Aberdeen’s Gateway Center project received $1.75 million in this year’s capital budget, an amount that will fully fund the building’s architecture, engineering and site preparation costs.

With this funding, Community Development Administrator Lisa Scott said the city would be able to complete the second phase of the project in a year’s time, after which they would be working to fully fund construction.

“By the end of this project, we will have a clean site, and the engineer documents so we know how much it will cost for us, and we can go look for money to build,” she said.

Some of the money will go to pay a project manager, which the city has been fielding proposals for. Two hours before yesterday’s 5 p.m. deadline, two companies had applied to manage the project, Scott said. She added that the city hopes to have a contract signed with the new project manager by March 23, if no further approval is needed by the city council.

When complete, the Gateway Center will serve as a business complex and a tourist hub. Greater Grays Harbor Inc. will house its offices there, and the facility could stage business conferences.

Past discussions have included a potential partnership with multiple agencies to allow for forest permit and fish and game license sales. During the commissioners’ morning meeting on March 13, the list of potential tenants and partners included Greater Grays Harbor Inc., the Council of Governments, the Small Business Development Center, and possibly Grays Harbor College.