City of Kent to return $221,750 grant for bike lanes

It’s rare when a city returns grant money.

But that’s what Kent will do with $221,750 it received to help build a bicycle corridor along West James Street.

The money’s going back to the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) because city officials couldn’t find any other ways to help fund the $1.3 million project to build bicycle lanes from the Interurban Trail near the ShoWare Center to Washington Avenue South.

The City Council’s Public Works Committee voted 3-0 on Monday to approve a return of the funds by Public Works Director Tim LaPorte to the PSRC.

“It’s always best to return the money rather than have them take it from you,” said Mark Howlett, city design engineering manager, to the committee. “The benefit is we can compete in future grant cycles.”

Howlett said the city asked the PSRC, which distributes federal grants for transportation projects, for $1.1 million in 2012 for the bicycle corridor to complete the Green River Trail to Interurban Trail connector along James Street. That grant application wasn’t successful but in 2013 the PSRC offered $221,750 to Kent to cover the project’s design phase.

“We decided to accept the grant and try to use it as leverage for possible future funding opportunities,” Howlett said. “We knew it was kind of a long shot but we wanted to do it because if you have money you look better in front of other grant opportunities.”

But grant applications to the state Department of Transportation and other sources did not track down any further money for the project, which includes an expensive portion of building bicycle lanes under Highway 167.

The PSRC also has strict policies about grant money not spent by cities and had sent the city a letter asking about the project and when it might be built.

If the city had spent the money on the design phase and then not finished the project, the PSRC would have required Kent to pay back the $221,750.

“There is really no impact to the city as far as money,” Howlett said. “We have not spent any money so there is no money to pay back.”

LaPorte said the city returned a $200,000 grant a few years back in connection with building a railroad-street grade separation at Willis Street, a project the city has since shelved.

“This is not the first time we have had to return funds,” LaPorte said.

Council President Dana Ralph wished the city had a better option.

“It’s very frustrating but this has been a monthly conversation with the deadlines,” Ralph said. “We need to prove that money out there is actually being spent. It’s frustrating when you have some funding, but I understand. Money will go back into the pool and at some point we will benefit from a jurisdiction that’s having the same problem as us.”

Kent will be able to seek a project grant again from the PSRC. City staff also hopes to get a state Transportation Improvement Board grant to fund a short section of the bicycle corridor on James Street from Lakeside Boulevard near The Lakes neighborhood to the Green River Trail.

“We recognize it’s still a very important project to the city to complete the east-west bicycle lane from Interurban Trail to the Green River Trail,” Howlett said.

Mel Roberts, chairman of the city’s Bicycle Advisory Board, told the committee he understood the decision to return the money but had hoped to see the bicycle lanes get built.

“I’ve been looking forward to this and hoping it would happen so I’m disappointed it’s not happening,” Roberts said. “I encourage you to keep trying and even to make this little piece happen on the west end. I wish we had more money to go do it.”

Councilman Dennis Higgins, chairman of the Public Works Committee, said the James Street bicycle corridor remains a priority.

“We will be back to talk about this again, I promise,” Higgins said.