Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke and two other city officials lobbied heavily before Washington senators and congress members recently in Washington, D.C., in a bid for federal funds to cover Green River levee repairs as well as projects to separate three streets from railroad crossings in Kent.

The trip didn’t result in any money for the city yet, but Cooke hopes Kent’s levee and street projects will rank high on future distributions of federal funds.

“Our mission is education and advocacy for funding to preserve the economic base that is here,” Cooke said after her return from the day of meetings in mid-March. “Kent is the home to 40 million square feet of warehouse distribution space that would be impacted by levee projects. Should the Green River overflow the levees, destruction to the warehouse space would be huge.”

Cooke traveled to Washington, D.C., with Ben Wolters, city economic development director, and Tim LaPorte, deputy public works director.

They met with Washington Democrat Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell as well as CongressmenAdam Smith, D-Tacoma, and Dave Reichert, R-Auburn. Smith represents District 9 and Reichert District 8. Each district includes parts of Kent.

“Just getting appointments is a coup,” Cooke said. “And we spent quite a bit of time with the staff of all four.”

Cooke emphasized in the meetings the importance of rebuilding the Green River levees in Kent. She also told the elected officials about the sinkhole on the abutment next to Howard Hanson Dam and the impact that could have on levees next winter.

The dam helps control flooding along the river. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the dam’s holding capacity might be less during next winter’s rainy season because of the sinkhole.

“That adds to the urgency to rebuild the levees,” Cooke said.

City officials rank repairs to the Horseshoe Bend levee where Central Avenue crosses the Green River south of downtown Kent as a high priority.

It would cost approximately $33 million to repair the levee. The city requested $13 million from the federal government’s stimulus package for the levee, but did not receive any of that money.

“The situation is still dire when it comes to funding anything,” Cooke said.

Cooke also has lobbied the state Legislature this year for $10 million to help fund repair of the Horseshoe Bend levee. That request remains under consideration.

The mayor hopes the face-to-face meetings in Washington, D.C., will keep Kent’s levee and railroad-street projects high on the list of projects to fund.

“We’ll be in continued communication with their staff in D.C.” Cooke said of the leaders she met. “We’ve written letters to the delegation. But until you do a show-and-tell, it’s difficult to get your message across. Now it’s follow-up. They wanted additional information. That’s a good sign.”

The trip, paid for out of the city budget, cost $2,868. That total covered air fare, two hotel nights and meals for the three city officials. Cooke said she last took a city-business trip two years ago to Washington, D.C.

Murray has helped Kent officials with previous requests to get federal transportation funds, including railroad grade separation projects.

“She’s been very supportive in funding transportation,” Cooke said of Murray. “The levees are a new one. They are a little perplexed with how to deal with the Army Corps (which is charged with levee repairs) because it is such a strong federal entity.”

Street-construction crews expect to finish work this fall on a $20 million project to build an overpass over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks along South 228th Street between Second Avenue North and 83rd Avenue South.

City officials plan over the next few years to begin a railroad grade separation project over the Union Pacific tracks on South 228th Street, as well as two railroad separation projects on Willis Street and two more along South 212th Street. City officials estimate each project would cost from $24 million to $35 million.

“The grade separations continue to be a priority,” Cooke said, of the effort to improve traffic flow across the valley for commuters and truckers. “But the city can’t do those without federal assistance.”