Interim time begins with events in 12th District

Sen. Brad Hawkins sent this bulletin at 06/10/2019 02:06 PM PDT

June 10, 2019

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It has been over a month since the 105-day legislative session at the Capitol concluded. After spending the winter months on the rainy side of the mountains in Olympia, it is nice to be back home in North Central Washington. My schedule is more manageable during the summer months with in-district visits and occasional committee meetings and appointments in Olympia, but the schedule gets busy in the fall as I hold my listening tour throughout the district and begin preparing for next year’s legislative session. Over the past several weeks, I have enjoyed connecting with various local groups. Here are some recent events and activities here in the 12th District:

Post-session Interviews with Local Media. Following the adjournment of the 105-day session and the passage of the state budgets, I had the opportunity to connect in studio with both KPQ Radio and KOHO Radio, over the phone with KOZI Radio, and in studio with NCWLIFE. I also enjoyed discussing issues over lunch with the publisher of the Wenatchee World. As your State Senator, I’m thankful for the opportunity to connect with you – the people I serve – through our news outlets, and I’m appreciative that we have such hardworking local media members providing us information.
100^th Anniversary Apple Blossom Festival. As many of you know, this year was the 100^th anniversary of the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival in the Wenatchee Valley. It was a very special celebration this year, which for me included attending the premier showing of the documentary A Lot of Fuss About A Parade, the Festival Ball at the Wenatchee Convention Center, and serving as a dignitary in the Grand Parade. I’d like to extend a big thank you to the festival royalty, staff, board, and community volunteers who came together to make the festival so special.

Representative Goehner and I enjoy a photo with Pioneer Middle School science teachers Greg Simmons and Jenaia Narte and 25 Pioneer sixth-grade students who were selected by Chelan PUD to tour Rocky Reach Dam. LINK Transit partnered with Chelan PUD for the event and transported the students in an electric bus.

Rocky Reach Dam Student Experience. Chelan PUD, as part of its Strategic Planning Process, selected 25 students from Pioneer Middle School in the Wenatchee School District to participate in a series of activities at the Rocky Reach Hydro Project, including traveling in a LINK electric bus powered by hydropower to view the hydro project, tour its juvenile fish bypass collection facility, and to learn about natural resource programs. I was able to join Representative Goehner and others to offer a welcome message to the students. Special thanks to the Chelan PUD board and staff who have shown great leadership in helping students connect with our public hydropower assets as part of their educational development.
Apple STEM Network’s Year End Meeting and Celebration. Development of science, technology, engineering, and math skills are becoming increasingly important as our young people enter college and the workforce as part of a 21^st century global economy. This year-end celebration took place at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and included community networking, scholarship presentations, MESA awards, and a year-in-review of the program. Many amazing students were recognized with awards. The event concluded with another special moment when co-director Jenny Rojanasthien presented her colleague, Dr. Sue Kane, with an award for her visionary work in developing the Apple STEM Network in Chelan and Douglas counties.
Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Awards and Memorial Luncheon. It was an honor for me to attend this year’s awards and memorial lunch to honor the courageous men and women in our law enforcement community. For 27 years, the Greater Wenatchee Sunrise Lions Club has hosted this special lunch to recognize and honor local members of our city, county, and state law enforcement. Each of the law enforcement agencies were represented along with family members and local leaders to honor this year’s award recipients and to remember officers who died in the line of duty. Special thanks to the Sunrise Lions Club for their dedication to this event throughout the years.
Meeting with the Ports of Chelan and Douglas Counties. The Port of Chelan County and the Port of Douglas County have been working collaboratively over a number of months to consider a functional consolidation of their duties. This effort is designed to streamline administrative operations and save taxpayers money in an effort to address fiscal shortfalls related to the operations of Pangborn Memorial Airport, a tremendous regional asset. I appreciated the invitation by Port of Chelan County Executive Director Jim Kuntz and Port of Douglas County Executive Director Lisa Parks to learn more about the collaborative work being considered by the two port districts.
Nason Ridge Community Hike. I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a local hike up the Nason Ridge Trail near Lake Wenatchee hosted by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. It was a beautiful day for a hike. It was great to visit Big Red, the huge Ponderosa pine at the top of the trail and also to enjoy so many of the sights and sounds along the way. This particular area is very important to many people in Chelan County and has been under consideration by Washington State and Chelan County as a possible location of a designated community forest.
Chelan-Douglas Republican Women’s Luncheon. It was great to connect again with the local Republican Women’s group who invited me and my 12^th District seatmates to recap the recent legislative session over lunch. This group has been meeting monthly for many years at the Wenatchee Red Lion Hotel. Their luncheons include featured presentations along with club updates and activity reports. I appreciated the opportunity to attend their recent lunch, to recap the legislative session, and answer questions.
Washington Ambulance Association Summer Meeting. It was great to connect with the members of the Washington Ambulance Association at Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee for their summer meeting. Our ambulance owners and operators provide a very valuable service throughout North Central Washington and the entire state. As you can imagine, there are growing challenges associated with being an ambulance provider, including increased regulations, expanded responsibilities, medical protocols, reimbursement rates, and changing technology.

As you can see, there are many interesting events taking place in our district. Even though I can’t personally attend every event or activity, I greatly appreciate all of the many talented people who work to make our communities better. I am so proud to serve as our district’s State Senator and to be a part of so many amazing experiences.

When not in Olympia, I enjoy our famous outdoor recreation. This lookout is located along the Colchuck Lake Trail in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near Leavenworth.

My column on Wenatchi Landing sewer project

Two weeks ago, the Wenatchee World published a column I submitted about the new two-year capital budget providing $4 million in funding for the Wenatchi Landing sewer extension project. This was a major win for the Wenatchee Valley, and it was made possible by a team effort involving many public and private entities that expressed support for this key project. You can read my guest column here. Phase 1 of the project will include an extension of sewer infrastructure past 35th Street N.W. outside of East Wenatchee. This project could greatly enhance economic development opportunities and the overall quality of life in the Wenatchee Valley. A recent economic analysis indicates that for every dollar of public investment made here, an amount between $9 and $112 will flow back to our area. You can read more about this project by going here.

My 2019 Legislative Review is available online

The approved funding for the Wenatchi Landing project was one of many stories featured in my 12th District Legislative Review newsletter, which recently was mailed to households throughout the district. If you did not receive my printed newsletter in the mail, or if you received it but didn’t get a chance to read it, we have made it available online. Click here to see the Legislative Review.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your State Senator.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

State Senator Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District
E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov

Website: senatorbradhawkins.org

107 Newhouse Building - P.O. Box 40412 | Olympia, WA 98504-0412
(360) 786-7622 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

Thank you for reading this e-newsletter -- I hope you will stay connected and continue receiving my updates from the Legislature and the state Capitol.

To stop receiving my updates, simply follow these steps: 1) Click here, enter the e-mail address that received the newsletter, click "submit," and 2) when a new page appears click "delete my account." You will receive a confirmation e-mail. You may also stop receiving my update by sending an e-mail to my office (brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov).

If you have questions or problems with this subscription, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.

For more news, click here to visit my legislative webpage. It's my privilege to serve the people of Washington's 12th Legislative District, comprising all of Douglas and Chelan counties and part of Okanogan and Grant counties.