From left: Chehalis Mayor Pro-Tem Terry Harris, Centralia Mayor Lee Coumbs, Washington State Rep. Richard DeBolt (R-Chehalis) and Doug Levy of the Washington Recreation and Parks Association pose at Tuesday's Centralia City Council meeting after DeBolt received an award from the WRPA for his work to fund the state's Aquatic Lands Enhancement account.
Washington state Rep. Richard DeBolt (R-Chehalis) received an award from the Washington Recreation and Parks Association at Tuesday’s Centralia City Council meeting for his efforts to fund the state’s Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account.
DeBolt represents Washington’s 20th District, which includes Centralia and Chehalis. He is the ranking Republican on the Capital Budget Committee, which considers funding for the ALEA as part of its biennial budgeting process.
The account funds state work such as waterfront access projects. It can also be used to pay for the improvement or protection of public aquatic lands. It recently agreed to grant $227,000 to Lewis County for work on a public access point to the Cowlitz River near Packwood.
DeBolt and another legislator felt the ALEA, which was allotted $1 million for the 2017-19 biennium, was unfairly underfunded. They managed to add $11.3 million more to the fund, which usually gets about $5 million per biennium.
“We found out that a delay in funding would lead to people losing matching dollars they’d received through grants and other programs,” DeBolt said. “Communities need opportunities to invest in themselves. This gives us an opportunity to help them get things done.”
Doug Levy of the WRPA informed the city council of DeBolt’s efforts and presented him with a plaque.
Editor’s Note: Richard DeBolt is a part-time marketing consultant at Lafromboise Communications, Inc., the parent company of The Chronicle
