State, federal funding boosts Forks projects

Northwest HUD Director pays visit

At the Monday evening, July 11 meeting of the Forks City Council an amendment to the city’s Six Year Street Plan was passed by the council.

The amended plan, drawn up by City of Forks Public Works Director Dave Zellar, now has road work slated for Spartan Avenue, including the road section fronting the new addition to Forks High School, and the section of E Street that runs between the Bank of America building and the Forks Transit Center.

State highway funds will pay for the road work. The funds were freed up when federal emergency road funding was allocated to the City of Forks for repairs and replacement work to the damaged culverts located under Russell Road. The section of Russell Road running over the culverts is now blocked off by concrete barriers and danger signs. The closure led to moving the Forks Fourth of July Parade staging area to the large rear parking lot of the Forks Transit Center and adjoining lots.

The Russell Road work, which involves environmental studies in and around the culvert, which carries salmon-bearing Mill Creek under the road, is slated for next year.

Street improvement and drainage work, including a sidewalk, are planned for Division Street back to Maple Ave. from the area around the intersection of Spartan Ave.

HUD visit

Northwest Region HUD Director Mary McBride, the regional director for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Housing and Urban Development agency, visited Forks on Tuesday.

McBride made a stop at the West End Outreach club house building on Founders Way and met with Mayor Bryon Monohon, Forks Community Hospital Administrator Camille Scott, City of Forks

Attorney/Planner Rod Fleck, Sen. Patty Murray’s North Olympic Peninsula representative, Clallam County Economic Development Council Director Linda Rotmark and representatives of the Clallam County Housing Authority. The HUD agency provided federal Community Development Block Grant assistance for construction of nearby low-income housing at Burke Place, and for the Founders Way street that was needed to pull together the construction of the new Bogachiel Clinic as well as the adjoining housing projects and the clubhouse. McBride and the group discussed additional infrastructure needs in Forks including hospital, housing, schools and city infrastructure.