OLYMPIA – About $255.1 million in state construction budget funds are flowing to Pierce County after passage of the state 2019-21 Capital Budget by the Legislature on Sunday. 28th District Representatives Christine Kilduff and Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, helped secure funding for local projects for community and technical colleges, the Military Department, community pools and community centers, local arts projects, and Western State Hospital improvements.
Capital Budget expenditures fund projects across the state and are allocated by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and approved in a 97-1 vote in the House. Projects in the 28th District and nearby communities include the following:
- $1 million to assist in rebuilding the Fircrest Pool
- Nearly $1 million for the main street development project in University Place
- $500,000 for the Bethel Dental Clinic
- Over $1 million for Lakewood’s Fort Steilacoom Park artificial turf installation
- $500,000 for pier construction and repair at the Harry Todd park in the Tillicum neighborhood in Lakewood
- $709,000 for trail development for Chambers Creek Canyon from Kobayashi Park to the Chambers Creek Estuary
- $72,000 for the Steilacoom Historical Museum Association
- $43,000 for the University Place Historical Society
- $34,000 for the UP for Arts – Forever Friends project in the Curran Apple Orchard
- $14,000 for the Anderson Island Historical Society
- $72 million for Western State Hospital
- More than $35 million for Pierce College Fort Steilacoom
- $23 million for Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Camp Murray
- Over $6 million for Tacoma Community College
- $4 million for University of Washington Tacoma
- $1.2 million to help build a new, modern facility for the Morgan Family YMCA
- $1 million for Beacon Center renovation
“As we continue conversations about how we eventually site and build a new Western State Hospital, it is vital the state makes smart improvements that keep the staff and patients safe in the facility,” said Kilduff. “I am delighted we secured funding for local projects like the Fircrest Pool and Fort Steilacoom Park, and other replacement and renovations all around Pierce County.”
“Building new facilities and repairing others is a fantastic use of state resources and contributes to our ability to invest in our community and technical colleges. I am proud that, as vice chair of the College and Workforce Development Committee, I could advocate for projects at Pierce College, Tacoma Community College, and at UW Tacoma,” said Leavitt. “The additional funding for the Military Department at JBLM and Camp Murray showcases our commitment to our military readiness for defense and emergency response. I am also proud University Place will see construction on a new project on Bridgeport Way West.”