The ports of Woodland and Ridgefield recently received the majority of roughly $5.2 million in funding approved by the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board in either grants or low-cost loans, the board announced late last month.
The board announced its approval of loans and grants Nov. 21, which saw the Port of Woodland receiving more than $3 million and the Port of Ridgefield close to $2 million in funding. Other recipients included the city of Othello, Lewis County Public Utility District 4, the Nisqually Indian Tribe and the Port of Benton.
The Port of Ridgefield received a roughly $733,000 loan and about $287,000 in a grant for the port’s Wisdom Ridge Business Park Phase I project, according to the board’s announcement. The project would see construction of a 20,000-square-foot “flex” building and site development for two future building sites, matched by close to $2.5 million in local resources.
The Port of Ridgefield also received a roughly $473,000 loan and a grant of the same amount for its Discovery Corridor Phase I project. Matched with about $315,000 in local resources, the project involves construction of about 25.5 miles of buried or above-ground fiber optic infrastructure.
The Port of Woodland also received funding for two projects from the board. According to the board’s announcement the port received a $50,000 grant for a conceptual site study on two lots, Martin Bar North and South, for potential industrial and marine terminal development. Those funds are matched by $349,000 in local resources.
The Port of Woodland additionally received a $2.25 million loan and a $750,000 grant for the Centennial and Rose Way Infrastructure and Building project, according to the board’s announcement. The project would see roads and utilities built as well as a port building at industrial parks at the two locations, with close to $5.8 million in local and federal resources and a $1.5 million investment by Columbia Precast Products supplementing the board-approved funding.
“CERB funding has played an important role in strengthening communities and Washington’s regional economies for more than 35 years,” Washington State Department of Commerce director Lisa Brown stated in the board’s announcement. “These low-interest infrastructure loans and grants approved today support a diverse group of local plans and public-private partnerships for growth.”
The funding is contingent upon the ports’ completing requirements including permitting and finalizing other funding sources to match the awards, according to the announcement.
