POMEROY–Jack Peasley, Southeast Washington Economic Development Association (SEWEDA), Pomeroy Director discussed several projects during the Pomeroy Garfield County Community Economic Development Forum meeting in November. First, he announced that he is working as a Garfield County coordinator for the U.S. Census, through the Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC) out of Walla Walla. BMAC has received a grant for $140,000, to include Garfield County in working to be sure each and every individual in the county is counted and included in the Census data for the county. By including every resident in the county in the collected data, they can ensure that Garfield County will be eligible for the maximum amount of grant money available to us.

Peasley has been working for the past two and one-half years to get access to the City’s water system for development of residential sites on the east side of the city limits. It has proved to be an almost impossible task. With the help of others, primarily Grant Morgan, they have considered booster pumps or possibly a new well for the east end of town. State Representative Mary Dye was able to get legislative approval for $96,000 for the project, which is far short of the estimate of $1 million to do either the booster pump or a new well. The water issue must be solved to be able to attract any developers to build homes in the area, and the housing shortage continues to be an obstacle for people who work in the community to be able to bring their families to Pomeroy to live. Peasley promised that they will continue to pursue a solution, and that Mary Dye is continuing to push for it in the legislature as well. He added that the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) has been interested in talking about what they can do to help Pomeroy grow, and wants to come up with some ideas to solving the water problem. SEWEDA has also come up with some ways to cut costs, which could help resolve the issue as well.

Another project that SEWEDA is working on is attempting to establish a business incubator building in Pomeroy. They are looking for a building in the downtown area big enough to house an anchor business, with additional space for several other start-up businesses. The hope is that they could offer the start-ups a place to begin at a very low rental rate, possibly as low as $100 per month for the first year, and then negotiate a new rate after that, without being obligated to continue. The belief is that it would encourage people to take a chance on starting a business and having a trial period to see if they can succeed. Peasley has talked to the City Council and has identified some buildings that may possibly be available for sale.

Peasley has also been talking to Bill Clemens with Pacific Power about the possibility of installing an electric car charging station in Pomeroy. A location being considered is at the Oasis Park on Columbia St. While charging their vehicle, visitors could easily walk one block to Main Street and shop at local stores while they wait. In previous talks with Pacific Power by the County, the idea of a charging station was discarded because the County would have had to guarantee to Pacific Power a certain volume of business. Pacific Power had a grant that would cover most of the cost of the installation, but they would need to be able to recoup the remainder through charging uses. Now, however, they are working with another company that will install the charging station, which has changed their need for a guarantee. Peasley will be talking to the City Council in December to discuss the project. He added that Walla Walla, Dayton and Clarkston all have charging stations, and one more in Pomeroy would be an added link down Highway 12. Dawn Smith, Director of SEWEDA’s Clarkston office, said that the charging station in Clarkston sees more use than she ever expected. Peasley also wanted to be sure to announce that there would be no financial commitment needed from any public entity to complete this project.