Upgrades Coming To Inner City Wenatchee Intersections

The City of Wenatchee is upgrading some inner-city neighborhood streets. 

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The city council has approved the use of federal funds to add wheelchair (ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act) ramps and repave intersections on 1st Street just east of Chelan Avenue.  

"Some of those sidewalks are almost 100 years old as well as the roads." said Hornby. "So, it's maybe time for that love to happen in that area." 

Three intersections will be upgraded next spring with a plan to improve every intersection on 1st Street between Chela Avenue and Miller Street over time. 

The three intersections targeted for upgrades next spring are 1st Sreet and Garfield Avenue, 1st Street and Buchanon Avenue, and 1st Street and Cleveland Avenue. 

The city council approved the 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan (AAP) plan at it's last meeting.   

The city is getting $308,346 in Community Development Block Grant funding this year, which comes through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That money is being coupled with $561,817 in CDBG funds leftover from previous years to go towards this year's Annual Action Plan, which is put together by city staff in compliance with the CDBG. 

Wenatchee Community Development Director Glen DeVries said the federal funds require a lot of paperwork and must meet many specific requirements before they can be used. He said their federal contact person advised them to focus on one project every year, which is now the 1st Street infrastructure improvements. 

Wenatchee Public Works Project Engineer Zachary Horton noted the 1st Street corridor includes a two-block section which meets the federal requirement for 51 percent of residents to be at low to moderate income level. He called the corridor an ideal spot for the funds to be spent. 

Horton said the 1st Street improvements have been a priority for the Community Development Department for a while. 

"This particular corridor is in desperate need of ADA compliant features and walkways in general," said Horton. "And the residents in that area typically tend to be retired. And it's one of the corridors we get the most phone calls about." 

About $130,000 in leftover COVID-19 federal block grant funding (CDBG-CV) is also being steered toward the Annual Action Plan. 

A breakdown of funding for this year’s 1st Street improvement project is below: 

• $61,669 for Program Administration and Planning 
• $808,494 for the 1st Street project 
• $130,128 remaining in CDBG-CV funding