Lawmakers note hits, misses in House capital-budget proposal

Moeller, Jacks find some items to like, but other parts? Not so much

April 3, 2009

OLYMPIA – A new capital budget is advancing through the House of Representatives and, according to Vancouver legislators Jim Moeller and Jim Jacks, the proposal features some good news and some not-so-good news for neighborhoods and communities in southwestern Washington.

The two Clark County Democrats said today (Friday, April 3, 2009) that the proposed 2009-2011 capital budget has money for big Vancouver-area projects, including:

* Clark County Food Bank food-distribution warehouse design and construction – $2 million.

* Columbia Waterfront land acquisition and construction – $3.1 million.

* Clark College repair, roof and other projects – $1.2 million.

* Washington School for the Blind preservation, painting, remodeling and other projects – $820,000.

* Washington School for the Deaf repair, sidewalk and other projects – $820,000.

* Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington /Jim Parsley Community Center renovation and construction, and Hough Pool renovation – $950,000.

* Langsdorf Landing revitalization, and Vancouver Lake environmental work – $922,000.

But what the capital budget doesn’t have is money for a new electrical-engineering building for WSU Vancouver. The two lawmakers said they’ll do their best to insert money for the project into the final capital budget that clears the Legislature and goes to the governor sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Moeller and Jacks have already specifically helped seek and win support for capital-budget money for the warehouse project advanced by the Clark County Food Bank, as well as the Columbia Waterfront project.

Moeller said the Food Bank is “particularly important during the current economic times in addressing basic needs of citizens and families in Clark County.”

As it is now, the organization distributes more than three million pounds of emergency food a year to more than 25,000 citizens a month. Moeller said that children represent more than 37 percent of the total number of food recipients.

Jacks noted that the construction projects called for in the capital budget will provide dependable, family-wage jobs for hundreds of citizens in Washington communities.

“The Columbia Waterfront project in particular is launching a $1.3-billion private reinvestment boom for downtown Vancouver,” Jacks said and added that the project “will create as many as 2,500 permanent new jobs. Investments that we make today will help spark economic development and strengthen the quality of life for our neighborhoods in the 21st century.”