6th Legislative District April 30, 2010

Friends and neighbors,

After taking just a few days to catch my breath from a grueling legislative session, I’ve launched into an aggressive interim schedule here in Spokane. I’ve spent the last couple weeks meeting with a series of groups and constituents to talk about the session and there’s more on my schedule.

Here are a few quick updates on some noteworthy developments.

Favorable bid environment still saving money

Careful readers know that I’ve talked at length in recent months about how a favorable bid environment is saving taxpayers a pile of money on transportation projects, allowing more projects to be built for the same money. On average, construction bids are coming in about 17 percent below original engineering estimates.

That’s because contractors are hungry as ever in this lousy economy. A good local example is work being done on the North Spokane Corridor. Savings from initial phases of at the north end of the corridor are being used to purchase right of way for the three-mile segment from Freya Street south to the Spokane River.

I mention all this because the state recently witnessed perhaps the most glaring example of savings being realized due to a favorable bid environment. It turns out that the low bid for a major component of the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement in Seattle has come in an astonishing $40 million below original engineering estimates.

Originally, the Sodo portion of the viaduct replacement project was expected to cost $153 million. But the low bid came in at $114.6 million. In fact, all six bids came in below the original estimate for a project that will support 600 construction jobs.

We couldn’t have picked a better time for the state’s largest ever transportation construction campaign. It’s good for the economy and it’s great for taxpayers.

Price of tuition credits rises at midnight

If you’re one of the thousands of Washington families who already are investing in their kids’ college education through the state’s pre-paid college tuition program, you should know that today is your last chance to buy lump sum units at the $101 price. That’s because after midnight tonight, the price goes up to $117, a 15.8 percent increase.

That increase reflects the tuition increases at our state’s colleges and universities that were authorized by the Legislature for the coming academic year. Unfortunately, during economic downturns, state funding for higher education wanes because there are so few strings attached to it, making it easier to cut.

All this illustrates why locking in the cost of a college education today makes so much sense. If $101 per unit sounds like a lot today, consider what it will be in five, 10 or 15 years.

So if you’re interested in making a last-minute purchase, go here to learn how you can buy credits electronically before tonight’s deadline.

Stay in touch.

I deeply appreciate the phone calls and e-mails constituents send to my office. Hearing your questions and concerns helps me keep in touch. So if you’ve got a question or want to weigh in on an issue, don’t hesitate to call. This is what I’m here for.

Thanks for reading and I’ll check in soon with another update.

Chris