Fiber Optic Cable Installed

We've been doing fine with wireless, and maybe someday soon cable will be obsolete, but nontheless nice to see fiber optic hit the McConihe area.

The trunk lines are going in along the roads now, then the PUD will come along behind and stub to each lot, via conduit that was pre-installed when the roads and other utilities went in.

 

Local Economy Continues to Expand

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Service Steel Inc./courtesy photo

Service Steel

Service Steel, a Portland, Ore.-based steel cutting operation, recently purchased 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space at the Port of Ephrata.With the sale now complete, Port Manager Mike Wren said Service Steel will finalize moving into the space and preparing to ramp up operations. Wren previously said the company estimated they will start with about 50 employees.

Service Steel currently operates a 300,000 square-foot facility on Swan Island in Portland, according to the company's website. http://www.servicesteel.net/

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Tiffany Sukola/Columbia Basin Herald

ATS to lease second port building

     

Aviation Technical Services is expected to move into an additional hangar at the Grant County International Airport soon, according to Port of Moses Lake officials.
 

The port is currently in the final stages of drafting a lease agreement with the aircraft maintenance and repair company for their second hangar, Port Executive Director Patrick Jones said Monday.
 
Jones told port commissioners during a meeting Monday that ATS is anticipating more activity over the next several months. The company is currently demolishing 747's at the airport, he said.

"We're told to expect more A320's for demolition in the near future," said Jones. "They're continuing to move planes through."

ATS announced they would be helping New York-based JetBlue Airways modify their A320 fleet back in September, according to a previous company statement. ATS signed a long-term service agreement with JetBlue, which included provisions for ATS to provide maintenance and modification services to JetBlue over a three-year period.

Everett-based ATS expanded to Moses Lake earlier this year. They have been providing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for commercial and military jet aircraft since 1970.

Earlier this month ATS was honored as Aerospace Company of the Year at the 8^th Annual Governor’s Aerospace Summit in Everett, for “outstanding achievement and extraordinary leadership within the Aerospace Industry.” http://www.atsmro.com/

St. Brigid's Brewery & Taproom, Moses Lake

Woohoo!!! All right all right all right! A newly opened taproom at 606 Broadway, downtown Moses Lake, and the beer is superb.

I'd been tasting their London Calling Brown around town for a year, and tho brown is not my favorite you could tell the quality was good. So as soon as the taproom opened April & I hustled down and found a spot on the lakefront patio for a sunset brew. Oh. Yeah.

Do you like your beer fresh? How 'bout made this morning.

Tom & Whitney Wytko, a couple of schoolteachers, are the proprietors. (They gave each other credit for the beer.) Tom is a former dairyman who's been making home beer for 23 years and obviously knows how to do it. It's rare that you walk into a place and every one of the beers is great. We are surely lucky to have them in little ol' Moses Lake.

www.stbrigidsbrewery.com

Vineyard in Repose

More Grapes

On Monday April, Gilbert & I picked, stomped and pressed another 15 gallons worth of Chardonnay. The fruit is beautiful, about 20.5 brix and nicely balanced with pretty good hang time. (My acidity measurements were less than precise so I won't try to quantify that; we'll just see how everything turns out.) Next year I will look to market both the Chard and the Cab Franc. We have about 1.5 acres of each, and our 20 gallons didn't even put a dent in it. Some neighbors are going to come by and pick as much of the remaining Chard as they want before the birds get it. We also moved the netting over to the Cab Franc.

First Crush

What followed was a whirlwind week starting with gathering supplies from Jim's Homebrew Supply in Spokane (ask for Bob) and Beer Essentials in Lakewood. April & I picked and crushed (she stomped) a carboy's worth, after which Jen, Den, Matt & Erica came for the weekend and helped with the press, winemaking advice and general good time. Much fun, good friends. Thanks everyone!

Bird Netting

Lots has happened since last post. Among other things, we decided to make wine. It's been a perfect season and the Chardonnay was coming in beautifully, with the Cab Franc probably 3 weeks behind. But we were losing the battle with the starlings. April & I went to Wilson's Irrigation Supply in Wenatchee and came away with 2,500 feet of bird netting. We put it up in about 3 hours with Gilbert sitting in the tractor bucket and feeding the net over the rows. (don't do this at home kids)