The state Senate unanimously approved the proposed capital budget on Saturday after the proposal was passed unanimously out of the state House a day earlier. The capital budget bill includes $183 million for the 19th Legislative District and over $133 million for the 20th Legislative District.
The state capital budget, also known as the construction budget, appropriates money for statewide construction and repair of public buildings, and for other investments, such as land acquisitions and transfers, infrastructure, broadband, parks, and cultural and heritage facilities.
Unlike many other bills that come before the Legislature, the capital budget often receives broad bipartisan support.
"The best thing about the capital budget is that it's a grassroots community budget based on the priorities of our communities," said state Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, who serves as assistant ranking member on the House Capital Budget Committee. "Many of the projects begin with individuals and organizations in the district identifying needs and solutions, and then partnering with our office and the state to assist. I am very proud of our local and state investments."
"While this session included some unfortunate policy proposals out of Olympia, the news is much better for people of the 19th District when it comes to state-funded projects. These budget items were done the right way. Negotiated and structured in productive, bipartisan processes. Our focus in these efforts is what's best for the district, the region, and the people,” said state Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen.
Shared by both the 19th and 20th legislative districts is $70 million for property- and habitat-protection efforts in the Chehalis River Basin through the Chehalis Basin Strategy. Other legislative districts in the Chehalis Basin Strategy’s area include the 22 and 24 districts.
“The success of the Chehalis Basin Strategy depends on a major, long-term commitment of funding from Olympia. This new capital budget represents another big step forward,” said John Braun, the state Senate Republican Leader from Centralia.
20th District
In the 20th Legislative District, the capital budget will fund a broad set of projects, including $3.345 million for critical habitat in the South Sound, $3.05 million for a new emergency medical services and fire station in South Thurston County, $2.48 million for the Centralia Quad Infield Turf Project, $2 million for double culvert replacement in Castle Rock, $1.25 million for the Southwest Washington Agriculture Business Center in Tenino, $450,000 for the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreational Complex, $500,000 for dig-once coordinated projects on Reynolds Road and Harrison Avenue in Centralia, $500,000 for the Lewis County Senior Center in Chehalis, $482,000 for the restoration of the Centralia Historic Fox Theater, $350,000 for the Scott Hill Park and Sports Complex of Woodland, $250,000 for the athletic field lights at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex, $217,000 for the Fire Mountain Arts Council in Morton, $160,000 for the Tenino Stone Carvers Guild workshop and classroom, $100,000 for the United Learning Center in Centralia, and $53,000 for a structural assessment at the Toledo City Hall.
"I am pleased we were able to get funding for many important projects throughout the district and region," said state Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama. "They help our schools, cities, counties, and youth athletics to provide critical services without raising taxes to provide these facilities or projects."
"I appreciate all the hard work that my colleagues, staff, and members of our community put into this bipartisan budget," Abbarno said. "These investments will pay dividends for years to come by helping improve our economic opportunities and quality of life in Southwest Washington.”
Also included in the capital budget is $21 million for new behavioral health slots at Maple Lane in Rochester. According to Braun, the new spaces at Maple Lane are critical to expanding access to behavioral health services in Washington.
“Mental health services and substance-use treatment are a part of the answer to the epidemics of violence and drug overdoses, and the rise in homelessness. Those all fall within the Senate Republican priority on public safety. Maple Lane has been part of the social and health services infrastructure in our state for a very long time, and this funding supports the beginning of a new chapter for that facility,” Braun said.
In addition to projects in the 19th and 20th legislative districts, the capital budget appropriates $9 in spending statewide, including almost $694 million for affordable housing projects, $872 million for K-12 education projects, $1.5 billion in funding for higher education, $884 million to address behavioral health needs, and $2.4 billion for natural resource projects addressing water quality and supply, salmon recovery, outdoor recreation and conservation, state parks state trust lands and more.
Braun also argued the support for housing projects is a better approach than the $4 billion housing proposal from Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this year. Included in the funding for housing in the capital budget is $2.5 million for the Lewis County Homeless Shelter in Chehalis.
“Affordability is another Republican priority for this session, and housing figures very prominently in that. The governor equates billions more for housing as being the solution to homelessness. Clearly there is a need for more housing, as well as more shelter for people who are living on the streets, but that needs to be coupled with policies that lower the cost of constructing homes and get at the root causes of homelessness, like drug use,” Braun said. “How this new capital budget approaches housing makes far more sense. It’s not just about housing that low-income people can afford, but about adding to the housing supply. That’s crucial to affordability.”
19th District
In the 19th District, the largest appropriation from the capital budget is a $72 million allocation for a railway-grade separation project in Aberdeen. The project will reduce congestion near the Olympic Gateway Plaza in Aberdeen, where the busy Wishkah Street is separated from the shopping center parking lot by an active rail line. Overpasses will improve traffic flow and emergency response times. Funding for the project was reprogrammed in the transportation budget from the stalled Industrial Way and Oregon Way project in Longview, keeping the funding within the 19th district and avoiding reversion to the state.
Other 19th District projects receiving funding under the proposed capital budget include $11.5 million for the Naselle Hatchery Renovation, $2.6 million for the Beaver Creek Hatchery, $3.5 million for Terminal 4 expansion and redevelopment in Aberdeen, $800,000 for the Port of Willapa Harbor in South Bend, $384,000 for the Dylan Jude Harrell Community Center Gymnasium, $225,000 for the Grays Harbor County Courthouse, $493,000 for the American Legion Veteran Housing and Resource Center, $300,000 for the South Bend School District, $165,000 for construction and renovation in the Kelso School District, $750,000 for the Library Capital Improvement Program in Longview and $249,000 for the program in South Bend, $2 million for the City of Longview Mint Valley Golf Course Irrigation Replacement, $1 million for the Cloney Inclusive Playground in Longview, and $1.3 million for the David Story Field at Lower Columbia College.
"The capital budget did a terrific job of funding projects across Southwest Washington. From libraries to playgrounds, leaking roofs to senior centers, this budget will make a positive impact across our region,” said state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. "I am especially proud we found a way to fund roof repairs at the Kelso train depot project that was about to slip through the cracks, by reprogramming unspent capital budget money allocated to the 19th District that was going to revert to the state. How we accomplished this last-minute save, people may not care. But I think they're going to love the fact that we are finally fixing the leaks. This $575,000 roof repair will preserve this landmark transportation hub for years to come."
"In the capital and transportation budgets, we are funding infrastructure development all around the district. From much-needed housing units in Pacific County to better-lighted streets in Longview, to needed traffic improvements in Kelso to major — really major — infrastructure development in and around the Port of Grays Harbor, we're positioning the district for real improvements to local economies and quality of life. These are practical, 'shovel-ready' projects that will start right away,” Walsh said.
Wilson said he was disappointed a $40 million vocational building for Lower Columbia College did not make it into the final bill but said he would continue to seek funding in future budgets.
"I am excited my small school funding legislation is part of this capital spending plan. It is long overdue for the state to provide our students a quality place to learn instead of rundown or dilapidated schools. I am hopeful this is a big first step," said state Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet. "I'm also pleased with the rest of the budget. We worked hard to see that taxpayer revenues were coming back to the 19th District. Investing in our communities and local economies is very important right now. I would add the transportation budget allows us to move forward in a timely manner with some projects critical to our region."
