Centralia Coal Transition Board awards grant to Twin Cities Sports Commission

Centralia, Wash. (February 13, 2025) The Centralia Coal Transition Grants Economic & Community Development Board is pleased to announce it has approved a grant award in the amount of $430,000.00 to the Twin Cities Sports Commission.
The Twin Cities Sports Commission has launched a two-phased approach to increase the ability to host large scale sporting events. The enhancement to the Borst Park turf fields located in Centralia by re-turfing the Complex’s infields with a longer-lasting, higher quality synthetic turf supports the efforts of the Commission. The funding from the board will be combined with additional sources of funding from various community partners.
The purpose of the Twin Cities Sports Commission is to facility and grow sports tourism in Centralia and Chehalis, Washington. The commission was formed in 2017 and supports four sporting venues within the community, the NW Sports Hub, Centralia College Campus, Recreation Park and the Borst Park Sports Complex.
The Economic & Community Development Board was formed as a result of the 2011 Agreement between TransAlta and the state of Washington to transition the Centralia Plant away from coal-fired operations with one unit retiring at the end of 2020 and the second unit at the end of 2025. The company is investing $55 million in Lewis and South Thurston Counties and the state of Washington through the Coal Transition Boards.
Overview of the Centralia Coal Transition Funding Boards:
Weatherization Board ($10M): established to fund energy efficiency and weatherization for the residents, employees, business, non-profit organizations and local governments within Lewis County and South Thurston County; up to $1 million shall be allocated to fund residential energy efficiency and weatherization measures for low-income and moderate-income residents of Lewis County and South Thurston County;
Economic & Community Development Board ($20M): established to fund education, retraining, economic development, and community enhancement; at least $5M shall be allocated to fund education, retraining and economic development specifically targeting the needs of workers displaced from the Centralia facility;
Energy Technology Board ($25M): established to fund energy technologies with the potential to create environmental benefits to the state of Washington.