WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Hurst: New construction budget is a big win for 31st District

Legislative news from Rep. Christopher Hurst, ID-Enumclaw (31st Legislative District)

June 30, 2015

House passes $3.9 billion construction budget, funds local projects

OLYMPIA – Rep. Christopher Hurst (ID-Enumclaw) said the state’s new $3.9 billion construction budget is the best for the 31st District in years.

“These projects will help our communities and provide construction jobs for local companies and workers,” Hurst said. “This construction budget makes major investments in our infrastructure and our future. It puts people to work today, building schools, parks, and community projects while building a better Washington for our kids and grandkids.”

The bipartisan budget passed on a strong vote of 96-2.

Hurst worked closely with Mayor Liz Reynolds of Enumclaw to get $350,000 in funding to help renovate the Enumclaw Expo Center.  Hurst and Mayor Reynolds began meeting with staff members in January to begin crafting this important project for the city. The Expo Center property is home to the King County Fair and was once owned by the county. These infrastructure funding is critical to repair older structures and dramatically improve the marketability of the facility.

“The Mayor and I have been talking about this for quite a while,” Hurst said. “This is an incredible community resource, and if we want to keep it we needed some long term capital investments in the structures. I am pleased that I was able to get the entire amount in the House budget. I want to thank Mayor Reynolds and her hard working city staff, who worked with us to put this together.”

Other local projects include:

$750,000 for the Green River Gorge—90 acres of undeveloped land next to Flaming Geyser State Park—for trail connections, preservation, buffer zones and stream protection.

“This is a great resource for folks in the plateau to enjoy for generations to come,” Hurst said. “The last thing we needed was for this property to turn into high-density housing developments and tens of thousands more cars crowding our already stressed local roads. This is good news for all of us that love the quality of life we’ve grown up with here in rural south east King County.”

$2 million for the Gordon Family YMCA in Sumner—A new 110,000 square-foot facility with outreach programs for low-income kids, community rooms, a gym, aquatic center and youth programs.

“Finishing the YMCA in Sumner is an extraordinary opportunity for folks in the Puyallup, Sumner and Bonney Lake area,” Hurst said. “I am proud of the work we’ve done to get to this point and to see the finish line not far off in the distance.”

The construction budget also includes $1.6 billion to build local schools, with $200 million to build new classroom in kindergarten to third grade to reduce overcrowding.

“Investing in our infrastructure and local schools is investing in our future,” Hurst said. “These projects will create jobs that maintain the quality of life that our citizens have come to expect and will be a legacy for our children and grandchildren.”