Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The city of Palouse may take on the redevelopment of its Brownfields environmental cleanup site. Mayor Michael Echanove made a pitch at the May 14 city council meeting.
The city advertised for requests for proposals in 2018 and expanded the scope in 2019 for the approximately 100x200-foot long riverfront site, which was a former welding shop, gas station and fuel storage facility, torn down in 2012. Another building on the site was dismantled.
The city received no proposals in its initial offering, then two in its last effort, both deemed unsatisfactory.
“We really need some retail space in town,” said Echanove. “We have plenty of retail space in Palouse, but they’re not developed.”
He explained his thinking further to the council.
“We are very, very good when we take on a real estate project,” the mayor told the Gazette later. He cited the R.V. park, Heritage Park restrooms and demolition of the old Congress Theater.
“That is absolutely thriving,” said Echanove of the R.V. park. “Power, water, sewer and WI-FI, and the thing is crazy successful. Why can’t we do that to retail? A clean, affordable space for them to rent, let’s deliver it.”
Discussion at the city council meeting included possibilities such as forming a Public Development Authority, having the city direct it completely or a local group forming an LLC.
Echanove was also a co-owner of the former Green Frog Café in Palouse, with wife Paula, until last year.
Echanove proposed a community meeting on developing the Brownfields site with members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Brownsfield committee which is made up of an appointed group of citizens.
Water and sewer access is already in place on the site.
Since the building tear-down and initial cleanup in 2012, the site has been tested for petroleum and manganese as part of the state Department of Ecology (DOE) Brownfields program. Further monitoring is required.
Echanove suggested a small-size building could be built to start the development.
“We could do a little one, if that’s successful, put another little one there.”
What is the next step?
“We need to have a meeting, I need to talk to Munir,” Echanove said, referring to city engineer Munir Daud.
Palouse’s community center, built in 2011, not a city project, cost approximately $550,000.
“I’m not talking a fraction of that,” Echanove said.
All the while, the mayor expressed caution, citing the cost already invested in the Brownfields site.
“State and federal taxpayers gave us $900,000 dollars to clean it up,” he noted.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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