WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.860 Lop. Lop. I like lop. Yeah. Local on, I don't 00:00:06.860 --> 00:00:09.720 know. How about lore? Lore? Yeah. Local only 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:12.220 roads. Oh, there you go. Lore. Oh, I like it. 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:15.500 It almost sounds a little hobbitish. Yes. Almost 00:00:15.500 --> 00:00:17.920 a little, you know. Yeah. Do you guys hear about 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:21.519 that lore program? Oh no, but now I'm excited. 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:24.920 Tell me about it. Tell me about lore. I just 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:28.079 need to know. For how many people listen to this, 00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:30.280 we are going to start. Look at the reaction you 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:35.000 got from me. Yeah. That's crazy. I love it. Welcome 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:37.299 to County Connection, the official podcast of 00:00:37.299 --> 00:00:39.259 the Washington State Association of Counties, 00:00:39.259 --> 00:00:41.640 where we dive into the legislative issues shaping 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:44.100 the future of our communities. From budgets to 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:47.039 public safety, infrastructure to elections, we'll 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:49.679 break down what's happening in Olympia and how 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:51.659 it impacts counties from across the Evergreen 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:54.789 State. Stay informed, stay engaged, and join 00:00:54.789 --> 00:00:57.350 us as we amplify the voice of Washington's 39 00:00:57.350 --> 00:01:02.329 counties. Welcome everybody to the County Connection 00:01:02.329 --> 00:01:05.510 Podcast. This is Paul Jewell, your host and government 00:01:05.510 --> 00:01:07.450 relations director for the Washington State Association 00:01:07.450 --> 00:01:10.590 of Counties. This is the official podcast for 00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:13.769 WASAC, and we are in the third week of the legislative 00:01:13.769 --> 00:01:16.569 session here in Olympia. Surprisingly, the weather 00:01:16.569 --> 00:01:19.750 has turned. We went from beautiful, sunny fall 00:01:19.750 --> 00:01:22.049 -spring days to a little bit gray and dreary 00:01:22.049 --> 00:01:24.609 today with more of the natural kind of Olympia 00:01:24.609 --> 00:01:26.829 weather that we're all used to during session. 00:01:27.030 --> 00:01:29.469 And speaking of something that comes back and 00:01:29.469 --> 00:01:31.590 that we're all used to... Jane Wall is here in 00:01:31.590 --> 00:01:32.930 the studio with me. I don't think that's the 00:01:32.930 --> 00:01:35.489 right intro for you, Jane. That's okay. That's 00:01:35.489 --> 00:01:38.810 okay, dark and dreary and stormy. Oh, boo. That's 00:01:38.810 --> 00:01:43.030 not what I meant. We should re -record that maybe 00:01:43.030 --> 00:01:45.349 another time. Actually, it's really a pleasure 00:01:45.349 --> 00:01:48.549 to see you. You were here not that long. Actually, 00:01:48.689 --> 00:01:52.129 you were here, if you think about it in terms 00:01:52.129 --> 00:01:56.090 of how many podcasts, we've done 58 podcasts. 00:01:56.450 --> 00:01:58.829 Congratulations. Yeah, so you were here right 00:01:58.829 --> 00:02:02.069 at the beginning. You were like one of the OG 00:02:02.069 --> 00:02:05.670 podcasts for WASAC. You're like County Connection 00:02:05.670 --> 00:02:08.770 OG Jane Wall. Yeah, you know, I like that. I 00:02:08.770 --> 00:02:10.590 like that title. Well, we're glad to have you 00:02:10.590 --> 00:02:14.090 back. Thank you. It's good to see you. It feels 00:02:14.090 --> 00:02:16.490 like maybe we'll make this a yearly thing if 00:02:16.490 --> 00:02:18.469 it keeps happening this way. We'd love it. But 00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:21.189 let's remind people who you are, where you're 00:02:21.189 --> 00:02:24.550 from, and what you do. Yeah. So again, Jane Wall. 00:02:24.810 --> 00:02:27.710 I am the executive director at the County Road 00:02:27.710 --> 00:02:31.330 Administration Board, CRAB. And before being 00:02:31.330 --> 00:02:33.909 the executive director, or becoming, I worked 00:02:33.909 --> 00:02:35.530 for the Association of Counties and the County 00:02:35.530 --> 00:02:37.590 Engineers Association as the managing director. 00:02:37.689 --> 00:02:41.330 So I love my county family and world. Paul and 00:02:41.330 --> 00:02:44.590 I go way back. Way back. Yeah. What, eight years? 00:02:44.830 --> 00:02:47.129 It's wonderful to be back in this building. Yeah, 00:02:47.150 --> 00:02:49.969 eight years. Way back. Way back, yeah. But every 00:02:49.969 --> 00:02:52.990 time I walk in this building, I have good memories, 00:02:53.030 --> 00:02:57.050 and it's just a cozy place to be. Well, we appreciate 00:02:57.050 --> 00:02:59.110 that, Jane, and it's good to have you back, and 00:02:59.110 --> 00:03:01.330 it's good to see you, and we miss you. And anytime 00:03:01.330 --> 00:03:04.460 you want to come back here to Wasak. you've always 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:06.639 got. You've always got a family that's sitting 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:08.539 here waiting for you. Thank you. But maybe not 00:03:08.539 --> 00:03:10.599 an office space. Well, I can't promise that. 00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:12.780 There might be a cubicle out there that's open. 00:03:12.919 --> 00:03:14.979 I can do that. Yeah, everybody can dig a cubicle 00:03:14.979 --> 00:03:17.659 for a while. So Jane, you've been over at Crabb 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:19.340 for a while now. You're the executive director. 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:22.740 Crabb's a state agency. Just remind people what 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:25.419 Crabb stands for. Yep, the County Road Administration 00:03:25.419 --> 00:03:28.939 Board. And what do you do? We oversee compliance 00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:31.639 of county road departments. We also administer 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:34.530 grant funding. Those of you in the county world 00:03:34.530 --> 00:03:37.069 that are listening today probably know us most 00:03:37.069 --> 00:03:40.270 for that, our RAP and CAP programs. We also have 00:03:40.270 --> 00:03:43.550 a ferry program for our four ferry counties. 00:03:43.569 --> 00:03:46.530 Now, when you say RAP, you mean Rural Arterial 00:03:46.530 --> 00:03:50.710 Program. Boy, I messed that up tonight. You do 00:03:50.710 --> 00:03:53.810 it. Rural Arterial Program. It is a mouthful. 00:03:53.810 --> 00:03:55.770 Look, you got some practice. Yep. And then the 00:03:55.770 --> 00:03:58.210 County Arterial Preservation Program is CAP. 00:03:58.449 --> 00:04:01.530 Okay. Then the CFCIP is the County Ferry Capital 00:04:01.530 --> 00:04:04.669 Improvement Program. Wow. And then our emergency 00:04:04.669 --> 00:04:08.969 loan program, ELP, is our revolving loan program 00:04:08.969 --> 00:04:12.669 fund for those counties that need some bridge 00:04:12.669 --> 00:04:15.550 funding as they await FEMA or other federal support. 00:04:15.789 --> 00:04:18.509 Now, when you say bridge funding, because our 00:04:18.509 --> 00:04:20.449 public works departments, they build bridges. 00:04:20.529 --> 00:04:23.129 Are we talking bridge funding for like a bridge? 00:04:23.230 --> 00:04:25.490 No. We're talking the other type of bridge funding. 00:04:25.490 --> 00:04:28.269 That's right. Yep. As you await. Hopefully, federal 00:04:28.269 --> 00:04:30.670 dollars, emergency dollars for your county, we 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:32.209 can help you in the meantime. To get from here 00:04:32.209 --> 00:04:34.290 to there. That's correct. Yep. Perfect. Yeah. 00:04:34.350 --> 00:04:36.149 Well, you run a lot of programs over there. We 00:04:36.149 --> 00:04:38.410 do. And coincidentally enough, we're actually 00:04:38.410 --> 00:04:40.790 going to talk about a new program, right? That's 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:42.550 right. Yeah. And you kind of unveiled this program 00:04:42.550 --> 00:04:44.529 the last time you were here about a year ago. 00:04:44.670 --> 00:04:47.370 That's right. We were at the start of that legislative 00:04:47.370 --> 00:04:49.889 session. And this was your legislative priority. 00:04:50.329 --> 00:04:53.069 It was. And you actually were successful. Congratulations. 00:04:53.250 --> 00:04:57.120 Thank you. Yeah. So that's the local road? program 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:00.420 that's right the lrp the local road program boy 00:05:00.420 --> 00:05:02.259 that's not a very good acronym no we're really 00:05:02.259 --> 00:05:04.980 actually we're working on it if anybody has ideas 00:05:04.980 --> 00:05:08.560 on you know a name for it that's catchy and just 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.680 rolls off the tongue let us know we have one 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:13.660 oh well don't act like you don't know we were 00:05:13.660 --> 00:05:15.480 talking about we did we were talking about it 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:18.459 earlier yeah it's the local only roads that's 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:21.740 right so it's gonna be the lore the lore so it'll 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:27.439 be oh my gosh crab lore I love it. It's perfect, 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:29.500 right? It's perfect. It almost sounds like a 00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:31.519 novel. Yeah. I mean, people will want, they're 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:33.660 going to be dying to know what is this crab lore. 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:36.240 Right. And if they were, you know, in a scary 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:38.740 movie and there was a bit of lore in the movie, 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:40.399 they might act, you know, I don't know where 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:42.839 I was going. They might want more. Oh, more lore? 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:54.360 Yeah. Okay. That was a good dad joke. I am a 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:59.540 sucker for a good dad joke. Oh, boy. It's been 00:05:59.540 --> 00:06:01.959 a long day. So we're still working on the name. 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:04.259 Yeah. Okay. We are. We're workshopping it. Okay. 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:07.600 So we went from Lerp to Lor. Yeah. And I think 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:09.660 we might have indulged on the Lor just a little 00:06:09.660 --> 00:06:13.240 bit. Let's talk about the program, though. So 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:16.259 you were able to get it authorized last year. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:19.540 I was just in a meeting with Jake Fye, Representative 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:24.699 Fye, at lunchtime, and he... liked to remind 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:27.079 us and very much reminded us it was the only 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:29.379 new program that was authorized in the budget 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:31.779 last year that's right he seems either really 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:33.660 proud of that or just really likes to remind 00:06:33.660 --> 00:06:35.600 that's right that's right just don't ask for 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:37.620 anything else for like two decades i think that 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:40.139 might actually be his motivation He's like, you 00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:42.560 got what you wanted last year. Nobody else did. 00:06:42.620 --> 00:06:45.379 Now sit down and be quiet. Exactly. Exactly. 00:06:45.420 --> 00:06:47.699 Yeah. He likes to remind me as well. Oh, okay. 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:50.100 So we're not the only ones. Well, we're certainly 00:06:50.100 --> 00:06:54.139 grateful to Representative Fye and Senator Elias, 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:57.899 who lead the transportation programs in the House 00:06:57.899 --> 00:06:59.720 and the Senate over there for authorizing this 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:03.279 program. But you didn't get any money for it 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:05.699 yet. Is that right? So we have money committed. 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:09.879 I say that in some air quotes. The idea is in 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:14.500 the 27 -29 biennium, $21 million has been committed. 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:18.500 Now, you're right. Past legislatures can't promise 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:20.160 what a future legislature will do. Yeah, it's 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:22.139 really just an intention, right? Correct. But 00:07:22.139 --> 00:07:25.180 we're hearing good things. But one of the really 00:07:25.180 --> 00:07:28.360 important points that I'm trying to drive home 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:31.819 to you, Paul, or to county commissioners or whoever 00:07:31.819 --> 00:07:34.240 is keep talking about this so they don't forget 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:35.639 about that commitment. Yeah, top of mind, right? 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:40.040 Exactly. And having that intention. actually 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:42.000 memorialized in legislation, you're right. It's 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:45.060 not a legal requirement. It's not something they 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:47.680 can hold anybody accountable to other than the 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:49.500 fact that you could say, look, we had these discussions. 00:07:49.639 --> 00:07:52.420 And remember back when we had these discussions, 00:07:52.699 --> 00:07:56.199 you promised or you said, or we all agreed it 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:58.060 was a good idea, which helps to put political 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:01.279 pressure on those decision makers if they want 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:03.139 to go back on those decisions and not follow 00:08:03.139 --> 00:08:05.319 through. That's exactly right. And we have been 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:07.839 doing a lot of work here in the interim and in 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:11.180 the lead up to. 2027 to show what our commitment 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:15.160 is and again i think to demonstrate to them we're 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:16.839 serious about this and that money better hit 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:19.720 the bank yeah on july 1st 2027 well now there's 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:21.759 something in the governor's budget too right 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:27.379 as far as governor ferguson has um proposed some 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:29.259 early funding for this program, right? So we, 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:32.559 as a part of our decision package, state agencies 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:34.960 submit what are known as decision packages to 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:37.899 the governor back in September. We asked for 00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:41.419 $2 .2 million to get this program stood up in 00:08:41.419 --> 00:08:43.700 this biennium. So this supplemental session, 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:46.000 we're asking for $2 .2 million. So why do you 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:48.039 need that money now? What's the benefit for getting 00:08:48.039 --> 00:08:50.419 it now? So we want counties to be prepared to 00:08:50.419 --> 00:08:53.620 be shovel ready in July of 2027. So we are asking 00:08:53.620 --> 00:08:56.740 for one -time design grants. so counties can 00:08:56.740 --> 00:09:00.740 get the work underway, and also an FTE at our 00:09:00.740 --> 00:09:03.100 agency who is actually going to be responsible 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:06.639 for building this program out. So that will kind 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.120 of be a catalyst to getting the program up and 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:11.580 running so that when you actually do have funding, 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:15.279 the counties will have... uh shovel ready projects 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:16.879 that are already designed that's exactly right 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:18.360 and you'll have somebody in place who can start 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:20.220 doing the oversight putting the contracts together 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:22.860 rather than having to start that process july 00:09:22.860 --> 00:09:25.740 1 2020 exactly we want to demonstrate to the 00:09:25.740 --> 00:09:28.019 legislature there's a demand here and that we're 00:09:28.019 --> 00:09:30.740 serious about getting to work because we didn't 00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:33.860 get the full um proposal that we had asked for 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:36.480 we'd asked for 40 million dollars we're eternally 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:38.440 grateful for this 21 million we're going to get 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:41.539 but we want to demonstrate to policymakers crab 00:09:41.539 --> 00:09:44.149 is an efficient place to you know put dollars 00:09:44.149 --> 00:09:46.269 um we're going to get them out the door quickly 00:09:46.269 --> 00:09:50.750 and uh responsibly and you know show them that 00:09:50.750 --> 00:09:53.529 we need in excess of that 21 million. Well, Crabb 00:09:53.529 --> 00:09:55.929 certainly has a reputation of being a good place 00:09:55.929 --> 00:09:58.809 to put grant dollars and being a really efficient, 00:09:58.990 --> 00:10:02.570 well -run organization, which you're doing a 00:10:02.570 --> 00:10:04.549 great job doing that, and that predates you as 00:10:04.549 --> 00:10:06.309 well, right? Absolutely. I can't take credit 00:10:06.309 --> 00:10:07.570 for it. There's a long legacy kind of out there. 00:10:07.690 --> 00:10:10.629 There's a great staff at Crabb, and I think it's 00:10:10.629 --> 00:10:13.090 one of the best partner organizations that counties 00:10:13.090 --> 00:10:15.610 work with on the statewide level. So kudos to 00:10:15.610 --> 00:10:18.090 you and your team for continuing that tradition. 00:10:18.429 --> 00:10:21.799 Thank you. Well, let's talk about the program 00:10:21.799 --> 00:10:24.840 itself. You know, you got it authorized. We've 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:26.179 talked about the funding a little bit, but we 00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:27.740 really haven't talked about what it is and what 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:31.399 it does. Why is it called local roads? Let's 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:33.179 start there. Great question. Yeah. So I love 00:10:33.179 --> 00:10:34.919 talking about this because when you hear the 00:10:34.919 --> 00:10:37.019 term local road, you think, well, aren't all 00:10:37.019 --> 00:10:39.159 roads local? Yeah, aren't all roads local? Exactly. 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:40.840 Unless it's the freeway, isn't it always a local 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:42.559 road? There's actually a federal designation 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:45.720 of what a local road is. It's your tertiary roads 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:48.200 at the county level. These are these feeder roads. 00:10:48.379 --> 00:10:51.169 You keep coming up with these hard words. I have 00:10:51.169 --> 00:10:54.529 had to practice them in the mirror, you know, 00:10:54.649 --> 00:10:56.789 in the morning. Tertiary, tertiary, tertiary. 00:10:56.909 --> 00:10:59.669 You have to do those exercises with your face. 00:11:00.789 --> 00:11:04.590 But yeah, there are these roads that feed into 00:11:04.590 --> 00:11:07.230 your, you know, kind of your minor collectors, 00:11:07.330 --> 00:11:09.850 your arterioles. Okay, now minor collectors, 00:11:09.990 --> 00:11:13.299 arterioles. I got it right that time. Yep. Arterials. 00:11:13.299 --> 00:11:15.659 Are these other classifications of roads and 00:11:15.659 --> 00:11:17.879 are those federal classifications as well? That's 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:20.580 right. That's right. And so how do you determine 00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:24.090 what? What to call a road? So dependent on how 00:11:24.090 --> 00:11:27.029 much the volume of traffic on those roads. And 00:11:27.029 --> 00:11:30.149 then, you know, DOT and the feds actually come 00:11:30.149 --> 00:11:31.929 up with what those designations are going to 00:11:31.929 --> 00:11:35.110 be. There are thresholds. There are only so many 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:37.250 roads that can be characterized as like a main 00:11:37.250 --> 00:11:39.750 arterial, for example. It actually gets into 00:11:39.750 --> 00:11:43.110 a lot of the weeds that I, not being an engineer, 00:11:43.370 --> 00:11:46.629 I don't even know some of it, but our county 00:11:46.629 --> 00:11:49.210 engineers certainly do. But it is a kind of a 00:11:49.210 --> 00:11:52.129 complicated process. And these local roads make 00:11:52.129 --> 00:11:56.370 up the vast majority of county roads. Okay. So 00:11:56.370 --> 00:12:00.009 all roads are local, but all roads are not local 00:12:00.009 --> 00:12:03.029 roads. That's correct. Yep. Some are, I don't 00:12:03.029 --> 00:12:05.110 remember what you call them. Arterials, collectors. 00:12:05.710 --> 00:12:08.570 Okay. But there's a certain classification that's 00:12:08.570 --> 00:12:10.370 called local roads. That's correct. And most 00:12:10.370 --> 00:12:13.429 of the reason or most of how roads are classified 00:12:13.429 --> 00:12:16.870 is based on traffic. Yep. So traffic volume itself. 00:12:17.029 --> 00:12:18.649 It doesn't have to do with the design of the 00:12:18.649 --> 00:12:20.610 road, how big it is, why it is. It does as well. 00:12:20.690 --> 00:12:23.429 But also the traffic is going to be dependent 00:12:23.429 --> 00:12:25.590 then on how big your road is going to be. Right. 00:12:25.590 --> 00:12:27.590 Because if you have heavier traffic or bigger 00:12:27.590 --> 00:12:29.169 trucks or whatever, you're going to want to design 00:12:29.169 --> 00:12:32.250 a bigger, better road. Okay. So those things 00:12:32.250 --> 00:12:34.669 kind of lend themselves. It's really kind of 00:12:34.669 --> 00:12:38.149 the traffic itself, the volume. Okay. So we have 00:12:38.149 --> 00:12:40.210 different types of roads, different classifications. 00:12:40.470 --> 00:12:44.730 Not all roads are local roads. Some are. But 00:12:44.730 --> 00:12:46.429 really, it's the vast majority. That's correct. 00:12:46.529 --> 00:12:50.190 So we have 78 ,000 lane miles of county roads 00:12:50.190 --> 00:12:52.470 statewide. And just to put that into perspective, 00:12:52.870 --> 00:12:55.470 the state system is somewhere right under 20 00:12:55.470 --> 00:12:58.090 ,000 miles. So you can just imagine how many 00:12:58.090 --> 00:13:01.309 more lane miles we have. More than three times. 00:13:01.549 --> 00:13:04.759 That's right. Of that 78 ,000 lane miles, around 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:09.919 48 ,000, 49 ,000 are local roads. Oh. So 60 - 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.740 Yeah, a little more than half. Exactly, are local 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:16.019 roads. And to put it even broader perspective, 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:19.600 one -third of all roads in the state of Washington, 00:13:19.820 --> 00:13:22.659 city, state, county combined, are local roads. 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:26.440 Okay. So I'm starting to get the picture here. 00:13:29.029 --> 00:13:32.769 I'm a little confused though. If we had, it's 00:13:32.769 --> 00:13:34.230 funny to say I'm getting the picture, but I'm 00:13:34.230 --> 00:13:36.809 a little confused. You'll understand it just 00:13:36.809 --> 00:13:40.730 a second. If we have all of these local roads 00:13:40.730 --> 00:13:42.629 classified as local roads, and they're basically 00:13:42.629 --> 00:13:46.830 more than half of what we own and about a third 00:13:46.830 --> 00:13:49.620 of all roads in the state. How come we're just 00:13:49.620 --> 00:13:52.240 now getting a grant program associated with ding, 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:55.080 ding, ding. That's the big question. That's the 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:57.860 big question. And I think if you work for a county, 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:00.480 if you are an elected for a county, you can say, 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:02.320 well, that's because, you know, the state doesn't. 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:04.580 support us the way that they should. And the 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:06.879 reality is, is there's just, there's never been 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:09.679 a program, at least in my, to my knowledge, that 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:12.259 has been stood up to fund these roads. And so 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:14.840 it's been on the county and their capital program 00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:17.860 to address these roads. Now, these roads tend 00:14:17.860 --> 00:14:19.440 to be smaller. They're probably going to have 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:23.120 less complicated infrastructure to deal with. 00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:25.039 You know, the arterials, those are the really 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:26.799 important ones that are going to carry a lot 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:29.299 of your freight on a daily basis, right? But 00:14:29.299 --> 00:14:32.440 these local roads also do carry the freight and 00:14:32.440 --> 00:14:34.600 they carry your citizens and their recreational 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:36.100 roads. Sure, if you're going to make a delivery 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:37.679 to a farm, you're going to make a delivery to 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:40.059 a home. Exactly. You might make a delivery to 00:14:40.059 --> 00:14:41.740 a warehouse that's off the main road. They're 00:14:41.740 --> 00:14:45.519 going to travel these routes at some point. So 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:48.600 in the past, these local roads were... supported 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:51.539 100 by local dollars that's correct okay so what 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:53.480 is this program going to do for them so this 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:56.240 is the like i said the first state funded grant 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:59.460 program for county local roads it'll be a competitive 00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:02.940 grant program at crab a biennial program um set 00:15:02.940 --> 00:15:06.080 up much like our other grant programs um where 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:08.000 you know you'll you'll come in like i said on 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:11.700 a biennial basis and apply uh for a grant um 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:14.679 and we hope to grow it over time so we can dole 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:17.799 out more dollars um as needed and as we see fit, 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:19.779 but we're pretty excited about this initial, 00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:21.580 you know, hopefully deposit that we're going 00:15:21.580 --> 00:15:25.340 to get. And hopefully we'll be able to start 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:29.240 addressing some of just the long -term, you know, 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:32.639 problems and just, I guess, stalemate that has 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:36.000 been, you know, these local road problems. The 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.399 other, I think, the talking point we've used 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:41.549 and the reality is... If there's a grant program 00:15:41.549 --> 00:15:43.789 out there available, it's going to free up more 00:15:43.789 --> 00:15:46.970 of county's capital program to drive into, whether 00:15:46.970 --> 00:15:49.450 it's matching dollars for a different infrastructure 00:15:49.450 --> 00:15:52.110 project, just preservation and maintenance in 00:15:52.110 --> 00:15:52.929 general. Yeah, I was going to say preservation 00:15:52.929 --> 00:15:54.570 and maintenance is what we always talk about. 00:15:54.570 --> 00:15:57.990 And the reality is, is that we have had, because 00:15:57.990 --> 00:16:00.789 county's capital programs. haven't been able 00:16:00.789 --> 00:16:03.450 to stretch near far enough for all the infrastructure 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:06.070 needs they have, local roads have just been put 00:16:06.070 --> 00:16:08.429 on the back burner. And they're often not the 00:16:08.429 --> 00:16:10.330 priority, not because the county doesn't want 00:16:10.330 --> 00:16:13.330 them to be, but because they have other fires 00:16:13.330 --> 00:16:14.809 they have to put out. Right. And they get the 00:16:14.809 --> 00:16:17.110 fewest traffic. Exactly. Right. They're not as 00:16:17.110 --> 00:16:19.870 they're not the main thoroughfares. They don't 00:16:19.870 --> 00:16:22.350 have as much activity on them. So it's easy to 00:16:22.350 --> 00:16:24.629 kind of put those aside and say, hey, we really 00:16:24.629 --> 00:16:26.950 need to address this one, because when you think 00:16:26.950 --> 00:16:28.669 about it from a risk point of view, you get more 00:16:28.669 --> 00:16:31.289 people using the road, you get higher risk than 00:16:31.289 --> 00:16:34.509 you would on less. The $20 million that you've 00:16:34.509 --> 00:16:37.649 got, how does that compare to the type of funds 00:16:37.649 --> 00:16:39.149 that you have in the other programs that you 00:16:39.149 --> 00:16:41.669 run? So it's about half of what the rural arterial 00:16:41.669 --> 00:16:43.870 program is. That's funded around $40 million. 00:16:44.230 --> 00:16:47.090 And that is why we had come in asking for $40 00:16:47.090 --> 00:16:49.070 million, because we felt like that kind of a 00:16:49.070 --> 00:16:52.169 good comparison. So it's going to get us jump 00:16:52.169 --> 00:16:54.509 -started, but it's certainly, if you divide $20 00:16:54.509 --> 00:16:57.149 million by 39 counties, you know, it doesn't 00:16:57.149 --> 00:16:59.429 go that far. And we recognize that. So while 00:16:59.429 --> 00:17:02.210 we're thrilled and we're excited, we know we're 00:17:02.210 --> 00:17:03.409 going to... going to need more dollars eventually 00:17:03.409 --> 00:17:05.470 okay and remind me again when are those dollars 00:17:05.470 --> 00:17:09.089 coming online the 20 million july 1st 2027 okay 00:17:09.089 --> 00:17:11.930 hopefully yes because of course you cannot bind 00:17:11.930 --> 00:17:15.589 a future legislate uh legislature correct but 00:17:15.589 --> 00:17:17.589 that's what's in statute now as far as an intention 00:17:17.589 --> 00:17:20.589 okay what do you think the what are the long 00:17:20.589 --> 00:17:22.250 -term plans i mean you're going to get started 00:17:22.250 --> 00:17:24.490 with this 20 million what are you hoping the 00:17:24.490 --> 00:17:27.170 program will turn into say 10 years down the 00:17:27.170 --> 00:17:29.549 road Great question. I mean, I hope it becomes 00:17:29.549 --> 00:17:32.210 one of these legacy programs that exist at Crabb, 00:17:32.210 --> 00:17:35.289 like the RAP and CAP programs, that it becomes 00:17:35.289 --> 00:17:38.150 that go -to for counties where they know that 00:17:38.150 --> 00:17:39.970 there are going to be dollars available to them 00:17:39.970 --> 00:17:44.240 to address their needs. I sure as heck hope it's 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.480 doubled and tripled in the next decade or 20 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:49.180 years. I think we haven't gone far enough, for 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:51.259 example, on wrap and cap. We know we need more 00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:53.019 dollars there. So, I mean, that's going to be 00:17:53.019 --> 00:17:54.460 something we're going to continue to push for 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:56.420 for all of our programs. Will there ever be enough 00:17:56.420 --> 00:17:58.619 transportation dollars? Never, never, never, 00:17:58.680 --> 00:18:01.019 never, ever, ever. So we all have a job, I say 00:18:01.019 --> 00:18:03.680 it's right. Well, as long as we're driving on 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:05.880 roads, right? When we ever get to that flying 00:18:05.880 --> 00:18:08.839 car kind of utopia that we've been talking about 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:11.759 since I was a child, that'll probably be. be 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:14.140 the end of that. But until then, there probably 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:16.859 will never be enough transportation money. That's 00:18:16.859 --> 00:18:19.960 for sure. Well, that's exciting, Jane. It's really 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:22.740 cool that you were able to get that put together 00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:24.819 last year, get that authorized in the budget. 00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:26.900 Even though you didn't get funding, you did get 00:18:26.900 --> 00:18:29.980 kind of a promise for future funding, which the 00:18:29.980 --> 00:18:32.700 legislature hopefully will stand up. Or will 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:34.299 stand by. I think there's a good chance that 00:18:34.299 --> 00:18:36.380 they will. They usually do on a lot of that stuff. 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:38.960 Even though they can't bind a future legislature, 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:40.700 they usually do a pretty good job of putting 00:18:40.700 --> 00:18:42.799 in the right markers in the right places. I think 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:45.319 so. So that the conversation can be had and their 00:18:45.319 --> 00:18:47.579 intentions can move forward. So that's good news 00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:49.460 as well. And I hope you get your funding for 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:52.099 startup. I mentioned at the beginning that this 00:18:52.099 --> 00:18:54.940 was the third week of the legislative session. 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:58.099 And here you are again. This must not be the 00:18:58.099 --> 00:18:59.900 only thing that you're working on legislatively. 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:02.140 What else do you guys have in your hat this year 00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:04.380 for legislative priorities? So, you know, we 00:19:04.380 --> 00:19:06.480 didn't come forward with any other big budget 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:09.200 request, recognizing it's a supplemental and 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:12.000 we wanted to focus on the local roads. But the 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:14.759 other big, you know, talking point and what's 00:19:14.759 --> 00:19:18.460 just everywhere right now is preservation, maintenance 00:19:18.460 --> 00:19:24.210 and resiliency. DOT has been talking now for 00:19:24.210 --> 00:19:26.650 the last six to eight months that they used up 00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:29.490 all their preservation dollars last summer, their 00:19:29.490 --> 00:19:32.990 paving season, and they've... kind of garnered 00:19:32.990 --> 00:19:36.569 up a lot of noise and support for an additional 00:19:36.569 --> 00:19:39.049 appropriation, this supplemental session for 00:19:39.049 --> 00:19:41.230 them for preservation. Is it unusual that they 00:19:41.230 --> 00:19:42.950 would use all their preservation dollars in the 00:19:42.950 --> 00:19:45.470 first half of the biennium? It is unusual, yes. 00:19:45.470 --> 00:19:48.210 What do you think happened? Well, I don't know 00:19:48.210 --> 00:19:50.130 all the ins and outs of it. They said that the 00:19:50.130 --> 00:19:54.309 climate was great in terms of both maybe the 00:19:54.309 --> 00:19:56.250 physical climate and also the working climate, 00:19:56.329 --> 00:19:58.069 the contracts. They were just able to get out 00:19:58.069 --> 00:20:02.529 and get a lot of work done. So they are likely 00:20:02.529 --> 00:20:05.329 going to get another appropriation, this supplemental, 00:20:05.529 --> 00:20:09.549 for additional dollars. And my message to policymakers 00:20:09.549 --> 00:20:11.849 has been you cannot leave locals out of that 00:20:11.849 --> 00:20:14.869 conversation because we have just as much in 00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:18.049 need as DOT. And maybe we didn't use up all our 00:20:18.049 --> 00:20:20.630 dollars, again, air quotes, but we can certainly 00:20:20.630 --> 00:20:23.250 put those dollars to work this coming summer 00:20:23.250 --> 00:20:25.589 and this next season. The other thing that I 00:20:25.589 --> 00:20:29.130 have been doing a bit is tying this preservation 00:20:29.130 --> 00:20:32.410 conversation to resiliency, particularly in light 00:20:32.410 --> 00:20:34.710 of the December floods on the west side. And 00:20:34.710 --> 00:20:36.990 that was also impacted some of our central and 00:20:36.990 --> 00:20:39.529 east side counties. Pretty dramatically, I hear. 00:20:39.670 --> 00:20:42.750 Absolutely. And we know that there's the short 00:20:42.750 --> 00:20:45.089 -term response that we have to make, right? But 00:20:45.089 --> 00:20:47.329 then there's this longer -term, I think, conversation 00:20:47.329 --> 00:20:49.549 that we need to have around why do we invest 00:20:49.549 --> 00:20:52.089 in preservation in the first place? It's so that 00:20:52.089 --> 00:20:54.410 we have resilient infrastructure so that when 00:20:54.410 --> 00:20:58.109 these events happen, they stand up to those events. 00:20:58.230 --> 00:21:00.490 And we have examples in our... counties where 00:21:00.490 --> 00:21:03.410 they have invested in roads and bridges and culverts 00:21:03.410 --> 00:21:06.769 that didn't blow out during this event. And so 00:21:06.769 --> 00:21:09.430 today my board was on the Hill and we talked 00:21:09.430 --> 00:21:11.670 a lot about that. We have examples in Skagit 00:21:11.670 --> 00:21:14.089 and Snohomish and Whatcom counties. And I know 00:21:14.089 --> 00:21:17.569 everywhere else where crab has invested or the 00:21:17.569 --> 00:21:19.869 county itself has invested and you didn't have 00:21:19.869 --> 00:21:22.490 a washout because you were able to address that 00:21:22.490 --> 00:21:25.509 road, you know. three years ago and that's why 00:21:25.509 --> 00:21:28.569 i think we invest today for tomorrow so i want 00:21:28.569 --> 00:21:31.150 to make sure locals aren't left out of this broader 00:21:31.150 --> 00:21:34.569 conversation that um you know there's a state 00:21:34.569 --> 00:21:38.329 county partnership here that has been you know 00:21:38.329 --> 00:21:41.009 kind of on the fray for a long time and we need 00:21:41.009 --> 00:21:43.089 to start building that back when you say on the 00:21:43.089 --> 00:21:47.009 fray do you mean the relationship's been deteriorating 00:21:47.009 --> 00:21:51.859 a little bit um and and that's because In your 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:53.880 mind, the state's been spending more time taking 00:21:53.880 --> 00:21:56.059 care of their problems in the transportation 00:21:56.059 --> 00:21:58.460 sector than really worrying about the local concerns. 00:21:58.460 --> 00:22:01.240 I think so. And I'm, you know, speaking to the 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:03.420 choir here today, it's not just in the transportation 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:06.180 sector when it comes to county needs. It's whether 00:22:06.180 --> 00:22:08.119 it's public defense, whether it's behavioral 00:22:08.119 --> 00:22:11.640 health, you name it. The state, my fundamental 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:15.119 belief is, has a commitment to counties or needs 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:17.519 to have a commitment to counties to pony up their 00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:20.359 end of the deal. Regional service providers. 00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:23.680 You could host this podcast. That's right. That's 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:26.400 right. And it's acute in transportation and everywhere 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:29.019 else. Very much so. Yeah. And this partnership, 00:22:29.259 --> 00:22:34.039 the numbers don't lie. Historically, the state 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:37.000 funded significantly more transportation work 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:40.240 and dollars at the county level than they do 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:43.549 now. Well, counties are such a unique. part of 00:22:43.549 --> 00:22:46.509 state government, county government, local government. 00:22:46.750 --> 00:22:48.950 We're not like cities at all. Counties really 00:22:48.950 --> 00:22:52.970 are creatures of the state. We do what they tell 00:22:52.970 --> 00:22:56.009 us to do, right? Our authorities are based in 00:22:56.009 --> 00:22:58.490 the authorities that are granted to us in state 00:22:58.490 --> 00:23:01.569 law by the legislature. Essentially, we are arms 00:23:01.569 --> 00:23:03.450 of the state. I like to call us the biggest state 00:23:03.450 --> 00:23:06.170 agency out there. And unfortunately, we are oftentimes 00:23:06.170 --> 00:23:08.829 one of the most neglected. Exactly. And so you 00:23:08.829 --> 00:23:11.450 make a lot of good points there, for sure. It'll 00:23:11.450 --> 00:23:15.150 be interesting. to see what this kind of recovery 00:23:15.150 --> 00:23:17.930 time is from that big storm that was up there 00:23:17.930 --> 00:23:21.509 up north, especially in December. I know that 00:23:21.509 --> 00:23:23.670 all of western Washington was affected, but I 00:23:23.670 --> 00:23:25.509 think some of the northern counties were hit 00:23:25.509 --> 00:23:28.130 the hardest. And so was some of the state infrastructure 00:23:28.130 --> 00:23:30.230 that was up there as well. Oh, absolutely. I'm 00:23:30.230 --> 00:23:32.009 not denying that the state doesn't have a problem 00:23:32.009 --> 00:23:34.750 here. They absolutely do. And it's going to take 00:23:34.750 --> 00:23:37.789 resources. And I just want to make sure that 00:23:37.789 --> 00:23:39.329 counties aren't left out of that conversation. 00:23:39.769 --> 00:23:42.269 Well, what can we do to help? Well, you know, 00:23:42.329 --> 00:23:44.130 I want you to keep talking about the local road 00:23:44.130 --> 00:23:46.490 program, but I also want to make sure the local 00:23:46.490 --> 00:23:50.329 road program doesn't make, isn't an excuse for 00:23:50.329 --> 00:23:52.849 policymakers not to invest additional dollars 00:23:52.849 --> 00:23:54.710 in counties. That this isn't the preservation 00:23:54.710 --> 00:23:57.450 fix that we were looking for. That this isn't, 00:23:57.450 --> 00:24:00.410 the local road program isn't going to fix the 00:24:00.410 --> 00:24:04.809 infrastructure issues that we've had or the December 00:24:04.809 --> 00:24:08.000 storms caused or, you know, whatever. We are 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:10.900 so grateful and thankful, but we also still have 00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:13.000 this whole other. It's just part of the solution. 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:15.460 Exactly. Absolutely. Well, we'll definitely do 00:24:15.460 --> 00:24:19.279 that. Our members, I know, agree with you. We 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:21.680 have many that serve on your board. As you mentioned 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:23.799 earlier, when we were talking before the podcast, 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:26.400 we have others that serve, you know, whether 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:28.859 it's on the curb board or the public works board, 00:24:29.140 --> 00:24:36.250 you know, their local. transportation, you know, 00:24:36.269 --> 00:24:38.589 RTPOs, excuse me, is what I was looking for. 00:24:38.650 --> 00:24:40.410 There's all kinds of opportunities for our members 00:24:40.410 --> 00:24:42.609 to be involved in transportation. And I know 00:24:42.609 --> 00:24:44.390 a lot of them are, even on the national level 00:24:44.390 --> 00:24:46.529 with NACO. Absolutely. We're all in this together 00:24:46.529 --> 00:24:48.849 and we are ultimately all one system, right? 00:24:48.970 --> 00:24:51.069 Yep. Residents don't know when they drive from 00:24:51.069 --> 00:24:53.210 a county road to a city street to a state highway. 00:24:53.250 --> 00:24:54.910 Nor do they care. Exactly. Yeah. They just want 00:24:54.910 --> 00:24:56.950 to make sure that it's safe and it's there for 00:24:56.950 --> 00:25:00.130 their use and they can go from point A to point 00:25:00.130 --> 00:25:02.470 B. Exactly. Yeah. Well, thanks, Jane. Great to 00:25:02.470 --> 00:25:06.809 see you as always. let's you know let's not make 00:25:06.809 --> 00:25:09.390 this a full year if we can I agree invite me 00:25:09.390 --> 00:25:11.430 back anytime I will I will and if you're in the 00:25:11.430 --> 00:25:13.329 neighborhood you know just stop in and maybe 00:25:13.329 --> 00:25:15.349 if I'm around we'll just say we'll just cut a 00:25:15.349 --> 00:25:17.210 podcast for the heck of it and we can talk about 00:25:17.210 --> 00:25:20.529 something I know nothing about I don't know what 00:25:20.529 --> 00:25:22.730 that would be I don't know, maybe like fencing. 00:25:23.049 --> 00:25:25.450 Fencing? Yeah. Well, are we talking like on guard 00:25:25.450 --> 00:25:27.369 type of fencing? Yeah, on guard. Okay. I don't 00:25:27.369 --> 00:25:28.710 know why I thought about that. The Olympics are 00:25:28.710 --> 00:25:30.529 coming up, but that is not a Winter Olympic event. 00:25:30.569 --> 00:25:33.210 That is definitely not a Winter Olympic event. 00:25:33.430 --> 00:25:36.119 Are you much of a skier? Yeah, well, I'm turning 00:25:36.119 --> 00:25:39.140 into one. I am really enjoying it. I'm a late 00:25:39.140 --> 00:25:42.720 learner. I was going to say at my age. I know. 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:45.099 You might break a hip. I know. Well, I'm being 00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:47.119 very careful. I am that old lady going down the 00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:50.059 slopes while my children zoom past me. But I 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:51.779 decided, actually, it was my sister -in -law 00:25:51.779 --> 00:25:53.980 that gave me some really great advice. She said, 00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:56.680 you know, you should try to learn if your kids 00:25:56.680 --> 00:25:58.519 are going to do it because it's an activity that 00:25:58.519 --> 00:26:01.500 as a family you can do together. I've heard that. 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:03.220 As your children get older, they're not going 00:26:03.220 --> 00:26:04.880 to want to hang out with you. on the ski slopes, 00:26:05.079 --> 00:26:08.539 they might hang out with you. You know, we live 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:12.200 an hour from a major ski area in Washington State, 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:15.380 and I have never skied or snowboarded. I want 00:26:15.380 --> 00:26:20.559 to see you on the slopes. Why do you laugh when 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:22.420 you say that? I think you might get a little 00:26:22.420 --> 00:26:27.420 frustrated out there. Why do you say that? I'll 00:26:27.420 --> 00:26:32.059 have you know that... Well, I can't say that 00:26:32.059 --> 00:26:33.839 I know how to do it. I'll bet you I could learn. 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:35.759 Oh, you absolutely could. And you know what? 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:37.920 If I can learn, you can learn. I can ride a bike. 00:26:38.059 --> 00:26:40.440 Heck yeah. Why can't I learn how to ski? You 00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:43.900 should do it. I'm enjoying it a lot. A lot more 00:26:43.900 --> 00:26:45.559 than I thought it was. Yeah, I can see in your 00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:47.339 mind you're enjoying imagining me on the slopes. 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:50.599 I really like the lodge beer is what I really 00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:53.019 like. Well, that would be the part that I'm an 00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:55.299 expert on. Yeah, exactly. No, I was going to 00:26:55.299 --> 00:26:59.140 tell you, my wife and I had thought about when 00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:00.930 we were... raising our children kind of doing 00:27:00.930 --> 00:27:02.930 the same thing because we had gotten some advice 00:27:02.930 --> 00:27:04.930 from our friends who were doing that. And our 00:27:04.930 --> 00:27:06.910 kids really kind of started to get an interest 00:27:06.910 --> 00:27:09.809 in it, but then it kind of waned. But we became 00:27:09.809 --> 00:27:13.269 really avid hikers and we took our kids with 00:27:13.269 --> 00:27:16.849 us a lot. And I can tell you that that is, you 00:27:16.849 --> 00:27:18.910 know, any sort of outdoor pursuit like that, 00:27:18.930 --> 00:27:21.130 that you do as a family. First of all, it does 00:27:21.130 --> 00:27:23.329 continue later, even when they're teenagers, 00:27:23.589 --> 00:27:26.410 when you, when they can't stand you and you can't 00:27:26.410 --> 00:27:28.769 stand them, you can be outdoors together and 00:27:28.769 --> 00:27:31.130 it's still. And you still really remember those 00:27:31.130 --> 00:27:34.490 times as a family. And when you're adults, it 00:27:34.490 --> 00:27:37.309 continues as well. And what's even better is 00:27:37.309 --> 00:27:40.490 they start doing it on their own without you 00:27:40.490 --> 00:27:43.750 as a really healthy activity that keeps them 00:27:43.750 --> 00:27:47.890 busy. That is a great lifestyle choice. And they 00:27:47.890 --> 00:27:50.769 do it on their own as they get older and they 00:27:50.769 --> 00:27:52.230 get married and they have their own families. 00:27:52.529 --> 00:27:54.509 It will be something that sticks with them. So 00:27:54.509 --> 00:28:00.220 I totally agree. I don't want you to break a 00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:03.119 hip. I don't either. But I totally encourage 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:05.000 you and I think it's a good strategy for you 00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:07.660 and your family. So keep it up. Wise words. Thank 00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:10.440 you. Boy, no one says, people don't say that 00:28:10.440 --> 00:28:12.700 about me very often. Well, Jane, it's good to 00:28:12.700 --> 00:28:14.059 see you as always. Yeah, you too, Paul. Thank 00:28:14.059 --> 00:28:18.319 you so much. You bet. Take care. Thanks for tuning 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:20.559 in to County Connection. Stay in the loop by 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:22.920 subscribing to us through your preferred podcasting 00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:25.640 app and following us on LinkedIn, Facebook and 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:27.759 Instagram. And don't forget to join the hub, 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:30.039 your go to source for the latest news and updates 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:32.259 from the Washington State Association of Counties. 00:28:32.380 --> 00:28:35.099 Until next time, stay connected and stay informed.