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The Washington state supplemental capital budget proposed by the House earlier this week includes $1.945 million in funding for projects in Lewis County and much more for statewide programs that benefit the county.
State Reps. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, and Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, announced a list of funded projects in the proposed supplemental capital budget released by the state House of Representatives on Monday. The proposal is detailed under House Bill 2295, which will now begin its journey through the Legislature as the House and Senate work to reconcile their respective budget bills.
The state’s capital budget pays for large one-time expenses, often for construction of infrastructure or buildings, including repairs to schools or other facilities. For example, the House’s proposed budget includes money to help fund a new roof for the 4-H barn at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds.
The capital budget is generally the smallest of the three budgets built by Washington state lawmakers. This year, the House proposal includes approximately $910 million in spending. Roughly half of that spending, just under $400 million, comes from previously approved bonds. According to Abbarno, the supplemental budget is useful in adjusting the state’s spending to address emergencies and pressing issues that come up.
“While this proposal touches on important statewide buckets like K-12 school construction, housing, energy and natural resources, I am most proud of the significant funding we secured for critical local projects,” Abbarno said. “We are continuing to work closely with the Senate to ensure these community priorities from both chambers make it across the finish line.”
The proposal includes funding for nine specific projects in the 20th Legislative District, six of them in Lewis County.
“With so many requests for funding from our capital budget, we are quite pleased to be able to secure this proposed funding for so many projects throughout our district,” Orcutt said. “This would help fund projects and protect critical infrastructure for numerous entities in our community.”
The $1.945 million in funding for Lewis County includes $1.552 million for upgrades to the Lewis County Health Building, $150,000 for a new Chehalis-based detox facility operated by Cascade Community Healthcare and $100,000 for the 4-H barn at the fairgrounds, among other smaller sums.
Here’s the full list of 20th District projects included in the House budget proposal:
• $6 million for Green Mountain School District construction
• $1.552 million for the Lewis County Public Health Building upgrades
• $772,000 for the Yacolt Community Center
• $150,000 for a detox and inpatient substance use disorder building in Chehalis operated by Cascade Community Healthcare
• $100,000 for the Port of Ridgefield waterfront park
• $100,000 for the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds 4-H barn roof replacement
• $50,000 for Bob Oke Game Farm relocation and remediation efforts
• $48,000 for Napavine School District construction planning grant
• $45,000 for the Forest Grange renovations and revitalization project
The representatives also highlight funding for a range of statewide programs that will benefit the state’s 20th Legislative District and Lewis County. The supplemental budget proposal includes millions of dollars for affordable housing, floodplain projects, modernizing schools and helping fund school construction projects, among many others.
House Bill 2295 received a public hearing on Tuesday morning and was scheduled for a vote by the House Capital Budget Committee on Thursday.
