Area leaders plan for 2022

AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The West Plains Chamber of Commerce brought area leaders together on March 23 to give them a chance to speak about plans for this year.

Executive Director Mark Losh welcomed a crowd of nearly 200 people into the Pavilion at Northern Quest Resort and Casino to listen to the panel of speakers.

Panelists from the area included Mayor Chris Grover from Cheney who spoke about water issues facing the city. Grover also mentioned a water reclamation project that may be in the works. Mayor Terri Cooper spoke on behalf of Medical Lake. She wants Medical Lake to be recognized as an outdoor recreation hot spot.

"I don't want Medical Lake to be the best kept secret in the West Plains," Cooper said. "I want people from all over the region to come visit our town and see what we have to offer."

Councilwoman Jennifer Morton took the microphone to speak about the recent accomplishments of Airway Heights including a Governor's award for their downtown plan, and the recent opening of the Highland Village housing project. She also described some of the goals Airway Heights has set for this year.

Todd Coleman Executive Director of S3R3 Solutions spoke about the industrial growth the area is going through, as his company works in that capacity. Coleman is also the President of the West Plains Chamber. He reassured guests that the chamber is working on building partnerships throughout the West Plains and surrounding region.

"We have an established identity in the West Plains," Coleman said. "But we really want to expand those partnerships further into the region."

Representing Fairchild Air Force Base was Jeff Johnson. He brought air traffic concerns to the table. Johnson handed out copies of a map that shows the flight patterns and noise contours of aircraft flying out of the Spokane International Airport and Fairchild.

"People need to be aware of these when building, and it doesn't mean people can't build in certain areas," Johnson said. "It just means that parties need to coordinate with us prior to going into a project full swing."

Eastern Washington University has plans for this year according to Provost Jonathan Anderson. Anderson also discussed some milestones for the college and said Eastern has no intention of slowing down. He also explained how the college had just received funding for a school of nursing, which drew massive applause from the audience.

"We're number one in the state for upward economic ability," Anderson said. "Meaning our graduates are able to move themselves and their families forward."

All of the regional leaders affirmed they will continue creating partnerships and working to make the West Plains a great place to live, work and recreate.