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.
I enthusiastically support the establishment of the Benton REA complex in West Richland. When more than 70% of Benton REA members live in West Richland, it only makes sense to have the complex located closest to where a majority of the field work takes place and where the majority of the members reside. It’s a simple business decision, similar to when Benton County established an annex in Kennewick to serve residents more effectively and efficiently with their official business. Prosser used to have all county offices in that community, but with a majority of Benton County residents living in the Tri-Cities area, bringing their operations closer to that population was a smart move, just as establishing the Benton REA annex in West Richland will be.