Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
COLFAX — County Commissioners met on Monday, April 10, as a motion on the Interlocal relationship with Port of Whitman/Dark Fiber was addressed.
Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack expressed his concerns following a conversation he had with Asotin County Commissioner Brian Shinn.
“Shinn was unsure if the commissioners would be able to retain the federal Economic Development Organization (EDO) funding without Whitman County as a member,” said Swannack.
Other concerns regarding a supposed deal involving The Port of Whitman and the South East Washington Economic Development Association (SEWEDA) raised eyebrows at the meeting amongst the commissioners.
“I have some concerns with the Port of Whitman and their behavior with the public over the past few months, and Pullman is ticked off,” said Swannack. “I think their application looked better than what SEWEDA gave us in the sense that they were more in-depth. But there are those other concerns that I stated weighing against it.”
Swannack reports that Shinn mentioned The Port of Whitman assisting in finding an Associate Development Organization (ADO) position in Whitman County for SEWEDA.
“I don’t know if I ever heard them say they were going to do that,” he added.
Another note Shinn mentioned to Swannack was the effort to find a managing director ADO in Whitman County. The most significant issue was the pay level.
“The funding wasn’t high enough, which is interesting if the Port says it is high enough, which is what they are basically saying by accepting this,” said Swannack
The federal fund partially pays the position of Managing Director ADO in Whitman County, reports say.
“There is a bunch of things that make me uncomfortable there,” said Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent. “I don’t want SEWEDA to think that we aren’t grateful for the COVID money. That’s not it at all. It’s just not in the best interest.”
The commissioners voted 2-1, and the motion passed the new relationship with the Port of Whitman on the issue.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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