By Steven Stilt
Centralia Mayor Bryan Kuder highlighted major projects slated to take place in the community, including the construction of a new water treatment plant, during his “State of the City” speech on Wednesday.
Construction of the new plant is slated to take place in 2025. Centralia’s current water treatment plant is nearly 100 years old.
Kuder says building a new facility is vital not just for Centralia residents, but for thousands of people who live outside the city.
“Our water treatment plant is just not for the City of Centralia. The City of Centralia has 12,800 residents. The water treatment plant we currently have right now sells water to almost 32,000 customers. We provide water for the college, for the correctional center, for Sandoval, Odin, Walnut Hill … so that water treatment plant, it is a must for not only our community, but other communities.”
Kuder adds that the new facility would have the capacity to accommodate population growth in Centralia, as well as future business development. He says city officials are trying to pay for as much of the project as possible through grants and low-interest loans.
The mayor also reports that significant improvements are planned at the Centralia Municipal Airport in 2024, including upgrades to runways, taxiways and hangars, as well as improvements to the ceiling and bathrooms at the main airport building. He says a new pavilion will be built at Point Park, which sits near Raccoon Lake, and approximately $500,000 in improvements will be taking place at the Centralia Amtrak station, including construction of a new platform and a remodel of the building at the station.
In looking back at the city’s accomplishments in 2023, Kuder reports that the City of Centralia issued 197 building permits, covering approximately $9.5 million worth of projects. The Centralia Police Department completed much-needed upgrades to its police radios and in-car computers, and the city installed new bike racks, benches, and picnic tables at Laura Leake Park. In addition, Gragg Street was resurfaced and widened, with federal grants and Motor Fuel Tax funds covering the costs of the $1.8 million project.
