West Richland Complex Information & Comments Form
In 2021, Benton REA purchased 17 acres of land for future development. The land is located in West Richland on Cooperative Way, just off Keene Road.
Aging facilities require improvements in both West Richland and Prosser.
- Increase costs to address maintenance and repair issues
- Current HVAC failing - increased frequency of service calls and cost
- Electrical issues causing internal loss of power, overloading circuits
- Run down facilities due to age and increased traffic
All members benefit from future property improvements.
- West Richland complex results in several properties in Prosser and West Richland that are surplus and can be sold
- District office and crew will remain in the Prosser area to serve members closer to it
- Will consolidate district office facilities and eliminate crews stopping at 2-4 locations to get material before they leave for the outage or job site
- Operational efficiencies result in more work time, faster response time = better service
- Improves service to everyone, not just those closer to West Richland
All comments will be posted on this site for members to view. Please refrain from using profane language. All comments will be reviewed for such language prior to posting.
In my opinion, a $20,000,000-$30,000,000 new Benton REA “complex” in West Richland is an over-the-top extravagance and I cannot support it. According to information at the Benton REA website, this project has come about because the existing buildings in Prosser and West Richland 1) are not new, 2) need updated HVAC systems and 3) there are several gates that must be manually opened and shut in the equipment yards.
Regarding the proposed location for the “complex” - as member-owners, we all understand that Benton REA crews must travel around the cooperative’s large service area (620 square miles) and that some employees choose to live a fair distance away from their workplace. I do not understand how this $20,000,000-$30,000,000 “complex” will alter these realities.
I think it’s in the best interest of Benton REA member-owners and the cooperative to make all necessary renovations to the existing office buildings in Prosser and West Richland so that
the employees stationed there can conduct their work in a productive manner. Surely these buildings could be renovated and new HVAC systems placed within them for far less than $20,000,000-$30,000,000.
As for the equipment yards and the many gates to open and close, perhaps the yards could be 1) enlarged or rearranged, 2) the gates reduced in number and, 3) the gates converted to automatic, electrical (!) open-shut systems. Of course, the gates could be configured to open and shut manually in the event of a power outage.
Please understand that many, many people and businesses in the Benton REA service area must stretch to pay their bill to you each month. It is imperative that every member-owner dollar is spent with care and financial prudence.