Gronholz will head four-county RR board

Port of Whitman Commissioner Bob Gronholz of Colfax was named President of the Palouse River-Coulee City Rail Authority at the rail board’s meeting Aug. 19 in Davenport.

Gronholz replaces Lincoln County Commissioner Ted Hopkins as president of the rail board, Joe Poire, executive director, reported to port commissioners John Love and Dan Boone at last Thursday’s regular meeting of the port board. Gronholz was absent from Thursday’s meeting.

The port represents Whitman County’s interests on the four-county board, which was created to meet a state mandate in March, 2008. Along with the port, the governing board consists of representatives from Grant, Lincoln and Spokane counties, all with segments of the railroad inside their borders.

The state legislature allotted $8.6 million for track rehabilitation in the 2007 session. Along with the money came a mandate that the four counties through which the state-owned railroad runs take over administrative duties from the state Department of Transportation.

Without such a board in place, the rehabilitation funds would have gone back to the state’s general transportation budget.

Gronholz is running unopposed this November for a third term representing District 3 on the Port commission.