(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that Washington state will receive nearly $150 million for military construction projects throughout the state as part of the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As a member of the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, Murray worked to ensure that job-creating investments in Washington’s vital military installations were a key component of the Recovery Act. Senator Murray voted to pass the Recovery Act on February 13th. The bill was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th.
“In many communities throughout our state, the local economy is only as strong as the local military installation,” said Senator Murray. “So when we invest in improving these installations, we are not only giving our service members the state-of-the-art facilities, we are also creating jobs and helping local businesses. This funding will go directly to help create jobs, get local economies moving, and ensure that Washington state remains home to some of our country’s very best military facilities and service members.”
The funding announced for Washington state is part of $7.4 billion included in the Recovery Act for Defense-related construction. The Department of Defense intends to spend the funding as quickly as possible.
Among the projects that will be funded in this bill are:
Water Distribution System, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island ($20.054 million) – This funding will be used to replace the installation’s water distribution system.
Fort Lewis DPT Training Facility ($14.5 million) – Among many other projects, Fort Lewis will receive an estimated $14.5 million to repair the DPT Training Facility at Fort Lewis. The funding will be used for facility repairs, internal renovations, health improvements and classroom additions. The project will address safety issues at the facility such as falling plaster, mold, asbestos and bat guano.
Tacoma Pier Facility Phase 2, Tacoma ($16 million) – The Tacoma Pier Facility, which is currently used to support the Army Reserve Boat Mission, will receive an estimated $16 million to replace half of the pier supporting piles and decking to restore the pier’s structural capacity. The fender system, mooring hardware and pier supports will be replaced as part of the project.
Washington State Navy Installations ($33.9 million) – Navy Region Northwest’s Washington state installations will receive an estimated $33.9 million for the installation of Advance Metering Infrastructure. The project will install electric meters, gas meters, water meters, steam meters, and shadow meters for all incoming utilities, as well as related equipment. Advance Metering Infrastructure provides detailed energy consumption information which allows for more informed management of energy use and costs.
Funding will go to installations at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Fort Lewis, Tacoma, Camp Murray, Ephrata, Longview, Montesano, Pasco, Redmond, Seattle, Sedro Woolley, Walla Walla, Yakima, Naval Base Kitsap, Naval Station Everett, Spokane, Fairchild Air Force Base, and McChord Air Force Base.
See more information on projects throughout Washington state.
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