Waitsburg road improvement project is on the agenda
By Terry Murry on Monday, September 27th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners will be meeting today (Monday) at 10 a.m. Commissioners will decide whether to approve the Port of Walla Walla spending money from the port’s portion of the economic development sales tax funds for the Millrace Road grade improvement project in Waitsburg.
Port commissioners approved the city of Waitburg’s grant application of $80,000 on Aug. 26. Due to the current interlocal agreement between the port and county regarding the economic development sales tax funds, county commissioners must approve the port using these funds.
The project will finalize corridor improvements from Main Street through the eastern city limits of Waitsburg along Millrace Road that will eventually become the trailhead for the Touchet Valley Trail from Waitsburg to Dayton. The project route is also the primary road access for industrial zones in Waitsburg and provides a secondary access to the Port of Walla Walla’s business park.
County commissioners will also consider a proposed Washington State Department of Agriculture capital improvement grant to improve facilities at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds.
“We can apply for up to three projects that can be up to $250,000 each,” Fair Manager Greg Lybeck said in his written proposal to the commissioners.
Projects being considered are portable bleacher upgrades, new ticketing gate with asphalt and fencing from Tietan Street to Orchard Street, portable stalls to replace three old race barns, and power and lighting improvements.
“If we are successful with our application, it would allow us to upgrade our fairground facilities at no cost to Walla Walla County,” Lybeck added.
Also on the agenda, commissioners will hold a public hearing to consider reducing the speed limit on Beet Road from 50 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour. The reduced area would on Beet Road from milepost 0 at Stateline Road to milepost 0.83 at Springdale Road.
The meeting will be hosted via WebEx. The access code is 146 784 0290.
