The City of Kennewick is planning for an improvement project at the intersection of N. Steptoe St. and Gage Blvd. this year. The project will construct double left turn lanes and single right turn lanes on all approaches (where not existing). Additional work includes improving signal operations and turning movements, updating ADA ramps, and upgrading lighting. A grant through Benton Franklin Council of Governments and the Federal Highway Administration has awarded funding to the City to acquire right-of-way, provide design engineering and construction for these improvements.
 
Project Schedule
The planning process began in 2020 for right-of-way and design. Timing for construction is summer/fall of 2022 for this project. The project could potentially be extended through spring of 2023 depending on weather and contractor availability.
 
What to Expect
The next phase will be utility relocates. Benton PUD will be moving poles along the east side, as well as relocating underground utilities. Cascade Natural Gas will be eliminating their above-ground metering station in the northwest corner as well. Underground water utilities will also need to be relocated on the southwest corner of the intersection.
 
An open house is scheduled for Wednesday, May 4, 2022 from 5 – 7pm at Sunset View Elementary School for an opportunity for property owners, stakeholders, and the public to see the plans and ask questions to City staff.
 
Project Updates
The City's Current Projects web page will provide information during the construction phase at the following link: https://www.go2kennewick.com/597/Projects
 
Please contact the City of Kennewick Public Works Department with any questions (509)585-5385.

Prosser Memorial Health is excited to welcome Juliet Dennis, PMHNP-BC, to our team of providers at the Grandview clinic! Originally from southern California, Juliet moved to Washington to attend Washington State University, where she received her BS in psychology. She later went on to receive her bachelor’s in nursing from Western Governor’s University, and recently graduated from Frontier Nursing University with her master’s in nursing.

Juliet started as a Registered Nurse in an Intensive Care Unit. It was while doing this work, she saw the need for more mental health focused care. Juliet decided to continue her education and become a PMHN to help fill this gap. Juliet understands the growing need for mental healthcare and does her best to make each of her patients feel comfortable and safe. She is excited to care for patients of all ages and expand access to mental health services within the community. Outside of work, Juliet enjoys spending her free time outdoors with her family, traveling, or simply relaxing with a puzzle or good book.

Juliet will be providing a variety of psychiatric services at the Grandview Clinic, including medication management, referrals, and counseling for mental disorders like anxiety and depression. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit prosserhealth.org or call our Grandview clinic at (509) 203-1080.

Port of Kennewick and its Vista Field investment partners, City of Kennewick and Benton County, invite everyone to a grand opening celebration for the Vista Field urban town center on Thursday, June 16, at 2:30 p.m.

Attendees will help open the site and enjoy food trucks, a photo booth and music. They will be among the first to walk the streamside promenade, drive across the new Crosswind Boulevard, and discover Vista Field’s many public amenities, including fountains, pedestrian bridges, a pond, a commercial plaza, tree-filled landscaping and more. Immediately following the opening festivities, Kennewick Fire Department’s new Vista Field Station #3 will also be open for tours.

WHAT: Vista Field Opening Day Celebration
WHEN: Thursday, June 16, beginning at 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Vista Field – 6600 W. Deschutes Avenue, Kennewick, WA 99336 (Enter from Deschutes Avenue; other roadways will open following event.)
RSVP: Attendees are asked to RSVP to [email protected]

Vista Field will blend mixed-use neighborhoods with urban lifestyle amenities. Port of Kennewick is following a community-driven master plan with the goal of transforming 103 acres into a vibrant, regional town center. Once the entire site is complete, economic projections indicate redevelopment could mean nearly 1,000 residential units, 740,000 square feet of commercial space, more than $500 million in private-sector investment, $51 million in new infrastructure, $408 million in new (taxable) buildings, and 3,380 jobs.

Muret-Gaston Winery will open a new tasting at Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village in June.

Located at 313 E. Columbia Gardens Way #120 off East Columbia Drive in Kennewick, the Muret-Gaston tasting room’s hours of operation will align with the other Columbia Gardens wineries: Bartholomew Winery, Monarcha Winery and Gordon Estate Winery.

In addition to the Muret-Gaston collection of red and white wines, owners and winemakers Kyle and Amy Johnson will serve wines from their Purple Star label by the bottle or glass at the Columbia Gardens tasting room.    

“We’ve been behind the vision of Columbia Gardens from the start,” said Amy Johnson Muret-Gaston, proprietor, director and fellow winemaker. “The waterfront and downtown Kennewick are exploding with potential, and we are excited to be a part of it.”

Learn more about the winery and wines at muret-gaston.com. Visit the winery’s Instagram instagram.com/muretgastonwinery?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= and Facebook facebook.com/MuretGastonwines pages for hours, specials and events once the tasting room opens.

To learn more about the Port of Kennewick’s Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village development, please visit columbiagardens.org.

Port of Benton is holding a recognition ceremony to honor the original crew members aboard USS Triton (SSRN 586) during the submarine’s historic Operation Sandblast mission.

The ceremony is Thursday, May 12 at 10 a.m. at the USS Triton Sail Park, 3300 Port of Benton Boulevard in Richland – the same week Triton surfaced off the coast of Delaware following its successful 1960 mission to circumnavigate the globe, entirely submerged and undetected.

The top-secret expedition proved invaluable to the U.S., gathering valuable oceanographic data and demonstrating the crew’s endurance and the submarine’s technical capabilities during the Cold War.

Triton’s 75-foot-long sail and conning tower are on display at the USS Triton Sail Park to honor submariners and highlight the significance of Triton’s impact on the Nuclear Age. The sail park overlooks the port’s barge slip and high dock where the U.S. Navy transfers nuclear reactor compartments from decommissioned vessels (including Triton) onshore for delivery to the nearby Hanford Site for permanent storage.

About USS Triton (586) and Operation Sandblast
Triton was one of the first nuclear-powered submarines, operated solely by dual nuclear reactors, direct descendants of Hanford reactors, including the B Reactor. At the time of Triton’s commissioning in 1959, it was considered the largest, most powerful and most expensive submarine ever built.

The submerged circumnavigation covered 26,723 nautical miles between February 24 to April 25, 1960, and generally followed the route explorer Ferdinand Magellan had attempted to navigate in 1521. Once the journey around the world was complete, Triton remained underwater, continued to Spain, where a plaque was presented to honor Magellan’s and Triton’s historic voyages, then arrived in Delaware and surfaced on May 10, 1960.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented Capt. Edward Beach with the Legion of Merit and Triton’s crew received the Presidential Unit Citation.

The New York Times described Triton’s mission as “a triumph of human prowess and engineering skill, a feat which the United States Navy can rank as one of its bright victories in man’s ultimate conquest of the seas.”

Washington State University announced today a landmark $20 million gift from Edmund and Beatriz Schweitzer, and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL). These investments will support the success of the next generation of students at WSU’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.

The Schweitzers and SEL are each contributing $10 million toward the construction of the Voiland College’s new student success building on WSU’s Pullman campus. When complete, the facility will be a central hub where engineering and design students can innovate, collaborate with faculty and each other, and have access to advising, technology, and other activities that are foundational to their success at college and beyond.

“An investment of this magnitude is a game-changer for the Voiland College and for the entire WSU system,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz. “When people like Ed, Beatriz, and the employee-owners of SEL make a generous commitment like this, it is a resounding endorsement for all of our talented faculty, staff, and students in the college and across the WSU system.

“We are grateful for the leadership this generous investment represents and look forward to seeing it make a tangible difference in the educational experience for students for decades to come,” Schulz added. 

In recognition of this transformational contribution from the Schweitzers and SEL, WSU will name the new facility Schweitzer Engineering Hall. This investment represents the single-largest philanthropic commitment received by the Voiland College and is among the largest private investments in WSU history.

”Education leads to dreams, innovations, and new realities. WSU professors Mosher, Szablya, Baker, Flechsig, Hower, Seamans, Rigas, and many others opened my mind and the minds of thousands of students,” said SEL President Edmund O. Schweitzer III. “Beatriz and I are grateful for this opportunity to grow the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.”

According to SEL Chief Executive Officer Dave Whitehead, this commitment represents an exciting new chapter in a long-standing and successful partnership with WSU.

“SEL is pleased to partner with Ed and Beatriz to make this significant investment in engineering students at WSU,” said Whitehead. “Our connection with the university runs deep, from Ed’s days as a WSU grad student and professor, to many years of research collaborations. Hundreds of Cougs have joined SEL and contributed to our collective success over the years, with nearly 450 WSU alums currently employed by SEL.”

“The new building and the learning opportunities that come with it will increase WSU’s pipeline of engineering students and create a new legacy of exceptional engineering education for decades to come,” Whitehead added.

​Effective immediately, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer enforce the federal mask requirement for passengers and employees at airports.
 
Per a statement released today from the TSA, “Due to today’s court ruling, effective immediately, TSA will no longer enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs. TSA will also rescind the new Security Directives that were scheduled to take effect tomorrow. CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time.”
 
While the lifting of the mandate applies directly to airports, airlines and destinations may have additional COVID-19 protocols. Any passengers traveling soon should contact their airlines and destination directly for requirements specific to their journey. 

3 Rivers Community Foundation is pleased to announce that in 2021 it distributed a record-breaking $1.18 million in grants to local nonprofits. This total represents several different projects, including COVID-19 Response Grants, Annual Grants, donor-directed giving, and a grant cycle focused on Social Determinants of Health. All grants are overseen by the 3RCF Board of Directors, and 99% of grants went to 501c3 nonprofits in or supporting Benton and Franklin counties. All told, $1.18 million was distributed in 157 grants to 103 organizations.

3RCF’s 2021 Grantmaking included a wide range of activity, including:

• Annual Grant Cycle – an application-based cycle that occurs each fall
• COVID-19 Response Fund – an application-based cycle to support nonprofit’s response to the pandemic.
• Social Determinants of Health – an application-based cycle to support larger projects to impact housing, food insecurity, and mental health access in our community. Funds were provided by the Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health.
• Designated Grants – from endowed funds established by donors who have selected the recipient organization.
• Family Health & Wellness Foundation Funds – formerly Trios Foundation, grants to organizations to continue the legacy and intent of improving wellness for families in our community.
• Donor-Directed Grants – including donor-advised funds and pass-thru giving to help donors meet their charitable goals.

The dollars for this incredible impact come from a variety of sources, including 3RCF’s endowment, donations, as well as partnerships with other organizations with a similar mission. 3RCF is proud to be a trusted philanthropic partner in Benton and Franklin counties, for organizations and donors who want to ensure their gifts are addressing current pressing needs.

“2021 was a busy year by any standard,” says Abbey Cameron, Executive Director. “We were able to utilize our experience in grantmaking to funnel support where it was needed most, sometimes very quickly! We couldn’t do this without our donors. We are fortunate to work with individuals and couples from across our community who are charitably-minded and we treasure the opportunity to get to know them and help them achieve their charitable goals.”

3RCF offers a variety of philanthropic options to donors large and small including pooling individual donations to create a larger impact, creating an endowed fund to support perpetual gifts or scholarships, or facilitating anonymous or complex gifts.
​
To learn more about philanthropy in our communities visit www.3rcf.org or contact us at [email protected] or 509-735-5559.

​Annual city-wide herbicide application for noxious weed control is slated to start on or around April, 18, weather dependent. Application vehicles will be operating between midnight and 6 am, Monday through Friday. The primary focus will be to control weeds in the curb/gutter line and gravel shoulders on all of the City’s main roadways. Project is anticipated to be completed in early May.
 
A yellow dye is mixed with the herbicide to assist with the application. The yellow dye will fade in three to four weeks and application areas are safe for people and pets to enter once the application is dry. If there is inadvertent contact with wet herbicide, it is recommended to remove contaminated clothing and rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes.
 
A map of the specific application areas are attached or can be viewed on our City website at: https://www.go2kennewick.com/DocumentCenter/View/12569/2022-Herbicide-Contract-Map
 
Please call the City of Kennewick Public Works Department at (509) 585-4419 with any questions.

Prosser Memorial Hospital received the State’s #1 ranking for nurse-patient communication from the The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Hospital Compare website, a national standardized survey of hospital patients about their experiences during a recent inpatient hospital stay. Prosser Memorial Health scores exceeded those of healthcare organizations in cities such as Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver.

“Excellent patient communication is incredibly important. When patients are in the hospital, they are often stressed and may not be thinking clearly. It is our job to ensure they understand their treatment plan and what to expect during their hospital stay, as well as when they are discharged. Improving and enhancing the patient experience has been at the forefront of our training and coaching in recent years. Receiving a number one ranking validates this hard work and reinforces the need to continually strive for excellence in all areas of patient care,” said Merry Fuller, Chief Nursing Officer at Prosser Memorial Health.

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey process, developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, is a standardized patient satisfaction survey tool and data collection methodology, that has the capacity to elevate the quality and safety of health care services across America and transform the way hospitals do business. Figures represent data collected from July through December 2021.

For questions or more information, please contact Prosser Memorial Health Community Relations Executive Director Shannon Hitchcock at 509.786.6601, or email [email protected].