With Washington state facing an estimated $3 billion shortfall as the Legislature readies to develop its 2011-13 biennial budget, civic and government entities here say they hope simply to hang on to funding they already have, and are going easy on new requests.

Still, money for a number of big-ticket capital projects will be on the table when legislators convene next month.

Among them are requests for $300 million to construct the North Spokane Corridor freeway from Francis Avenue south to the Spokane River, about $71 million to build a facility to house a proposed four-year medical school here, and roughly $63 million for a handful of other higher-education projects.

Also in the upcoming session, Greater Spokane Incorporated will advocate keeping state tax incentives in place for businesses and employers, and will seek cost-saving changes to the state's workers' compensation and unemployment insurance systems.

"I think a number of organizations that have state funding are oriented to saying that they would like to sustain funding, but not ask for more," says GSI president and CEO Rich Hadley. "I think there's a great awareness of the challenge that the governor and the Legislature faces, and that compromises will have to be made."

Hadley says he believes the Legislature will focus this session on core services to communities, and on how state spending can stimulate local economies.

"Projects will be considered as the Legislature looks at how much it has and how much capital it can support, and what the priorities are in that capital," he says. "I would say that state facilities are going to be a top priority, and community projects might be less."

He says one of GSI's top priorities is construction funding for a facility to house a four-year medical program here to be run by the University of Washington Medical School in cooperation with Washington State University.

Meanwhile, Hadley says he hopes to see the Legislature keep in place Gov. Chris Gregoire's recommendations to eliminate some regulations on small businesses so they can grow.

"That might be the way the Legislature hopes to stimulate business growth, by keeping taxes low and putting a moratorium on some growth regulations, which also preserves incentives for key industries here that have the potential to create good jobs," he says.

Transportation

A host of transportation projects here are being sought by the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Spokane Transit Authority, as listed on a draft of priority requests compiled by GSI.

Included on that list is $85 million to construct one additional lane in each direction on Interstate 90 between Barker and Harvard roads in the Spokane Valley, as part of an ongoing plan to have a total of six lanes on I-90 all the way to the Idaho state line. That project also includes interchange work, and the number is preliminary, DOT says.

Also, $61 million is being sought to build three new interchanges on U.S. 195, at Cheney-Spokane Road, Hatch Road, and Meadowlane Road.

The $300 million being requested for the next big section of the North Spokane Corridor would extend the north-south freeway farther south to about the Spokane River. Currently, work is under way on parts of the freeway north of Francis and the next stage of the project would include bridge work, moving railroad tracks, and other work.

DOT spokesman Al Gilson says that while the department hopes to secure funding for those projects, it's up to the governor's office to approve them for submission to the Legislature.

Gilson adds that with Washington's budget shortfall, obtaining funding for transportation projects in the next biennium will be difficult.

"The DOT is anxiously awaiting the Legislature's decision on these projects that we're hoping to start construction on," he says.

Meanwhile, the STA will seek close to $1 million from the Legislature to buy onboard cameras, computer-aided dispatch, and automatic bus locators for its buses, as well as onboard enunciators and next-stop displays to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities.

The STA also is seeking $1.3 million for operational improvements at the STA Plaza downtown, including sidewalk expansions, crosswalk enhancements, and other enhancements such as shelters, bike racks, lighting, and signage, says STA spokeswoman Molly Meyers.

That money also would pay for the reconfiguration of Wall Street from one-way to two-way traffic to increase accessibility and mobility for buses arriving and departing from the Plaza, she says.

Other STA requests include funds to replace some of its Vanpool vehicles, as well as a grant renewal of $1.4 million to serve its special needs population.

Education

In addition to the nearly $71 million being sought for a home for the proposed four-year medical school on the Riverpoint Campus, WSU is asking for $600,000 in operating funds to develop a first- and second-year medical education program that would lead to a four-year program.

Construction funding for the first phase of the biomedical and health sciences building is WSU's No. 1 capital priority for the university systemwide, says WSU Spokane spokeswoman Barb Chamberlain.

Eastern Washington University is seeking $38 million in funding to complete the renovation of Patterson Hall, the university's largest instructional building. The first stage of remodeling work on that project at the school's Cheney campus began in September with funds from a previous legislative request totaling close to $25 million. The new request would pay for renovation of the remaining 76,000 square feet of the 103,000-square-foot building.

The total cost of that renovation is estimated at about $65 million, and a final completion date for the entire project is set for April 2014.

Community Colleges of Spokane, which operates Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane Community College, and the Institute for Extended Learning, says it hopes to secure about $25 million for the construction of two new buildings at SFCC. The college district says it also wants to secure increased per-student state funding to reflect the number of students it serves, which is higher than the state-funded maximum.

Sirti, the economic development agency located on the Riverpoint Campus, is asking only that the Legislature maintain its present level of funding.

In K-12 education, six Spokane County school districts—Spokane, Mead, Central Valley, Freeman, Cheney, and Medical Lake—are requesting state matching funds for capital projects, GSI says.

Some of the county's districts are also seeking levy-equalization funding, which is a process in which school districts with lower property values receive financial assistance from the state so that the public education tax burden is shared more equitably by property-poor and property-rich districts, says Spokane Public Schools spokeswoman Terren Roloff.

Roloff says Spokane Public Schools hasn't completed its priorities for the legislative session yet. She says, however, that the district expects to ask the state to maintain its levy equalization, as well as continue funding for the full-day kindergarten program it offers at 14 of its 34 elementary schools.

"These are two things we feel strongly about," she says.

Other initiatives

Several nonprofits here also are seeking money from the Legislature to fund programs and projects.

One of those is Second Harvest, the big food bank here that serves Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The nonprofit is seeking about $1.3 million to expand the capacity of its distribution facility, at 1234 E. Front, to double the amount of perishable food it can process annually to 16 million pounds, says its executive director Jason Clark.

"One of the opportunities over the last decade we've had is the ability to partner with growers and producers in Washington to secure donated bulk produce," says Clark.

He says that while he recognizes the state faces budget challenges, Second Harvest still hopes to get close to what it's asking for.

"The reality is that with the state of the economy the number of people seeking emergency food services is increasing," he says. "We think that it will be a good investment for the state."

Mobius Science Center is asking that the Legislature maintain the recently awarded $3.4 million appropriation for the remodel of Mobius' new 25,000-square-foot center downtown, on the ground floor at 809 W. Main and directly across from River Park Square, which offers interactive and educational science and technology exhibits.

Spokane Public Radio is seeking $1.5 million from the state to help it acquire and remodel property in downtown Spokane where it hopes to move its operations.

The Northeast Community Center, at 4001 N. Cook, is requesting $225,000 to install a new heating and cooling system at its facility. The center provides services and programs for seniors, women, and children, as well as a medical clinic for uninsured or underinsured individuals.

Daybreak Youth Services and its partner organizations, which include Excelsior Youth Center, the Northwest Washington Treatment Association, and the Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations, is asking for financial support of its substance abuse treatment programs for teens in the metro area.