| |
House capital budget
includes funds for Ritzville wastewater project
Funding is Hailey, Schmick priority
The $287 million
supplemental construction budget unveiled in Olympia Wednesday includes
a $2.1 million appropriation for repairs on the failing Ritzville
Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to 9th District Reps. Steve Hailey
and Joe Schmick, who teamed up to help move the funding proposal toward
approval.
“There are further steps to be taken in the give-and-take between the
House and Senate, but we have every reason to be optimistic that the
money will still be there when the vote comes on a final budget,” said
Hailey, who sponsored the funding request and worked the issue from his
home in Eastern Washington. He received the good news by phone while
undergoing a chemotherapy session in the Tri-Cities.
The Ritzville Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed at a cost of
$3.2 million. Four lagoon-cells subsequently malfunctioned, including
one which has been off-line for two years.
The seriousness of the funding request became more apparent after the
state Department of Ecology’s water quality program re-evaluated the
condition of the plant and designated it as a hardship for the city of
Ritzville. The $2.1 million appropriation would pay about half the
projected cost of lagoon rehabilitation and upgrading.
“Throughout the process, we had encouragement from both the chairman and
the ranking Republican member of the committee that our proposal would
receive serious consideration,” said Hailey, R-Mesa. “It was a
bipartisan collaborative effort.”
“A lot of credit also goes to the city of Ritzville, Mayor Kadlec and
other local officials who came to Olympia and helped us make the case
for the allocation,” added Schmick, R-Colfax.
The capital budget, which is handled separately from the main operating
budget and the transportation budget, provides funds for remodeling and
construction of state office buildings, public schools, colleges and
universities, parks and green space, and the acquisition of threatened
lands.
“This is a lean spending plan, and the competition was pretty intense
for a small pot of state construction money,” said Schmick.
“Representative Hailey and I made Ritzville’s problem a top legislative
priority, and we’re very pleased that this important, hometown project
got the green light.”
The supplemental capital budget will now be considered by the full House
and Senate.
# # #
For more information, contact:
Bill Taylor, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7074
|
|