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Tri‑Cities committee briefs council on Manhattan Project National Historical Park, B Reactor tours and partnerships
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Summary
Tri‑Cities National Park Committee representatives updated the council on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park'9s distributed model, B Reactor preservation and limited DOE tour capacity; they said FY25 visitation was about 11,000 with higher counts when B Reactor tours operate and stressed reliance on community partnerships and digital outreach.
The Kennewick City Council heard an update Wednesday from the Tri‑Cities National Park Committee on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, its sites in the Tri‑Cities and the park'9s community partnerships.
Miss Urban introduced Becky Berghardt, Hanford site manager for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and Brent Gary, former West Richland mayor and former chair of the Tri‑Cities National Park Committee. Brent Gary described local efforts that led to the park'9s 2015 memorandum of agreement and said Visit Tri‑Cities serves as the committee'9s convener and an important funding and outreach partner.
Becky Berghardt told council members the park is "nontraditional" because its assets are spread across Hanford, Los Alamos and Oak Ridge and much of the Hanford unit sits on secured DOE property. "It is the only national park that is co managed with the Department of Energy," she said, explaining that DOE manages facilities such as the B Reactor while the National Park Service manages interpretation and programming.
Berghardt said the B Reactor is a National Historic Landmark and is currently closed for roof and exterior masonry repointing work; when DOE tours operate, they run about four hours and are highly structured. She said visitation in fiscal year 2025 was about 11,000 — a reduction tied to the reactor'9s closure — and that when DOE tours are operating the site historically draws about 15,000 visitors. She added that community programming typically reaches roughly 3,000–4,000 participants and that much of the park'9s work depends on partners and volunteers because staffing is limited.
Council members asked for more detail on visitation and tour capacity; Berghardt said pre‑Manhattan Project (community) tours cap at about 20–25 people while B Reactor tours can hold about 45–50 visitors and are busiest in June–August. She also described digital products (a park website, a mobile app accessible through the National Park Service app and active social media channels) used to reach audiences and to provide driving and walking tours for users who cannot access secured DOE sites.
The presentation emphasized local partnerships with the REACH Museum, the B Reactor Museum Association, Benton and Franklin counties, ports and congressional staff offices that helped obtain preservation funding and program support. Council members thanked the presenters and Mayor Pro Tem Torelli moved the meeting on to the next item.
The council did not take formal action on park items; the presentation was informational. The committee representatives encouraged council members to take a future tour when the B Reactor reopens and to use park digital resources in local outreach.
