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State capital
budget includes funds for Bullerville PUD upgrades
$350k will
help pay for much-needed water system rebuilds
The supplemental
capital budget passed today includes $350,000 to partially pay for
necessary improvements to the Bullerville water system.
Reps.
Kirk Pearson,
R-Monroe, and
Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, voted in support of the budget measure,
House Bill 2765.
"This community
worked very hard to raise money to pay for the entire Bullerville project, but just
fell short. Leaders from the community worked hard to ensure they could
get the last bit of funding to complete this critical project. We worked
hard to make sure this money is included in the capital budget," said Pearson,
member of the House Capital Budget Committee.
"Now they can start
rebuilding the system up to code and begin the economic turn-around the
community needs. This is a big victory for our constituents in the North
Cascades."
"The Bullerville
water system is a great example of a lot of people pulling together as a
community to get results. I'm glad we could assist to ensure this
important project gets under way," added Kristiansen.
Bullerville Utility
District Commissioner Don Clark said the district has been working for
several years to raise money to rebuild the Class A systems up to code.
After the State Department of Health red-flagged water systems in the
'90s, the community, he said, has struggled to keep businesses and
property values from plummeting due to the failing water systems.
The district has raised
more than half of what the upgraded system will cost. The $400,000
raised by Bullerville officials, along with the 2008 House capital
budget allocation of $350,000, will almost complete the rebuild, said
Clark.
The capital budget
allocates funds to pay for construction and repair of public buildings
and other long-term investments, such as land acquisitions and community
infrastructure projects.
The measure, which passed
the House, has been sent to the governor for her signature.
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer:
(360) 786-7252
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