Columbia Valley recovery center set to open March 2026; county funding and operations still unresolved

Construction for the Columbia Valley Center for Recovery is on track to open in March 2026, committee chairman BJ Olsen told the Franklin County Board of Commissioners on July 9. "Construction is on track to open March, 2026," Olsen said, adding the original target had been December or January and that state requirements delayed the schedule.

The update outlined operations, staffing and budget assumptions but left several key financing and contracting questions unresolved. Olsen said the center’s primary programming partner will be Comprehensive Health Care but that a final operations contract with a provider had not been signed: "They are still in negotiation on that. They've agreed to the general outline. They're still working on particular budgets," Olsen said. Commissioners pressed for firmer numbers and for clearer detail on how county revenue might be used.

Why this matters: the center is intended to expand local crisis and recovery capacity for the Tri‑Cities region. Commissioners raised concerns about the county’s potential long‑term financial exposure from sales‑tax proceeds earmarked for mental‑health services and asked for clearer projections of operating revenue and cost sharing.

Olsen said the committee is planning a second phase focused on recovery housing — a step‑down option after inpatient care — and that the committee is still in a "brainstorming phase" on program design, contractor selection and costs. He told the board the project already has some philanthropic support and fundraising in addition to other revenue sources under discussion.

Key financial and program figures presented to commissioners: - Construction opening: projected March 2026 (delayed from December/January). (Olsen) - Estimated annual operations cost: about $9,000,000 (Olsen). - Estimated field‑responder program cost: about $1,000,000 per year (Olsen). - Revenue projection discussed in the presentation: Olsen reported, based on Benton County material, "probably about 6,000,000 a year and 3,000,000 a year from Franklin County from tax revenues," and said private‑pay and insurance could supplement that mix. He described those as projections rather than final commitments. - The committee reported a $3,800,000 grant has been secured to support a housing component; Olsen said details of how the housing program would be designed remain under development. - Hiring expectations: Comprehensive Health Care is planning to hire more than 100 positions to staff programming for the center, Olsen said, and the committee is coordinating with WSU Tri‑Cities and other workforce partners to try to build the behavioral‑health workforce.

Commissioners’ concerns focused on funding certainty, governance and operational control. At least one commissioner said they had understood the 0.1% mental‑health sales tax enacted by voters would not be fully committed to a single project and pressed for clarity about whether Franklin County had committed to provide $3,000,000 a year from that tax to the center. Olsen responded that the "actual dollar amounts have not been settled" and described the current numbers as projections.

On crisis response, commissioners debated volunteer versus paid staffing for a field‑responder program. One commissioner suggested volunteers could be used; another said licensed professionals available 24/7 would likely require paid staffing. Olsen and other committee members said law enforcement and EMS had provided feedback supporting a dedicated crisis‑response capability staffed by mental‑health clinicians rather than relying solely on police or volunteers.

The committee said the center is doing monthly public tours (typically the first Wednesday of each month) and that interested officials should contact Matt Rasmussen at Benton County to schedule a visit. Commissioners asked for a follow‑up briefing with firmer cost estimates and requested the mental‑health advisory board return to the commission for more frequent updates.

Ending: Commissioners did not take formal action on the update; they asked staff and the committee to provide more precise revenue and cost projections, to report back with details on any proposed contracts with Comprehensive Health Care and to arrange additional briefings for commissioners and the mental‑health advisory board.