(The Center Square) – The Washington State Public Works Board has approved nearly $4.4 million in funding for eight critical local infrastructure projects.
Funds will go to the cities of College Place, East Wenatchee, Pateros, Port Orchard, Richland and Ridgefield, along with King County’s Southwest Suburban Sewer District and the town of Twisp, according to a Monday news release from the state Department of Commerce.
“It [the funding] covers permitting, engineering design, even site acquisition,” Washington Public Works Board Executive Director Karin Berkholtz told The Center Square. “Those activities that once you’re ready for construction, you’re actually ready to go.”
The Public Works Board’s mission is to fund projects that “promote public health and safety, protect the environment, promote community and economic development, and broadband connectivity.” It has funded more than 2,000 projects to the tune of $3.1 billion in grants and loans since its inception in the mid-1980s.
“The board was created in 1985 for the purposes of supporting infrastructure investment by local governments and special purpose districts,” Berkholtz explained. “That’s our job.”
This round of funding comes from a pool of eight pre-construction project applicants, all of which met the minimum requirements for funding eligibility. In total, the projects sought and received $4,368,630 in conditional funding in the form of grants and loans.
The eight projects break down as follows:
$500,000 to the City of Richland in Benton County: a loan for the Horn Rapids Landfill Expansion and Organics Processing Project$625,000 to the City of Ridgefield in Clark County: a loan for the South Royle Road Improvements Project$1 million to the City of East Wenatchee in Douglas County: a loan/grant for the North Kentucky Avenue Corridor Improvements Project$1 million to the City of Porth Orchard in Kitsap County: a loan/grant for the Bay Street Lift Station Replacement Project$100,000 to the City of Pateros in Okanogan County: a loan/grant for the Pateros Water System Plan$427,130 for the City of College Place in Walla Walla County: a loan for the Reservoir #4 Design Project$566,500 for the Southwest Suburban Sewer District in King County: a loan for the Salmon Creek Sewer Basin Rehabilitation and Repair project$150,000 to the Town of Twisp in Okanogan County: a loan/grant for the Twisp Water System Plan
The board plans to release three more rounds of funding this fiscal year, which runs from July through June 2024. The next round of pre-construction awards is expected in October.
More than $2.9 million in program funds remain after these awards. According to Berkholtz, the board appropriated more than $7.2 million total for the program this fiscal year.
Timothy Schumann contributed to this story.
