Buzzing in the air like no-see-ums for the last couple years, whisperings of an ambitious plan with the potential to position Boundary County at the front gate of an extraordinary project that could transform the Inland Northwest into a major hub for global commerce are no longer whispers in the wind.

It is now a full-blown project as real as daylight known as the Inland Pacific Hub.

And thanks to an Idaho Community Gem Grant being engineered by the Panhandle Area Council, officials are set to embark on a $300,000, year-long study of how to make this thing work.

In our view, it could evolve into one of the most dynamic and significant projects ever been targeted for the region, with spin-offs from job creation and private investment dollars that are potentially enormous.

If the study - which the city of Bonners Ferry has endorsed to the tune of a $50,000 Gem Grant - can demonstrate that a global trade gateway can be designed in the North Idaho/Eastern Washington region as a catalyst to economic growth, the Inland Pacific Hub might spread its wings through Boundary County within the next 10 years.

Because of supporters the project see the Eastport border crossing as a critical piece in connecting the region to the global marketplace, the development of an international gateway at tiny Eastport would also spill over in Boundary County in a huge way.

If well-planned, it could be one of the best things to land on Boundary County's doorstep since sliced bread, the banning of trans fat and the four-day work week.

Our only question is why the project - often referred to as an inland logistic hub - has taken so long getting off the table.

Today's hot button fueling the future of tomorrow, inland logistic hubs - like the one targeted for the region - are paving the way for sweeping economic development.

If they can demonstrate - like Eastport can - a proximity to population, highways, rail lines and acreage to support enormous square-foot facilities in rural areas (where lease rates are considerably lower than in urban centers), they can achieve the stuff of dreams that revitalize entire communities in a heartbeat.

A transportation hub developed in Kansas City repositioned the region into a major shipping center for global commerce and created an influx of good-paying jobs. The 17,000-acre logistics complex at the AllianceTexas distribution hub in North Fort Worth has brought more than 140,000 corporate tenants since 1989, including General Mills, Ford Motor Company and Home Depot.

You don't have to be an Alan Greenspan to know that spin-offs from such an alliance not only translate into commercial and residential development; it also dovetails into new job creation, something this area desperately needs.

Taking a peak at the North Fort Worth complex is almost like looking at a carbon copy of Eastport. It has easy access to two rail lines, an airport, a Foreign Trade Zone and an on-site customs station.

Backers of the project see Eastport at the linchpin, a fulcrum that has the potential to leverage it into a strategic inland logistics hub. So many key ingredients are already in place it's almost dizzying to comprehend.

For starters, landing fees at the Spokane International Airport are a pittance compared to what major coastal airports charge. Idaho has an inland seaport at Lewiston that can provide low-cost shipping to Portland, while Eastport is one of the few 24-hour secure, state-of-the-art border crossings in the country. It's also the only place where two rail lines cross and only a day's drive to transport goods metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver.

That's just the tip of the iceberg of an endless string of positives that makes this one of the most important projects to come down the pipe in decades.

"Whenever better transportation possibilities exist in an area," Idaho State Sen. John Goedde told the Bonners Ferry City Council last year, "the better chance there are for new jobs, new projects and other economic spin-offs."

Goedde is right. In our view, those working on the study need to come up with workable recommendations to make the pieces of the Inland Pacific Hub fall into place, even if it means a major overhaul of the region's infrastructure, including U.S. 95.

From top-to-bottom, it's a package that can revitalize a region looking for a solid economic shot-in-the-arm.

Sounds good to me...but are they going to include provisions to prevent Boundary county from turning into a Los Angeles suburb? I'd prefer some oversight to ensure we don't have to go to Montana to hunt and fish in the future.

Tom
Boundary county.
007y@dishmail.net