"Kopf rezone gets 2-1 okay"

Here's a follow-up to the earlier story about the Kopf landfill rezone from today's Whitman County Gazette:

County Commissioners Monday voted two-to-one to approve the rezoning of land owned by Williams Place, LLC., for an industrial landfill in the Pullman-Moscow Corridor. The decision was delayed last week when commissioners Michael Largent and Jerry Finch requested more information and time to visit the site.

The rezone will double Williams Place’s existing landfill for construction debris such as sand, rock and asphalt. The 20 rezoned acres are located on the north side of the highway.

Gary Kopf, Williams Place CEO, last week said the fill would be dumped into a canyon between two hills just north of Highway 270. Kopf estimated all 40 acres of the landfill would be capped in 10 to 15 years. The original 40 acres was split into two sections and the northern one is already in use as a landfill.

Kopf was present for Monday’s vote. Jeff Motley of Pullman, who last week objected to the rezone because he believed it would deter commercial development, was not present Monday.

After last week’s delay, Commissioner Finch visited the site. At the public hearing prior to the decision Monday, Finch asked how the dumping would be monitored. Kopf said the operational program requires each load be weighed and monitored and the site monitored daily. Williams Place will have an environmental survey done with monthly visits and monitoring. They will hold the leasee responsible for what goes into the landfill, he said. Whitman County Environmental Health will also monitor the site.

Finch was the lone opposing vote, noting there was already space available that the company was not using.

“Until the north side is filled, I felt the south side wasn’t necessary,” he told the Gazette.

Kopf said following the rezone he will pursue an expansion of a conditional use permit for the landfill.

"Two versions net delay on corridor landfill vote"

I agree with Jeff Motley. If we are going to be designating the Pullman/Moscow corridor as an economic development zone, we don't need to be putting landfills there.

From today's Whitman County Gazette:

County commissioners Monday postponed until next week a decision to re-zone roughly 21 acres of land owned by Williams Place, LLC., in the Pullman-Moscow Corridor.

The company wants to expand an industrial landfill site already operating on 20 acres of adjacent ground. Expansion was approved by the county planning commission after a public hearing last month.

Williams Place was permitted for the existing landfill three years ago. It was used mainly to hold construction debris from the state department of transportation widening of State Route 270 from Pullman to Moscow.

Williams Place CEO Gary Kopf told the county commissioners at their Monday session that the rezoned land would be used to store inert material, such as sand, rock and asphalt, from construction projects in the area. The fill would be dumped into a canyon between two hills just north of the highway.

Pullman resident Jeff Motley, however, saw fault with siting a landfill in the corridor. He noted commissioners have designated the corridor as the area the county will use to spur its economy.

“And we’re going to build a landfill in it?” asked Motley. “That’s going to make it very difficult to develop anything there.”

Construction regulations limit the types of buildings that could be built on top of filled land. Filled land must settle after it is finally covered with soil.

Kopf estimated the new landfill would almost level the entire 40-acre site in 10 or 15 years.

He then foresees the possibility of building ballfields or farming the land after it is capped.

With only so many acres in the corridor, a landfill that would make such a significant parcel of land undevelopable would be a “wrong fit,” Motely said.

Kopf disagreed. He said there is enough ground in the corridor to develop, and added construction companies will need a disposal side in close proximity if building in the corridor picks up as expected.

Commissioner Greg Partch said the landfill is critical to advance development in the corridor.

“In our type of topography, we have to have some place for this fill,” he said.

Partch wanted to make a decision Monday, but commissioners Michael Largent and Jerry Finch needed more information.

Largent asked if the shape of Kopf’s piece of land would allow it to be developed.

Alan Thomson, assistant county planner, said the land could not be built on because it is the side of a hill.

“Every landfill we’ve had in this county has come back to bite us,” admonished Commissioner Jerry Finch.

Finch then suggested commissioners take individual tours of the site before making a decision next Monday.

Quote of the Day

When you look at the national housing market, we think the Pullman market is really good.

- Darl Roberts, owner and broker at Associated Brokers, "Local real estate markets stay steady," Moscow-Pullman Daily News, May 19, 2008

It's good if you are currently a home owner or a developer. It's not so good if you are a retiree or a young family with children looking to relocate to Pullman or buy a first home. Statistics from the WSU Center for Real Estate Research show that the median resale price for a home in Whitman County increased 19.2 percent over last year to $211,100. With a 10% down payment, an average amount of monthly debt and a 7% mortgage rate, a buyer would require an annual household income of approximately $75,000 to afford an average priced home in Whitman County.

Until Whitman County loosens land use restrictions, there will never be affordable housing here and the county will never be attractive to high-tech or manufacturing businesses looking to locate here.

"Biofuels firm fails to make lease payments to port"

I wonder if nationwide we're going to see the wheels start to come off the biofuel craze as the starvation that results from burning food spreads.

I normally support any business in Whitman County, but I can't say I'm sad to see this deal fall through.

From yesterday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Plans to construct a $10 million oilseed crushing plant at the Port of Wilma in Whitman County appear to be shelved for now.

Port Properties and Development Manager Debbie Snell said Losonoco, an international biofuels company based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is nearly six months delinquent in its biannual lease payments to the port.

Losonoco signed a 10-year lease with the port in 2007, agreeing to pay $24,150 per year to for rights to 10.5 acres, and an additional $2,300 a year for the right of first refusal on an additional 10 acres of land at the site. Losonoco also was expected to pay a 12.48 percent leasehold tax to the state, which basically amounts to a renter's tax.

Snell said the company's most recent lease payment was due in January.

Losonoco's failure to comply with terms of the lease prompted the port commission to have port staff draft a default letter that was sent to the company last week, Snell said.

"We will be pursuing a close out of the lease in some way, shape or form," she said.

Snell said the port is waiting to hear from Losonoco officials before moving forward. It is likely that the two sides will negotiate a lease buyout or transfer to another company that would fit with the port's overall goals and vision.

"The ball's in their court," Snell said. "I am hoping the negotiations can come where it is a win-win for everyone.

"The process doesn't happen quickly," she added. "There's a lot of things to go through."

Losonoco Chief Operating Officer Don Markley declined to comment.

The potential loss of the tenant won't be overly detrimental to the port, although it will mean the county won't benefit from the company's estimated $100 million in expected annual sales.

Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent said he always is disappointed when development in Whitman County fails, and the county stood to potentially benefit from increased tax revenues.

Largent said the county's budgets won't be affected by the situation.

"Whitman County certainly does not budget on what is expected to come," Largent said. "Certainly one would want to realize those local tax dollars before spending them."

Losonoco expected the plant to be capable of handling 12,000 tons of canola a day in its initial stages and producing 35 million to 40 million gallons of biodiesel per year once it became fully operational.

The company also expected to hire a local staff of about 20 full-time employees, in addition to employing many temporary construction workers to build its facilities.

"It is a disappointment," Snell said. "We lease land to companies like Losonoco to create economic development and jobs in Whitman County. It's unfortunate because what we really want is the increased business."

"IDWR: Intergovermental agreement needed for city to sell water to Hawkins"

Queen Nancy thinks "it'll be time-consuming." Of course she does.

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Moscow and Whitman County will have to enter into an intergovernmental agreement if the city wants to provide water to the Hawkins Companies development.

Moscow City Supervisor Gary Riedner said Idaho Department of Water Resources officials told Moscow leaders last week that such an agreement will be required for the city to move forward with its application to modify Moscow's water service area to serve the Hawkins retail development just across the state line.

The city agreed to make "prompt application" to IDWR in a settlement with Hawkins, reached during closed-door mediation in February.

The process to create the intergovernmental agreement is just beginning, Riedner said. Moscow and Whitman County leaders have not been able to find a suitable date for an initial meeting.

Whitman County Public Works Director Mark Storey said he expects a meeting to occur within the next few weeks. It will then take a month or two for Moscow City Attorney Randy Fife, Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy and other city and county officials to work out the agreement.

"I think the basic agreement's kind of simple," Storey said. "They agree to sell us water and we agree to pay for it, then we pass it on to Hawkins."

Riedner said intergovernmental agreements are fairly commonplace. The city and county already have mutual aid agreements for police and fire services in emergencies, for example.

IDWR Public Information Officer Bob McLaughlin said a 2005 letter to Fife from Deputy Idaho Attorney General Steve Strack explains the need for the intergovernmental agreement.

Strack wrote Idaho cities are authorized to enter joint service agreements "where it is more practical to construct and maintain a unified water or sewage system than for each city to provide separately such services to their respective residents." The municipalities' water rights would be amended to include the joint service area.

Strack wrote that similar agreements across state lines are potentially available under a section of Idaho Code that authorizes Idaho public agencies to "enter into cooperative agreements" with out-of-state public entities. Any agreement to extend services across state lines "would have to be carefully crafted to address issues such as authority to levy and collect taxes and fees."

The letter includes other rules and regulations regarding out-of-state water use and delivering water across state lines.

McLaughlin said he could not comment on the Hawkins situation aside from referring to the Strack letter, which was written in response to a separate inquiry from Fife.

Riedner said at Monday's City Council meeting that the city will see if it can send a letter to IDWR stating the city and county are pursuing the agreement, and move forward with the application while the agreement is being finalized.

The Moscow City Council and Whitman County commissioners will discuss and vote on any agreement publicly. Riedner said Hawkins officials also will review the agreement.

Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said the city will make an effort to move expediently on the agreement, as stated in the settlement with Hawkins, but it may not be easy.

"I think it'll be time-consuming," she said.

"Architect projects costs to renovate, replace Pullman High School"

Pay close attention to this line in the story below: "funding will become easier as property valuations in Pullman increase."

Both the Pullman Wal-Mart Supercenter and the Hawkins development in the corridor will be in the PSD #267 taxing district.

Wal-Mart's property, valued at $22,784,646, will pay $112,784 in taxes to the Pullman School District every year.

The Hawkins development, at 40% buildout, is valued at $50,000,000, and will pay$247,500 in taxes to the Pullman School District every year. As it is further built out, it will be worth more and pay more in taxes.

That's an additional $72,784,646 in property valuation added to the tax rolls, bringing in an extra $360,284 a year to our schools.

As a homeowner and the parent of a preschooler who may very well benefit from a new Pullman High School, you can see why I am supporting Wal-Mart and Hawkins versus sending my dollars to the Idaho school system.

From yesterday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

It will cost more than $55 million to renovate or replace Pullman High School, according to projections from a Spokane-based architect.

Steven J. McNutt provided his estimates during Wednesday's Pullman School Board meeting, leaving board members to mull their options for the high school's future.

Renovating the existing 37-year-old building would cost about $55.5 million, while building a new, 140,000-square-foot facility would cost more than $58 million. The projections are based on estimated 2009 construction costs. The state would pay about $10.5 million, and the Pullman School District would be responsible for the rest.

"I apologize for the sticker shock. These prices are crazy," McNutt said. "It's a perfect storm of commodity increases and a red-hot market. Contractors have more projects than they can build."

Such an expense would be difficult for the district considering it is paying off $23.4 million in debt for renovations of Lincoln Middle School and its three elementary schools. At present, the district can only take on $42.2 million in debt based on the total valuation of property in Pullman.

The district is paying off about $1 million in debt every year, and Executive Director for Support Services Dan Hornfelt said funding will become easier as property valuations in Pullman increase.

McNutt has worked on about 100 schools in eastern Washington, including Lincoln Middle School. He talked about the advantages and disadvantages of rebuilding versus renovating, adding a state-of-the-art theater, keeping the gymnasium and shop at the existing school, and the timing of the project.

McNutt also said the district needs a school of about 165,000 square feet. The existing school is 159,220 square feet, but space is inefficiently utilized. He described the school as having "a meandering plan, a peculiar footprint."

McNutt's estimates include about $557,270 for asbestos removal and $500,000 for temporary buildings if the district decides to renovate the school. He also said most new schools have theaters with catwalks, acoustic tile, an orchestra, fancy seating and curtains.

Pullman Superintendent Paul Sturm said he heard many questions from voters about the high school as he spoke to community groups regarding the recently approved maintenance and operations replacement levy.

McNutt told the board he thinks the district should wait to proceed "until it's financially viable," but Sturm said the school has some infrastructure needs that can't wait six years.

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Retail Gravity on the Palouse

I have shown how Hotelling's Model explains why retail stores tend to agglomerate in the center. This is, admittedly, a very simplistic explanation.

University of Texas economist William J. Reilly studied the purchases made by the residents of the various counties in Texas. Reilly knew that generally the farther away two counties were from each other the fewer transactions would take place between them. On the other hand if a county had a big city with a lot of bigger retail stores it would act as a magnet attracting the shopping by residents of surrounding and even distant counties. Also a county that had a larger number of residents would have more transactions with a given county than one with a smaller number of residents. Using this data, Reilly published a book in 1931 titled Reilly's Law of Retail Gravitation. In the book, Reilly postulated that two cities of equal size have a trade area boundary midway between the two cities. When cities are of unequal size, the boundary lies closer to the smaller city, giving the larger city a larger trade area.

Reilly's Law calculates a point of indifference (where consumers are indifferent as to which location they use) between two towns in order to determine the retail trade area of each city. Reilly called the boundary between two trade areas the breaking point. On that line, exactly half the population shops at either of the two cities. Obvously, if you were planing on serving both trade areas, you would want to locate as close to this line as possible.

This break point (BP) is equal to the distance (Dab) between the two cities, divided by the following: Unity or total (1) plus the square root of, the population of City A (Pa) divided by the size of City B (Pb). If you have studied physics, you realize this is quite similar to Newton's Law of Gravitation, which states that two bodies attract each other with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them

According to the Hotelling Model, the break point should be halfway in between Moscow and Pullman at around 4.65 miles from Pullman. However, since Pullman has a larger population, it is assumed that it will draw more customers. Using the 2005 Census population estimates for Pullman and Moscow and the distance between the center of each city, the break point according to Reilly's Law is 4.8 miles away from Pullman (see chart above). This in part explains why the center of retail gravity on the Palouse is shifted in Moscow's direction. And if Pullman grows more than Moscow, as anticpated, the center will shift even further towards Moscow.


Plotting this out on a map, the theoretical break point between Pullman (A) and Moscow (B) would be approximately at the intersection of SR 270 and Sunshine Road (C). The Hawkins development (D) is two miles to the east of this point.

One of the problems with Reilly's Law is that is not constant for all shopping trips. Retailers can offer additional competitive advantages and this can change the attractiveness of a location. In order to overcome these limitations, several refinements have been made to Reilly's Law. One of these was "Huff's Law of Shopper Attraction." Huff's Law describes retail trade areas on the basis of the size of the store (product assortment), distance, and the sensitivity to travel time associated with the type of product being sought.

The probability of a consumer traveling from home to shopping location A is equal to the square footage of selling space in location A divided by the travel from consumer's home to shopping location A divided by the sum of the square footage of selling space in all different shopping locations (A, B, C...) divided by travel time.

So let's look at the location desirability of Hawkins alone at the SR270/Sunshine Road location versus the desirability of the Hawkins/WarBonnet Plaza/Palouse Mall agglomeration, which was created by land use restrictions in the corridor.

For these calculations, the travel time to the SR270/Sunshine Road location from Pullman is 7 minutes. The travel time to the Hawkins/WarBonnet Plaza/Palouse Mall agglomeration is 11 minutes. Square footage at the SR270/Sunshine Road location is 740,000. Square footage of the Hawkins/WarBonnet Plaza/Palouse Mall agglomeration is roughly 1.32 million.


In this case, even though travel time to the Hawkins/WarBonnet Plaza/Palouse Mall agglomeration is 4 minutes longer, consumers are 6.4% more likely to shop there versus a SR270/Sunshine Road with Hawkins alone.

Hawkins knows all these things already, and that is why they chose the location that they did. It is based on economic science and not any desire to "screw over" Pullman.

Hotelling and Hawkins

In his Town Crier column last Wednesday, Chris Lupke wrote that:

A mall on the Idaho border with no promise of tax revenue won't help our parks or police and won't pave our streets. But what it will do is permanently situate the retail center in and near Moscow, miles from Pullman. Better negotiators could have insisted it be sited closer to our retail base.

Lu Laoshi may be a "national expert" in Chinese and Chinese culture, but he doesn't know jack about the economics of retail.

Some 80 years ago, economist Harold Hotelling devised an analogy to explain the spatial functioning of the marketplace.

His analogy became known as "Hotelling's Model":


Suppose there is a beach which is 100 yards long. Assume beachgoers are spread evenly across the length of the beach. Along come two ice cream vendors. The vendors are selling product of similar quality and price (ceteris paribus.) Logically, the layman would expect the vendors to place their carts at the 25 and 75 yard lines of the beach, thus allowing for an equal division of profits and providing the greatest convenience to beachgoers, as no one would be more than 25 yards from an ice cream cart.

However, one vendor will recognize that by relocating closer to the midpoint of the beach he can achieve an increase in market share. So, on the illustration above, the vendor at Position A will move his cart to the 30 yard line, increasing his market share to 52 1/2 %. The vendor at Position C will compensate by moving his cart to the 70 yard line. This continues as both vendors move incrementally towards the middle of the beach. Eventually, both vendors' carts are at Position B, right next to each other. They have achieved economic equilibrium, with each having a 50% market share.

Hotelling's Model, as you might guess, is very sensitive to cost assumption. There must be some cost to traveling because customers prefer the closest vendor. But these costs must be small, because the people at the end of the beach continue to buy the same amount no matter how far they are from the nearest vendor. If traveling costs are less, then people might not care whether they go to the nearest vendor. If they are greater, so that when the vendor gets far away, people do not bother to go, the vendors will no longer cluster at the middle.

Pullman residents, being six miles away from Hawkins, have negligible traveling costs. Travel costs for Moscow residents are even less. Put the shop in the middle, the customers will come, especially if there is already other retail clustered there. That explains why Hawkins chose the location it did. All very logical and very much in accord with economic principles. That is why the Pullman/Moscow corridor is a potential gold mine.

Snobler's List

Liberal Moscow gadfly Vera White took a gratuitous swipe at Whitman County in her column in the Daily News last Friday:

A recent posting on V2020 caught the INKster's eye, so she Googled the mentioned Web site to check it out. Earlier this month, The Progressive Farmer magazine released a list of the "Best Places to Live in Rural America." Each year, the rankings name the top-10 rural counties and profile each in the magazine. This year, Kent County, Md., was awarded top honors.

The magazine also listed the top 500 rural counties by region, and the INKster was pleased to learn some of the surrounding counties made the top 100 list in the Western Region.

Nez Perce County ranked No. 11 in Idaho, with Kootenai County No. 23 and Latah County coming in at No. 55. Asotin County in Washington ranked No. 70, but as the V2020 poster noted, "neither Whitman nor Spokane counties cracked the top 100."

As those chamber of commerce types continue to note, "things are lookin' good in the Valley."

So just what is a "Progressive Farmer" you may ask? (as well as why, since "Crime" is a ranking factor, did Latah County with a murder rate last year greater than most large U.S. cities rank as #55, but I digress.)

I read what the magazine had to say about its top rated place to live, Kent County, MD:

By all reasoning, Kent County should be covered with homes, strip malls and "farmettes." But it's not. Not anywhere close. [And Kootenai County is #23 by this standard? Go figure. - tf]

Instead, Kent County is a rare holdout in the sprawl and development in this country that clearly is out of control. Kent County maintains a culture of farming, wildlife, and small towns and villages that are relatively untouched.

For a county to be in our Best Places list, we hold them to the usual standards—good schools, health care, safety and other desirable qualities. But what makes Kent County stand out is its residents' resolve to maintain a solid rural heritage. At the foundation of that effort is farmland preservation, something that started decades ago with foresight, cooperation and some far-sighted planning.

Then it became readily apparent to me. A "Progressive Farmer" must be a wealthy, well-educated escapee from some big city that lusts after open spaces and breathtaking views and is willing to deprive the locals of their progress and property rights in order to keep it. It's just the old elitist, drawbridge mentality.

I'm frankly very happy glad Whitman County didn't make such a snobby list.

"Moscow meetings will face legal review"

As I predicted, an "onslaught of efforts" to overturn the Moscow-Hawkins water deal is underway. Dennis Baird, owner of the W(h)ine Company in Moscow, has asked for legal review of the council's executive sessions with regards to the deal. Five will get you ten, however, that Baird could really give whit about the secret exectutive sessions between Chaney and the previous council that led to the various Moscow appeals that stopped Hawkins.

From today's Lewiston Tribune:

MOSCOW - Downtown businessman Dennis Baird said Thursday he asked for a legal review of circumstances surrounding several city council executive sessions because government secrecy shouldn't be tolerated.

"The results of secrecy in government are almost always awful," said Baird, owner of the Wine Company of Moscow.

Latah County Prosecutor William Thompson Jr. accepted Baird's request and will be reviewing the matter next week. City Attorney Randy Fife, meanwhile, has said the city acted well within Idaho's open meeting law.

The debate swirls around the city council's recent 5-1 decision to provide water and sewer service across the state line for the proposed Hawkins Companies shopping mall. That action stemmed from an initial executive session last year after which the city appealed water rights transfers Hawkins had secured in neighboring Whitman County.

"The process was really terrible; making major substantive decisions on city resources in executive session is simply not a good way to run a government," Baird said.

There was no public discussion prior to the appeals being filed. Nor was there any public input prior to or after another executive session that resulted in a 180-degree turnaround to dismiss the appeals and ultimately offer water and sewer services to Hawkins. What's more, the deal with Hawkins was hammered out during a 22-hour secret mediation session in Spokane.

The city of Moscow issued a release Thursday stating the Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board ordered the dismissal of all water rights challenges on Feb. 13 based on the negotiated settlement agreement.

And it's that process leading to the settlement Baird is challenging.

"It stayed awful from day one to day three," Baird said. "The problem is the process, the secrecy. The second part of the process problem was the rush to approve the secret deal. They could have waited another week."

The city had been taking heat since last summer from Whitman County officials who claimed Moscow overstepped its jurisdiction by filing the water rights appeals. The appeals, said the county's three commissioners, unjustifiably held up construction of the mall.

Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney, who signed the appeals, said they were filed out of concern for the region's groundwater resource. Critics across the border, however, said the legal maneuver was taken mostly to stymie retail development in the Moscow-Pullman corridor.

Baird said he doesn't like the city's decision to extend services across state lines. But he's most concerned about the action stemming from attempts to circumvent Idaho's open meeting law. "There's plenty of blame to pass around," Baird said about city officials who participated, including members of the past and current city councils.

Chaney, Fife and council members said they acted legally. The law allows for executive sessions to "discuss the legal ramifications of and legal options for pending litigation, or controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be litigated."

Baird said litigation usually refers to legal actions taken by others against the city, not actions initiated by the city. "Since the city had filed an administrative appeal in the state of Washington, I suppose that could be called litigation," he said. "But the things they discussed went way beyond anything that was subject to litigation, including committing the city's resources outside the state."

"Government officials, developer negotiate water rights"

From today's Lewiston Tribune:

Representatives of the Hawkins Companies, the Washington Department of Ecology and the cities of Moscow and Colton continued mediation talks in Spokane late Tuesday night over disputed water rights transfers.

Moscow City Councilor Wayne Krauss, reached by cell phone at around 9:30 p.m., said the talks were still in session. All participants, Krauss added, signed a confidentiality paper when the talks began in the morning and he declined further comment about the negotiations.

Krauss said he expected the talks to end late Tuesday night and members of the Moscow City Council might discuss the outcome during an executive session Monday.

Hawkins has proposed building a 700,000-square-foot shopping center adjacent to the Moscow city limits just over the state line in Whitman County. The development company secured water rights transfers for the development, then Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney, with council approval, appealed the transfers.

Hawkins representatives have said they need the water rights before drilling their own wells. Moscow had refused to offer water and sewer service to the development.

The city of Colton got involved when officials there agreed to swap water rights with Hawkins before Chaney's appeal brought the transfer to a halt. The appeals, said Colton developers, have brought a halt to construction in their town.

Several people, including a pro-development citizens group in Whitman County, have called on members of Moscow's new city council to rescind the appeals and let Hawkins start construction. The appeals remain scheduled for hearings later this spring. The mediation gathering was organized recently in hope of finding a quicker resolution.

In the meantime, the three Whitman County commissioners indicated they may make a decision by Monday whether to issue $10.5 million worth of bonds to build infrastructure, including water service, for the Hawkins development. The commissioners have championed the Hawkins shopping center and criticized Moscow officials for jumping over a state line to take legal action.

Chaney said her appeals were filed because of concern for the region's groundwater. Critics continue to say the mayor and members of the former city council in Moscow really want to stop retail development in the Moscow-Pullman corridor. The Whitman County commissioners have all gone on record that they hope the Hawkins development will be the start of even more retail development throughout the eight-mile corridor.

As planned, the Hawkins shopping center would be anchored by a Lowe's home improvement center and could include other big-box retail stores.

"Mediation between city, Hawkins under way"

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Moscow City Councilman Walter Steed said he could not comment on ongoing mediation between representatives of the city of Moscow and Hawkins Companies.

Steed, Councilman Wayne Krauss and Mayor Nancy Chaney are attending the mediation in Spokane, which started Tuesday. Steed said Tuesday afternoon that the rules of the mediation require him to keep information confidential.

He said he could not comment on how long the mediation would take. Krauss said earlier this week that the mediation would likely run through today.

Moscow has appealed the Washington State Department of Ecology's decision to grant the Boise-based development company water-rights transfers for a proposed retail development in the Pullman-Moscow corridor, just west of the Idaho state line.

The appeal, which was filed with the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board, argues that the water rights are located in two different bodies of public groundwater and the transfers will impair existing water rights, not be in the public's interest and will improperly modify the manner of the rights' intended use.

The appeal also cited the Department of Ecology's failure to conduct an analysis of the average amount of water use from the rights over the past five years.

Krauss and Chaney could not be reached for comment.

Councilmen Dan Carscallen, Tom Lamar, Bill Lambert and John Weber said Tuesday they had not heard any news about the mediation.

Weber said Peter G. Scott, a Montana-based lawyer who is representing the city in the appeal, will speak for Moscow in the mediation.

"I think Wayne and Walter were there to show moral support and the fact that we're serious about it, and so is the mayor, but as far as them giving any testimony I think the testimony would have been given by our mediator or experts," Weber said.

The City Council will have to approve any decision reached at the mediation before it will be official.

The Mirror Has Two Faces

I also agree with others who have written in before on these issues who have complained the driving all the way from Pullman to the sprawl area where Hawkins would wish to build is a waste of gas and not environmentally sound.

- PARDner Christopher Lupke, online comment, Moscow-Pullman Daily News website, January 30, 2008

Burma seems to have forgotten there is a Wal-Mart seven miles away. If she has trouble getting there, I’d be happy to do the neighborly thing and take her. She has a right to shop for shoddy sweatshop-made goods if she wishes.

- PARDner T.V. Reed Monday, letter to the editor, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, January 1, 2007

10. We already have a Wal-Mart 7 miles away, and a new Supercenter is being planned for Moscow

- "Top 10 Reasons a Wal-Mart Supercenter Would Be Bad for Pullman," PARD Poster at 2005 National Lentil Festival

While we understand some people in Pullman who think it only fair turnabout to gain sales at the expense of Moscow, for a number of reasons that is highly unlikely to happen. Moreover, at a time when the Pullman and Moscow governments are seeking to cooperate on a number of projects, including responsible development of the Route 270 corridor, this is no time for store wars to ruin good will.

- PARD Position Paper

The Hawkins "sprawl area" to which Lupke refers is directly adjacent to the existing Wal-Mart that the PARDners direct folks to, as well as the Moscow businesses which they are so deeply concerned about.

If you are getting motion sickness trying to follow all of PARD's gyrations on the various issues, don't worry. You're not alone. Fortunately, Lu Laoshi's hypocritical rantings on the Hawkins development will remain just that: the inane, incoherent, illogical ramblings of an academic with a hugely overblown sense of self-importance. PARD has no big labor sugar daddy to bankroll an appeal of the Hawkins project.

"Hawkins vote could come Monday in Whitman County"

"...the best way to keep shoppers in Pullman and, crucially, attract shoppers from Moscow and other nearby communities, is for Pullman to 'differentiate itself' from its neighbors, to offer shopping and dining opportunities not already available in our area."

- PARDner Chris Lupke, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, June 16, 2006

"I see Whitman County and Latah County as having somewhat of a fixed revenue source. I don't know if there is enough dispensable income to support this kind of project."

- PARDner Don Orlich, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, January 29, 2008, on the Hawkins Companies retail development in the corridor which will bring a variety of new shopping and dining opportunities to the Palouse, including a Lowe's Home Improvement and another undisclosed large retailer.

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Commissioners say they won't be rushed in making decision to sell bonds to pay for infrastructure at development site

Whitman County commissioners have tentatively set Monday as their target date for a vote on the proposed public-private partnership with Hawkins Companies and the selling of roughly $10 million in bonds.

The bonds would be used to pay for public infrastructure at the site of Hawkins' proposed retail development in the Pullman-Moscow corridor, just west of the Idaho state line.

Commissioner Michael Largent said at a public meeting Monday in Colfax the commissioners would not be rushed in making their decision.

"We will not make a decision until we are ready, regardless of a timeline," he said.

Monday's meeting was not as well attended as the previous two public meetings on the topic, with only four Whitman County residents attending.

Donald Orlich, a Pullman resident, was one of two residents who spoke against the proposed development. He told the county commissioners it was not the government's place to provide money for private businesses. He also said it was not the time to burden the county with debt, given the declining state of the country's economy.

"What we have in front of us is whether the county will commit to financing public infrastructure," Orlich said. "I don't think we should be subsidizing private companies.

"I really think this would be bad timing all around and I am opposed to this."

Orlich also questioned the profitability potential of the proposed 700,000-square-foot shopping center.

"I see Whitman County and Latah County as having somewhat of a fixed revenue source," Orlich said. "I don't know if there is enough dispensable income to support this kind of project."

Commissioner Jerry Finch responded to Orlich's comment by citing a recent study that concluded the Palouse loses $80 million a year in potential retail sales to nearby cities like Spokane and Lewiston.

"If we capture 10 percent of that, which I think is realistic, those numbers are doable," Finch said.

Finch also said the county and Hawkins have been careful in their estimates.

"Everywhere we have done this we have done this very conservatively," Finch said.

Russ Coggins, a Pullman resident, spoke in favor of the bonding and the development.

"I think the proposed bond as proposed is going to be a good thing for Whitman County," Coggins said. "It is a heck of a bargain. I don't see how Whitman County can pass on it."

The commissioners also said during the meeting that representatives from Hawkins have indicated that a second "major retailer" is ready to commit to the development.

The county has made available an informational packet on its Web site (whitmancounty.org) in response to the many questions raised by residents during last week's public meeting and to clear up some of the public's questions.

One of the questions addressed in the packet was what would the total cost of the bond be to the county once interest is included. According to the packet, the county has not decided on the length of the bond, but if the county elected to sell 20-year bonds, the cost of a $9.1 million bond ultimately would be $14.2 million.

Another question addressed how the county will pay for the bonds. According to the packet, the county expects sales and property taxes generated from the development will "more than pay for the costs to the county."

The county also expects to see a tax revenue profit from the development of $9 million over the first 20 years, "over and above the costs in principal and interest to pay for the infrastructure."

If the estimates aren't reached, the county still would have several options to pay for the bonds, including using .09 funds - money provided by the state and awarded by the county to assist rural communities with economic development - or dipping into the county's general fund, according to the packet.

Hawkins representatives were scheduled to meet with Moscow representatives today in Spokane, with a goal of resolving their differences over a water-rights transfers granted by the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Moscow has appealed the Department of Ecology's decision, arguing that the water rights were located in two different bodies of public groundwater and the transfers would impair existing water rights, not be in the public's interest and would improperly modify the manner of the rights' intended use. The appeal also cited Ecology's failure to conduct an analysis of the average amount of water use from the rights over the past five years.

"Hawkins development: Residents query commissioners on public bond"

From last Thursday's Whitman County Gazette:

A standing room only crowd packed commissioners’ chambers at the county courthouse in Colfax Tuesday afternoon to gather more information on the county’s proposal to float more than $10 million in bonds to set up infrastructure at a shopping center on the Idaho stateline.

The county was asked two weeks ago by Hawkins Companies, Boise, to pay for roads, lighting and water and sewer systems for the company’s proposed 700,000 sq. ft. strip mall.

“I’m worried that we don’t have answers to specific questions, and we’re a week away from this decision,” said Pullman Resident Carol Chipman.

Most in attendance sought clarification.

Chipman asked for clarification on the company’s proposal on the bond, which delayed payment of the principle until the bonds mature.

Cheryl Morgan, also of Pullman, asked for clarification on the company’s construction cost estimates.

Hawkins Spokesman Jeff DeVoe called the bond and construction figures he put forth two weeks ago a “sketch on a bar napkin,” and not hard figures.

He said county bonding consultant Jack McLaughlin, VP of public financing for DA Davidson in Spokane, explained to him the necessity to pay a portion of the principle and interest over the term of the bonds.

DeVoe added the private-public cooperation between the company and the county has been in “infantile planning stages for a long time”.

Pullman Developer Duane Brelsford worried that obligating public funds for a private development would set a “dangerous precedent.”

Brelsford said his company, Corporate Pointe Development, has several large projects planned in and outside of Pullman.

“We’ll of course assume we would be treated the same,” he said.

Brelsford added dedicating funds to Hawkins would mean the county would have to, in fairness, extend similar cooperation to other developers looking to site in the corridor.

“If we choose to go that direction, I think we’re going to need a lot more than $10 million,” he said.

Thornton resident Carolyn Kiesz doubted the wisdom of dedicating funds to the retail development in the face of a nationwide economic slump.

“Now is not the time to encumber the taxpayer with this debt,” said Kiesz.

She suggested a manufacturing company would better benefit the regional economy, as it would close the trade gap and not encourage a shopping center filled with “cheap foreign-made goods.”

Kiesz also noted that jobs from the retail development would not pay enough to be of significant value to job-seeking residents of other parts of the county.

Morgan questioned the reasoning for the public-private partnership.

Morgan cited news accounts that said the increased costs in construction, and in the company’s pursuit of water for the site, as built-in costs the company could well have anticipated.

“They’re not new to this process,” said Morgan. “It makes me wonder if this was the whole plan in the first place.”

DeVoe replied that the lengthy appeals process over the transfer of four water rights to service the site was new to him.

“Three years ago, if you would have told me the interesting road we would have been down on the water issue, I would have laughed,” said DeVoe.

The company last July received approval from the county Water Conservancy Board to transfer four water rights.

Three of the Conservancy Board’s decisions were upheld by the state Department of Ecology, and one was denied because the DOE found the company did not adequately address pumping groundwater in drier summer months.

Hawkins has appealed that decision.

The city of Moscow appealed the other three on the basis that such a development would further drain the region’s declining aquifer levels.

Conservancy Board Chair Ed Schultz questioned the wisdom of issuing millions of dollars worth of bonds without any guarantee that the development would be supplied with water.

Next week’s announcement, Commissioner Michael Largent explained, would declare whether or not the county intends to float the bonds.

Commissioner Greg Partch explained the company must have water rights in hand and an anchor tenant committed to occupancy before the county would issue the bonds. To date, only Lowe’s home improvement stores has committed to occupy the space.

DeVoe assured the crowd that the company will not ask for the bond without water and that anchor tenant.

“If I’m a taxpayer, I’m going to ask myself, ‘what if Hawkins goes away, are we left to pay off this bond?’” he said.

DeVoe said if the company acquires the water rights, it would then donate them to the county, as state requirements prohibit a private company from providing water and sewer service.

That transfer, he added, would not be as difficult a process as the company’s pursuit.

Kiesz then asked if commissioners would be open to other types of businesses in the corridor, or if this was an effort to help out the company.

“No one else has come forward, that I know of,” said Largent. “Whether Hawkins makes a profit or not is not our concern.”

Partch said commissioners were “not married” to this project or to the Hawkins company itself.

“We are married to the corridor,” he said. “Our future is hanging out there.”

He pointed to the lengthy re-zoning of land in the corridor as proof that commissioners focused on it as their main focus in economic development. County code was shifted for more than two years to allow such zoning.

“People in the past didn’t attempt development in the corridor because they couldn’t develop anything in this county,” said Commissioner Jerry Finch.

Finch pointed to developments such as the Garage Mahal storage units and James Toyota’s planned move to the corridor from Moscow as evidence that those re-zoning efforts have paid off.

Any growth, retail or otherwise, in the corridor, Partch noted, will help to stave off the impacts of a national recession on the Palouse. He also pointed out that the county’s treasury was seriously impacted by voter-approved initiatives that removed tax revenue and limited tax increases.

“If we put together this shopping center and they do it the classy way that they do, it will set the tenor for all development in the corridor,” said Finch.

Without such a development, Finch worried that in 20 years the corridor would be filled with “ramshackle steel buildings sitting in a hodgepodge.”

"The other side of state line, and looking glass"

What an unbelievably sloppy, selective, biased and outright false editorial from Jim Fisher in today's Lewiston Tribune, even by his leftist standards. I love it when liberals start trying to lecture us on what conservatism really is all about.

Sure, a developer and Pullman businesswoman expressed reservations over the Hawkins bond proposal last Tuesday. But a developer and a Pullman businesswoman expressed support for the bond the previous Monday. And this statement by Fisher is patently false: "despite reservations from constituents who are hardly starry-eyed radicals." What the..? PARDners Chris Lupke, Don Orlich, Janet Damm, and the Liberal Women Voters are not starry-eyed radicals? How about anti-everything activist Cheryl Morgan? And let's not forget Carolyn Kiesz, who compared shopping to tuberculosis.

If the Hawkins deal falls through, development in the corridor is finished. All those who say we should stop and look back at the last 25 years will be looking at no more growth for another 25 years. I'm sorry, but I am just sick to death of all this small-minded myopia, this whole attitude of "let's go slow" and "let's not change a thing." I'm sick to death of all these petty jealousies, internecine squabbling, and the whining about "so where's my handout from the commissioners?" Some in Pullman are jealous of the county getting the development instead of Pullman.

If you ever wonder why Pullman and Whitman County are so backwards, take a look in the mirror.

From today's Lewiston Tribune:

How many Moscow residents who resent their city officials discouraging certain developments because of potential effects on the community wish today they were residents of Whitman County? There, commissioners are preparing to obligate county taxpayers to subsidize work for a private shopping center.

It is a strange kind of conservatism that proposes floating $10 million in revenue bonds to provide infrastructure for the retail development by Hawkins Companies of Boise. Yet that is what county commissioners are rushing to do, despite reservations from constituents who are hardly starry-eyed radicals.

"I'm worried that we don't have answers to specific questions, and we're a week away from this decision," Pullman business woman Carol Chipman told commissioners Tuesday afternoon, according to the Whitman County Gazette.

More pointed was the warning from Pullman developer Duane Brelsford that commissioners were preparing to set "a dangerous precedent."

Saying his Corporate Pointe Development is planning several large projects in and near Pullman, Brelsford said, "We'll of course assume we would be treated the same."

"If we choose to go that direction," he added, "I think we're going to need a lot more than $10 million."

Do commissioners believe they can say yes to an out-of-state developer's request for up-front public financing, even if it is intended to be repaid by private revenue, and then say no to such requests from within their own county?

That is a separate issue from Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney's challenge to the shopping center's water rights, some of which were transferred from the city of Colton to the proposed development on the Pullman-Moscow highway abutting the state line. Chaney says she fears the 700,000-square-foot center will deplenish underground sources of water for Moscow and the entire Palouse.

Whitman County Commissioner Jerry Finch blames Moscow's resistance to the development for increasing Hawkins' costs, which he says justifies using public money to provide water and sewer service to the center.

"I think in a perfect world, they should do this 100 percent on their dime," Finch has said.

The question remains, however, whether commissioners can tap taxpayers for the cost of this development and ever hope to require future projects, by Brelsford and others, to pay their own way.

Putting public dollars into private development might be considered pro-business, but it is more reflective of socialism than conservatism.

"Moscow Pullman Border War Cease Fire"

Michael has written a must-read post on his blog "The Pajamahadin." Click here to read it.

My favorite quote is:

I expect to see a shabby and disheveled Aaron Ament on a Moscow street corner one of these days holding up a hand-lettered cardboard sign reading, “Will disparage people of faith for food.”

*LOL* Read the whole thing.

"Commissioners hear from locals on $10M Hawkins project bond"

That's karma for you, Michael. I caught you yawning in my picture, but Joe Smillie caught me with my eyes closed in the picture on the front page of the Gazette. That must have been a really boring meeting!

From today's Whitman County Gazette:

The clock is ticking on Whitman County’s hopes of attracting a large retail center, commissioners said Monday afternoon.

“Time is of the essence,” Commissioner Michael Largent said to nearly a dozen concerned citizens at Whitman County Courthouse.

Boise-based Hawkins Companies last week asked the county to consider floating a bond of more than $10 million to fund roads, lighting and water and sewer services to the company’s proposed 700,000 sq. ft. shopping center in the Pullman-Moscow corridor at the Idaho state line.

“If we aren’t willing to step up and be involved, we don’t deserve to have it,” said Commissioner Jerry Finch. “But if we have to prostitute Whitman County for this, I’m not afraid to back out of it.”

The clock is ticking on the idea, Finch later explained, because the company hopes to begin moving dirt on the project as soon as June.

Finch added the cost of construction has “ballooned” so much over the past few years, it could potentially cut into Hawkins’ future profits. Delays could mean a further escalation in construction costs, forcing the company to cut its losses and abandon the project.

Also driving up the costs are lengthy appeals in the company’s attempt to attain water for the shopping center.

“I’m not sure what the outcome of this project would be without public participation,” added Largent.

Commissioners slotted 30 minutes in their regular Monday meeting to receive input from the public whose tax dollars would be bonded in such a proposal.

“We don’t have all the answers,” said Largent. “That’s what this is for.”

While none of the citizens in attendance at the meeting spoke out specifically in opposition to the proposal, several did question the wisdom of committing public funds to the private development.

“It almost sounds like they got in over their head in a down market and they are asking the citizens of Whitman County to bail them out,” said Colfax resident Bob Schultz.

“I guess in a perfect world, they should do this 100 percent on their dime,” replied Finch. “We can play chicken with them and lose or we can work to help them out.”

Colfax resident Don Nelson asked why Hawkins is the only private development to receive financial support from the county.

“This is not unusual,” said Commissioner Greg Partch. “This is done throughout the state in drawing large business in.”

Shultz asked about the possibility of reducing Hawkins taxes instead of laying out the bonds. Both Finch and Treasurer Robert Lothspeich said that was out of their hands, as only the legislature can allow tax exemptions.

Tom Forbes, a member of the citizen group Businesses and Residents for Economic Opportunity said on a flight for his employer, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, he noted a visible state line from the air above the Palouse. That line, he said, was defined by the lights of retail developments in Moscow up to the state line.

Forbes, who also writes a weblog on political and business issues on the Palouse, called the development a “logical and natural extension of shopping development of the Pullman-Moscow Highway in Moscow.”

Pullman Honda Owner April Coggins expressed confidence on behalf of BREO that commissioners would not invest the money of Whitman County’s citizens in a shaky venture.

She added that, apart from the lofty price tag, building the infrastructure would be similar to typical county business.

“This infrastructure is no different then a gravel road for a farmer to get to his field,” said Coggins.

Director of Administrative Services for the county, Sharron Cunningham, emphasized the county would own the infrastructure and charge Hawkins for its use.

The roads would be cared for like any others in the county’s charge. The water lines, commissioners explained, would carry water that would eventually be owned by a yet-to-be created water and sewer district.

The deal hinges on a pending decision from the state Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB) on four transfers of water rights to provide Hawkins the water.

“We’re not going to make an investment until those rights are secured,” said Largent.

Those water rights were approved by the county Water Conservancy Board last July. After reviewing the conservancy board’s work, the state Department of Ecology (DOE) affirmed the board’s decisions on three transfers and denied a fourth.

That transfer, from the Jones family of Pullman, amounts to nearly 60 percent of the water Hawkins is seeking for the site.

Hawkins appealed the DOE’s decision to overrule the Jones right, while the city of Moscow appealed the affirmations of the other three. Included is a swap of 100 acre-feet right from Hawkins to the town of Colton for a right of 22-acre feet.

The PCHB is scheduled to hear those appeals June 2-6.

Finch said if the PCHB water rights are approved, Hawkins would then transfer those rights, without cost, to the county. Conservancy Board Chair Ed Schultz said to his knowledge, such a transfer would have to go before the county Water Conservancy Board.

Ed Schultz asked if commissioners had requested Gov. Chris Gregoire to put the appeals on the top of the priority list.

Partch said they have asked that of the governor’s office, though not in writing.

County Prosecutor Denis Tracy said that actually a new water and sewer district would have to be formed to receive those rights and charge service fees.

Pasco resident Gary Kopf, who also owns land in the corridor near the Hawkins site wondered about using county funds to help Pullman expand its water and sewer service to the corridor.

Public Works Director Mark Storey said once the county has the rights, it could seek out additional water rights to further service developments on the east end of the corridor. Having a starting point there, and a starting point in Pullman would lower the cost of laying pipe all along the corridor.

Storey added it would likely be easier for the county to get the rights approved, as it simply has more time to shepherd an application through the process than Hawkins.

Commissioners have scheduled another public comment period next Tuesday, Jan. 22, at 2:30 p.m. in the courthouse.

"Both sides willing to work together; New Moscow council members say they'd sit down with Whitman County officials, try to mend rift"

Don't you just love the no-growth liberal elitists' standard cover story? "We're really not against growth. It's just that the location of fill in the blank is bad." PARD claims Wal-Mart should be outside of town on the highway to Lewiston and Moscow councilman Tom Lamar (of the Moscow Civic Association) says a 740,000 square foot shopping center (more than 3 times the size of Wal-Mart) would be better off inside Pullman city limits.

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Relations between the city of Moscow and Whitman County could become a little warmer in the near future.

Newly elected councilmen Dan Carscallen, Wayne Krauss and Walter Steed say they would be open to trying to mend differences with officials in Whitman County and possibly even help Hawkins Companies develop its proposed shopping center just across the state border.

"I am open to having a dialogue with Whitman County on any subject and this development in particular," Carscallen said. "I am all for meeting with Whitman County and the city of Pullman and whoever.

"Let's all get together and see if we can get along."

The issue that has created the most tension between the two sides is Moscow's appeals of three water-right transfers that have stalled Hawkins' proposed 700,000-square-foot shopping development on the Pullman-Moscow Highway that would be anchored by a Lowe's home improvement store.

In its appeals, Moscow argued that each water right was located in two different bodies of public groundwater and that the transfers would impair existing water rights, not be in the public's best interest and would improperly modify the manner of the rights' intended use.

The development is expected to eventually provide at least $1.8 million a year in sales tax and property tax revenues to Whitman County.

Krauss said he hopes both sides can start working together for their mutual benefit.

"I would certainly hope we can open up some dialogue with Whitman County," Krauss said. "I think it is time we forgot about the imaginary line - which is the state line - and remember we are working toward the same goal and that is the prosperity of the two communities."

Whitman County Commissioner Jerry Finch said he welcomes the opportunity to speak with the Moscow City Council.

"I think it is fair to say some of the new Moscow council has expressed interest in having better relations with Whitman County," Finch said. "This water thing has gotten contentious.

"I want to have a good working relationship with these people and that doesn't mean you won't have a difference of opinions," he added. "I personally can't stress enough that I want to have good relations with my local government neighbors as much as my own personal neighbors."

While Finch hopes the county can mend relations with Moscow, he is not sure the revamped City Council will carry enough weight to repair short-term relations or provide a solution to the current water rights battle.

"I am not quite as optimistic about that as others," Finch said. "Long-term, I would like to get some open dialogue going.

"There seems to be a consensus that the new council has stripped power away from the mayor, but (Nancy Chaney) still is the mayor," he added. "Obviously, the political reality of Moscow has changed a little bit and I certainly wouldn't turn a cold shoulder to having discussions with those people."

Hawkins representative Jeff DeVoe said his company has been and will continue to be receptive to a meeting with Moscow.

"Hawkins is always open to talking with Moscow about anything they would propose," DeVoe said.

Carscallen said meeting with Hawkins to iron out differences could be a possibility, and one that could save both sides money in the long run by eliminating the need for lawyers and costly legal battles over water rights. "I'd rather cut out the middle man and not pay" lawyers, Carscallen said.

One additional possibility that could be discussed is Moscow extending its water and sewer services to the site of Hawkins' proposed development. Carscallen said that would provide revenue for the city while providing a needed service for Hawkins.

"I think it's something that can be explored," he said. The water "is all coming out of the same tub, so why not do what is advantageous for the city of Moscow? If there is a way we can work together to make this mutually beneficial for us and Whitman County I want to do that.

"A lot of people have been saying it's all about water," Carscallen added. "If that's the case the same people would be against it on the Idaho side."

The development could get off the ground sooner rather than later if progress is made between the sides and Moscow drops its water-rights appeal with the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board.

"I think it is fair to say we would love to have the city of Moscow withdraw their appeal and that project could move ahead full speed," Finch said. "What we want and what the reality is could be a long way away."

Councilman Tom Lamar said he also is open to talking with Whitman County officials, but he would not be in favor of selling city services outside of city limits.

"As the city of Moscow, we really want to be addressing the needs of the citizens of Moscow," Lamar said. "To me, it doesn't seem right to be selling our services outside of the city limits. If it's development taking place in Moscow I feel differently about providing the water or sewer rights."

Lamar said he also likely would not be opposed to the development if it was taking place in the city limits of Pullman or Moscow. Keeping the development out of the corridor would keep traffic flowing smoothly and would leave the corridor open for other potential transportation options, like a U.S. Highway 95 bypass.

"I don't think it is good to put this development in the corridor," Lamar said. "There's a reason why we have cities and that is why we should be building in the cities. If it's in Pullman I think that is a great idea. If the location of the facility is in a different place, then all of these comments have to be reorganized.

"There are multiple issues involved and it's important to look at all the different components - nothing is so simple to just say pro or con."

If the development was located within city limits it also would eliminate issues with water rights because the shopping center would be connected directly to existing city services in either Pullman or Moscow.

Lamar said the costs associated with constructing public infrastructure at the development's proposed site will be staggering in the end.

"I think in the long run it will be a net loss for Whitman County because those services are expensive," Lamar said. "It ends up costing the residents of Whitman County in the long run."

Finch believes Moscow's concerns are more about location than water and cost.

If the situation were reversed, "I can say we would be sitting over here being envious, but we wouldn't do anything to hinder it," he said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Whitman County commissioners will take public input on a plan to sell $10.5 million in bonds to pay for public infrastructure at the site of a proposed shopping-center development in the Pullman-Moscow corridor.

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Jan. 22

WHERE: Whitman County Courthouse

"Residents voice support for Hawkins proposal"

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Residents, county officials mostly in favor of selling bonds to pay for public infrastructure at site of proposed development

Whitman County commissioners heard mostly positive comments from about 30 residents and county officials who gathered Monday to discuss whether the county should pay to provide public infrastructure at the site of a proposed development just across the border from Idaho.

Boise-based Hawkins Companies has asked the county to sell $10.5 million in bonds that would be used to pay for public infrastructure for Hawkins' proposed 700,000-square-foot shopping development in the Pullman-Moscow corridor.

Hawkins also has requested that the county enter into a public-private partnership in constructing public infrastructure - such as a new water system, roads, sidewalks, and a sewer system - for the site west of Moscow. The partnership essentially would amount to Hawkins being responsible for the construction of public infrastructure and Whitman County agreeing to purchase it back at a predetermined price.

The complete details of the proposed partnership have yet to be decided, but once the bonds are repaid the county would own the infrastructure and water rights Hawkins has been battling to secure. Hawkins would have to pay the county monthly utility fees for the services, in addition to property taxes.

Commissioners wanted to use the 30-minute meeting to give the public a chance to weigh in on the controversial development and the bonds required to provide the public infrastructure, even though the commissioners have the final say in the decision.

"All of us commissioners, knowing how big this issue is, have been really interested in hearing comments from people, both positive and negative," Commissioner Michael Largent said during the meeting. "The more we can hear from the people we represent the better."

Members of the Pullman-based group Businesses and Residents for Economic Opportunity used the meeting to show their support for the development.

April Coggins, BREO co-chairwoman and a Pullman businesswoman, said she welcomes the development and that a decision to approve the bonds would benefit the county for many years to come. It also would provide infrastructure for future developments that would follow Hawkins, she said.

"I am really excited about Hawkins (Companies) developing in the corridor ... if we approve this bond future generations will benefit."

BREO member Tom Forbes said the development would just be an extension of the shopping centers that already exist on the Idaho side of the border and would not cause clutter or too much traffic congestion, as some of the development's opponents have suggested.

"Many opponents of this - especially those in Moscow - are referring to this as the sprawl mall and nothing could be further from the truth," Forbes said. "It's reasonable growth and smart development and I am very much in support of it."

Forbes also expressed hope that a new City Council in Moscow will alter the city's approach to the development.

"It is our hope that we can once again work cooperatively with the city of Moscow to everyone's benefit versus the contentious relationship we've had for the last couple of years," he said.

Not all comments were favorable. Colfax resident Bob Schultz said he's not so sure about selling bonds to cover expenses that should be incurred by Hawkins rather than the county.

"It almost sounds like they got in over their head in a down market and they are asking the citizens of Whitman County to bail them out," Schultz said.

Commissioner Jerry Finch said in a "perfect world" Hawkins would pay for 100 percent of the costs, but because of unforeseen circumstances - like lengthy and costly appeals over water rights - the project's price tag has become much more than Hawkins anticipated.

In March, Hawkins applied for the rights to transfer 120 acre-feet, or 40 million gallons, of water to its proposed development in addition to exchanging 100 acre-feet of a 391-acre-feet water right to Colton for 23 acre-feet of water.

The Whitman County Water Conservancy Board approved the transfers in July, but the Washington State Department of Ecology reversed its decision to approve the transfer that involved a surface-water diversion from the South Fork of the Palouse River. Ecology approved the other transfers.

Hawkins and the city of Moscow filed separate appeals with Washington's Pollution Control Hearings Board in November following the Department of Ecology's decision. Hawkins appealed the denial of the surface-water diversion from the South Fork of the Palouse River, while Moscow appealed the three approved transfers.

Hearings for the appeals are set to begin in March.

Finch said Hawkins officials have hinted they may ax the development if a deal between the company and the county can't be reached.

"They've made it very clear that they're either going to have us as a partner, or I think they're going to walk," he said.

The time to move forward and make a decision is fast approaching, Finch said.

"We are working on the concept that if we aren't going to step up and be involved maybe we aren't deserving of it," Finch said.

Representatives from Hawkins and Moscow did not attend the meeting.

A second public meeting is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Jan. 22 in the courthouse.

A final decision is expected to be reached Jan. 28.