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closeState grant benefits Puyallup
The city of Puyallup wins LIFT grant that gives city
Chris Albert
The city of Puyallup’s Local Infrastructure Financing Tool grant application was ranked third in the money by Washington State’s Community Economic Revitalization Board.
The city was awarded $1 million for the next 25 years to develop projects that would enhance transit capabilities within the city, as well as fiber optic availability, among other things, between the city’s two economic cores of South Hill and downtown. The investment plan is estimated to bring more than 8,600 high paying jobs to the area and create $600 million in sales and property tax to the city and the state.
“This is everything we worked for so many years,” said Councilmember Kathy Turner. “This is the most exciting thing to happen to the city in the history of Puyallup.”
“It ties distinct communities together in a way that has never been done,” said Councilmember Rick Hansen.
Washington State’s Community Economic Revitalization Board met last week with applicants to hear presentations and calculate what jurisdiction would be awarded funding. The board is comprised of elected and appointed officials and they have $2.5 million in funding to award this year. Board members awarded each presenter a score based on viability, work that has taken place and partnered plans for the future. The scores were tallied and each applicant was ranked.
The original rankings had the city of Vancouver with the highest point total. They requested amount of $500,000. The city of Yakima followed in point total and requested $1 million and the city of Mount Vernon was third and requested $500,000.
Puyallup ranked fourth, but CERB decided because its request of $ 1 million exceeded the amount the organization had left to award, fifth ranked Whitman County would be awarded the final $500,000. The board decided the intent of the LIFT grant is to fully finance the requested amount and to partially award a applicant would be unfair to others who apply.
“That surprised me,” said Puyallup City Manager Gary McLean about being ranked fourth.
He had heard positive feedback from board members after the presentations.
“We just thought people were being nice to us,” McLean said.
On Sept. 23, CERB convened a teleconference after discovering a clerical error in the data entry of scores. When the correction was made the city of Vancouver’s score was discovered to actually rank fourth. Every other applicant stayed in the same position, moving Puyallup into third and awarding the city its LIFT grant request.
McLean said, he was pleased with the outcome. He commended the board for correcting the error and said all projects really do deserve to be funded because it is a beneficial tool to realize development of economic cores.
“We think it’s a sure way for the state to gain,” he said.