The Port of Olympia Commission recently awarded Yelm, Bucoda, Rainier and Tenino $10,000 each to aid in community and economic development investments.
The move was made as part of the port’s Small Cities Program.
The Small Cities Program, launched in 2010, provides gap funding for community and economic development initiatives spearheaded by municipalities in Thurston County that have fewer than 15,000 residents, according to a news release.
The funding will help implement the following projects:
• Yelm will create a sidewalk connection between the community garden at Yelm City Park and the adjacent parking lot.
• Tenino will use the funding to offer storefront improvement grants to its business core.
• Bucoda will purchase event equipment to support and expand both its annual Boo-coda Haunted House and vendor fair.
• Rainier will develop a baseball field at Wilkowski Park for the local little league and the community at large.
Past port investments aided efforts such as the development of a community center and emergency notification message boards in Yelm; the installation of a shaded pavilion for bicyclists in Tenino; the enhancement of main street sidewalks and the preservation of a historic school and church in Rainier; and the renovation of the Oddfellows Building and support for the annual Boo-Coda event in Bucoda.
