Port of Kennewick - “Southern Gateway Transformation” Event Planned

Port of Kennewick and Benton County invite the community to a celebration on Monday, April 29, at 10 a.m. to mark the start of renovating Vista Field’s southern gateway. The “Southern Gateway Transformation” event will be held at 6600 West Deschutes Avenue in Kennewick.

The project will turn two former hangar buildings into open-air pavilions connected by a sheltered courtyard with a stage and add other amenities to the public space. The port is using a Benton County Rural County Capital Fund grant to create these lively community-use facilities.

Who:                      Media and community invited
What:                     Vista Field “Southern Gateway Transformation” event
When:                    Monday, April 29, 2024 from 10 – 10:30 a.m.    
Where:                   6600 West Deschutes Avenue, Kennewick

​Port commissioners awarded a $2.137 million contract, plus applicable taxes, to Goodman & Mehlenbacher Enterprises (GAME Inc.) to remove metal siding from the hangars and construct pergolas, storage areas, sound walls and restrooms. The project also includes installing lighting, industrial fans, landscaping, a new crosswalk, wayfinding signage, a “paper airplane” metal sculpture and an artistic reuse of distinctive metal carrier-decking artifacts to share the story of Vista Field’s WWII Naval history.