Millions included in capital budget for wildfire damage

February 25, 2016

The supplemental capital budget, released this week, targets three key areas, education, mental health, and wildfire damage sustained in Washington last summer.  Ruth Johnson reports from Olympia.

Johnson:  The widespread fires that charred over a million acres of land in Washington left behind expenses many would not have predicted.   Richard DeBolt, a Republican Representative from Chehalis says it is crucial to make a significant investment in forest health, and help the communities devastated by the wildfires of 2015.

DeBolt: “We’re spending about $5 million on capital construction to replace a failed watershed.  We’re looking at building a new network of communications that will allow our firefighters to communicate.  And then we are rebuilding some of the buildings that were destroyed.”

Johnson: The supplemental capital budget includes $200 million to increase the number of classrooms in the state.  It also allocates monies for mental health beds in communities statewide.

Ruth Johnson, Olympia.