Seantor Murray brings home Federal Pork for transportation

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King County: Murray Adds $131.7 Million for Transportation, Housing and Community Development Priorities in King County

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, July 12, 2007

(Washington, D.C) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that she has included $131.7 million in funding for King County transportation, housing and community development projects in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. Senator Murray is the Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee.

"This funding will go toward keeping King County's highways safe, continuing the growth of our transit system, providing more affordable low-income housing, building neighborhood centers and keeping our ferry system efficient," said Senator Murray. "Our transportation infrastructure is critical to keeping our economy growing and I am committed to providing funding that will reduce congestion, create jobs, and improve quality of life. I am also determined to steer investment to building affordable housing and neighborhood centers that will give low-income King County residents the resources they need to provide stability for themselves and their families."

Projects funded by Senator Murray in King County include:

Coal Creek Parkway Expansion, Newcastle -- $1 million

This project will widen Coal Creek Parkway from two to four travel lanes and will include sidewalks, bike lanes, curbs, gutters, and drainage facilities. This project will also include the replacing of the existing two-lane May Creek Bridge with a new, four-lane one. Coal Creek Parkway is the only north and south roadway alternative to I-405 between the cities of Bellevue and Renton, which makes it a vital regional corridor.

Newcastle Mayor Jean Garber praised Senator Murray for providing funding for the Coal Creek Parkway Expansion: "Newcastle is most appreciative of Senator Murray's efforts to secure funding for the Coal Creek Parkway project. The Senator recognizes the importance of completing this project prior to I-405 construction, and this funding moves us along toward that goal."

Sound Transit, University Link -- $30 million

University Link will extend light rail from downtown Seattle north to the University of Washington. This corridor is the most densely developed residential and employment area in the central Puget Sound region and state. University Link received the highest rating from the Federal Transit Administration in the “Annual New Starts Report for FY 2007.” This funding will support Sound Transit’s efforts to complete final design and continue with property acquisitions.

Sound Transit, Link Light Rail -- $70 million

Sound Transit is constructing an initial 14-mile light rail system from downtown Seattle to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Senator Murray has previously secured $310 million for this project.

Highpoint Neighborhood Center Construction -- $600,000

The Seattle Housing Authority is nearing completion of a redevelopment of the former public housing community at High Point, which has one of the highest concentrations of poverty in Seattle. The High Point Neighborhood Center will provide a variety of programs such as Head Start, employment training, youth tutoring, adult education, and other programs to assist low-income individuals and families. The funding secured by Senator Murray will be used to replace existing facilities with a new center.

El Centro de la Raza, Facility Improvements -- $300,000

Funding secured by Senator Murray will help El Centro de la Raza complete their capital campaign to update their century-old building. Specifically, funding will assist with the cost of replacing the facility’s roof, which is in dire need of replacement. El Centro de la Raza offers a range of services that include child care and development, after school programs, homeless assistance, first-time homeownership workshops and counseling, English-as-a-Second Language classes, and senior wellness and meal programs, among others.

Asian Counseling and Referral Service, New Building Construction -- $500,000

The Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) provides a variety of services for the Asian Pacific American community in the Seattle-area, including: mental health and substance abuse treatment, domestic violence intervention, job training, naturalization assistance, food bank and nutrition programs, elderly care, and a legal clinic. Serving 18,000 clients a year in more than 30 languages, the ACRS has been recognized as a national leader in providing services to low-income Asian Pacific Americans. The funding secured by Senator Murray will support this effort and enable the ACRS to provide greater access to these critical services.

Hiawatha Village Low Income Housing Development, Seattle -- $750,000

This funding will help complete the construction of Hiawatha Village, which is a unique and innovative structure that seeks to maintain affordability in a low-income Seattle neighborhood. The 102-unit condominium development will sell 52 of its units to low-income, first-time homebuyers, and some of the units will only be available for re-sale to other low-income families. This project will promote property investment and provide low- and moderate-income families with affordable and quality units. This funding will complete the project.

Vashon Island Passenger Ferry, King County -- $600,000

The Vashon Island Passenger Only Ferry is the only direct mode of transportation between Vashon Island and downtown Seattle. The ferry is crucial for the residents of Vashon Island, and allows the retailers and businesses located there to be economically successful. This funding will allow for increased accessibility between Vashon and Seattle, reduce commute times, and encourage commuters to use public transportation.

Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club -- $500,000

The Boys and Girls Clubs of King County needs to replace the current Rainier Vista facility, which is being demolished as part of the redevelopment of the former Rainier Vista public housing project. This funding will assist the Boys and Girls Club in building a new, expanded facility that will allow for expanded programming and services.

Daniel Johnson, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of King County discussed the importance of this funding:

"We are thrilled that Senator Murray has once again led the way for children and families in Seattle," said Johnson. "The anticipated $500,000 is a huge boost to our campaign to build a state of the art Boys & Girls Club and teen center in the heart of Rainier Vista, one of the highest need communities in the state. The Club will serve as a beacon of hope for thousands of youth who need us most."

Nisei Veterans Memorial Hall Renovations -- $250,000

The funding provided will complete the Nisei Veterans Committee renovation project at its Memorial Hall in Seattle. It will allow for expanded educational activities about the internment and military service of Japanese Americans during WWII. In addition, it will enable the Nisei Veterans Committee to restart its low-income seniors’ lunch program.

Passage Point Transitional Housing Construction, King County -- $500,000

This project is a partnership between King County and the YWCA, which is redeveloping the Passage Point property into a 70-unit transitional housing project. The housing will be aimed at stabilizing families where a parent is coming out of prison and seeking to re-unite with their children, with the goals of reducing homelessness and recidivism. The campus-like setting will also provide treatment and counseling, and will serve to foster healthy parent-child relationships. This funding will complete the construction and the project.

South Lake Union Streetcar Project Capital Improvements -- $1.15 million

This project will help complete the City of Seattle’s South Lake Union revitalization plan by building a streetcar line connecting Westlake Center to the South Lake Union neighborhood. The Streetcar will increase access to the new waterfront park, is vital for attracting job development, and will help to improve and upgrade the Mercer Street corridor and essential utilities.

Auburn A-B Street NW Corridor Connector -- $1.8 million

This project will link three grade separated arterials between Auburn Station and S. 277th Street. The project is part of a comprehensive downtown revitalization plan for Auburn’s downtown core. The funding secured by Senator Murray will complete the final phase of the project and fund construction from 10th Street to 14th Street.

Des Moines Creek Trail Access Project -- $500,000

This funding will support efforts by the City of Des Moines to increase public access between the Des Moines Beach Park National Historic District, Des Moines Marina, and Des Moines Business District. This connection will support expanded recreational, cultural and historic tourism activities. The Des Moines Creek Trail is part of the larger Puget Sound regional trail system.

Advanced Materials in Transport Aircraft Structures – $1 million

This mark doubles the annual funding the center has been operating on for the last three years. The AMTAS center at the University of Washington is an FAA Center of Excellence where extensive research and testing and training is conducted on composite materials. This program has contributed significantly to the 787 effort.

Spiroid Winglet Fuel Efficiency Research -- $3 million

The funding will go toward the spiroid research project that would explore next generation winglet designs and technologies to enhance wing lift and stability and generate increased aircraft fuel efficiency. Given the current impact of fuel prices on airline cost drivers and concerns about aircraft engine emissions, any improvement in aircraft fuel efficiency through next generation winglet technologies translates into decreased pollution, increased aircraft efficiency and performance, and reduced airline fuel costs.

Pacific Highway South Bus Rapid Transit-- $14.25 million

This funding would go toward the Pacific Highway South RapidRide project which runs from Sound Transit's Light Rail Station at 154th Street (north of SeaTac Airport) to the Federal Way Transit Center (near SeaTac Mall), a distance of 10.35 miles. The funding will increase efficient bus service to a rapidly growing area of King County.

Washington State Ferries -- $5 million

This funding will go toward Washington state ferries and is from the federal Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities Program.

The THUD Appropriations bill passed the full Appropriations Committee today and will now move to the full Senate for consideration.

###

26 officials ask Senator Murray to move funds from rail to BRT

Twenty-Six Officials ask Senator Murray To Shift Light Rail Funds to Other Transit Projects

For Immediate Release

Thursday, October 31, 2002

Contacts:

Guy Spencer, Councilmember Normandy Park 206 246-1883

Rob McKenna, King County Councilmember 206 296-1006

See Also:

Copy of Letter to Sen. Patty Murray

[Seattle] -- In an unusual and bold action, twenty-six council members and mayors from around the Metropolitan Area have written urging U.S. Senator Patty Murray to step back from pursuing federal funding for Sound Transit's controversial light rail project, and to use her influence to shift those funds to truly effective transit service and projects. Many of those signing serve on local and regional transportation committees.

These elected officials are adding their voices to the majority on the Tukwila City Council who expressed their dissatisfaction with the plan through a Council action because it would bypass their urban center. The City of Renton also recently publicly expressed frustration with the return on investment to Renton taxpayers.

"This group of local officials have decided to reach across political and geographic boundaries to call for more responsible transportation spending," said Bothell City Council member Tim Olsen. "We're finding that a lot of our colleagues on city and county councils are tired of the misrepresentations, waste, and ineffectiveness of Sound transit's light rail project. We hope we can encourage other community leaders to speak up on behalf of the taxpayers and better investments in transit," He added.

Council member Guy Spencer of Normandy Park remarked, "Local jurisdictions are often put under pressure to support Sound Transit, so there is reluctance to question the project."

"The public and the elected officials are starting to fully understand how little the light rail project would accomplish," according to Council Member Carolyn Armanini, "Sound Transit, with its $9.6 million annual marketing budget, has been telling our congressional representatives that there is broad support for the project. That's not what we're hearing, so we're speaking up."

"We have major transit and transportation needs and funding is tight, so we must make the best possible use of the public's money, said Rob McKenna, King County Council member and former Sound Transit Board member, who was not reappointed to the Board by King County Executive Ron Sims after he called attention to the light rail project's cost overruns and inefficiency.

In 1996 voters were promised that Sound Transit used very conservative cost and bond estimates for its plan to complete twenty-one miles of light rail in ten years. Now it's estimated to take three years longer and to cost almost 60% more to build only fourteen miles, ending two miles short of the Airport. Sound Transit has produced no route, estimates, or financial plan for the more difficult and critical seven miles of light rail from Downtown Seattle to the University District.Twenty-Six Officials ask Senator Murray To Shift Light Rail Funds to Other Transit Projects For Immediate Release Thursday, October 31, 2002

Contacts: Guy Spencer, Councilmember Normandy Park 206 246-1883 Rob McKenna, King County Councilmember 206 296-1006

See Also: Copy of Letter to Sen. Patty Murray

[Seattle] -- In an unusual and bold action, twenty-six council members and mayors from around the Metropolitan Area have written urging U.S. Senator Patty Murray to step back from pursuing federal funding for Sound Transit's controversial light rail project, and to use her influence to shift those funds to truly effective transit service and projects. Many of those signing serve on local and regional transportation committees.

These elected officials are adding their voices to the majority on the Tukwila City Council who expressed their dissatisfaction with the plan through a Council action because it would bypass their urban center. The City of Renton also recently publicly expressed frustration with the return on investment to Renton taxpayers.

"This group of local officials have decided to reach across political and geographic boundaries to call for more responsible transportation spending," said Bothell City Council member Tim Olsen. "We're finding that a lot of our colleagues on city and county councils are tired of the misrepresentations, waste, and ineffectiveness of Sound transit's light rail project. We hope we can encourage other community leaders to speak up on behalf of the taxpayers and better investments in transit," He added.

Council member Guy Spencer of Normandy Park remarked, "Local jurisdictions are often put under pressure to support Sound Transit, so there is reluctance to question the project."

"The public and the elected officials are starting to fully understand how little the light rail project would accomplish," according to Council Member Carolyn Armanini, "Sound Transit, with its $9.6 million annual marketing budget, has been telling our congressional representatives that there is broad support for the project. That's not what we're hearing, so we're speaking up."

"We have major transit and transportation needs and funding is tight, so we must make the best possible use of the public's money, said Rob McKenna, King County Council member and former Sound Transit Board member, who was not reappointed to the Board by King County Executive Ron Sims after he called attention to the light rail project's cost overruns and inefficiency.

In 1996 voters were promised that Sound Transit used very conservative cost and bond estimates for its plan to complete twenty-one miles of light rail in ten years. Now it's estimated to take three years longer and to cost almost 60% more to build only fourteen miles, ending two miles short of the Airport. Sound Transit has produced no route, estimates, or financial plan for the more difficult and critical seven miles of light rail from Downtown Seattle to the University District.




October 31, 2002

Honorable Patty Murray United States Senate Washington, DC Dear Senator Murray,

We want to thank you for your service to our State and our beautiful Puget Sound Region. Your attention to our infrastructure, economic and social needs has been greatly appreciated. We are in unanimous agreement that our transportation and transit infrastructure needs major improvements if our Region is to remain vital, vibrant and successfully implement growth management. As locally elected representatives we have collectively spent many years paying attention to the details of planning and implementing our local and regional transit and transportation systems. It is because of our commitment to improve this Region and our experience with what works here that we can no longer support continued funding of the Link light rail project. Our ten year experience with Link light rail reveals that, even if built to Northgate and SeaTac, it would provide no more added capacity, speed or ridership growth than if we maximized our investment in our present Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. That would be reason enough to stop and reassess our investment priorities. However, by closing the Downtown Bus Tunnel for two years and moving many of the buses back up to the surface permanently, Sound Transit effectively damages the parts of our regional system that are working best, and ignores the parts that need improvement. Local and regional bus riders will be asked to pay more, transfer more, wait in traffic more but see less service except if they are among the very few who live and work near a Link light rail station. Taxpayers in the North King sub-area see virtually no improvements for their thirteen years of payments. Voters thought they were buying a regional system that would be integrated and that would help jurisdictions address the growing need for alternatives to driving alone. Voters were promised that it would enhance the present productive bus service and support neighborhoods. They were also promised conservative cost and ridership estimates, conservative borrowing and a commitment to return to the voters after ten



Hon. Patty Murray, October 31,2002, Page 2 years if the agency wanted to extend the line. Six years after the vote we see that the cost has increased 60% for a line that is seven miles shorter. Projected ridership is 70% less, and planned bond debt for the North and South King Sub-areas is now nearly equal to what was projected for all five sub-areas combined, leaving those two sub-areas with almost no bonding capacity for the foreseeable future. Consequently it will not be possible for Sound Transit to extend Link to the Airport, the University District or Northgate without significant, voter-approved tax increases. If this project continues as planned, our region will have expended tremendous resources, borrowed against decades of future tax revenue and still need large additional tax revenues to deal with the growing needs of the region. Communities and leaders that once supported the Link project now seriously question its value compared to the damage and costs it entails. Light rail proponents were unsuccessful in convincing a regional committee of county elected officials (RTID) to include additional funds for Sound Transit in a proposed package of transportation improvements. The RTID refused to even allow Sound Transit's taxing authority on the ballot because they feared it would cause voters to vote no on the whole package of potential improvements. The State legislature and Governor have turned down repeated requests from Sound Transit for State funding. Those requests represent another broken promise: that Sound Transit would not seek money from the State. We are particularly troubled by Sound Transit's argument that they have authority to continue collecting taxes indefinitely. The voters were asked to approve a "Ten Year Plan" and that timeframe was one of the major selling points of the proposal to voters. Sound Transit continues spending precious tax dollars on yet more studies on route alignments from downtown to the north and on how to reach and serve the airport. Two years ago when major questions about the project began to emerge from broader groups, Sound Transit told us that the Link project had been "studied to death."

Our citizens cannot wait another two years for Sound Transit to decide how to build a light rail line. It clearly cannot be done within the parameters agreed to by the voters in 1996.



Hon. Patty Murray, October 31,2002, Page 3


We are also disappointed by the serious under-reporting of bus capacity in the 2001 Evaluation of Joint Operations in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. A truly superior alternative should be able to withstand a fair comparison. It is time to invest in what we know works for our region. Many of our planned and designed transit projects are now on hold for lack of funds. We therefore support maximizing our existing investments by:

" Finishing the HOV system for Vanpools and Express Buses " Running twice as many buses through the Downtown Bus Tunnel using the new hybrid-electric vehicles that Metro is acquiring " Building more park and ride stalls " Providing more transit centers and shelters that are attractive, safe and comfortable " Keeping the cost affordable for transit and Vanpools " Redeploying any saved transit hours into better local service " Giving serious consideration to expanding our monorail technology to serve denser corridors where BRT may not fit or make sense. " Objective cost/benefit analysis to determine the best ratio of investments

Senator Murray, you are in a position to redirect any request for Federal dollars to more cost-effective and integrated alternatives. There is great consensus forming around expanding Bus Rapid Transit and other cost-effective solutions in our region. BRT is already a major component of the Sound Move Plan and Metro's Six Year Plan. We have invested billions in it to date and consequently have a greater percentage of commuters using transit in our region than regions with light rail such as Portland. We actually rank seventh in the nation, even competing with major cities with heavy rail like Chicago and New York City, for percentage of commuters choosing transit.

Seattle voters have also clearly indicated an interest in expanding the present monorail line. Whether they want to spend additional dollars on top of their $69,000,000 a year contribution to light rail will be decided in a few days. But they intuitively know that if




you spend money on rail, you may as well be up out of traffic enjoying the views than plodding along at an average of 25 MPH.

We stand ready to work with you, our colleagues in the Region, the FTA and Congress on an alternative proposal that is grounded in what really works for our Region. We believe continued funding and planning for light rail in Seattle leaves us further behind and further divided. Light rail is actually the least cost-effective way to provide future capacity needs in our region. Sincerely, Council members and Mayors



Kathy Lambert, King County Rob McKenna, King County




Gary Nelson, Snohomish County Guy Spencer, Normandy Park





Sants Contreras, Kirkland John Wiltse, Mayor Normandy





Nick Licata, Seattle Don Gerend, Sammamish ?'? VW,) 0 &"JVc'x John Chang, Shoreline Tim Olsen, Bothell









Linda Kochmar, Federal Way





Ed Sterner, Lake Forest Park





Alan Kiest, Lake Forest Park





Mary Jane Goss, Lake Forest Park













Fuzzy Fletcher, Mayor, Snoqualmie





El Jahncke, Mercer Island




Don Persson, Renton





Carolyn Armanini, Lake Forest Park





Roger Olstad, Lake Forest Park





Nate Herzog, Lake Forest Park




Tom Dillon, Kirkland City Councilmember

John Rankin, Normandy Park





Sven Goldmanis, Mercer Island




Jeff:Sax, Councilman Snohomish County Council




John Koster Snohomish County Council