The City of Sultan held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week, to celebrate the completion of two major transportation improvement projects.
The event took place on Friday, Jan 30, in front of the Sultan School District Administration building (514 Fourth St.). The event was meant to commemorate the Fourth Street overlay project and the High Avenue reconstruction project, both of which were made possible via grant funding from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB).
Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick thanked TIB Executive Director Steve Gorcester for being at the ceremony, and for being an integral part of improving the roadways in Sultan.
"Without funding from the Transportation Improvement Board, these projects simply would not have been possible,GÇ¥ Eslick said.
Other attendees included Joe Downs from U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell's office, Sultan City Councilmembers Rocky Walker and John Seehuus, Sultan Public Works Director and Transportation Improvement Board Member Mick Matheson, Sultan City Administrator Ken Walker, Grants and Economic Development Coordinator Donna Murphy and SRV Construction President Steve Verbarendse.
The TIB is a state-funded agency that provides grant opportunities to communities to improve their roadways. TIB revenue is generated from the state gasoline tax, and roadways must meet specific criteria to be eligible for TIB funding.
The agency awards approximately $100 million each year for transportation projects all across the state of Washington. TIB grant opportunities are a valuable resource for smaller communities that have limited resources when it comes to funding roadway improvements. The City of Sultan gets approximately $12,000 per year to use for road preservation and maintenance, which is typically used for a chip-seal project.
In 2012, the City of Sultan received a $354,900 grant to grind and overlay Fourth Street from Alder to Fir avenues, along with a separate grant for $527,280 to reconstruct High Avenue from First to Fourth streets.
The improvements on Fourth Street included grinding and overlaying the street, updating the handicap ramps to comply with ADA requirements and storm-drain improvements in certain areas. The water main was replaced, the existing sewer main was lined and new side sewers were added. A city match of $17,745 was also required.
The water improvements on Fourth cost approximately $329,000, and the sewer improvements cost approximately $294,000 GÇô both of which were funded through a water and sewer bond obtained by the city, since TIB funds can only be applied toward improvements directly related to transportation.
High Avenue was too deteriorated for an overlay, so the road had to be completely reconstructed. New sidewalks, curbs and gutters were constructed in certain areas, along with stormwater improvements and updated handicap ramps.
Water and sewer replacements on High Avenue cost approximately $318,000: $224,000 for the water and $94,000 for the sewer.
Gorcester presented Eslick and Matheson with a project completion plaque to commemorate the occasion. He said that the 3 cents of the state gas tax that funds the TIB has a tremendous amount of pressure on it, and he thanked Washington State Sen. Kirk Pearson for supporting the TIB's mission of enhancing transportation throughout the state of Washington.
"He's been extremely supportive of the TIB program,GÇ¥ Gorcester said. "We really appreciate that.GÇ¥
He also thanked Reps. Dan Kristiansen and Elizabeth Scott for being strong supporters of the TIB.
The TIB is a 21-member board that is organized per Washington state RCW. Matheson, a recent appointee, is serving a four-year term.
"He's personally helping right now to make the small city programs even better,GÇ¥ Gorcester said. "We're really excited about some of the improvements that are coming to the programs next year.GÇ¥
The City of Sultan has a tradition of obtaining grant funding from the TIB, as well as other agencies, for transportation projects, tourism enhancement, land acquisition and more.
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