Uniontown, Tekoa get full funding from .09 panel

Uniontown and Tekoa received funding to remodel buildings for operating businesses by Whitman County’s Blue Ribbon Advisory Task Committee Tuesday night.

Whitman County Library District was partially funded in its request to develop a community arts center in Colfax.

The committee decides how to distribute a portion of the county’s allotment of economic development funds. The county receives .09 percent of the state’s share of sales taxes generated in the county to fund economic development projects.

This year, the county expects to receive more than $400,000 in .09 funding. Commissioners made $100,000 available for competitive awards to projects that will boost economic activity in towns throughout the county. The balance was placed in reserve to prepare for possible construction related to the Hawkins Companies’ proposed stateline strip mall project.

Uniontown’s request topped the seven-member panel’s scoring list, with Tekoa second and the library third. The three project proposals advanced to Tuesday night’s round after a fourth initial applicant, Pullman-Moscow Airport, was eliminated last week.

“The first two are to help real up-and-running businesses,” said committee member Ron Wachter of Pullman. “The third one is just kind of ‘give me some money. I want to build my dream.’”

Uniontown’s Public Development Authority requested $60,000 to turn a vacant Main Street building into a processing facility for Grandma Lela’s frozen oatmeal company.

Formed in Uniontown earlier this year by Cheryl Waller in the kitchen of her Churchyard bed and breakfast, Grandma Lela’s sales orders have plum blown up beyond the capacity of its current confines.

“We’ve been going like gangbusters,” Waller told the committee.

The PDA will buy the building and use the .09 funds to help turn it into an oatmeal factory by September.

Waller said oatmeal sales have caught fire in local grocery stores, with national chains also placing orders. Pullman School District has ordered the single-serve oatmeal cups to serve during its breakfast program this fall. That adds 1,500 more units a week to Grandma Lela’s production.

“It’s a perfect project for this program,” said PDA board member Ed Garretson. “It will put a vacant building to use and create jobs.”

Tekoa received $26,775 to renovate its business incubator.

Councilmember Debbie Groom said the town took over ownership of the building, a former city maintenance shop, last year when the public facilities district which owned it was dissolved.

Mayor John Jaeger said the renovation will allow the business in the building, Melton Fabricators, to stay and expand. The company manufactures metalworks for various purposes and rents the building from the town for $25 a month.

“He has a skill that will sell,” said Jaeger.

Improvements to the building electrical system, in particular, will allow Melton to compete for large-scale military manufacturing contracts, Jaeger added.

The committee decided to fully fund the first two projects for $86,775, and allot the remaining $13,225 to the library.

The library had requested $75,000 to begin architectural drawings and repair the facade of the former Hamilton Drug building, purchased last year with a $75,000 donation from two local families.

The library’s goal is to turn the building into a cultural center for the city and entire county by creating space for artists, crafters and dance and yoga instructors to provide lessons.

It would also host the office for the city’s Chamber of Commerce and be an incubator space for other various business ventures.

Blue Ribbon Committee member Dale Miller of Uniontown said .09 funds cannot be used for studies or plans. Library Director Kristie Kirkpatrick said she would shift funds so any .09 dollars awarded to the project would only be used on capital improvements.

Kirkpatrick said the library will still be able to use the smaller grant and seek other sources of funding to complete the $504,000 project.

Committee member Marty Mullen of Pullman closed the meeting by praising the work done on the LaCrosse community building, which was dedicated last Saturday. A library space in the community building was partially funded with .09 funding awarded by the Blue Ribbon panel last year.

“That is right up there as one of the best projects this board has helped with,” agreed Garretson.