Anne Kanter
Good news! The HPCC’s capital budget grant request has been approved! Through the capital budget, Washington funds public-construction projects like school building, correctional facilities and infrastructure to support economic development and jobs. State Representatives can sponsor capital funding requests for local community projects that do not fit easily into the state’s existing grant and loan programs. Our Representative, Gina Mosbrucker, sponsored this year’s HPCC capital budget grant request (THANK YOU, GINA!). When the Washington legislature approved the state’s 2023-25 capital budget on April 22, included in it was funding for several HPCC and Fire District projects.
The HPCC Board had applied to the State of Washington for a grant previously, and been disappointed. This time, in order to maximize our chances of having our request approved, we decided to make a few changes to how we applied.
The most significant change to our grant request was the amount, which we scaled down drastically from more than $800,000 to a little less than $250,000. Upon consideration of the most important things HPCC and HPFD wanted to accomplish we decided we ought to be able to meet our goals within the smaller budget. We wouldn’t be completely remodeling the Community Center kitchen or adding a finished outdoor gathering space, but we could (hopefully) complete the items we had identified as being the most important from a public safety and public service standpoint. Additionally, any grant amount in excess of $250,000 would require a bond; we all agreed we preferred to avoid that.
The other significant change to our grant request was how we characterized our goals for the grant money to the State. Everything we want to accomplish is geared towards public safety and public service: outfitting the HPFD with fire-proof cabinets, having a generator installed as back-up should the power go out, commercial washer and dryer for the HPFD, installing outdoor lights, upgrading the building’s electrical and HVAC systems so the building can be used as a warming/cooling shelter for the community during extreme weather events, and replacing the kitchen’s commercial range and dishwasher so that, should the building be activated in the event of an emergency, food preparation and clean-up would be much easier and more efficient than the current kitchen allows. If you’re interested, there’s a copy of the grant application at the Community Center, or ask Chris Sattem.
The bylaws of the HPCC state that our objectives are,“to promote the health, safety, education, development and preservation of the High Prairie neighborhood…” and the HPCC specifically geared this grant request to help us continue to achieve those ends. It’s an exciting time! Now that our grant has been approved, the hard work begins of getting bids, planning the work, and executing those plans in the most effective and efficient way possible.