Port of Whitman County awarded $2.1 million loan for Tekoa development

TEKOA — The Port of Whitman County received a $2.1 million loan to build an industrial park in Tekoa.

The port announced in a news release Thursday that the grant came from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board. The funding, including the port’s match, amounts to $4.2 million to build infrastructure on its existing property north of Tekoa.

The organization will develop five shovel-ready lots that includes water supply, drainage systems, utility extension and the construction of new building pads. The plans will also construct road improvements to the property and a right turn lane on Washington State Route 27.

Private-sector tenants can begin to build on the site once those improvements are completed.

A 2024 feasibility study identified that manufacturing and construction services would be suitable for the Tekoa industrial park. The news release said port staff are engaging with other industries, like hydrogen companies, that can benefit from the town’s proximity to major metropolitan areas.

This is the first industrial property owned by the Port in northern Whitman County. The organization anticipates the project to be complete and ready for tenants to develop by December 2026.