KENNEWICK, Wash. – If you’ve gone to Clover Island in Kennewick recently you might’ve noticed some changes around. The Port of Kennewick has worked closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to give the island a bit of a facelift.
Phase one of a multi-phase project is complete and Port of Kennewick Deputy CEO Tana Bader Inglima couldn’t be more thrilled.
“We restored the shoreline, we stabilized the shoreline,” said Bader Inglima.
The project is 15 years in the making and the port is ready to lease land on four land parcels.
“The biggest piece of it is the shoreline restoration,” said Bader Inglima. “That was required by the city’s master plan before we could bring any more buildings or economic development out here to the island. So this really is a win-win.”
Bader Inglima says the shoreline contract called for adding over 8,000 plants to the shoreline to stabilize it. She says they’ve also added over 1,200 linear feet of pathway, stretching from the lighthouse to Cedars. She says she’s already seen lots of people taking advantage of the new walking areas.
The Port of Kennewick partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers to fund the project.
“The corps brought in federal dollars to the amount of 75% of the project,” said Bader Inglima. “The port worked with the state to secure a grant and we got money from the county and the city as well through the rural county capital funds.”
Bader Inglima says they pooled the remaining 25% of the funds to secure the cost of the project. She says overall the cost of this project is around $7 million.
She says she’s just excited about the completion and that this project is near and dear to her heart.
“We’ve been working on it for many years,” said Bader Inglima. “It’s just great to see it finally coming to fruition.”
I’m told this is just the first phase of improvements coming to Clover Island. The next phase will consist of building structures on the four available land parcels.
