Wenatchee is where Washington comes together to build

Janea Stark is Executive Director of the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) and Chair of the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC).

Each October, people from across Washington make their way to Wenatchee with infrastructure projects to advance, funding questions to answer, and lessons to share. This year, they will return October 20-22 for the annual Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council Conference. There is a reason we keep coming back.

Situated near the center of our state, at the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers, Wenatchee is a fitting place for people and resources from across Washington to converge. It is also a fitting home for the annual conference of the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council, or IACC. The gathering brings together local governments, tribes, ports, utilities, technical experts, and state and federal funding programs.

The conference reflects a guiding principle that has shaped IACC from the very beginning: communities are better positioned to move important projects forward when they know where to turn.

Infrastructure funding offers many possibilities, but projects are rarely simple. A community may need support for planning, engineering, environmental and cultural review, permitting, construction, and long-term operations. A single project may involve multiple agencies, funding sources, and technical requirements. For a small city, rural county, port, or tribal nation with limited staff capacity, navigating all those steps can be especially challenging.

The idea behind IACC began taking shape about 40 years ago, when many of Washington’s infrastructure programs were still relatively new. Representatives from different funding agencies began talking with one another about what their programs did, who was eligible, and how their resources could work together.

They realized that better coordination among funders could also make it easier for communities to understand and access available resources. What began as an effort to share information developed into a broader approach to supporting communities and tribes.

Today, IACC helps local leaders understand available resources, reach the right people, and identify practical next steps. At the annual conference, communities learn directly from funding programs, participate in technical sessions, hear lessons learned from completed projects, and meet peers who have faced similar challenges.

Some of the most valuable work happens outside the formal sessions. One community shares a hard-earned lesson in the hallway. Over coffee, a local leader finds someone who can clarify eligibility or suggest a funding path. Another community discovers that a peer has already solved a problem holding up its project.

Those informal exchanges can save time, prevent avoidable setbacks, and lead to better decisions and more streamlined projects. They also reinforce a broader understanding of why this work matters.

In Wenatchee and across North Central Washington, the connection between infrastructure and opportunity is visible everywhere. Water has helped orchards and agriculture thrive. Hydropower along the Columbia supports homes, businesses, and communities throughout the area. Roads and bridges move workers and products, while broadband increasingly connects rural residents to jobs, education, and health care.

Here, infrastructure is not an abstract policy issue. It is part of the economic foundation that allows businesses to operate, workers to connect to opportunity, and communities to grow.

Much of this work is easy to overlook when it functions well. We expect clean water, reliable power, and seamless connectivity. But behind those expectations are complex projects that require coordination, expertise, and long-term commitment.

Every system depends on people who can plan, finance, design, build, and maintain it. When those efforts come together, infrastructure does more than meet basic needs. It expands what communities can achieve, supports local economies, and helps families remain rooted where they live.

Washington’s infrastructure needs will continue to evolve, as will the programs and resources available to communities. But the lesson that began taking shape four decades ago remains relevant: Good projects move forward when people share what they know.

That is why we return to Wenatchee each October. At the heart of Washington and at the meeting place of two rivers, this community gives people from across the state a place to exchange knowledge, strengthen relationships, and move important projects forward.

In Wenatchee, we do more than talk about infrastructure. We build the connections that help Washington communities build their future. When IACC returns October 20–22, we look forward to continuing that work alongside communities and partners from across the state.

Janea Stark is chair of the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) and executive director of the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB).