A Washington state agency announced last week that Spokane County has been approved for a $500,000 loan and a $150,000 grant for road upgrades near the new Caterpillar Logistics Services Inc. plant being developed on the West Plains.

The funds are part of more than $1 million in public investments the state Community Economic Revitalization Board said it will make to promote business growth and job creation statewide.

Spokane County Engineer Bob Brueggeman says, though, that the county still must complete a lengthy paperwork process and have the county commissioners sign off on the deal before it will be guaranteed receiving the money. He describes it as the equivalent of the project being 95 percent assured.

The 554,200-square-foot Caterpillar distribution facility is being developed on the south side of Interstate 90, just east of the Medical Lake interchange, and work on the project is nearing completion.

With a $42.7 million value, it was the largest project permitted in the county last year. It's expected to add 100 to 150 new jobs, and the project potentially could create 50 to 75 additional spinoff jobs, CERB documents say.

The $650,000 in funding that CERB has approved for Spokane County, combined with a local match of $450,000 from the county's road fund, would be used to widen and partially realign Hallett Road on the south side of the Caterpillar facility.

The improvements would help accommodate truck traffic to and from the distribution center, while also improving safety for motorists who use Hallett Road to go to and from nearby residential areas, CERB documents say. They indicate that a contract for the Hallett Road project is expected to be awarded in May, and construction is expected to be completed in July, but Brueggeman says that timetable is aggressive.

"CERB projects represent an important partnership between the state and local communities resulting in enhanced economic vitality," CERB Chairman Mark Urdahl said in a press release announcing the investments.

"The projects approved for funding represent the economic, cultural, and geographic diversity of our state. The board is pleased to collaborate with each of these communities to create permanent, private-sector jobs," Urdahl said.

Along with the money to Spokane County, CERB approved a $418,000 loan to the Port of Quincy in Grant County and a $25,000 grant to the Tulalip Tribes in Snohomish County.

The loan to the Port of Quincy will go toward the construction of infrastructure improvements for a new manufacturing facility to be built by Alticor Inc., previously known as Amway Corp., which manufactures and distributes vitamin supplements. Alticor will spend $31.8 million to develop that facility, which will create 28 jobs. CERB's investment is being matched by $832,000 in local funds.

In Snohomish County, the Tulalips will use the $25,000 CERB grant to study the feasibility of an innovative process for treating dairy waste to recover nutrients. If successful, CERB said, the cost-effective method of treating dairy waste will help to keep many small dairies in business while providing fertilizer for local farmers.

Since 1982, CERB says, it has committed nearly $150 million to local jurisdictions across the state, and it claims that investment has generated more than 30,000 jobs.