WASHINGTON, D.C. — The $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden before Friday includes millions for projects specifically in Jefferson County.
Some $3 million is allocated for the Port Hadlock Sewer Project; $2.5 million each for the City of Port Townsend’s Sewer Pump Station Project and Jefferson Healthcare’s Cancer Treatment Project; and nearly $1.9 million for a tsunami evacuation center for the Hoh Tribe.
The bill passed Congress on Friday. Biden is expected to sign it before government funding runs out this coming Friday. The spending bill would fund the government through next fall and deliver an additional $45 billion to the war effort in Ukraine.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped author and negotiate the bill.
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, requested funding for several projects through the House Appropriations Committee’s Community Project Funding process, or earmarks.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Mountlake Terrace, also reported victories for projects in the bill, detailing grassroots efforts in counties that include Jefferson and Clallam.
Two of the projects, which were requested specifically by Kilmer, are aimed at expanding both business opportunities and housing.
• Port Hadlock Sewer Project — $3 million.
The $6.1 million project is intended to bring sewer service to Port Hadlock, the county’s only unincorporated Urban Growth Area (UGA).
It is expected to unlock commercial growth, leading to job opportunities and enable the development of affordable housing for working families and seniors in unincorporated Jefferson County, according to Kilmer’s office.
The City of Port Townsend already has secured $3.6 million, according to Steve King, Port Townsend Public Works director. He said when Kilmer toured the site in August that if the federal funding came through, construction on the first units could begin within two or three years.
Port Hadlock is currently served by individual septic systems and lacks a municipal sewer, which is required under Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA) to “turn on” the urban zoning created in the plan and allow investments in housing and business development to occur.
“Jefferson County is extremely grateful that Congressman Kilmer understands the importance of rural infrastructure, said County Commissioner Kate Dean.
“The Port Hadlock sewer is critical for putting growth where it belongs — in urban growth areas.”
Dean said the sewer would permit business expansion and housing developments such as a 160-unit Habitat for Humanity project in planning.
“It also replaces aging septic systems near sensitive marine shorelines and tidelands with state-of-the-art treatment, recharging clean water back into the Chimacum aquifer,” Dean said.
Said Monte Reinders, county Public Works director: “The Port Hadlock Sewer project, scheduled to break ground in 2023, will use state-of-the-art membrane bioreactor technology to treat wastewater to Class A reclaimed water standards to protect our surrounding streams, shorelines, and environment and replace the many aging and in some cases failing septic systems that currently exist.”
• Sewer Pump Station Project — $2.5 million.
The funds for the City of Port Townsend will assist with installing a new sewer pump station to service the Evans Vista neighborhood, which will support the community-based development of 100 to 150 mixed-income affordable and workforce housing units.
The Port Hadlock funding will help construct pressure sewer collection lines and publicly owned grinder pump connections on several key streets, enabling connections to the Chimacum Primary School, the Public Library, affordable, multi-family housing, senior housing, small businesses and a supermarket.
Housing
“Across our region, we need more affordable housing. But that’s only going to get built if we have the infrastructure needed to support it,” Kilmer said.
“That’s why I’m proud to secure a combined $5.5 million for two important infrastructure projects in Jefferson County that can help us provide the services needed to build new housing and service residents at essential community locations.”
The shortage of affordable housing “plays a significant role in the ability of businesses to hire and retain employees,” said Cindy Brooks, executive director of EDC Team Jefferson.
“Another common business constraint is the limited ability to expanding operations locally — in particular, limits imposed by inadequate sewer infrastructure.
“Funding sewer infrastructure to allow for increasing affordable housing capacity and local business expansion will help ease pressure on the people who live here, who are contributing to our community and doing their best to build sustainable livelihoods.”
In recent years, Port Townsend has faced significant challenges when it comes to housing. Housing prices have been rising at or faster than national trends, with extremely low availability of houses for purchase and rent at nearly all levels of affordability.
In 2017, a housing emergency was declared. In response, the City of Port Townsend acted to acquire a 14-acre parcel within a “live/work” district designated in the 2018 Rainier Subarea Plan. Thus far, public sanitary sewer capacity is the primary constraint for this property, now known as Evans Vista.
The project, which seeks to unlock quality, affordable, accessible and sustainable housing of 100 to 150 units, is also expected to enable at least 125 long-term jobs, Kilmer’s office said.
“The City of Port Townsend is committed to playing a lead role in addressing a devastating shortage of affordable and workforce housing,” said John Mauro, Port Townsend city manager.
“By taking on infrastructure needs at Evans Vista and by working in close partnership with our residents, housing providers and advocates, sister agencies, and state and federal governments to envision and fund a successful project, we can and will make a difference.”
The Port Townsend project was supported by at least 10 local and regional housing providers and agencies, including Bayside Housing & Services, the Community Build, Dove House, Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County, the Housing Solutions Network, Jefferson Community Foundation, Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP), Olympic Housing Trust, Peninsula Housing Authority and Jefferson County.
The Port Hadlock project was supported by the Jefferson County Public Utility District, Chimacum Schools, Jefferson County Public Library, Habitat for Humanity, Peninsula Housing Authority, OlyCAP and the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, among others.
• Jefferson Cancer Treatment Project — $2,500,000.
Cantwell’s office said this project will improve access to comprehensive, quality cancer care for patients in Jefferson County and throughout the Olympic Peninsula.
It will enable Jefferson Healthcare hospital to acquire a linear accelerator to provide radiation therapy for cancer treatment.
• Tsunami Evacuation Center — $1,875,000.
Cantwell’s office said this grant will be used to construct a tsunami evacuation center for the Hoh Tribe, which lives between the Hoh River and the Pacific Ocean in West Jefferson County.
The tribe’s population center is located within a tsunami inundation zone and, in the event of a tsunami, residents would currently only have minutes to evacuate along the one road leading out of the reservation, the office said.
In Clallam County, nearly $3 million will go to the Joint Emergency Services and Public Safety Facility planned by Clallam County and the City of Port Angeles. Allocated for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is $1.92 million for facilities and equipment and for the Makah Tribe $4.8 million for facilities and equipment as well as $2 million for the Makah Passage and Hobuck Residential Road Project.
A detailed summary of the Consolidated Appropriations Act is available at https://appropriations.house.gov.
