Somos Pasco- Pasco, WA

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Somos Pasco

Rationale: 

Somos Pasco is a collaboration of the Port of Pasco, City of Pasco and Franklin County, Benton-Franklin Council of Governments, Pasco School District, Columbia Basin College, Pasco Chamber of Commerce, Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and other Tri-Cities community organizations and businesses. Together, these partners have developed a shared vision for Pasco and its economy.

Project Summary : 

A 19-member Steering Committee guided the Economic Strategic Vision. This group met over the course of 10 months to conduct economic research, investigate the strengths and challenges confronting Pasco’s economy, engage the community in the vision process, and adopt core values, vision, and strategies for the future economy.     

The following priorities were adopted:   

• Improving educational attainment levels   
• Building the economy on a foundation of agriculture/food processing & other current strengths 
• Diversifying the economy into new sectors   
• Undertaking worthy community projects that support Pasco’s quality of life  
• Capitalizing on Pasco’s unique multi-cultural population and heritage.   

Somos Pasco created a long-range, community-driven conversation to continue to build a community-driven vision for Pasco and its economy. The community is looking to capitalize on our most promising economic opportunities and community-wide priorities in answering the following:      

• How can we continue to improve education and career skills, wages, and household incomes in the Pasco area?    
• What does Pasco need in order to enhance quality of life and make sure employers and employees want to stay here?    
• What industries can we rely on for job growth in the next decades?     
• What investments are needed to support critical economic sectors?   

The Somos Pasco project has provided the groundwork for a community-wide look at the opportunities and potential in the area. While it is yet to be determined the extent to which the vision will be realized, the process itself has been one of building within the community: building relationships, building understanding, and building opportunities.     

Engagement Strategies:   

Somos Pasco is unique because of its commitment to gaining the broadest possible community participation. Nearly 2,000 area residents participated in Somos Pasco through the following avenues:   

• Developing a bi-lingual English/Spanish brand for Somos Pasco   
• Creating an interactive website: www.somospasco.org    
• Interviews with a cross-section of community leaders and other stakeholders   
• Online survey (in English and Spanish) attracting 1,600 participants   
• Business/partner workshop co-sponsored with Pasco Chamber of Commerce   
• Focus group to get input from Columbia Basin College students   
• College scholarship contest for local high school students   
• Community events with a “60-Second Survey” (English/Spanish)   
• In-depth sessions with implementation team members   

Additional Resources:
Pasco, WA– 2018 AAC Finalist: Presentation
Local Contact:
Michael Morales
Economic Development Manager
City of Pasco
525 N. 3rd Avenue
Pasco, WA 99301
(509) 545-3441
moralesm@pasco-wa.gov