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 **