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SENIOR TIMES • JULY 2020
JULY 2020 Volume 8 • Issue 7
Could Covid-19 restore air service to Portland? By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
Upscale living for renters taking shape on the Pasco waterfront Page 7
Park’s namesake led Manhattan, Pentagon projects Page 8
9 questions about cranes, Covid-19 and the economy with Lampson International Page 13
MONTHLY QUIZ In 1928, what name was given to the airport at what is now Eastgate Park in Kennewick and now bordering Eastgate Elementary School? Answer, Page 9
The Covid-19 crisis blew a hole in the aviation industry, but there could be opportunity hidden in the mayhem for airports with strong underlying business models like the one in Pasco. The Tri-Cities Airport could gain new air routes and even see airlines resume direct service to Portland International Airport. That’s the scenario laid out by Jack Penning of Volaire Aviation Consulting, which advises the Port of Pasco on the airline industry. Penning, who is based in Portland, shared his take on Covid-19 impacts and opportunities during a May 29 “Coffee with Karl” virtual meetup with Karl Dye, president and chief executive officer of the Tri-City Development Council. As the Mid-Columbia’s economic development agency, TRIDEC works closely with the port to advocate for more and better routes in and out of Pasco. Penning said the Tri-Cities could benefit from opportunities that weren’t available a few years ago, when regional airlines such as Alaska’s Horizon Air canceled routes as they struggled with shortages of pilots and craft. The Portland run was dropped for good in 2018. But those shortages are no longer an issue. Instead, the pandemic is forcing airlines to rethink the map, drop questionable runs and add new ones. That could spell opportunity for Pasco. “It’s not all doom and gloom. There are opportunities ahead,” Penning said. First, the bad news: 2020 will go down as a terrible year for air travel statistics. Even if air travel revives, Pasco uAIRPORT, Page 10
Courtesy Roy Keck The Lil’ Miss Becky Lee began life as a 15-foot Dorsett El Dorado runabout and is now the bar at the Richland Yacht Club.
Vintage boat cruises into new life as bar at Richland Yacht Club By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
The little runabout was so perfect, Roy Keck couldn’t help himself. When the like-new 1962 Dorsett El Dorado the color of harvest gold came up at auction, the boating enthusiast had to have it. The 15-foot fiberglass beauty had fewer than 90 hours on its Mercury 50 engine. The original owner garaged it in the Yakima area for decades. It only hit the auction block when the owner’s heirs
settled his estate. Keck, a retired Energy Northwest executive who serves on the Port of Benton Commission, is a boat lover who has held every position there is at the Richland Yacht Club. He was captivated by the boat. “I bought this boat about five years ago because it was in pristine condition,” he said. “The last thing I needed was another boat. But I couldn’t pass it up.” He bought it and hauled it to his mauBOAT BAR, Page 2
Crow Butte ready to welcome campers — when Phase 2 comes By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
One good thing happened when Crow Butte Park in southern Benton County closed to campers because of the Covid-19 crisis. No one was camping in early June when a storm blew through. Lightning struck an irrigation pump and 14 large trees blew down in the campground. Normally, all 52 campsites would have been occupied, as they typically are during the March 15 to Oct. 31 camping season. Visitors were in the day-use area, but camp hosts shooed them out. The damaging storm caused no injuries, to the
relief of the Port of Benton, which has managed the 275-acre property on the Columbia River since 2001. Remote and wild, Crow Butte is routinely ranked as a favorite Northwest destination for RVers and campers. It has a swimming beach, boat dock, fishing, hiking trails and spacious camp sites with full RV hookups. It’s a getaway that lives up to its reputation. RVs account for about two-thirds of overnight guests. Tent campers account for the remaining third. The unwelcome closure had another benefit too, said Miles Thomas, director of economic development and governuCROW BUTTE, Page 3
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