Yelm Community Blog readers knew this decision was coming down the pike covered here on January 9th, 2009.

The Tacoma News Tribune reported in their January 16th editions that the SR 510 Yelm Bypass is in the “Puget Sound regions … losers in Gov. Chris Gregoires six-year transportation plan (2009-15). Any project delayed beyond 2015 probably wont get built unless the state gets more money from higher taxes, tolls or a huge federal bailout.

LOSERS
4. Yelm bypass: Gregoire cut short the work the Legislature wanted to do on Highway 510 this biennium, and pushes the remaining $23 million of work beyond 2015.”
The WSDOT site on the Bypass is updated monthly.

This writer attended the Yelm City Council meeting on January 13th and was the only non-staff/commissioner in-audience except a lady and her daughter and an NVN reporter (Ed. Note: Where was the NVN’s story in their January 16th edition on this important conversation in Council?).

At the close of the City Council session, Mayor Harding asked for any last comments from each of the members.
Mayor Pro-tem Bob Isom said that if funding for the Bypass comes through, construction could start by this May for phase 1 (near Southworth Elementary thru to Cullen).

Mayor Harding interrupted and said, “or sooner.”
Isom said the Bypass deserves a more thorough look from the Legislature for 2 reasons:

1. the gas tax funded this road and if people knew the Governor was pulling gas-tax funding for the Bypass that they voted to implement this road, they would be up in arms.
He said the Gov. has decided to bump Bypass funding to the 2021-2023 biennium, as the Tacoma News Tribune reported) .
2. The Bypass is engineered and is a shovel-ready project, therefore construction could start as soon as funds are released, deserving priority.

Isom did add funding looked distant and only the proposed stimulus package would give the Bypass a chance.
He said the legislature will have a challenge on this.

NEXT QUESTION:
THE 2009 CITY OF YELM BUDGET HAS MONEY ALLOCATED FOR A LOBBYIST IN OLYMPIA TO KEEP THE BYPASS PROJECT ALIVE IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE. WITH ALL OF THE PRESSURES ON THE BUDGET, WILL THE CITY COUNCIL NOW ELIMINATE THIS POSITION OR LEAVE IT IN, THROWING MORE TAXPAYER MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN?

SO, IF A YELM BYPASS IS NOT FUNDED BY THE STIMULUS PACKAGE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR WAL-MART? AFTER ALL, WAL-MART’S TRAFFIC MITIGATION PLAN WAS APPROVED BECAUSE THE BYPASS WOULD BE BUILT TO RELIEVE THEIR TRAFFIC.

THE PUBLIC WAS DUPED ON THIS ONE!