WHITE SALMON — The City of White Salmon is the recipient of a Risk Management award and a grant to help improve critical water infrastructure in the city.
The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Risk Management Service Agency (RMSA) is a municipal risk pool protecting the employees, assets and officials of 106 of Washington’s cities, towns and special purpose districts from property and liability risks and cost. On Oct. 17, the agency held its annual meeting to recognize the hard work of its members done to mitigate risks in their communities.
The release states: “The daily operations of running a municipal entity are complex, but managing risks and engaging in risk management help keep municipalities running effectively, efficiently, and promotes stronger, more resilient communities.”
The AWC RMSA recommended that the City of White Salmon be honored for their dedication to risk management practices. They were selected as one of this year’s loss control award winners in the categories of Loss Control Recognition, Loss Control Champion, and Engaged Member.
“Our team has spent a lot of time over the past year evaluating our operations and finding ways for improvement,” said City Administrator Troy Rayburn. “This includes how residents interact with City Hall and the services we provide, how our employees are trained, and the opportunities provided to increase their skill set, and our processes to minimize risk. This recognition certainly reinforces how important those efforts are and will continue to be going forward.”
Water infrastructure grant
The city was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the Washington State Public Works Board for the Mainline Phase IIA Project, which is the next phase of planned improvements to the mainline of the city’s water delivery system. The project spans from Forester Lane to the top of Bald Mountain Corners on Highway 141.
The city submitted a loan application totaling more than $8 million for financing. Their loan was approved and awarded earlier this fall. The grant award now reduces the anticipated loan amount to $6.8 million.
“We’re excited about this additional grant funding as it helps to decrease maintenance costs incurred by our water users for a much-needed project,” said Public Works Director Andrew Dirks. “Completion of the mainline improvements will ensure stable water delivery on our main transmission feed to town going forward, and help to address known water losses currently within the system.”
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