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Kittitas County seeks up to $7 million from Salmon Recovery board for Lower Kittitas Reach restoration
Summary
County staff said they will apply to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board’s targeted-investments round for up to roughly $7 million to fund revegetation and the county’s remaining share of the Lower Kittitas Reach Reconnection project; a required resolution and authorized-signature language must be completed before the application can be finalized.
Lisonbee, a Kittitas County staff member, told the Board of County Commissioners the county will submit a joint application with Mid Columbia Fisheries to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board’s (RCO) targeted-investments round to fund revegetation and close a county funding gap for the Lower Kittitas Reach Reconnection project. "We've secured $10,000,000," Lisonbee said, and the in-river movement portion of the project is expected to cost about $14,000,000.
Lisonbee said the RCO targeted-investments round seeks projects with requests of roughly $1 million to $7 million and that the county was encouraged to apply for the full cap. He described the proposed split: about $5,400,000 would go to Mid Columbia Fisheries and a little shy of $1.6 million would go to Kittitas County to fill the county’s remaining funding need. "The final grant deadline is June 22nd," he said.
County staff said the project will likely be funded by a mix of grants: Floodplains by Design, the Salmon Recovery grant if successful, and future funding under the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. Lisonbee explained the co-application arrangement and billing process: at any time one co-applicant can be lead, submit billings to the state and be reimbursed; when the county’s portion is complete, administration would transfer to Mid Columbia Fisheries.
RCO requires an authorizing resolution that names who may submit the application and who may sign the contract if awarded. Staff sought the board’s signature on the applicant-authorization form but acknowledged a point of order: the agenda language did not correctly reference the required resolution, so the form could not be signed at this meeting and will be brought back for ratification and the chair’s signature at a subsequent meeting.
The presentation noted the county still needs to fundraise additional amounts beyond the proposed RCO request and that awarding the grant to Mid Columbia Fisheries in a single grant would simplify administration. The county will return with corrected resolution language and next steps if the board agrees to proceed with the formal application authorization.
