2021 Legislative Asks
Snohomish County Food and Farming Center
This year we’ve seen how truly fragile our food system has become. Our food security is dependent on local farmers and the ability to get food to those in need, whether kids in schools, elders in nursing homes, or those served by the Nourishing Neighborhoods program. McCollum Park, a Snohomish County owned property, would be renovated to house the needed infrastructure which would in turn be leased to private businesses providing these services to the regional agricultural community.
The Snohomish County Food and Farming Center is a centrally located facility that provides access to resources for the processing, distribution, aggregation, valued added production, and direct and wholesale sales of locally produced agricultural products. A lack of infrastructure for fresh agricultural products has been an ongoing barrier for producers across the region, preventing them from getting their farm goods processed and to markets including schools and institutions where food is most needed. In light of COVID-19, this has become even more apparent as the demand for local agriculture products saw a dramatic increase as grocery store shelves in some places were left bare. Consumers were seeking local farm products more than ever; however, the infrastructure is not in place to support the increased demand.
· Renovation of 7,500 square foot building as a processing, aggregation and distribution center for local farm products.
· Renovation of 4,500 square foot existing building as a commercial kitchen for the creation of value added products. This building would also be used as a teaching kitchen and production kitchen for small business owners.
· Construction of pole-style building as an indoor year-round farmer’s market.
o Total renovation of two existing buildings and the new construction of the indoor farmers market: $6,020,317.50 (Cost includes equipment).
Department of Ecology’s Flood Control Account Assistance Program
The Flood Control Assistance Account Program, administered by the Department of Ecology, provides flood mitigation grants to local communities. FCAAP funding was swept in the 2018 operating budget. Ecology has requested this fund be restored and refashioned into a Community Flood Resilience Grant Program, at $3.2M for the ’21-’23 biennium, to enable partners to take a preventive and thoughtful approach to reduce flood risks and make their communities more resilient to flooding. Restoring this funding will allow more local partners to take a greater role in Floodplains by Design collaboration and project development.
Floodplains by Design
Two multi-benefit packages have been submitted in Snohomish County for the 2021-2023 Floodplains by Design grant program. The Snohomish package (submitted by Snohomish County) ranked 8th overall and will be fully funded at the $51 million mark, while the Stillaguamish package (submitted by the Stillaguamish Tribe) ranked 13th overall and will be fully funded at the $76 million mark. To learn more about the Floodplains by Design packages and to advocate your support, see our blogs about each package.