Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, is applauding the new two-year state capital budget approved by the Legislature over the weekend, for including many projects in the 14th Legislative District.
“We are very pleased with the appropriations that have been given to our district in the capital budget,” said King. “These projects will help our district for years to come.”
The $4.9 billion capital budget funds the construction and maintenance of state buildings, public schools, higher education facilities, public lands, parks and other assets throughout Washington.
The Senate voted 48-0 to pass the final version of the capital budget (Substitute House Bill 1102) Saturday night. The House approved it 97-1 on Sunday.
King said he and his district seatmates, Reps. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale, and Chris Corry, R-Yakima, sat down at the start of the legislative session to discuss the district’s needs.
“We took the capital-budget requests that we received from groups or individuals in our district and then divided them up so we didn’t ask for the same projects,” explained King. “We tried to maximize our leverage in getting the projects we wanted in the final version of this budget, and this approach worked well.”
King praised 15th District Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, for his work as the lead Senate Republican in the crafting of the new two-year capital budget.
Here are the 14th District local and community projects funded in the new capital budget:
- Centerville Fire Department – $216,000
- Centerville Grange – $90,000
- Skyline Hospital in White Salmon (funded under Expanding on Excellence Capital Campaign) – $500,000
- Goldendale Airport – $550,000
- Innovative Health Care Learning Center Phase 1 at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima – $500,000
- Klickitat County Sheriff Office Training Building in Goldendale – $335,000
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Memorial in Toppenish – $49,000
- Mount Adams Community Forest, Klickitat Canyon Rim Purchase in Glenwood – $400,000
- Naches Fire and Rescue, Yakima County No. 3 – $200,000
- Skamania County Courthouse Plaza in Stevenson – $150,000
- SOZO Sports Indoor Arena in Yakima – $600,000
The capital budget also funds several district projects through Washington Wildlife Recreation Grants, including:
- Cowiche Watershed – $4 million
- Mount Adams Klickitat Canyon Phase 3 – $3 million
- Columbia Hills grassland restoration – $91,000
- Rock Creek Cleman Ridge forest restoration – $296,000
- Trout Lake Natural Area Preserve Forest and Meadow restoration – $106,000
- Wenas watershed enhancements – $231,000
- Inholdings and adjacent properties – $1 million
Four district projects are funded in the capital budget through the Behavioral Health Capacity Grant program:
- Virginia Mason Acute Stabilization ($2.2 million)
- Yakima Neighborhood Health Services ($488,000)
- Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic ($309,000)
- YVFWC Children’s Village ($1 million)
The capital budget funds two projects under the state Department of Ecology that will enable a company called Floodplains by Design to remove dams and divert water elsewhere:
- Cowiche/Naches – $531,000
- Yakima Gap to Gap – $8.072 million
The capital budget also funds two 15th District projects that are located very close to the 14th District and are beneficial to people in the Yakima area:
- Larson Gallery renovation in Yakima – $875,000
- Mount Adams School District athletic fields in Harrah – $242,000
The 105-day legislative session ended Sunday night.