The proposed Gateway Center likely will not be owned or managed by Grays Harbor County, though the project does have the individual support of commissioners. The commissioners will not send an advisory vote on the would-be center to ballots in the upcoming elections.

The Gateway Center, when constructed, will be a business complex that also serves as a visitor information hub situated at downtown Aberdeen. Currently, the City of Aberdeen is making the necessary arrangements to secure funding for construction. For the past several months, the city has asked the county to consider taking ownership and management of the building after construction is complete.

Despite approving a resolution in March that would have sent an advisory vote to ballots in an upcoming election (most likely the November general election) asking if the county should own or manage the Gateway Center, the commissioners rescinded that resolution on Monday, April 24, about a month later.

Leading the charge to rescind the advisory vote resolution was Commissioner Vickie Raines. Raines has been a longtime proponent of the proposed facility.

On Monday, she read from a written statement to her fellow commissioners during the commission meeting. She advocated that the county should support the city’s endeavor but not take the project on as its own.

“Personally, I firmly support the Enterprise Center and view it as a facility that while located within the City of Aberdeen, it will benefit all of Grays Harbor County,” Raines read, referring to the Gateway Center by another moniker. “That being said, there are simply too many unanswered questions relating to the project.”

She credited the city for its progress already made on the project, especially for its successes in bringing the project forward on the heels of an economic recession.

“I am not of the belief that the Grays Harbor County government needs to intercept the current forward momentum, but rather team up and individually support the Grays Harbor Enterprise Center (aka GH Gateway Center), if we choose,” she read.

(Read Raines’ full statement on Page A-6.)

While Raines has been supportive of the project, Commissioner Wes Cormier has been opposed. Cormier’s objection isn’t to Aberdeen constructing the facility but rather to the county having an active role in the project — either during construction or as a managing entity.

Cormier had brought forward the original advisory vote resolution.

On Monday, Raines said she worried the advisory vote would be seen by voters as being an overall vote on the Gateway Center’s fate, despite language of the advisory vote only addressing the county’s role.

During the morning meeting, Cormier still was supportive of an advisory vote. He was the only commissioner to vote against rescinding the resolution.

However, Cormier’s nay vote was a misunderstanding, he later said during the media information session following the afternoon meeting. He had misunderstood Raines’ intentions, he said.

With Raines saying she, too, didn’t want the county to own or manage the facility, Cormier no longer saw the need for an advisory vote.

“I don’t get involved with city business — they have their own legislative body, and they have their own executive as mayor, and I don’t want to step on their toes. If they think a project is worthy, then I’m not going to interfere with that,” Cormier said. “I only commented on the Gateway Center when it came to our front door. I wasn’t clear this morning. I apologize.”

Commissioner Randy Ross said he personally supports the proposed Gateway Center, but he is opposed to an advisory vote.

“I never supported (the advisory vote), and I think we, as commissioners, should make that decision ourselves, and we shouldn’t rely on an advisory vote of the citizens,” Ross said. “It’s not a tax issue, it’s a property issue, and we, as commissioners, determine what our property needs are and if we can manage them.”

That aside, Ross also noted it was imperative to support the city in its endeavors.

“It’s important that we support each individual community’s projects, if they’re well vetted and well thought out, and let’s leave it at that,” Ross said.

Ross is set to meet with Aberdeen Mayor Erik Larson and other Gateway Center stakeholders next month. He will report back to the commissioners with additional information following the meeting.