By David Jagernauth
Mayor Charlotte Lehan and several staff members joined other local leaders for a lobbying trip to Washington D.C. earlier this month, where they met with members of the Oregon Congressional Delegation.
The mayor was joined by City Councilor Tim Knapp, Cynthia Thompson with SMART, and Mark Ottenad, public/government affairs director for the city.
The group was seeking to secure federal dollars for three major projects:
• $2 million to extend Kinsman Road north to Boeckman Road, adjacent to the new commuter rail station. This is the third time the city has tried to secure money for this project.
• $2.56 million for the SMART administration building and maintenance facility to be built at the commuter rail station. The city tried to secure $1.75 million last year for this project.
• $2.15 million for the Arrowhead Creek Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project, which would restore approximately 50 acres of the Arrowhead Creek in the Willamette River valley. This too was part of last year’s federal funding efforts, in conjunction with Metro on behalf of the Army Corp of Engineers.
“I think it went well,” Lehan said. “Our projects were well received.”
She added: “In as much as they have any money, which they don’t. We are getting the impression that this year is even tighter than last year.”
According to Ottenad, there are a couple reasons why federal money is more difficult to come by in the last few years. First, the use of earmarks has greatly decreased in Congress, in part due to ethics scandals of the last few years.
“(Secondly), the highway trust fund is going broke,” Ottenad said. “It will end this year in a defect mode.”
Despite the challenge of the last few years, these lobbying trips have proven to be a boon for Wilsonville.
“They have certainly been worthwhile in the past,” Lehan said.
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