Monroe leaders meet with legislators in Olympia

Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas and City Administrator Gene Brazel spent time in Olympia last week, meeting with 39th District Legislators and advocating for projects that could benefit the Monroe community.

Thomas and Brazel were in Olympia on Feb. 18 and 19 in conjunction with the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) City Action Days event. The two-day event is held annually to give municipalities the opportunity to interact with the legislative process.-á

Cities are able to advocate for their own legislative agendas by meeting with legislators, as well as other support agencies.

While there, Brazel and Thomas spent time with Rep. Elizabeth Scott, Rep. Dan Kristiansen and Sen. Kirk Pearson.-á

"We had really great meetings with all three of them,GÇ¥ Thomas said. "I'm really grateful for the opportunity to come down and meet with them.GÇ¥

As a result of their meeting with Pearson, Thomas announced that the senator will be taking the lead on submitting two separate capital budget requests for Monroe. Request submittal is not a funding guarantee GÇô any capital request made is subject to final budget approval by the Legislature.

The first request is for a synthetic turf, multi-purpose sports field at Lake Tye Park. The all-weather field could be used by the Monroe School District, local youth sports leagues, the city and the general public.

"It'll also be property that can be used to supplement tournament space in Monroe,GÇ¥ Thomas said.

The second request would help to enhance the main street plaza project being planned for downtown Monroe, much of which is being funded by a Washington State Department of Ecology grant. In January, the city council voted on curb removal as a part of the project, which will install pervious concrete along areas of East and West Main street and a portion of Lewis street.

Removing the curbs will create a more contiguous space to better facilitate street fairs and festivals in the downtown area.

In order to prevent unwanted vehicular intrusions onto sidewalk areas, the council discussed options including bollards, removable plastic wheel stops or lighted bollards. At the time of the discussion, removable plastic stops were selected based on cost GÇô as the budget could not accommodate the lighted bollards.

After learning the project particulars, the senator agreed to submit a capital request that would fund lit bollards for Main street one block east and west of Lewis.-á

Thomas said that if that request is approved, the lit bollards could potentially be installed this summer. Thomas is hopeful that the city will be able to complete both the East and West Main street projects before the Fair Days Parade in August.

Thomas and Brazel met with Rep. Kristiansen regarding a train crossing improvement project. In addition to enhancing public safety at train crossings, the project would allow trains to pass through the city without using their horns. It would also allow trains to pass through town quicker; facilitating shorter wait times for vehicles paused at the tracks, as well as heightened freight mobility for Burlington Northern Santa Fey Railroad (BNSF).

Thomas said that Kristiansen requested additional information on the project, which has been provided.

"We're looking forward to hearing more about how we might be able to partner on improving safety and freight flow by having these sorts of improvements installed,GÇ¥ Thomas said.

They also discussed methods for improving pedestrian safety at the crosswalk where SR 522 meets U.S. 2, near Starbucks and Big 5.

Thomas and Brazel also met with the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation to advocate for Monroe's involvement with the agency's Main Street program. The Washington State Main Street Program works with communities to help achieve economic vitality in downtown areas through revitalization initiatives.-á

Thomas has been working with Monroe Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Una Wirkebau-Hartt to strategize ways to improve Monroe's downtown core. The two periodically spend Saturday mornings canvassing the street and chatting with business owners to encourage ideas to facilitate a flourishing environment on Main Street.

Thomas said that he and Brazel participated in many productive meetings during their two days in Olympia.

"I was grateful for the time with our two representatives and our senator,GÇ¥ Thomas said. "We're really fortunate we've got people who represent our interests. They listen, and they're working for our community and I appreciate that.GÇ¥