Baird secures funding help for Wahkiakum County

August 2 , 2007

The 2007-08 federal budget will contain several appropriations to address Wahkiakum County needs, Congressman Brian Baird announced this week.

Appropriations include:

• $200,000 for Wahkiakum County to provide for the replacement of the ferry Wahkiakum, which has been in service on the lower Columbia River since the early 1960s.

• $1.35 million for the Third District to help communities combat the meth epidemic and the effects of the drug. The Washington State Meth Initiative received $950,000 to be used for law enforcement, treatment and prevention programs, and meth lab cleanup efforts. Baird also secured $400,000 for Washington State University’s Methamphetamine Research program, to hire two additional faculty and research staff to support the substance abuse research program at WSU in Spokane.

• $15,378,993 in emergency funds allocated by the Federal Highway Administration to repair the damaged roads and bridges. Washington’s third Congressional district received a total of $7,795,558 in funding. Wahkiakum County received $573,000 for two slide repairs on SR4.