Senator Murray Highlights Federal Funding Secured for Local Projects in Southwest Washington

Senator Murray: “Families share with me what they want to see happen in their communities to make life better for them and their children. I take their stories back with me to the other Washington, and then I fight for what people in Vancouver or Klickitat need in their communities.”

***WATCH VIDEO OF THE ROUNDTABLE HERE***

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a virtual roundtable to highlight federal funding she secured for Southwest Washington state in the 2022 government funding package. During the event, Senator Murray highlighted her work to obtain over $10 million in Congressionally-Directed Spending for public institutions and non-governmental organizations in Southwest Washington during the event. These dollars will be used to help fund a rural health center, workforce development for young people, and critical infrastructure needs and safer roads.

“Families share with me what they want to see happen in their communities to make life better for them and their children. I take their stories back with me to the other Washington, and then I fight for what people in Vancouver or Klickitat need in their communities,” said Senator Murray. “This year, Congress passed a bipartisan spending package, where I was able to get a lot of important federal funding for local projects in the state. And I am really thrilled to announce that I was able to secure more the one-hundred-and-sixteen million dollars in congressionally-directed spending. These funds will make a big difference for community projects here in Southwest Washington.”

Senator Murray was joined by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle; Dan Stahl, CEO of the Port of Longview; Miriam Halliday, CEO of Workforce Southwest Washington; Jasmine Gruenstein, Cascade AIDS Project Director of Southwest Washington Services; and Jonathan Lewis, Klickitat Valley Health Director of Supportive Services.

“The $2.5 million in dedicated funding for Project FIRST will allow us to modernize this road connecting some of the fastest growing areas in Vancouver,” said Vancouver Mayor Anne McErerny-Ogle. “This investment will create a transportation facility that will help us to meet our carbon neutrality goals, respond to a major safety issue, and improve our connections between equity focus areas, our new Bus Rapid Transit line, and employment centers.”

“The Congressionally Directed Spending, along with the RAISE grant we received last year, brings the total amount of federal funds in this project to $18.5 million—a strong commitment from the federal government that I’m sure wouldn’t have been possible without your leadership.  The combination of the RAISE Grant and the Congressionally Directed Spending investment allowed the Port to accelerate our development schedule,” said Dan Stahl, CEO of the Port of Longview. “When the Port applied for Congressional funding and a RAISE grant last year, our estimates had the project cost at $53.5 million—today it’s nearly $70 million (a 32% increase) and we expect that figure to grow as we move forward. Securing Congressional funding helped to take the sting out of these cost increases and will help the Port continue to advance the IRCE and remain on schedule.”

“More than 10,140 young adults under the age of 24 in Southwest Washington are not in school and not working. Many are living in poverty and struggling to complete their education and join the workforce,” said Miriam Halliday, CEO of Workforce Southwest Washington. “For many a summer job can be a critical and positive turning point to help them gain confidence, skills and career direction. Research shows that summer employment for youth leads to higher graduation rates, better job placement and higher earnings later in life. We are grateful to Senator Murray for investing in the future of our youth and local economy by securing funds for our SummerWorks paid summer youth employment program.”

“As somebody who has worked for years with LGBTQ+ people in Southwest Washington, I know all too well how challenging it can be for members of this community to find affirming behavioral healthcare,” said Jasmine Gruenstein, Director of SW Washington Services for Cascade AIDS Project. “That’s why I’m so excited that this funding will allow our agency to establish a behavioral-healthcare program focused on providing safe, welcoming, and knowledgeable care for LGBTQ+ patients.”

“Klickitat Valley Health is the first Hill-Burton Hospital built in Washington in 1949. We have aging infrastructure and these upgrades are essential for the hospital to continue providing health care services to our community,” said Jonathan Lewis, Klickitat Valley Health Director of Supportive Services. “KVH employs 300 people and has a significant impact on the local economy.  The construction of the $9 million project will be a significant economic stimulus for Central Klickitat County.”

Projects highlighted during the roundtable include:

• Project FIRST: $2.5 million will go to Project FIRST to improve Vancouver, WA’s SE 1st Street corridor by providing travel and turn lanes for vehicles, separated sidewalks for pedestrians, and a dedicated cycle track for bicyclists and micro-mobility users.
• Industrial Rail Corridor Expansion (IRCE): $2.5 million will go toward completion of a feasibility study and to advance planning and preliminary engineering of the Port of Longview’s Industrial Rail Corridor Expansion.
• SummerWorks Youth Employment Program: $1.5 million will go toward the expansion of the regional SummerWorks which connects young people to work-readiness training, job exploration, and paid summer jobs, with the anticipated outcome of subsequent placement into full employment or postsecondary education.
• Cascade AIDS Project Expansion: $390,000 will go toward the expansion of services to unserved individuals with HIV in Southwest Washington.
• Klickitat Valley Health Central Utility Plant Modernization: $2.5 million will be used to make various energy efficiency upgrades to Klickitat Valley Health’s Central Utility Plant and Emergency Department air handling system.

As the second ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray has been instrumental in securing major federal investments for Washington state priorities. Overall, Senator Murray secured more than $116 million in direct funding for local community projects across Washington state. A full list of local projects in Washington state that Murray secured funding for can be found HERE.

###