Director Fong highlights infrastructure, climate, health care in visit



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*Travels with Mike:
Stevens County*

Commerce Director Mike Fong continued his road trip across Washington in May with a visit to Stevens County. His two-day trip included visits in Colville and with leadership from the Spokane Tribe of Indians [ [link removed] ].

Director Fong meets with members of the Spokane Tribe.

Director Fong met with citizens of the Spokane Tribe of Indians.

This rural and remote part of Washington has about 45,000 people. The Spokane Tribe of Indians’ headquarters is in Wellpinit, while the largest city in Stevens County is Colville, home to about 5,000 people. The rest of the population is scattered in small cities, unincorporated communities and across the open spaces of the region. It’s a challenge to reach remote spots when it comes to internet access, health care, jobs and more — and it’s a challenge Commerce is ready to help communities solve.


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Director Fong views the NEW Health picture windows

Director Fong (left) takes in the view at NEW Health with Jacob Daving, project manager and marketing supervisor.

Keeping communities healthy and creating jobs

NEW Health [ [link removed] ]is a nonprofit organization with medical, dental and pharmacy care facilities in Stevens, Ferry and Pend Orielle counties, as well as a mobile clinic.

Commerce awarded NEW Health more than $2 million to support its main health care facility in Colville, as well as the Colville Dental Clinic. Funding came from the Building Community Fund and direct appropriations from the Local Government Division.

It’s clear that NEW Health prioritizes the well-being of the community and its employees, Director Fong said.

“This facility is beautiful,” he said, noting the dedicated mental health space for providers and the massive windows with a sweeping view of the city and its natural beauty. “We know that health care providers have experienced increased stress during and post-pandemic, and this space truly lets the light in and allows them space to take care of themselves even as they serve the community.”

NEW Health also added a drive-through pharmacy, which means that anyone can pick up their prescriptions, regardless of their mobility or the weather.

The organization has 168 employees dedicated to serving community health needs – and it intends to support more employees with local opportunities. It has an internal program called NEW Health University, which supports internal workforce development for local high school students and community members, said NEW Health Chief Strategy Officer Lindsey Ruivivar. The organization is also planning a new Regional Workforce Development Center in a former middle school in the community. It’s currently fundraising for the project, which would allow them to train and retain professionals in health care and health care administration. The site would also serve as an emergency shelter for wild fires or other disasters, and they hope to install solar panels on the roof.

“This is the type of project we get excited about,” Director Fong said, noting that it intersects Commerce’s divisions.

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Caring for the whole community

Although small towns and big cities face some of the same intractable problems, the reality is that homelessness assistance and other social services look very different in Washington’s rural areas, where services and the people who need them are separated by mountains, gullies and rivers.

That’s why organizations like Rural Resources [ [link removed] ], a community action agency that serves 14,000 people in Stevens, Pend Orielle, Ferry, Lincoln and Whitman counties, are vital. Rural Resources helps residents with a host of social services, from assisted living and senior care to child health care and advocacy, legal and housing assistance, and food security. It was established in 1965.

In Colville, Rural Resources has served more unhoused people and those facing food insecurity recently, said Housing Director Ryan Berendsen. He said the organization has recently helped folks in their 70s and 80s. And housing is a major challenge for students, too — there are at least 98 unhoused kids at Colville High School, he said. Across the county and across age groups, shelter demand outweighs supply, he said. Seniors in particular are vulnerable, he said. Colville doesn’t have services for dementia patients, so they can walk out the door — sometimes into 15-degree weather or broiling summer sun.

Commerce has invested $82 million in Rural Resources since 1996, with $27.67 million of that coming since 2021. It has about 35 Commerce contracts, as well as federal funding.

“I’m really impressed with this space and how much they’ve done to ensure their community feels safe and can receive services,” Director Fong said during a tour of the site. He emphasized that the space for children’s services was warm and intentionally designed so the county’s youngest residents would feel secure. “Rural Resources is intentional about its design and its approach, and that’s why they’ve successfully been supporting communities for more than 50 years.”

That doesn’t mean there’s not more to do, Director Fong said. Rural Resources also provides nutrition boxes and food pantry services in Stevens and Ferry counties, and Berdensen said vehicle maintenance is a major expense in the two counties, which combine for 4,798 square miles.

“We want to look at how we can help both over long-term efforts and one-time nudges for this kind of work and these expenses,” Director Fong said.

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Director Fong tours the Colville Wastewater Treatment Plant

Director Fong tours solar panels at the Colville Wastewater Treatment Plant with Wastewater Supervisor Scott Thomas and Commerce employee Annica Eagle.

Director Fong meets with representatives from TEDD, BAT and the Libraries of Stevens County.
Clean power and safe browsing with new infrastructure 

Infrastructure is the basic nuts and bolts holding communities together. Is the water clean; are the roads passable; do the lights turn on? And increasingly, is the internet speed adequate to serve the area?

Across Stevens County, all of the above are major questions and important areas where Commerce is strengthening the community.

Commerce provided $212,356 to Colville’s Wastewater Treatment Plant’s solar array through the Energy Retrofits for Public Buildings program in 2020, which has allowed the city to save nearly $10,000 on energy costs in its first year online, said Wastewater Supervisor Scott Thomas.

“I’m really impressed by how they’ve incorporated solar into their process and that they’re proving solar is a good option in this area,” Director Fong said, after viewing the solar panels and hearing from Wastewater Treatment Plant Director Scott Thomas. “The City of Colville should be proud of this effort, which helps further Washington’s climate goals and saves real families money on their bills.”

Combined funding from Commerce and leveraging local dollars helped make the project happen, and combined efforts from Commerce and local communities, as well as funding from a variety of sources, will help Stevens County get online.

Director Fong met with representatives from the Washington State University Extension [ [link removed] ], the Libraries of Stevens County [ [link removed] ], and the Tri County Economic Development District (TEDD) [ [link removed] ]. The WSU Extension office is home to both TEDD and the Stevens County’s Broadband Action Team (BAT). BATss are locally driven efforts to identify internet connectivity and accessibility needs across communities and are supported by the Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) [ [link removed] ].

In Stevens County, that looks like helping people feel safe getting online. Digital literacy classes and support for anchor institutions like libraries to purchase shared computers has been key to helping people get online. Stevens County received nearly $500,000 from the WSBO’s Digital Navigator program in 2023, while the library received $135,000 for capital improvements at two branches.

“The library is creating shared resources and helping folks reduce their fear about getting online,” Director Fong said. “Communities need different resources depending on their own unique characteristics and need, and this is a great way to deploy funding in a way that works for their needs.”

Expanding that access across branches and offering more support is a vital way to help folks young and old learn to navigate the web, Director Fong said. It’s a conversation he said he plans to continue.

"Photo above: Director Fong meets with (left to right) Debra Hansen, county director and professor, WSU Stevens County Extension; Amanda Six, library director, Libraries of Stevens County; Bob Stevens, regional business specialist, Tri County Economic Development District.
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Conversations with the Spokane Tribe of Indians

The Spokane Tribe of Indians, headquartered in Wellpinit, wants to heal their people.

The tribe has about 2,900 citizens, though not all of them live on the reservation, which occupies 237 square miles in Stevens and Lincoln counties.

There are significant challenges on the reservation, including contaminated water and soil, safe housing and economic opportunities. There are also big goals, such as an internet fiber-to-home project and exploring opportunities for manufacturing clean energy and solar components.

“We want to understand the tribe’s master plan, so we can know what’s coming and what we can help fund,” Director Fong said.

The tribe was awarded $90,000 in Climate Commitment Act funds [ [link removed] ] to evaluate the viability of repurposing their historic uranium mine for solar energy generation.

The tribe, like many historically marginalized communities, faces disproportionate risk from climate change. They’ve already experienced it and are working to repair buildings damaged from rains and flooding. Many of those buildings provide essential services and are uninhabitable.

“The inequity of the effects of climate change are dramatic,” said Director Fong. “Projects that help communities prepare for the future are an important use of CCA dollars, and this project will help the Spokane Tribe bring their resilience into the future with new climate challenges.”

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Complex problems require collaboration

During his trip, Director Fong also sat down to talk to local community leaders. In Stevens County, he met with leaders from the Spokane Tribe, State Senator Shelly Short, and city and county leaders in various positions.

The challenges in Stevens County are complex, and the potential solutions will take time and money to implement. That’s why it’s important that communities and the state and federal governments work together to address them.

From community economic development to housing, to crisis mental health care and energy assistance, Commerce’s six divisions are all part of the Stevens County puzzle, Director Fong said.

“Every time I’m in rural counties across the state I get to hear about the unique issues that are facing them and the unique solutions that they’ve identified for themselves,” he said. “The state Commerce Department has been able to invest resources in so many different types of programming whether it be community resources for food banks and childcare.”

Director Fong said he wants to continue those partnerships and relationships to better understand how Commerce can best serve all communities in Washington.


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What’s next for Director Fong?

June 18-21: Vancouver, Wash., for the Association of Washington Cities annual conference

June 23-28: Canada for a trade mission with the Association of Washington Business

More photos from the director's visit [ [link removed] ]





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