North Bend and Snoqualmie are vying for a cut of the federal economic stimulus package.
The two cities have applied for millions of dollars from the state and federal governments for projects which can begin quickly or are in progress.
Washington state has received more than 1,200 applications for projects worth more than $10.5 billion, according to the state’s Office of Financial Management. The stimulus package gave the state $6.7 billion to fund projects.
Snoqualmie has applied for road and water projects worth a total of $16 million, according to the OFM.
A city official said Tuesday that Snoqualmie is unlikely to receive money for any of its nine projects.
The road projects are the Tokul Road roundabout ($5.8 million), reconstruction of Meadowbrook Avenue ($4 million), replacing two bridges on Meadowbrook Ave. ($1.5 million) and railroad crossing improvements ($300,000).
The water projects are elevating sewer lift stations above flood level ($2 million), upgrades to the hospital booster station ($900,000), improvements to the winery booster station and water mains along Beta Street, Railroad Place and Newton Street ($600,000), upgrades to the Johnson Heights water system ($500,000) and modifications to a water reservoir ($400,000).
North Bend has asked money from the state’s capital budget to help the city pay for expanding its sewer system to land that it expects to annex, said Duncan Wilson, the city administrator. The project, called a utility limited improvement district, is expected to cost $23.5 million.
The city has also applied for just over $600,000 from the federal government to finish a park-and-ride Metro station, according to Wilson.
Washington received $500 million for road projects, far short of the $5.5 billion state leaders had hoped to get. However, cities can apply for $1.5 billion in national competitive grants for transportation projects. Projects will be approved through normal processes for distributing federal money, said Gene Kuper, spokesman for the OFM.
Both of Washington’s Democratic U.S. Senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, voted for the package.
U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, the Republican who represents the Valley in Congress, voted against the package.Reichert criticized the bill as not having enough oversight.
“It’s going to be very difficult for us to track and hold accountable people who’ve suddenly received a lot of money,” he told the Valley Record.
Learn more about Washington state’s Federal Recovery Package at www.recovery.wa.gov.
