Another Halloween is upon us, and I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel like the month of October lasted about 4.7 days. I also feel a frantic need to go buy a turkey so it’s thawed in time for Thanksgiving. And the scene with the Griswold family enjoying the last few seconds of peace and quiet before the doorbell rings keeps playing in my head.
But November is only hours away and we are excited to co-host, along with the San Francisco Federal Reserve, the first Rural Washington Water Infrastructure Financing Workshop in Seattle next week. This workshop is part of our PRISTINE Water Initiative, and our goal is to find solutions for water infrastructure financing to support local economies.
Many rural water and wastewater systems across Washington are long overdue for major repairs, facility upgrades or facility replacements, which impact future economic development, employment and housing across the state’s rural communities. Towns cannot afford to improve these systems without major grant awards and/or low-interest loan assistance. In many communities, funding these infrastructure improvements will require private and philanthropic investment as well.
Workshop invitees include banks, CDFIs, credit unions, foundations and private investment firms. We’ll spend the day learning how other communities across the country have successfully funded regional rural water infrastructure projects with private investment vehicles. Participants will discuss which models may work best in Washington state and explore how to form partnerships to make these investments a reality.
I’m going to put on some Christmas tunes. Enjoy your Halloween, and consider treating your local food pantry with a donation!
Take care,
Jody
