Credit for bringing local public officials together goes to the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce, where leaders understand that one unified voice will have a greater impact with lawmakers and, therefore, a better chance for success.
This cooperation is a far cry from the days not so long ago when Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Thurston County elected officials were at each other’s throats over how to spend a limited number of Public Facilities District dollars. Lacey and the county lined up behind the proposal to build a regional athletic complex off Marvin Road. Olympia initially pushed a conference/convention center and Tumwater had a plan for a city facility.
The impasse resulted in public and private disagreements and the split threatened to spoil intergovernmental cooperation at meetings of officials dealing with regional issues. In the end, councilwoman Nancy Peterson from Lacey and Olympia Mayor Doug Mah brokered a deal that divided the PFD funds between the regional sports park and the Hands On Children’s Museum in downtown Olympia.
David Schaffert, president and chief executive officer of the chamber, said from that unfortunate public spat was born the notion of bringing the three cities, county, the chamber, the Thurston Economic Development Council and Thurston Regional Planning Council into a public/private partnership to push a joint legislative agenda.
It’s an excellent strategy.
Previously, the City of Lacey would go to state lawmakers and federal legislators pushing Lacey’s pet projects. Officials from Olympia, Tumwater and the county would do the same.
That put lawmakers in an awkward position. Because the wish list of projects always exceeds the amount of money, legislators had to pick and choose among local projects.
Having the local jurisdictions work together on a list of projects that benefit the entire region is a benefit for lawmakers, local jurisdictions and the public.
It also increases the chances of success because state and federal lawmakers can present the package as a shared agenda.
This year’s priorities of the Thurston County Shared Legislative Partnership focuses on two issues: a request for $2.5 million to do a broad transportation study on the long-term functionality of Interstate 5 and its links and a series of projects to improve water quality in southern Puget Sound.
The transportation study will look at the Nisqually bridges, overall capacity from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Maytown, the I-5/U.S. Highway 101 interchange, commute trip reduction and other transportation issues such as park-and-ride lots, high-capacity bus, commuter and light rail and metered on-ramps.
Basically, this study could be the foundation for another mega Interstate 5 project akin to the decade-long, $139 million widening project through Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater that was completed in June 1992.
Mah is right when he says local jurisdictions can’t address local intersections and east/west, north/south arterial improvements without addressing Interstate 5 and its capacity issues.
The second shared agenda being pitched to state and federal lawmakers centers on environmental improvements. The local partners, joined by the Port of Olympia and LOTT Wastewater Alliance, have highlighted 10 “shovel ready” projects totaling about $30 million that would benefit the entire region if accomplished. The projects range from the removal of creosote-coated logs along the Olympia waterfront to dredging West Bay to converting homes from septic to sewer systems to improve water quality in the Henderson and Deschutes watersheds.
We all know that dollars are going to be scarce in the federal and state budgets in 2011. The local jurisdictions might not score a lot of dollars.
But through their cooperation and shared agenda, they have sent a clear signal that the transportation study and environmental improvements are priorities.
Let’s hope that the unified voice of the entire region will lead to legislative success at both the federal and state level.
