Port Townsend’s public works department has secured $5.3 million in transportation grants, something department leadership said translates to meeting nearly every grant it applied for in 2024.  

“I’ve always said it would be a great problem to have too much grant money and not enough funds to match it,” said Public Works Director Steve King at a Jan. 13 city council workshop. “I really didn’t expect to be here today to say “Oh my God, we got almost everything we asked for.” 

In December, the city announced it had secured two Washington State Transportation Improvement Board grants totaling $3.2 million, for the reconstruction of Lawrence Street between Walker and Harrison streets and chip seal paving along sections of San Juan Avenue and F Street. 

“Then shortly after the holiday, we got word from Washington state that we’re on the shortlist for grants through the state programs,” King said. 

The city has received an additional $1.2 million to construct sidewalks in the gap between Sims Way near the Bishop Canyon area, $500,000 to create a shared-use path on both sides of Sims Way between Haines and Sheridan streets and $350,000 to develop a plan for non-motorized facilities around schools. 

These grants, totaling just over $2 million, brought the award to $5.3 million. 

Each grant will be paid out over the next three years, but matching funds are required. 

The city has identified matching funds for the initial two grants: Transportation Benefit District revenues and water and stormwater taxes. A grant agreement for both is scheduled for approval at the Jan. 21 city council meeting. 

At the Jan. 13 workshop, King outlined a plan for how the city will meet the matching requirements for the remaining grants, relying on funds from the city’s Transportation Benefit District that was formed in 2023.

He is confident that the city will be able to secure all necessary funding given that the TBD will bring in $4.5 million over the next three years. 

“I think we are using the taxpayer resources right up to the maximum extent possible,” King said. “At this point, we do not need a general fund infusion to meet these grant requirements.” 

King attributed the department’s success to teamwork with several partners within the community.

“I think it speaks well for our ambition to invest in our streets, which ranges from community support, staff’s work, and City Council support,” King wrote in a follow-up email. “I also believe that it is the result of community groups and organizational partnerships such as Disability Awareness Starts Here, Jefferson Transit Authority, Jefferson County Farmers Market, and Port Townsend Main Street, who all help us get grants and then deliver the projects with support and outreach. We feel very fortunate to work in this environment, and that helps staff secure funding.”

King and his team are waiting to hear back about another grant for the reconstruction of Lawrence Street between Harrison and Monroe streets and expect to hear back from the state  in the spring.