Port expects to land fiber grant

The Port of Whitman County appears to be closing in on a more than $12 million stimulus grant to link Pullman to Spokane with fiber optics.

The United States Department of Agriculture, which is awarding the grant funds from the National Telecommunications Infrastructure Act, asked the port to submit detailed financial records for final review.

The federal agency has not yet decided on the grant amount, but an announcement is expected soon.

“We’re praying,” said Joe Poire, port director. “We’re in full-blown, just-before-confession mode.”

Debbie Snell, port properties and development manager, told port commissioners at their last meeting the request seems to be part of the USDA’s final vetting process.

“It looks extremely positive,” said Snell.

If awarded the grant, the port has pledged to contribute matching funds in excess of $2 million.

Port Commissioners last week expressed concern about where the agency would come up with the match funds, but noted design and construction would likely take two to three years, providing time to assemble a package.

The port’s $12 million project is part of a $93 million statewide project being spearheaded by the Northwest Open Access Network. The overall project was ranked tops of 93 applicants by a panel of Washington state experts late last year.

Locally, the project entails running a fiber optic line up the eastern side of Whitman County along the right-of-way of the 76-mile P&L line of the state-owned Palouse River and Coulee Railroad.

The port is hoping such a line would make it affordable to provide hi-speed internet service to towns along the railroad. The fiber line would be leased to telecommunications companies.

The port has spent $101,625 on feasibility studies for the project. State grants accounted for $50,000 of the consultant costs.