Published Mar. 31, 2010
OPINION Section, Tri-City Herald
One day last week, the Herald ran stories on two different public projects, which got us thinking about all the ways the Tri-Cities keep changing for the better.
These seemingly unrelated stories appeared on the front of the March 22 Mid-Columbia section.
One was about improvements in downtown Pasco. The other was about plans for a shade structure on Clover Island.
Opposite sides of the river. Different cities. Different counties.
The common tie is that both stories are about public projects that benefit the community as a whole.
The Port of Kennewick is planning to provide a shade structure at Clover Island. The Metz Family Plaza will include a statue of a family getting ready for a “group hug.”
If approved by the Kennewick City Council next week, the plaza will add one more amenity to our community’s riverfront.
Using wisteria to provide the shade should make this a fragrant and pleasant stop along the river for bikers, joggers, boaters and anyone out for an evening stroll. (Let’s just hope the bees don’t read the Herald.)
Plus, using the decorative vine saves significantly on the project cost.
Almost directly north on the other side of the Columbia River, several businesses are taking advantage of a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to upgrade their storefronts.
But it’s really a group project.
Business owners are working with Columbia Basin College, the city and the Pasco Downtown Development Association to revitalize the area.
And, perhaps more importantly, along with the remodeling, the grant also provides education and training on how to run a successful business.
It’s one thing to give a man the proverbial fish, but it’s an entirely different operation to teach him how to fish and throw a pole and a net in with the deal.
Mi Hacienda Restaurant and Grill was the first downtown Pasco business to get the facelift. Now, seven more are lining up for a similar makeover.
It’s not hard to envision Pasco as a destination for visitors looking to experience another culture without leaving the Northwest. What Bavaria did for Leavenworth, Latin American can do for Pasco.
Newspapers, the Herald included, carry plenty of bad news — an accident on this page, a fire on that one, gang and criminal activity sprinkled liberally throughout the pages.
But we report on the good things happening too. There’s no shortage of them in the Tri-Cities.
The front page of that particular Mid-Columbia section was rounded out with two other good news stories: one about the YMCA opening another preschool and the other about a Richland man who built a plane.
It’s worthwhile to take a moment now and then to reflect on what makes this a great community. One reason is we’re always working to make it better.
A shady spot in Kennewick and a facelift for a Pasco business may not seem connected, but both are reminders of the many previous, current and future projects that improve the area we call home.
Additional news stories can be accessed online at the Tri-City Herald.