Center on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, they are also asked to submit a proposal by March 1. The chosen artist will receive up to $10,000 in commission. Those who would like to make donations to the YMCA to help with the maintenance of the mural or to get more information about the project can email…

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Washington Parks and Rec Looking to Add to Sacajawea State Park

The Washington Parks and Recreation Commission are going to be discussing possible ideas for Sacajawea State Park.  The meeting will take place at the Sacajawea Interpretive Center in the park. The commission is looking at constructing a play structure to incorporate the cultural history of the park. They are also looking at putting in a native plant area and a plan for the Wanapum Village. The meeting will begin at 7:00 on Wednesday, for more information visit the Washington Parks and Rec. site.

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