Federal grants well received

Regional and state officials from both political parties Wednesday took turns praising $1.9 million in federal grants designed to push Spokane’s economy into high gear.

The grants, announced this week by the federal Economic Development Administration, are part of ongoing efforts to create more jobs and boost the economy of Eastern Washington, said David Sampson, the head of the EDA and an assistant secretary of Commerce.

Sampson said about $30 million in EDA money has been invested in Washington state over the past three years. He couldn’t say how much of that amount came to Eastern Washington.

All those EDA grants, he noted, are targeted to create jobs and revitalize the economy of both urban centers and rural areas.

On hand saluting the investments were U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt (R-Spokane), Spokane Mayor Jim West and a representative from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash). Assorted other civic and state officials were on hand for the event, held outside the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute.

The grants were:

• $1.5 million to the SIRTI Foundation to establish a regional technology growth fund. Types of assistance will range from purchase-order financing and credit lines to conventional financing for more mature companies.

• $212,605 to Washington State University to develop a “rural telework” program. The program, a unit of WSU’s Center to Bridge the Digital Divide, will choose up to five rural communities for business start-ups that create information-based service jobs. Six Eastern Washington counties — Adams, Columbia, Ferry, Okanogan, Pend Oreille and Stevens — will participate in the program.

• $175,000 to the city of Spokane to finish developing a new University District master plan. The plan will focus on the east end of downtown Spokane and include several local colleges, hospitals, a technology-transfer and commercialization center and private start-ups.

Nethercutt, who’s challenging Murray for her Senate seat, thanked Sampson for the investments. “This is a great example of a private-public collaboration, bringing together the universities’ brain power with strong private sector talent, supported by government investment,” he said.

In a press release, Nethercutt claimed the three grants will create 200 jobs directly, with more over time.

Murray, in a letter she sent to be read at the event, noted that the EDA has done a good job of identifying strong projects across Washington state. “The University District, the telework network and the revolving loan fund are strong examples of Spokane’s and Eastern Washington’s ability to collaborate for economic development,” she said.

Spokane was eligible for the three grants after civic leaders established that the economy here has lagged significantly behind the rest of the nation.