The Executive Board named Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel as the new Executive Director for the Puget Sound Regional Council.

Drewel emerged as the leading candidate from a nationwide search launched last summer. He was named to the position by the PSRC's 26- member Executive Board in a unanimous vote today and will assume his new post in January 2004. View the news release online at psrc.org.

For more information, contact Rick Olson at (206) 587-5060 or rolson@psrc.org.

The Executive Board discussed the possibility of creating a subcommittee to explore regional interest in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail corridor form Renton to Snohomish.

The BNSF approached the Washington State Department of Transportation asking if there might be public interest in the underutilized 40 mile corridor. Secretary MacDonald views the Regional Council as a logical forum to explore this issue because all interested and appropriate parties can come to the table.

For more information, contact King Cushman at (206) 464-6174 or kcushman@psrc.org.

In other business, the Executive Board:

• Welcomed the Suquamish Tribe as new members.
• Extended the deadline to complete the centers designation process for three centers that successfully initiated the process prior to June 30, 2003.
• Authorized the change in project status for four Destination 2030 projects: SR-18 Eastbound Offramp to West Valley Hwy Channelization, SR-527 - 132nd St. SE to 112th St. SE Widening, Pacific Highway S. - HOV Lanes Kent-Des Moines Rd. to S. 252nd, and Pacific Highway S. - HOV Lanes S. 252nd to S. 272nd.
• Adopted a Routine Amendment to the 2003-05 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), updating information for one City of Seattle project and nine Washington State Department of Transportation projects.
• Certified the Local Comprehensive Plan for the City of Sammamish.