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Treasure Valley Reload Center

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Treasure Valley Reload Center
Truck-to-rail intermodal
General information
LocationNyssa, Oregon
United States
Owned byMalheur County Development Corp.
Construction
Structure typeWarehouse
Other information
StatusUnder development
Oregon Governor Kate Brown and others in August 2017 at a signing ceremony for the transportation funding bill HB 2017

The Treasure Valley Reload Center is a planned truck-to-rail shipping facility slated to open near Nyssa, Oregon, on the border of the U.S. states Oregon and Idaho as part of the Arcadia Industrial Park acquisition and development. Seen as a significant economic development opportunity for the state's poorest county (Malheur),[1] the project received $26 million from state funds that were earmarked during the 2017 Oregon legislative session, and construction was supposed to begin by 2020.[2][3][4] Nyssa also directed $3 million in federal funds toward the project,[5] and in 2022 the Oregon Legislature approved an additional $3 million in an emergency grant.[6] Onion farmers looking to ship their crops to markets in the Midwest would be among the main beneficiaries of the project.[7]

The industrial park was supposed to receive $15 million through a federal grant in 2020, but the application was "botched" and rejected by the U.S. Department of Transportation as unacceptable.[8]

Permitting and financial issues have resulted in significant delays to construction of the reload center.[9] The property would be located on a wetland, which necessitated compliance with relevant regulations.[1] In 2023 state representative Greg Smith, who had been criticized in the press for conflicts of interest, resigned from the project.[10] He was succeeded by attorney Shawna Peterson, who reported "significant progress" at a chamber of commerce luncheon.[11]

Advocates sought additional funding from the Oregon Legislature to close an anticipated $8.5 million budget shortfall;[11] local lawmakers Lynn Findley (Republican senator) and Mark Owens (Republican member of the state house) wanted a close look into the project's finances prior to endorsing the request, "because of history of the project and the taint surrounding it."[12] Americold, the anticipated operator of the shipping facility, announced its withdrawal from the TVRC in July 2023. News coverage again noted setbacks due to permitting and financial reasons.[13]

Governor Tina Kotek, who supported the initial funding for the reload center while speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, visited the county in July 2023, shortly after Americold's withdrawal. She reiterated her support for the project and endorsed incoming project manager Shawna Peterson.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b Hernandez, Rolando (June 14, 2022). "Construction for Malheur County shipping depot faces budget challenges". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  2. ^ "HB2017 2017 Regular Session – Oregon Legislative Information System". olis.oregonlegislature.gov. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Treasure Valley Reload Center encounters budget shortfall but remains on track to complete project – Onion Business". onionbusiness.com. June 16, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2023. Smith also made clear that of the $26 million, plus an additional $3 million from the Oregon Legislature in 2021, $13.4 million has been used with a balance of $15.6 remaining.
  4. ^ Carlson, Brad (2019-02-06). "Treasure Valley reload center planners make progress". The Capital Press. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  5. ^ Thompson, Leslie (2021-12-15). "Construction is 'moving forward' on Treasure Valley Reload Center". Argus Observer. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  6. ^ Zaitz, Les (2022-09-21). "Legislators green light more money for Treasure Valley Reload Center". The Malheur Enterprise. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  7. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (2019-05-29). "Rep. Greg Smith Is a Member of the Select Group That Doles Out State Dollars. He Also Makes a Tidy Living From Public Contracts. It's Perfectly Legal". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  8. ^ Caldwell, Pat (16 October 2022). "County brings in Portland firm to revive work on developing Nyssa industrial park - Malheur Enterprise". Malheur Enterprise. Retrieved 6 August 2023. Securing that future meant obtaining $15 million through a U.S. Transportation Department grant. Yet in 2020 Smith and his team botched the application, providing virtually none of the information required to determine whether the county qualified for the federal cash. The agency deemed the proposal submitted by Smith to be "unacceptable." That meant after investing two years and thousands of taxpayer dollars the county lost out on the grant.
  9. ^ Dooris, Pat; Parfitt, Jamie (February 21, 2023). "Oregon taxpayers on the hook for new rail station on Idaho border as costs climb". KGW. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  10. ^ Thompson, Leslie (2023-02-22). "Greg Smith pulls out of rail shipping project". Argus Observer. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  11. ^ a b Evan, Corey (May 10, 2023). "Looking at a multi-million rail shipping project from a newcomer's perspective". The Argus-Observer.
  12. ^ Thompson, Leslie (March 29, 2023). "Lawmakers want 'deep dive' into books before carrying funding request to state". Argus Observer.
  13. ^ Hernandez, Rolando (August 1, 2023). "Expected operator for Nyssa rail center pulls out of project". Oregon Public Broadcasting.
  14. ^ Thompson, Leslie (July 21, 2023). "Gov. Tina Kotek swings thru Malheur County on One Oregon Listening Tour". The Argus-Observer.

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