SEATTLE — The region's Economic Development District (EDD) has identified two projects as top priorities for federal economic development funding in 2008: the Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center: Duwamish Apprenticeship and Education Center at South Seattle Community College and the City of Auburn's Downtown Promenade and City Hall Plaza. The two projects were selected in the regional competition for potential funding under the U.S. Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Public Works Program.

"The projects we've selected this year are excellent examples of grassroots economic development that will help grow good jobs in the region," said EDD President Deborah Knutson, who is also President of the Snohomish County Economic Development Council. "Both the Auburn project and the Duwamish project bested strong competition and we're confident that they will get priority attention from the EDA"

The Auburn Promenade will be the centerpiece of a redevelopment of downtown Auburn, not only increasing employment in several sectors including life sciences, but also creating transit-oriented development that fits with our region's growth management and transportation strategies. The grant request for this project is $2 million.

Auburn's promenade and plaza will provide a central public amenity to support key new projects in the downtown area and provide pedestrian connections to the transit station. New developments include the city hall expansion, a new Auburn Valley Medical Oncology Center, and a mixed-use retail facility. This project will enhance the vitality of this "Regional Growth Center," a designation signifying Auburn as a destination for new population and employment growth in the region.

South Seattle Community College's Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center will create a vibrant new campus in the heart of some of Seattle's most economically distressed neighborhoods, giving underserved communities the opportunity to gain skills in some of our region's most vital industry clusters.

The Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center will boost workforce development training in two of the Prosperity Partnership's key clusters: Clean Technology and Logistics and International Trade. The project will be a one-stop center, housing services for area businesses and entrepreneurial training. It will also launch a Logistics Program to serve trade and transportation companies and a Clean Technology Training Program to assist local companies in becoming more energy efficient and productive. Training in these high demand fields is an excellent opportunity for South Seattle Community College students, many of whom are minority and lower income, to gain access to family wage employment. The grant request for this project is $1 million.

The goal of the Economic Development District's Public Works Program is to support long-term economic development in areas experiencing economic distress through investments in public infrastructure and facilities necessary to generate private investments that provide higher-skill, higher-wage jobs. The EDD submits the top projects to the EDA to compete for funding. The top ranked projects are often successful in receiving funds and the ranking can be used to leverage additional funding sources.

The Puget Sound Regional Council is home to the region's Economic Development District. PSRC develops policies and coordinates decisions about regional growth, economic development and transportation planning in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. The Council is composed of over 80 county, city, port, transit, tribal and state agencies serving the region. It coordinates the distribution of about $160 million in Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration funds each year. PSRC sets priorities and evaluates the most efficient ways to target those funds to support state and local transportation and growth management plans.

Title VI Notice: PSRC fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. For more information, or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, see http://www.psrc.org/about/titlevi/index.htm or call 206-587-4819.