Wenatchee advances $2.3M in infrastructure projects with grants covering nearly all costs

WENATCHEE — Wenatchee is moving forward on a slate of transportation and infrastructure projects this year with the vast majority of the cost covered by outside grants, leaving the city responsible for only a small fraction of the total price tag.

In actions approved by the Wenatchee City Council Jan. 8, the city advanced three separate projects — Bridge Street multimodal improvements, Orchard Avenue ADA curb ramps, and a two-year stormwater program support grant — representing roughly $2.3 million in total project value, with only a little over $100,000 coming from city funds.

Public Works staff told councilmembers that the Bridge Street project alone carries a total budget of $1.7 million and will be 100 percent grant funded through a combination of a Transportation Improvement Board grant and the Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program. Project engineer Jessie King said the Sandy Williams funding will cover the city’s required match and more.

“This project has previously been funded through a Transportation Improvement Board grant which we would have a 20 percent match for,” King said, explaining that the Sandy Williams dollars “covers that match and then a little bit more.” He told councilmembers the city was “lucky to get two grant awards for it.”

The Bridge Street project will extend improvements from the city’s pedestrian bridge project to South Wenatchee Avenue, helping complete a long-planned multimodal connection near the Columbia River.

Councilmember Travis Hornby reacted simply to the funding news, saying he was “just excited” to see the project coming together, especially as nearby bridge work is completed.

A second project approved this week will bring Orchard Avenue curb ramps up to current ADA standards, clearing the way for long-delayed pavement preservation work in the corridor. That project carries a total budget of about $512,000, with $410,000 coming from a Transportation Improvement Board grant and roughly $100,000 to $102,000 left for the city to cover.

King told councilmembers Orchard Avenue has “long been a priority” for pavement preservation, but the cost of replacing non-compliant curb ramps has repeatedly pushed the project out of reach. He said this grant finally sets the city up to complete both the accessibility upgrades and the road work.

Councilmember Charlie Atkinson noted that the project affects his district and said he was excited to see it move forward.

The third funding item approved this week is a $120,000 Department of Ecology Stormwater Capacity Grant covering the 2025–2027 biennium. Stormwater Coordinator Kelsey Grover told councilmembers the grant is 100 percent funded and does not require any city match.

She said the grant is designed to help cities meet the requirements of their municipal stormwater permits and will largely be used to support staff time for program administration, inspections, maintenance, education and outreach, and post-construction stormwater compliance.

“The sole purpose of it is to assist jurisdictions with meeting the terms of the permit,” Grover said, adding that the grant is offered every two years and is fully funded to support local stormwater programs.

Taken together, the three approvals represent roughly $2.33 million in total project and program funding, with the city’s share limited almost entirely to the approximately $100,000 match on the Orchard Avenue project.

Mayor Mike Poirier noted during the meeting that the agenda reflected an unusually strong run of grant successes for the city and said it was encouraging to see so many projects moving forward at once.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media