BOTHELL, Wash. — The City of Bothell is asking for millions of dollars from taxpayers statewide to help rebuild part of its downtown.
A devastating fire last month destroyed multiple buildings; nearly 20 business owners had to relocate.
On Wednesday, Gov. Jay Inslee walked through the worst of the wreckage where nearly three weeks before, flames tore through a decades-old building that was being renovated, quickly spread to nearby buildings, and put many small businesses out of action.
Brittany Caldwell of the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce told the governor 19 businesses have so far applied “for donated funds that we have received from the community.”
One week after the three-alarm fire, $60,000 poured in from citizens, but it’s not yet known whether the state of Washington will help get the damaged part of the old city back up and running.
That’s what Gov. Inslee met with Bothell business owners to discuss and help determine on Wednesday.
“We really need to know what the damage assessments are, on a dollars-and-cents basis, to find out if there is an eligibility,” the governor told KIRO 7. “We don’t know” whether the Bothell fire meets the required threshold for state help yet, he said.
Bothell’s mayor suggested the state chip in $4.5 million from the Transportation Improvement Board. Andy Rheaume described it as federal money distributed to local governments.
“We anticipate, of course, we’ll have to pay for some of that as well,” Rheaume said. “But that’s the total project cost.”
Whether any state or federal funding is approved won’t be known for up to six months, according to the mayor. He hopes to begin construction during the summer of 2017.
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Cox Media Group
