Moses Lake port to open new maintenance facility

MOSES LAKE — Port of Moses Lake commissioners will cut the ribbon on a new $1.4 million building May 27. The new maintenance building will replace an existing structure, and Commissioner Darrin Jackson said replacement is overdue.  

“If there was one building that needs to go away, it was that one,” Jackson said of the old facility. “Before it falls over.” 

The cost was higher than initially estimated; additional electrical work was needed as well as work to meet updated building codes.  

The new maintenance facility is one of a number of projects at the port, some completed, some nearing completion, some in the planning stages. Commissioners approved an agreement to begin testing on the roof of a section of the airport control tower.  

Facilities Director Milton Miller said it’s leaking.  

“The port owns the TRACON facility, which is the radar (section),” Miller said. “We’re looking to replace that roof this summer.” 

The testing will determine if the underlayers are damaged, and if so, how much. Cost for the testing will be about $3,200. The cost of the actual roof replacement is still to be determined.  

Commissioners accepted completion of a project to repair the canopy leading into the airport terminal, a project that had been long in the making.  

“How long — two-plus years?” Jackson asked.  

Construction challenges contributed to the delay. The curved canopy, its pillars covered in stucco, had been damaged and was in need of repairs. The roof was not part of the original project, so the contract had to be amended, something commissioners did at the May 12 meeting. 

The total project cost was just under $76,000.