Alpacas of America is located at 16641 Old Hwy 99 SE, in Tenino.
Tenino Mayor Wayne Fournier had to work pretty hard to keep his feet on the ground after finding out the final version of the state capital budget for the 2019-2021 biennium includes money for every major project connected to the South Thurston County town.
The budget crafted via negotiations between members of the House and Senate committees, which drafted the proposed budgets of their respective bodies, includes $515,000 towards the renovation of Tenino City Hall and $1.5 million for capital and construction costs related to the planned Southwest Washington Regional Agricultural Business and Innovation Park. It passed through the legislature on Sunday, the final day of this year’s legislative session.
Add in full funding of the $3 million grant request by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife towards purchase of the Alpacas of America Farm and $3 million in grant funding to Puget Sound Energy for a solar micro-grid project in Tenino, and it’s easy to see why Fournier did not have a case of the Mondays.
“These are all things that are tied together in a harmonious way,” Fournier said. “These are all projects designed to set Tenino up for the next 50 or 60 years.”
State funding for the agriculture and innovation park totals more than $2.1 million when including the more than $600,000 budgeted in the 2017-2019 budget, which is slated to expire June 31. Fournier said that money was earmarked for adding infrastructure such as power and water to the property, but delays in the legislature led to it taking more time for contracts to be actionable. That work will take place as soon as this summer.
The $1.5 million added for the upcoming biennium will be used for construction of the park itself. Tenino officials in partnership with the Thurston Economic Development Council envision a single location to serve as a hub for the growing, processing, packaging and sale of food products.
“There will be some warehouses, some retail space, some cold storage, and other things,” Fournier said. “We’re getting ready to break ground.”
The $3 million requested by WDFW towards the purchase of the Alpacas of America property is just that — not enough money to buy the 1,700 acre lot that has been listed in the past for four times that amount. A coalition of land trusts and environmental groups have explored the possibility of getting involved, as have Thurston County and Tenino.
The funding comes via the Critical Habitat category of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program grant operation.
Fournier said the city has asked WDFW to set aside about 300 acres of the property adjacent to Tenino city limits and the relevant water rights for the purpose of residential development. Thurston County has expressed interest in possibly buying a portion of the land for use as pocket gopher mitigation space to combat the issues developers face when dealing with the endangered species.
“Obviously, there would also be a lot of space there for hunting, fishing, hiking and other recreation,” Fournier said. “It would be a portion in the lowlands of the property that would be used for mitigation. There are a lot of moving parts still, but it’s a pretty exciting proposition that WDFW is putting together.”
Tenino was not the only South Thurston community to benefit from the passage of the capital budget. Rochester will receive $31,000 for projects at the local Boys and Girls Club and $196,000 for renovations to Swede Hall. Its residents would also be in line to benefit from the possible South Sound Prairies deal.
Swede Hall is in line to get a face lift that includes new windows, weatherization, repairs and structural upgrades. State Rep. Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, said he admired the dedication Rochester residents had in fundraising a large portion of the money needed, so it felt right to help them close the gap.
“To be able to say ‘here is the final bit that puts you over the top,’ that’s a pretty great feeling,” DeBolt said. “It’s great to see how happy that makes people when you’re able to come through.”
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Editor’s note: Rep. Richard DeBolt is an employee of Lafromboise Communications, Inc., the parent company of The Chronicle.
