Wholesail Networks announces a definitive agreement to acquire Noel Communications for an undisclosed purchase price. This acquisition will allow Wholesail Networks to expand their fiber footprint and network operations.
Noel Communications has been serving the central Washington state area with network, telecom and internet services for nearly 30 years. “Folding Noel Communications into Wholesail Networks is a win-win deal,” said Rodger Noel, owner of Noel Communications. “Their focus on the Northwest with modern fiber-based network infrastructure continues our vision of bringing high quality and competitive telecommunication services to the underserved portions of our region. The Noel family has been long term supporters of eastern Washington businesses and residents and we believe Wholesail Networks will continue the legacy of supporting our region.” Wholesail Networks was founded in 2018 by John van Oppen after realizing the need for a robust, independent transport and transit operator in the Pacific Northwest. Wholesail Networks is focused on providing fiber-based connectivity to empower the Pacific Northwest region’s largest users with quality telecommunications products. Wholesail Networks fills a unique gap in the marketplace combining in-house network assets that are operated by a team with the market knowledge to source almost any capacity need to any location in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. “Since founding the company last year,” said Wholesail Networks’ CEO and Founder John van Oppen, “we have had explosive growth which validates our belief that there is a high demand for the types of quality service we provide. Bringing the Noel Communications network and team into our organization helps us rapidly expand our network services and augments our team with the high-quality support and expertise that our customers expect.” The expanded company plans to maintain Noel Communications’ network operation center in Yakima.
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Benton PUD’s Commission approved a 2.9 percent retail rate increase effective October 1, 2019. Benton PUD’s last overall revenue increase was 1.9 percent, which occurred two years ago in October 2017.
For an average residential customer, this will result in an increase of about $3.00 per month, from $116 to $119. The median monthly residential bill for comparable Northwest utilities is $127. The residential daily system charge will increase from 62 cents per day to 63 cents per day, and the residential kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate will increase from $0.0718 to $0.0739. The major driver of the rate increase is rising power costs, which make up over 60 percent of Benton PUD’s budget. Power costs are increasing due to the following:
For other customer classes, the 2.9 percent increase will apply to all rate components including daily system charge, kilowatt-hour rate, and demand charge (where applicable). The Unmetered rate class (less than 1 percent of total customers) will see a slightly higher increase to better align rates with the cost to serve the class. Two open houses have been scheduled to share information on the exciting Public/Private Partnership Opportunity at the Three Rivers Entertainment District Campus. Each open house will be held at the Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W Grandridge Boulevard, between 4:30-6:30pm with the first scheduled for Monday, September 30th and the second on Thursday, October 17th.
Staff from the City of Kennewick and Kennewick Public Facilities District will be available to provide information on the project vision, the public and private investment components, economic impacts, the complementary nature of the project to the entertainment district vision and Vista Vision, and the financing needed to accomplish this partnership and spur significant economic development in the heart of our Tri-Cities community. The open houses will provide the public the opportunity to view concept renderings of the project, make comments and asks questions. On September 3, 2019, City Council approved a Purchase and Sales Agreement between for the sale of property adjacent to the Convention Center and Toyota Center, approximately 3.56 acres to A-1 Pearl, LLC for the development of a convention hotel to be connected to the expanded Convention Center and a separate retail component. In addition, the agreement grants the option to purchase the adjacent property for phase two of the project which would create residential, commercial, and public spaces with water features and boardwalk. The City’s portion of the project would be to expand the Three Rivers Convention Center with a performing arts theater. The full Council packet and presentation can be viewed at: www.go2kennewick.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09032019-1181 The Purchase and Sales Agreement was the first step in furthering this public/private partnership opportunity. The next steps will be the due diligence period provided to both parties to ensure viability of the project and will require coordinated effort for the private and public entities to work simultaneously to secure the financing and jointly begin the construction of the expansion of the Three Rivers Convention Center, hotel and retail component of the project. What:
National Alpaca Farm Days at Sandollar Farms & Alpacas When: September 28 and 29, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Where: Sandollar Farms & Alpacas 2001 S Washington St, Kennewick Between 10th and 27th Aves Why: A great opportunity for the public to come meet alpacas and learn more about these inquisitive, unique animals, the luxury fiber they produce, and why the alpaca business is perfect for environmentally conscious individuals. Free fun family event!
Tanya Bowers Consulting, a Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce Member, has been certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE) as a Minority/Women Business Enterprise (MWBE).
Principal Tanya Bowers said, “After I attended Washington PTAC’s ‘Government Contracting Essentials’ session, it became clear that this certification would be an asset to Tanya Bowers Consulting as a firm owned by an African-American female.” Through personalized services and expertise around diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and organizational development, Tanya Bowers Consulting guides businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, non-profit organizations, community groups, and professionals in building meaningful connections and inspiring growth. With over twenty-one years professional experience in DEI, Tanya has called the Tri-Cities home for five years. She works with clients in Washington State and across the country through speaking engagements, workshops, and strategy development. Find out more about how Tanya Bowers Consulting’s services can benefit your particular entity at www.tanyabowers.com. Need more information? Reach out to [email protected] or 509-430-8772. The Academy of Children’s Theatre will be providing a community update on the progress of its theatre expansion project at an annual fundraising luncheon on Thursday, September 26 at noon at ACT.
ACT Board member Cathy Kelly and Executive Director Anne Spilman will provide remarks outlining details of the work-in-progress and the event is being held at the new theatre site. Entertainment by youth actors participating in ACT’s upcoming production of Frozen, Jr. also will be featured. Construction of the 300 seat theatre is underway, with occupancy planned for late 2020. The new theatre is located at the rear of the existing Academy of Children’s Theatre facility at 213 Wellsian Way in Richland. To attend the event, there is a suggested minimum donation of $100 per person. In addition, guests will have an opportunity to make a pledge for a theatre chair naming sponsorship for a $1,000 contribution. For details contact ACT at [email protected] or call 509-943-6027. The Mid-Columbia Mastersingers return to the B Reactor National Historic Landmark to present the world premiere of a musical work entitled “Nuclear Dreams: an Oral History of the Hanford Site,” by composer Reginald Unterseher and librettist Nancy Welliver.
The technical achievements of the Manhattan Project are storied. But what about the people who worked on one of the greatest and most challenging scientific works of the 20th century? How did they feel about their work? What did they dream at night? And what about the people who lived on the land before the Manhattan Project was conceived? “Nuclear Dreams: an Oral History of the Hanford Site” is an oratorio for chamber chorus, small orchestra, and two soloists that explores the history, memories, night-dreams, and inner lives of the people who lived on the land or worked at Hanford, one of three sites within the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The piece was commissioned by the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Manhattan Project, and will feature mezzo soprano Sarah Mattox and baritone Charles Robert Stephens with chamber orchestra and chorus directed by Justin Raffa. Three performances will be given over the weekend of September 27-29, and will be held inside the B Reactor facility's main room where the front face of the reactor is visible. Performances will include an add-on optional pre-concert reception at the historic former home of Colonel Franklin Matthias. Bus transportation to the B Reactor is included. Tickets must be purchased in advance and none will be sold at the door. For more information, call (509) 460-1766, email [email protected] or go to www.mcmastersingers.org. Prosser Memorial Health is pleased to announce cardiologist Dr. Karan Bhatti and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sam Strebel have joined Prosser Memorial Health.
“It is extremely important for us to be able to offer advanced orthopedic surgery services and cardiology services to our community. The addition of Dr. Bhatti and Dr. Strebel to our group of specialists reconfirms our commitment to provide high quality, low cost healthcare services locally whenever we are able.” “With the addition of Dr. Bhatti, coupled with our cardiopulmonary services and our state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine capabilities we will be able to provide a wide variety of services and care for lower valley patients close to home,” said Craig Marks, Chief Executive Officer at Prosser Memorial Health. Dr. Bhatti is a non-invasive cardiologist specializing in valvular heart disease, heart failure treatment and management, preventive cardiology, stress testing (treadmill, nuclear and echocardiography), cardiac Oncology, pulmonary hypertension, echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography, arrhythmia management, hypertension management and hyperlipidemia management. Dr. Bhatti recently completed his Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship at the University of Texas- Houston and he is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Echocardiography. Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Sam Strebel has recently been caring for patients at Tri-City Orthopaedics in Kennewick. Dr. Sam Strebel’s orthopedic services include anterior and posterior approach, total hip, total knee replacement, endoscopic and open carpal tunnel release, Ganglion cyst excision, fracture care, and more. Dr. Strebel’s completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. He went on to complete an Adult Reconstruction Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Strebel is fluent in Spanish. Dr. Bhatti and Dr. Strebel are now accepting new patients. To learn more about their services or other surgical services at Prosser Memorial Health, call 509.786.5599, or visit prosserhealth.org. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE’s) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued its annual report on distributed wind that shows turbines used for battery charging and remote power made up 99 percent of the total number of small wind turbines last year.
Distributed wind power is clean energy generated where it is used, as opposed to power sent through transmission lines and substations. This wind power is consumed onsite by homes, schools, farms, and businesses. There are more than 83,000 wind turbines in distributed applications across the United States and its territories, which is an increase of more than 2,000 new wind turbines over the prior year. The turbines total 1,127 megawatts of distributed wind capacity. The 2018 Distributed Wind Market Report highlights the very small wind turbines of less than one kilowatt in size that accounted for 99 percent of the total turbines and 47 percent of small wind project capacity deployed in 2018. These turbines are commonly coupled with energy storage or solar PV systems. “As the number of small wind turbines deployed in the one- to-100-kilowatt size range has been generally decreasing, the number of deployed turbines with a capacity rating of less than one kilowatt has stayed fairly steady,” said Alice Orrell, who led the study at PNNL. “As a result, these less-than-one-kilowatt turbines, which mainly provide remote power for off-grid locations, now account for a larger share of the small wind market.” On the other end of the size spectrum, turbines greater than one-megawatt in size are commonly used for government, commercial, industrial, and utility customers. Distributed wind projects using large-scale turbines and serving utility companies that power homes made up 47 percent of the distributed wind capacity deployed in 2018. Another 29 percent is used by commercial and industrial customers – up from nine percent in 2017 and five percent in 2016. Typically using smaller turbines that are no larger than 100 kilowatts, agricultural and residential customers accounted for just one percent of the documented capacity. U.S. distributed wind capacity reached a total of 1,100 megawatts last year. Projects using turbines with greater than 100-kilowatts of wind capacity accounted for 49 megawatts of the 50.5 megawatts distributed wind capacity installed in 2018. Texas, Iowa, and Minnesota are the top three states for overall distributed wind capacity, and Iowa, Nevada, and Alaska are the top three states for small wind capacity, although there were no new documented projects in Iowa or Nevada in 2018. Rhode Island, Ohio, and Nebraska led the United States in new distributed wind power capacity in 2018 with large-scale turbine projects. Green Development, LLC added 21 megawatts of distributed wind to its portfolio in Rhode Island in 2018, accounting for almost half of the documented 2018 distributed wind capacity and almost doubling Rhode Island’s cumulative distributed wind capacity. New York and Alaska had the most reported small wind projects in 2018. New York has been a leader in small wind capacity deployment in past years because of its New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) small wind turbine incentive program. Now in its seventh year, the Distributed Wind Market Report was funded by DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office, and helps the distributed wind community — utilities, manufacturers, and federal and state agencies — keep an eye on current market conditions and regulatory environments. It provides the wind power community with a year-to-year comparison to measure growth and trends as well as data such as costs, number of deployments, performance and capacity factors, types of turbines used, customer type, domestic and international markets, and market drivers and barriers. For more information about the distributed wind report, as well as its companion reports on utility-scale, land-based and offshore wind power, see the announcement from DOE. And, for more information about PNNL's wind power research, visit PNNL's wind website. Beginning September 3, the Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) Knight Street Transit Center in Richland will be closed for renovations. Transit center operations will relocate onto a nearby section of Northgate Drive, which will be temporarily closed to all other traffic beginning August 26 to accommodate frequent bus activity during the renovation work.
The Knight Street Transit Center has long needed improvements including asphalt and bus platform concrete but will also be upgraded to include new amenities such as modern shelters, benches, and lighting, as well as landscaping and conduit placement for future digital signage. To help riders navigate, signage will be placed along the temporary street-side bus staging area on Northgate to assist with finding their route connections, and BFT’s website and social media will be used to convey important rider information. The renovations are expected to begin on or around September 3 and conclude before the end of the year, with no other route or schedule impacts anticipated in the interim. “This effort has involved a lot of collaboration with the City of Richland and Columbia Basin College to accommodate moving our transit center operations for an extended period,” said Gloria Boyce, general manager. “The City has been a great and generous partner in providing us with bus-only, street-side access nearby, and CBC has graciously agreed to allow transit customer parking near their Health Science Center, which is providing us a best-case scenario for this temporary disruption.” More information about Ben Franklin Transit and its services can be found at www.bft.org. |
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July 2024
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