State may get $10 billion in stimulus

By Brad Shannon | The Olympian • Published March 27, 2009

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Federal stimulus money is making its way to the state, and the windfall eventually could total nearly $10 billion, the governor's advisers on federal aid said Thursday.

About $5.4 million in federal money has been certified for Thurston County projects. The office of Gov. Chris Gregoire said this week the finalized amounts are as follows:

• $1 million for the Lacey Woodland regional trail project (it also gets a $475,000 earmark from Congress)

• $1.28 million for Olympia to repave a half-mile of Union Avenue between Capitol Way and Plum Street

• $1.05 million for Thurston County for some costs of replacing the Prairie Creek bridge

• $280,000 for Thurston County and the Chehalis tribe for some costs of a turn-lane project on Old Highway 99 at Grand Mound, just north of Great Wolf Lodge

• $110,244 for Thurston County for sidewalks, lighting and crossing improvements on Steilacoom Road between Duterrow Road and Stonewood Drive

• $360,000 for Tumwater for a bike-lane and sidewalk project along Capitol Boulevard and $234,000 more for minor road repair and paving with asphalt along Capitol Boulevard from Dennis Street to Israel Road

• $554,000 for Tenino for some costs of a $751,000 street light project on Sussex Avenue

• $798,000 for Rainier for sidewalks and paving along a quarter-mile stretch of Minnesota Street, near state Route 507

Energy grants

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray also announced additional energy efficiency grants Thursday that are worth $58 million statewide to local governments and tribes.

The funds can be spent for energy audits, planning for transportation projects such as bike lanes, installing energy technology such as solar panels or wind energy on government buildings, installing light-emitting diodes for municipal buildings, and energy conservation strategies.

In South Sound, the grants include:

• $164,900 for Lacey

• $220,600 for Olympia

• $31,200 for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation

• $50,500 for the Nisqually tribe

• $64,200 for the Skokomish tribe

• $72,300 for the Squaxin Island tribe

Murray also announced $150 million in funds for military projects around the state this week. Included: $14.5 million to repair what's called the DPT Facility at Fort Lewis and $16 million to replace half of the pilings supporting the Tacoma Pier Facility that supports the Army Reserve boat mission.

The Olympian

Some projects certified to receive federal money could start as soon as April or May, and the projects should create or preserve jobs, which the state intends to track.

"You should see actual construction starting within the next three to four weeks," said Jill Satran, newly named adviser on stimulus funding to Gov. Chris Gregoire.

"The White House has estimated 75,000 jobs in Washington state. Now that we're moving into implementation, we're getting the processes in place so we can count the actual jobs," Satran added.

Satran and Dick Thompson, who is handing off his role to her as the governor's "czar" on federal-stimulus funding, both spoke Thursday to The Olympian's editorial board.

Satran said there is an effort to "move as quickly as we can, making sure we are doing it the right way, … getting jobs created."

Spokesmen for the Department of Transportation say it might take a little longer than Satran hopes to get crews working on construction sites, but they do expect construction to begin in several parts of the state by late April or early May. DOT spokesman Lloyd Brown said in an interview that bids have been advertised for some projects, and contracts could be awarded in the next two weeks.

Among the first contracts to be executed are a repaving project near Long Beach on U.S. Highway 101 and state Route 103, and a concrete rehabilitation and paving project along Interstate 90 east of the Cascade range, Brown said.

Gregoire's office has created a Web site, www.recovery.wa.gov to share information about funds available to state and local governments, as well as to help taxpayers track the progress of spending.

Thompson said the federal stimulus package approved by Congress totaled $787 billion nationwide. That included about $300 billion in tax relief, $225 billion shipped to the states and $262 billion that will be distributed through competitive grants or spent by federal agencies in the states.

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