Thurston County Commissioner eyes big developments for Grand Mound in preparation for re-election

By Mitchell Roland / [email protected]

Residents of Southwest Washington may soon be able to take a few swings at Topgolf before ending their evening with a Double Double and Animal Style fries, if a county commissioner has his way.

At a campaign kickoff event Friday evening in Tenino, Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier said he has directed staff to begin preliminary work that could bring Topgolf, a center-style driving range popular entertainment, and In-N-Out, a California-based hamburger restaurant. , in Grand Mound.

“With the improvements the county has made in this area, I believe we can make a strong case for these two companies to locate here,” Fournier said.

Fournier, a Democrat, made the announcement as he officially launched a re-election campaign for Thurston County commissioner, a year after winning a seat on the board. Fournier will face competition from Rob Laymon, who has not indicated a party preference with the Washington secretary of state’s office.

Fournier narrowly won her 2023 campaign, edging out independent candidate Vivian Eason by about 500 votes out of more than 74,000 ballots cast.

As In-N-Out begins developing its first two locations in Washington, Fournier said he sees an opportunity to

capitalize on, especially after plans for a new location in northern Oregon failed. According to Fournier, he asked staff to conduct a site analysis in the Grand Mound urban growth area “so we can find them a home here.”

According to Fournier, fellow commissioner Carolina Mejia, who is also up for re-election this year, has been in contact with real estate company In-N-Out, and traffic from the nearby Great Wolf Lodge makes a “strong” argument for the fast service hamburger. chain. Mejia does not have a registered opponent for his seat.

In February, In-N-Out announced the opening of its first Washington location in Ridgefield. According to The Reflector, the restaurant will be 4,354 square feet with 76 parking spaces on its property and a drive-thru with a proposed capacity of more than 46 cars.

In addition to In-N-Out, Fournier said he is optimistic the county will be able to attract Topgolf to Grand Mound. The company has four locations in Washington, but the closest is in Renton.

Leonard Hernandez, who was hired as Thurston County manager in March, successfully lobbied the company to open a location in Ontario, California, while serving as CEO. The venue, which was the first to open in Southern California, opened in March 2022. Topgolf has 80 locations in eight countries.

At a groundbreaking ceremony, officials estimated the location would create about 400 private-sector jobs and $625,000 in annual revenue for the county’s regional parks over the course of the initial 20-year land lease agreement.

The three-level, open-air facility was built on 13.7 acres of county-owned land and features 102 climate-controlled outdoor hitting bays, a restaurant and bar, an outdoor patio, a rooftop terrace and a private event space .

Fournier has made economic growth and job creation a central tenet of his re-election campaign, which also includes education and youth development, health and safety, and sustainable development.

As a commissioner, Fournier serves on the Chehalis Basin Flood Authority, the Chehalis Basin Partnership, the Economic Development Council, the Lucky Eagle 2% Committee, the North Lewis Industrial Access Committee, the Transportation Policy Committee and the Accommodation tax advisory committee.