City of Washougal staff on Wednesday briefed the City Council on the status of the city’s capital improvement program, detailing progress across water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation and parks projects and outlining remaining funding gaps and near‑term milestones.

The presentation covered dozens of active projects and an online CIP storybook staff said is available to the public. Staff reported the city has activated an advanced metering infrastructure portal and pushed the first customer communications about leak detection. On wastewater, staff said Station 1 near the waterfront is substantially complete and the city is building biosolids digesters after securing a low‑interest loan from the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Why it matters: those projects affect daily services (water, sewer, roads) and long‑range growth capacity. Some large projects also require outside funding and regional coordination; staff flagged both funding opportunities and remaining shortfalls.

Most urgent items and funding outlook

Transportation and major corridor work drew detailed discussion. Staff said the 30 Second Street rail crossing elimination/underpass remains a roughly $40 million project and that the project’s progressive design‑build team is finalizing options for the crossing and intersections. Staff said the project has multiple potential funding sources but still needs more: they reported a current construction funding shortfall of roughly $1.5–$1.6 million for a local corridor project and said the 30 Second underpass is listed on an early federal priority list (Cantwell’s list) and has been discussed with the offices of U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. Staff said a recent outreach to the city’s federal advocacy contact, Jordan, confirmed the request has been inserted in preliminary federal lists but emphasized those listings are preliminary and are not guaranteed funding.

For freight and corridor funding, staff referenced the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB) program and said the city has a $7.5 million entry on the 2029–2031 biennial list (not yet appropriated). Staff also listed local sources—traffic impact fees, pavement management funds and grant applications—being combined to close gaps.

Utilities and public works highlights

Staff described multiple water projects: service line upgrades on 30th Street and J Street, fire‑flow enhancements and “looping” (a second feed) to serve the Woodburn Hill and Crown Road neighborhoods, and a Reservoir 7 project for the northeast portion of town. Staff reported the AMI customer portal is live and that the system currently flags overnight flow anomalies to utility billing for follow‑up; staff said customers with accounts can receive automated notifications.

On wastewater, Station 1 (west of Silver Star on A Street) is operating and digesters are under construction; staff said the project used a low‑interest Ecology loan and that biosolids classification and beneficial reuse (Class B biosolids used on farms) remain in place.

Stormwater and trail work

Staff outlined a set of stormwater mitigation projects, including catch basin repairs, a Campen Creek mitigation concept (a collaboration with the Estuary Partnership and Washougal High School) and planned catch basin and dry‑well maintenance cataloged in the CIP.

Pavement and maintenance

Councilors heard that a programmed pavement management allocation of about $1.1 million is already making an impact on the city’s pavement condition index; staff said Washougal ranks highly in the region for pavement condition and that continued investment is a priority.

What’s next

Staff said an August update on the underpass and the progressive design‑build’s recommended concept will provide detailed engineering and cost information. For other projects, staff referenced anticipated permitting steps with Clark County, impending construction phases and ongoing grant applications. Several council members pressed staff for additional detail on schedules and on which projects would require local match or additional local funding decisions.

Discussion vs. action

The briefing was informational; no formal council actions or ordinance changes were taken in the session. Staff asked for council guidance on priorities and approval to continue pursuing identified funding sources.