Economic director sees strong potential for better times

Peck, who has been the county's point man for economic development issues since 1997, was interviewed by The Enterprise on March 22.

THE ENTERPRISE:

The future of Condit Dam is a hot issue in the county. What stand is Klickitat County taking on the proposed removal of the hydroelectric facility?

PECK:

One thing no one ever talks about is the role of that average of nine megawatts of electricity. It provides 15 megawatts when it's running full bore, but the nine megawatts on the Bonneville Power Administration grid plays a fairly significant role in keeping power in this area stable. This resource provides value, and it would have an impact if and when it's gone. In the world of power generation, they sure don't like losing resources, and they especially don't like losing hydroelectric resources. No one raises the issue of what the dam is going to be replaced with.

THE ENTERPRISE:

What is the latest on the county's proposed `energy overlay zone,' and why is it important for the county?

PECK:

Between now and next week, the county will pick some of the 11 people on an energy overlay zone advisory board to help with the process. They will look at areas where there is bird activity and keep wind power out. For other types of energy, we'll figure out where there is water or a gas pipeline.

By doing this in advance, you can say to companies interested in energy development in the county, here's where it makes no sense to put plants, and here's where it does make sense. It's the energy equivalent of what a comprehensive plan is meant to do. Developers want their decisions to have local comp plan input. It has as much to do with keeping a plant out of an area as bringing it to an area.

There will be a scoping meeting for public input in the next six weeks or so. The county will have a draft Environmental Impact Statement and a public hearing on that. There will be a couple of meetings -- one in Lyle, maybe White Salmon, and one in Goldendale.

The advisory group was picked because we wanted people who would be affected by what would happen, and might end up being a neighbor of one of these projects. There are a couple Economic Development Authority members, a couple ranchers, and a couple county officials. We went to communities and community councils and asked, `do you have anybody interested in this type of thing?'

When we're done, it will tell us where these plants belong and don't belong in the county. It's a way of broadly asking the question, where does it make sense to do this? It's an advisory for developers, don't come and pick a spot where no one wants it. And developers are going to show up, so we might as well provide a framework. This county has transmission lines, wind, a big gas pipeline, so it's a pretty good guess guys will be beating a path to our door. So let's make sure we're pushing them where they belong and keep them out of where they don't.

THE ENTERPRISE:

How is the county responding to the controversy over which communities will be allowed to ask the county for money from the landfill fund, and in particular the Snowden area's concern that it is being cut out of the process?

PECK:

I hope the process is fixed in April. It's a real awkward thing for me. I was one of those sitting around originally trying to decide who gets invited to apply for funds, that was in approximately 1997. It boiled down to, well, for example, would Pucker Huddle be a community? Snowden didn't pop up. Driving from Husum to Goldendale, there would be no reason to stop in Snowden unless you know somebody. In the initial cut we didn't recognize them. The dilemma this year, all of a sudden, how do you use this money to foster a sense of community, both locally and within the county. The comunity councils seemed logical, to play off what the community was interested in. This year, people were on to it: If I call myself a council and have a plan, I'm in the money sweepstakes.

THE ENTERPRISE:

The county has proposed using fire districts rather than community councils to request funding from the Economic Development Authority. Is that going to be the plan?

PECK:

The only fire district with a problem is the Husum Fire District. We have to get the boundary worked out (between Husum and Snowden). My guess is, we'll have a meeting and decide all the fire districts.

What I think will happen, we'll still have 15 or 16 communities, and still use community councils to present to the county. They are established. If it goes the way it seems to be going right now, Burdoin Mountain would be in Lyle and represented by the Lyle Community Council.

Frankly, we're happy to have the problem. It's nice to have people in Roosevelt know people in Trout Lake or Bickleton now. That didn't happen before. The landfill fund ties the county together in a real way. There is nothing like knowing there is a pot of money to compete for. It keeps people wanting to stay organized.

THE ENTERPRISE:

What is the future of the landfill fund itself? We've heard some discussion that the annual disbursement of funds might be dropped.

PECK:

That will be an annual budget decision. Last year, $500,000 was distributed; this year it was $350,000, and the average has been $350,000. One thing we're starting to notice, we got the feeling communities were stretching a little bit for a project. There was a feeling folks were saying, `we've got one project, but we get to have two, what can we dream up?' We're starting to get to the end of stuff that's really important to the community. The figure might stay at $350,000, or it might go down. That is a conversation that would take place with a lot of input from the community councils, too.

THE ENTERPRISE:

The County Commissioners have been actively discussing what will happen to the steam locomotive the county owns, which is currently parked in Pasco. What's the plan?

PECK:

If you have a steam locomotive to move, there is some guy from Nevada or Texas who comes and tells you what you have to do. He's the nationally-recognized expert, and we're going to hire him. Apparently, the locomotive has bearings that will allow it to run on the mainline.

The engine is a former Great Northern oil-fired steam locomotive, No. 2507. It should go to a railroad town, and it looks like it might be coming back in the next five or six months. We're looking at property in Wishram, which we may buy or make a swap with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The engine will end up in Wishram if it all comes together. BNSF is really being helpful.

THE ENTERPRISE:

With Bingen in the middle of planning its downtown revitalization project, has any thought been given to moving the locomotive there, where more people would be likely to see it?

PECK:

I'd say it's going to Wishram. That's our railroad town. Why send it somewhere else? If I lived in Wishram and heard it might not end up near me, I'd be pretty cranky about it. All the old retired railroad guys want to see it there. And who knows, it might be the kind of thing that helps jump-start that town's future. The trick is to get it into a location where it's a good experience, and people don't feel sorry for it. This has been Joan Frey's project, and she has been working on it for five years at least.