City backs Mountain Home expansion bid

Currently, Mountain Home is located in a 2,500 square foot facility at the Port of Klickitat's industrial park at Bingen Point.

Steve See, vice president of the company, said the loan will allow Mountain Home to expand and hire at least one more employee.

"We're packed to the gills here," See said. "We hardly have room to hire anyone, we're packed so tight back there."

The business currently employs four full-time employees and two part-time employees.

"We'll probably go to five full-time right off the bat, and we'll have room to add a couple more later," See said.

The new building, which would be built between the Big River Diner and Riley's concrete plant in Bingen, would provide 5,000 square feet of space.

The $50,000 from CTED will go toward "working capital and purchase of the land," according to See.

"They came to us because the business will be located within the city limits of Bingen, next to the Big River Diner," explained Mayor Brian Prigel. "It will be built on property belonging to Norm Deo."

Prigel said the city's role in securing the loan through CTED is just a formality.

"A local jurisdiction has to be part of it," Prigel said.

Mountain Home Biological will be responsible to repay the low-interest (6.75 percent) loan.

Construction at the new site would require a conditional use permit. A public hearing on that request will come on Oct. 18 during the regular Bingen City Council meeting at Bingen's City Hall.

Mayor Prigel said he didn't believe the company's request would be controversial.

"I don't envision any real roadblocks, even though that area is zoned commercial and needs to go to light industrial [to allow Mountain Home to locate there]," Prigel said. "Seeing business development in the community is a good thing, provided it fits with the neighbors and neighboring businesses. This would be a good thing for us in the long run."

Prigel praised the business, and said he was pleased it wanted to relocate within Bingen.

"It's always good to have a secure job base and a diversified economy," Prigel explained. "The company brings money into the area because it manufactures a product here and sells it outside the area. It's a good company to have here. It's a pretty clean operation."

The CTED loan is contingent on gaining the necessary permits to build.

"They will need a conditional use permit, and building permits beyond that," Prigel said. "I don't envision any problems if they get the conditional use permit."

See was enthusiastic about the opportunity for the company to grow.

"We're wrapping up odds and ends, and will probably move in about three or four months," he said. "We have an earnest money agreement, and I think it's a go. We have to time it so we're not moving in our busy season. We're hoping to move in January, but construction is always unpredictable. We'll be very happy when it's done."

Mountain Home supplies living science products to schools, such as goldfish, guppies, snails, and aquatic plants, as well as owl pellets. It also handles lab glassware, such as beakers and test tubes.