BREWSTER – A public hearing was held, and a resolution approved for the city’s 2024-29 Six Year Street Plan at the regular monthly of the city council last Thursday, July 18, but that was just a segue to the real highlight of the evening.
City Finance Director Misty Ruiz presented a recap of the extensive list of street and other infrastructure projects the city has accomplished over the past decade and the extraordinary level of funding - grants, and loans – it has secured to pay for them. In response to a question from Mayor Art Smyth asking what that figure is, Ruiz estimates that the city has received more than $36 million since the 2014 Carlton Complex wildfire to expand or upgrade vital service projects, including:
PROJECT/SOURCE LOAN/CITY MATCH GRANT
Water (2014)
Angle Trailer Court $436,535.15 $212,790.26
Reservoir Replacement (2015)
FEMA $349,161 - $3,352,161
*CDBG $1,000,000
DOH Direct Appropriation $1,250,000
Forgiveness $376,500 $376,500
Manganese (2017)
USDA Rural Development $2,631,000 $6.300,000 - $12.324.400
USDA RD (subsequent funds) $480,600 $1,666,400
Direct Appropriation (DA) $752,000
DA – Well Houses $494,400
Sewer
Dept. of Ecology (DOE) planning $373,860 $373,860 - $7,534,860
DOE loan/grant $2,752,324
Centennial Clean Water grant $3.104,816
CDBG $900,000
DA $2,750,000
DOE Shoreline Planning $30,000
Streets
**TIB 2017 chip seal grant $134,380
Old Hwy 97 $119,070 $882,000
2008 chip seal $51,500
2008 West Main $473,158
LED streetlights $42,966
Airport
Annual allocation $75,000 $1,500,000
Planning grant $19,786 $375,950
2022 taxiway $23,500 $46,500
CARES Act
2020 CARES Act $108,225
***ARPA $658,594
*Community Development Block Grant
**Transportation Improvement Board
***America Rescue Plan Act
The state periodically polls cities and compiles a list of estimates of the grant and loan needs for their projects over the next biennium. Brewster is not on the list.
“For instance, Grand Coulee needs $18 million for their sewer. Brewster’s is done,” explained Ruiz. “You have cities that have not done anything for a long, long time, and it’s getting harder and harder to get grants.”
Brewster is far ahead of the curve for completed major infrastructure projects compared to many other small communities.
“A lot of our six-year plan projects are finished, and we created new ones,” said Smyth. “It was not that long ago that we were told it was not possible, it would never happen.”
Earlier this year, in response to a FEMA map update, the city embarked on a major study of flood potential from the Swamp Creek drainage on Paradise Hill. The goal is to modify present water flow options to proactively correct flood concerns in Brewster identified by FEMA. When the study is ready for translation into action the estimated project cost is $15 million.
Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media
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