The Olympian | South Sound projects get $8M in federal funds, including to expand popular trail
By: Simone Carter
A dozen South Sound projects are set to receive an influx of more than $8 million in federal funding, U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland announced Wednesday.
The Washington Democrat’s office said in a news release that the projects seek to improve clean water access, buy fire engines, bolster agricultural communities, boost traffic and pedestrian safety and more.
Strickland said that despite “the challenges we face with the Republican majority in Congress,” she’s pleased to have landed $8,165,000 for projects in her district.
“They will boost the local economy, and make the South Sound a cleaner, safer, and more affordable place to live and work,” she said in the release.
Funding is going to the following 12 Community Project Funding grants within the fiscal 2026 appropriations package passed by Congress, per a breakdown of funding requests published by Strickland’s office:
- City of Tacoma: Fire engine replacement — $2.2 million requested; $1 million received. This would help buy a pair of new pumper engines at Fire Station 11.
- Pierce County Transit: System-wide ADA signage improvements — $1,189,020 requested; $250,000 received. ADA accessibility would benefit in these transportation-service areas via tactile/braille signs.
- City of Puyallup: Meeker Street Improvement Project — $850,000 requested; $850,000 received. Funding would help with upgrades and safety features on East Meeker Street between Third Street Southeast and Meridian, such as new curbs, wider sidewalks and new vehicular signage.
- City of Olympia: Armory Redevelopment Project — $986,000 requested; $250,000 received. Nearly $1 million would help obtain and install an elevator in the Olympia Armory construction’s first phase.
- City of Fircrest: Alameda Avenue, Emerson Street to Rosewood Lane — $1,475,624 requested; $850,000 received. Funding would help connectivity between sidewalks on Rosewood Lane and Emerson Street, with improvements including traffic-safety enhancements and stormwater mitigation.
- City of Yelm: Downtown Business Revitalization Strategy — $2 million requested; $1 million received. Certain streets in Yelm’s historic core would get improved thanks to a cash infusion for the revitalization strategy’s engineering and design, with project components such as street lighting, sidewalk construction and pedestrian crossings.
- Thurston County Fairgrounds: Emergency Evacuation and Agricultural Center — $4 million requested; $1,015,000 received. The goal of this funding: to improve agricultural emergency preparedness and rural resilience in the state, especially for Thurston County’s livestock owners.
- Tacoma Housing Authority: Salishan-Hillside Phase I — $5 million requested; $850,000 received. Funding would help with housing modernization in electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems, plus to upgrade exterior and interior finishes to support durability and aesthetic appeal.
- City of University Place: Chambers Bay Access — $300,000 requested; $300,000 received. Finalized improvements would happen in the Chambers Bay area to traffic capacity, safety and regional access thanks to this funding.
- City of Tenino: Regional meat processing infrastructure — $2.25 million requested; $850,000 received. In the south and central Puget Sound region, funding would be dedicated to such infrastructure to help create a local meat supply chain, with an aim to boost revenue for up to 100 ranchers, offer local producers reliable processing infrastructure and bump up local food production.
- City of Roy: Water Infrastructure Project — $700,000 requested; $700,000 received. Aimed at expanding clean-drinking water access, this money would be used for a new water tower, water filtration, possible re-piping and more.
- City of Edgewood: Interurban Trail Phase III — $12 million requested; $250,000 received. Dollars would be dedicated toward constructing a mile-long portion of the Interurban Trail.