A broken road and a burst pipe: Public Works Board announces emergency awards

Grants and loans will support communities making emergency repairs to critical infrastructure

OLYMPIA, Wash. – In early February, the Town of Concrete, on the western slopes of the North Cascades, experienced freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall. Then, the snow stuck around for weeks. Airport Way, a school bus route, quickly deteriorated, cracking and seeping.

Now, state funds are on the way to help fix the failing roadway. The Public Works Board recently announced $1.19 million in emergency funding for two projects, split between Airport Way in Concrete and emergency wastewater repairs in Toppenish, in the Yakima Valley. These awards support needed fixes for essential infrastructure, preventing further damage and disruption in communities. Both awards are a mix of grants and low-interest-rate loans.

Concrete, in Skagit County, will receive $185,000, which includes a $157,250 loan at 1.38% interest and a $27,750 grant. This will help Concrete “complete a critical road project near schools and address a substantial fiscal need due to an emergency,” said Andrea Fichter, the town’s clerk-treasurer.

On the other side of the mountains, the City of Toppenish will receive $1 million for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Emergency Improvements project. This includes a $500,000 loan at 0.86% interest and a $500,000 grant. In late winter, the treatment plant had a sludge pipe burst from pressure. This “caused the foundation of a building to heave, raising in elevation by approximately six inches,” City Manager Dan Ford wrote in a memo.

The problems are “catastrophic in nature and present an immediate threat for processing wastewater,” the city said. The Public Works Board’s emergency funding will help to replace about 80 linear feet of pipe and other infrastructure.

Emergency applications are accepted continuously through ZoomGrants until funds are expended. The maximum award is $1 million per jurisdiction per biennium. After this latest round of awards, the board has approximately $1.8 million in emergency funding remaining.

Media Contact: Maria Jawad, Public Works Board Executive Director, 360-688-6008