Port eyes potential steam plant project

COLFAX—The Port of Whitman County signed a letter of engagement with consulting group Maul Foster & Alongi, Inc., as most preliminary step in a potential project that would “re-develop” the WSU coal plant into a multi-use building.

“This is just the first step in what I think will be a long process as the port evaluates this building,” Debbie Snell, port properties and development director.

The consultant at this stage would do a limited scope feasibility study to assess if the property would be eligible for certain grants and potential for complications related to the environment and structure. The study expenses would not exceed $5,000.

The end concept is for the shuttered coal plant to become a building that would be tied to value-added ag enterprises.

“It would be a bridge between the university, the community, the port and the county,” Snell said.

“If” is still a big part of the conversation at this point. Past port projects have not survived the feasibility study step. Snell recalled a project to run fiber optic lines in rail road right-of-ways was nixed after the results of the feasibility study.

For now, it is a “slow and measured process,” Snell said, as the port looks at re-development of the coal plant. She expected it will still be several years before any work would be done on the structure. The port will makes sure the project makes sense for economics, function and port staff before committing to any action.