Hopes sink for Snoqualmie stimulus funds

Snoqualmie Valley organizations may not see much impact from the new federal stimulus package.

Snoqualmie Valley organizations may not see much impact from the new federal stimulus package.

The city of Snoqualmie appears to be out of the running for stimulus money for local projects, and the Snoqualmie Valley School District expects to receive only limited funds, if any, despite applying for $25 million in stimulus money.

The district applied in early January for around $25 million covering more than 40 building projects. The request was submitted to the state superintendent’s office, which is distributing Washington state’s stimulus money for schools.

The superintendent’s office told the district earlier this week “that there may be little, if any, that will ultimately come” to the Valley, district spokeswoman Carolyn Malcolm wrote in an e-mail.

The bulk of the $1.2 billion in stimulus money Washington state received for education is intended for preventing job cuts and shoring up state money for operating costs, according to Nathan Olson, spokesman for Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“Clearly, this is not a funding source we can count on or factor into planning for Snoqualmie Valley schools,” Malcolm wrote.

The city of Snoqualmie appears to be out of the running for federal stimulus money for its projects.

Snoqualmie’s Tokul Road roundabout project did not receive needed federal environmental approval paperwork in time, said Alan Lobdell, Snoqualmie’s interim public works director.

Snoqualmie is at a disadvantage for getting federal dollars, because it is competing with regional projects in major cities, according to Lobdell.