Once the railroad established a direct connection to Centralia, workers flooded the area seeking jobs in logging and milling. After the Great Depression, World War II lifted the region’s economy with its demand for wood and farm products. The ebb-and-flow and boom-or-bust cadence to economic activity in our region continues today.
Our county is still recovering from the 2009 recession, when unemployment peaked at 13.2 percent. Today, at 8.4 percent, it still sits well above the state’s average. We have seen indicators of this recovery, including the opening of the Northwest Sports Hub in Fort Borst Park.
I was elected a commissioner when the Port of Centralia was founded in 1986 and am proud to have been a part of its 30-year history. During my 25-year tenure, my fellow commissioners and I completed the development of two industrial parks, providing for the creation of hundreds of jobs, and played a role in a complete overhaul of our county’s economy.
The port’s efforts to boost our local economy have not let up. To date, the Port of Centralia and its tenants have developed over 1.7 million square feet of industrial space. In 1990, the port created Park I as the first phase of its master plan. As Park I reached capacity for tenants, the Port created Park II in 2003. This investment was a good one: The value of Park II went from $1 million in 2003 to, at its highest, over $176 million in 2012.
We did this work to help support and build the community that we serve through job creation and boosted economic activity. Together, port tenants provide over 800 jobs to the local workforce. Tax revenues based on the assessed values of Parks I and II provide over $2.6 million annually to fund our schools, fire district and library.
In 2011, Commissioners Gene Groshong, Dan Keahey and I began laying the groundwork for the port’s next project: Centralia Station. Located off the new Mellen Street interchange, the proposed multi-use development promises to be the next economic boon in Lewis County.
The project will include retail, restaurant choices, community college facilities, sports fields, medical facilities and office space. In addition to providing amenities and business opportunities for our community, it was our goal for Centralia Station to serve as a gateway off of Interstate 5 to downtown Centralia.
While Centralia Station may be a departure from the port’s two industrial parks, its benefits are very much the same. Current Commissioners Dan Keahey, Matt Evans and Julie Shaffley are continuing the port’s legacy of job creation and economic development. During its construction period, Centralia Station will create hundreds of local jobs and, once completed, its businesses will maintain hundreds of permanent jobs.
The project will generate significant tax revenue to support important social services and education. As Lewis County continues to struggle to recover from the recession and with the continuing decline of TransAlta, these jobs and tax revenues will have a significant impact on our community.
People often ask me why it has taken so long for Centralia Station to materialize, and I assure them that a project of this magnitude does not happen overnight: It is going to take some time. Significant planning and engineering must take place and there are numerous regulations and procedures to follow before construction can begin.
Centralia Station is positioned in a former residential neighborhood where the majority of the properties have structures that need to be inspected before being demolished. Accommodations must be made for a number of new roadways, and the port has partnered with the Washington State Department of Transportation to tie in to the Mellen Street interchange to help relieve traffic congestion and provide another way into downtown.
The port is working diligently with the city of Centralia for utilities to be either upgraded or newly installed to service the development. Centralia Station is a long-term project in a community that is well worth the investment.
Centralia Station is building on Centralia’s railroad history in more than name and vision. It is looking forward to a future of economic stability and opportunity for Lewis County residents and warding off the next ebb of our flow and the next bust to our boom.
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Art Lehman was a Port of Centralia commissioner 1986-2011.
