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State fund and local donations reopen Upper Hoh Road after washout
Summary
A ceremonial ribbon-cutting reopened the Upper Hoh Road after a washout. Officials credited a $600,000 state allocation from the Economic Development Strategic Reserve account plus $27,000 in local donations for enabling the repairs and restoring tourism-dependent businesses.
JEFFERSON COUNTY — A ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Upper Hoh Road marked the reopening of the route after a spring washout, with state and local officials crediting a state emergency allocation plus rapid community fundraising for the repair.
Commissioner Heidi Eisenhower of Jefferson County opened the event, thanked county public-works staff and contractors, and said the county's small tax base limited its ability to pay the full cost. "Jefferson County is actually a tiny county. We have about 20,000 residents who contribute to the property taxes in Jefferson County," Eisenhower said, and she singled out contractor Bruce Seaton and county crews for completing the work on time.
The repair was financed through a mix of state support and private donations. Representative Birnbaum said a unique pool of state dollars required some private match, and praised the community for raising $27,000 in a matter of days: "Between Saturday at about 4 and, I think, Tuesday at 10, the community put in $27,000 to get this going." Anna Machit, owner of the Hard Rain Cafe on Upper Hoh Road, said the state's contribution prevented greater future costs and saved local tourism jobs: "This was $600,000 well invested by the state of Washington."
Governor Ferguson said he identified and authorized use of the Economic Development Strategic Reserve account, a fund the legislature created in 2005 that the governor can access for narrowly specified economic purposes. He explained the fund can be used to protect jobs and economic activity and said it has a requirement for some private donations though the statute does not fix a specific percentage. "Bring problems like this to me," the governor said, urging communities to seek state help for time-sensitive infrastructure needs.
Local leaders and business owners described the road as essential to the Olympic Peninsula's tourism economy, saying closures would have cut seasonal income for small businesses and cost local jobs. Pat Neal, a local guide, presented the governor with a certificate of appreciation from the Oil City Chamber of Commerce.
The event ended with the ceremonial cutting of ribbon and officials opening the road to traffic. The repair work and funding arrangement were described as a one-time solution to restore access; no formal legislative action was taken at the ceremony.
