08/06/07 Clore Center Funding

Clore Center Funding. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center is still on the drawing board. But thanks to the assistance of Washington Congressman, Doc Hastings, it is a little closer to becoming a reality. The fund-raising committee for the Clore Center approached Hastings about appropriating funds for the project and according to committee member Bud Mercer, Hastings came through. MERCER: It has been approved at the House level and that's done but it has to be matched at the Senate level and/or a similar amount or more can be added at the Senate level and that will be done sometime in September or October. Mercer says they have been talking to the two state Senators about getting the funding pushed through. MERCER: We still need and fervently hope that Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell will champion this through the Senate and make it complete. The Center is currently short by a substantial amount to make it a reality and Mercer believes it will be a great benefit to the area. MERCER: He has appropriated 250-thousand. We have of course asked them for our entire shortfall which was about 5.7 million I believe. Anything between zero and that is a good number. Several fervent believers such as myself who think this will be a great facility for the wine industry and all of agriculture and really a key place on the "Wine Highway", Woodinville to Walla Walla; you might say the destination for ag-tourism. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.