Sen. Cantwell visits Pacific and Grays Harbor counties today
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell is visiting Grays Harbor and Pacific County today to discuss broadband and transportation needs.
First on her agenda is a trip to Pacific County where Senator Cantwell (D-WA) will visit Ilwaco to meet with local Pacific County officials and advocates about the need for access to reliable broadband and its impact on the community.
The Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction estimates that between 12% and 21% of Washington K-12 students still do not have the technology or internet connectivity required for remote learning. In Pacific County, this number is much larger with 25% of students lacking adequate internet service for remote learning. Cantwell says that in March 2020, in September 2020, and again in February 2021, she urged the FCC to use its existing authority and programs to facilitate at-home connectivity for students to keep up with remote schoolwork.
Who: U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
Gary Forner, Mayor of Ilwaco
Jerry Phillips, Mayor of Long Beach
Kelly Rupp, Facilitator, Pacific County Broadband Working Group
Guy Glenn Jr, General Manager, Port of Ilwaco
Pam Hickey, PUD Commissioner District #2, Pacific County PUD#2
Sue Yurki, Executive Director, Pacific County Economic Development Council
Andi Day, Executive Director, Long Beach Visitors Bureau
Scott McDougall, Director, Pacific County Emergency Management
Amy Huntley, Superintendent, Ocean Beach School District
When: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 1:30 PM PT
Where: Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum
115 Lake Street SE
Ilwaco, WA 98624
** please bring a mask to use as needed **
Following that meeting, Senator Cantwell will meet with local officials and advocates in Aberdeen for a roundtable discussion on the need to address at-grade train crossings to improve community safety and decrease congestion.
In a release from her office, iIn March of this year, Cantwell released a report studying and assessing safety and efficiency concerns at at-grade railroad crossings, finding current federal programs are not sufficient to address these pressing issues of safety and congestion. As a result, Senator Cantwell authored the Railroad Crossing Elimination Act, a $2.5 billion competitive grant program for railroad crossing separation projects. This provision was included in the bipartisan Surface Transportation Investment Act (S.2016) which recently cleared the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that Cantwell chairs.
Who: U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
Kevin Pine, Grays Harbor County Commissioner
Pete Schave, Mayor of Aberdeen
Ben Winkelman, Mayor of Hoquiam (Likely, but waiting final confirmation)
Tom Quigg, Port of Grays Harbor Commissioner
Lynnette Buffington, Executive Director of Greater Grays Harbor Inc.
Gary Nelson, Executive Director of the Port of Grays Harbor
Steve Schumate, Aberdeen Chief of Police
Brian Shay, Hoquiam City Manager
Leonard Barnes, Deputy Executive Director of the Port of Grays Harbor
Kris Koski, Aberdeen City Engineer
When: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 4:30 PM PT
Where: 111 S Wooding Street
Aberdeen, WA 98520
** Please bring a mask to use as needed **