Deschutes Parkway funding in jeopardy

House Republicans unhappy with stimulus package

PATRICK CONDON, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Tuesday, March 12, 2002

OLYMPIA -- House Republicans lined up Monday against a Democratic economic stimulus package that includes $850,000 to rebuild Deschutes Parkway this spring.

Although the House Capital Budget Committee approved the package on a 9-8 vote and the bill will go to the House floor for consideration as soon as today, all eight Republican members of the committee voted against the plan.

That could imperil the package, as at least eight Republican votes are needed to meet the 60 percent majority needed to approve capital bonding bills.

The package contains $108 million in new state building projects designed to create new jobs during the state's recession.

"At this point in time, we don't have any votes in our caucus for the capital budget," said Rep. Gary Alexander of Thurston County, the ranking Republican on capital budget issues.

Alexander said he still favors bonding for the parkway repairs, but Republicans would like to see it as part of a bare-bones emergency supplemental capital budget.

Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, said he's worried about the fate of the Deschutes Parkway project. Securing a much larger federal grant depends on the state providing $850,000.

"It'd have a real big impact on our community if we have to keep waiting for this to happen," Hunt said.

Moving up timetable

State lawmakers and Gov. Gary Locke must approve the $850,000 state funding to allow earthquake damage repairs to the parkway to begin this spring, a year earlier than originally scheduled.

Moving up the construction timetable would have the road on the western shore of Capitol Lake open to traffic by this December instead of the original completion date of December 2003.

The majority of funds for the $7.1 million project will come from the Federal Highway Administration.

Rep. Ed Murray, the Seattle Democrat who chairs the Capital Budget Committee, said Republican opposition could derail the entire effort, meaning no new spending for projects this year.

Additionally, Murray said some capital projects approved last year would have to be scrapped as well, since the supplemental package makes up for the state's lagging ability to pay back some of last year's bonds.

On that list could be the $41 million Seminar II Building at The Evergreen State College.

Republicans oppose the larger Democratic package, they said, because it would put a greater strain on the state's bonding capacity during bad economic times, and because it shifts $63 million out of a school construction account to help pay for the projects.

"I think this budget is about a lot of wrong choices," said Rep. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. "A lot of these projects could politely be called pork."

Sen. Darlene Fairley, the Democratic leader on capital budget issues in the Senate, blasted House Republicans for their refusal to vote for the economic stimulus package.

"What do House Republicans have against construction?" said Fairley, of Lake Forest Park. "Their districts must be doing really well if they're willing to vote against a bunch of good little construction projects."

Murray held out hope that at least eight House Republicans could be convinced it's in their districts' best interest to vote for the Democratic plan. Fairley said that Senate Republicans, most of whom already voted for the package, are being drafted to lobby their House colleagues.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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