Brewster leads the field for funded infrastructure projects

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