Schrier secures funding for North Central Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-08) announced that 14 of her Community Project Funding (CPF) requests were included in a funding bill passed by the United States House of Representatives. These projects will help fund local infrastructure, law enforcement, and community priorities.

Three projects from North Central Washington are included in the list:

• Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Body Worn Camera Program, Wenatchee: Body worn cameras are a tool for promoting transparency, enhancing officer safety, and promoting police accountability. Chelan County Sheriff’s Office is the only law enforcement agency in the region without body worn cameras. This funding would make it possible for the Sheriff’s Office to purchase equipment, accessories, data management, and implement the initial program with training, outreach, and community engagement and evaluation. Amount received: $660,000.
• Chelan County Firefighting Water Tanks, Wenatchee: The Chelan County Water Tank Community Project would repurpose mobile cargo containers designed for use as water storage tanks into stationary water tanks. The tanks have a 21,000 gallons capacity and are insulated on the exterior for a rating to -10 degrees. There are adaptable plumbing fixtures installed and the tanks are fitted with an axle and wheels making them easily transportable, allowing them to be relocated to areas experiencing a major fire incident within the county if needed. Amount received: $893,250.
• Terminal Modernization at Pangborn Memorial Airport, East Wenatchee: This project will provide sufficient apron space for GA aircraft, ensuring aircraft are able to safely navigate the apron and taxiways upon arrival and departure. This will allow Pangborn Wenatchee Regional Airport to continue to serve the over 100,000 residents of Wenatchee Valley, businesses in Chelan and Douglas counties, and general aviation users of the airport. Amount received: $3,096,000.

Community Project Funding allows members of Congress to advocate on behalf of their constituents by identifying local projects in need of federal funding. In past years, Representative Schrier has secured millions of dollars in funding for projects like body cameras for the King County Sheriff’s Office, a school-based health clinic at Graham-Kapowsin High School, and smart lockers for GoodRoots Northwest food bank in Bonney Lake.

“I’m delighted to see these 14 projects included in the House government funding bill. Through Community Project Funding, I’m able to go to bat for my constituents and bring federal dollars back home to the 8^th District,” said Rep. Schrier. “I would like to thank my Advisory Board for their dedication and hard work in engaging with the community to find local projects that make a big difference in their communities. I will continue to champion these projects and push for their inclusion in the final funding package.”

The other projects included in the funding package include:

• King County Sheriff’s Office Rapid DNA System, King County, WA: This project will allow better access to process DNA for agencies in our region as opposed to using the crime lab, which has a lengthy backlog for most cases and, at times, will not accept a property crime case for processing. This technology has been developed and approved under FBI guidance to process DNA within 90 minutes. Law enforcement agencies across the country have started using Rapid DNA to make quick and accurate identifications that will drastically improve public safety and save time and resources, catch more criminals, and exonerate those wrongly accused. Amount received: $811,000.
• King County Sherrif Co-Response Team, King County, WA: The funding for this project will be used by the King County Sheriff’s Office to support a co-response team (CRT) to East King County communities, including Maple Valley, Covington, and Sammamish. This includes the cost for a dedicated mental health professional, a dedicated law enforcement officer and vehicle expenses, as well as ancillary expenses (training, uniforms, cell phone, etc.). Amount received: $963,000.
• Barring Emergency Generator Community Project, Skykomish: This project will support the needs of the fire district and community by enabling the facility to have full emergency power when electric lines go down. In the past, Baring has been cut off from both the east and west due to flooding, winter storms, wildfires, and highway closures. Amount received: $20,000.
• Darrington Food Bank Expansion, Darrington: This project will install a 30x50x16 single-level building with a roll-up garage door, bathroom for volunteers, and multiple sinks to wash produce. Darrington is the third smallest incorporated town in Snohomish County and is designated a rural opportunity zone—a status recognizing the need for economic investment. The Darrington Food Bank has seen a significant increase in community need over the past four years and is serving almost three times as many individuals now as in 2019. The current facility is no longer adequate to meet the need and there is a need for emergency food storage due to landslides and other disasters in the area. The next closest food bank is a 60-mile round trip. Expanded and improved food bank facilities will enhance the ability to provide free, nutritious food by increasing space to store and safely assemble food for distribution and provide a location to store and distribute food during emergencies like slides, earthquakes, etc. Expanded facilities would also allow increased focus for underserved community members, like households with diabetes. Amount received: $425,100.
• Granite Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade, Granite Falls: This project will improve water quality in the Pilchuck River. The proposed project will construct the recommended WWTP improvements to provide wastewater treatment and disposal for the service area. This wastewater project is essential to improving and protecting the future health of the river and the Snohomish Watershed. It is imperative to support the recovery of threatened cold-water fish species that spawn, rear, or live there. Chinook, coho, sockeye, chum, pink salmon, bull trout, and steelhead trout call the Pilchuck River home. Many of our State’s residents greatly value these fish species and depend on them for cultural, recreational, or economic reasons. Due to a recent uptick in population, the city has a sewer moratorium in place, preventing further new housing construction. This project would allow for new housing. Amount received: $959,752.
• Orting Bridge for Kids, Orting: This project is a shared-use, non-motorized pedestrian bridge across State Route 162. The bridge will help kids travel to and from school, help members of this rural community walk across town, and it is an important evacuation route in the event of a lahar. A lahar is a mixture of mudflow, volcanic material, and debris that may happen after an eruption. The City of Orting is in the possible lahar pathway in the event of a volcanic eruption from Mt. Rainier. Amount received: $1,000,000.
• Muckleshoot Tribe Upper White River Bridge Replacement, Pierce County, WA: The funding for this project will assist the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to replace a bridge located on the White River, upstream from the Town of Greenwater. There is concern that current or future side channel flows may erode threatening access to permitted hunting grounds, usual and accustomed harvesting grounds, and road access for wildfire response. Further, salmon habitat areas are threatened by the potential of non-riverbed sediment flowing downriver.  Amount received: $850,000.
• Sultan Highway 2 Congestion Reduction, Sultan: This project includes replacing a two-lane bridge that currently clogs traffic and results in a miles-long backlog on US Highway 2. Amount received: $500,000.
• Pearl Street Housing for Veterans, Ellensburg: This project is a development of a 12-unit residential building dedicated to low-income senior Veterans in Kittitas County. The three-story building will include affordable, ADA-accessible apartments with dedicated parking. Eligible residents will be veterans who are 60 years old or older and whose income is at or below 60% Area Median Income. Amount received: $1,646,279.
• Enumclaw Apartment Renovation, Enumclaw: Funding for this project will be used to replace and update the siding, the roofing, and windows of four apartment buildings containing sixteen units of affordable housing in rural and underserved Enumclaw. Updating these buildings will improve energy efficiency and extend their functionality while reducing the costs of patchwork maintenance that would otherwise be required. Amount received: $490,000.
• Ellensburg Community Center Fieldhouse: The funding will be used to assist in the construction of a community facility to replace the only community center in this rural community that was destroyed by suspected arson last December. Amount received: $500,000.