Roach Successful With $2 Million In Budget For Rainier School

Last-minute reprieve for Rainier School money

Post by Jordan Schrader  The News Tribune on April 23, 2012 at 1:55 pm

At Tacoma Community College, Gov. Chris Gregoire is getting ready to to sign the state capital-construction budget that contains more than $1 billion for one-time projects and will veto a handful of pieces.

This morning, $3 million worth of renovations to Rainier School was on that target list. Her legislative director even made a call to Sen. Pam Roach today to tell her the bad news: that Gregoire planned to cancel the proposed renovation of cottages where residents of the Buckley center for the developmentally disabled live.

The director, Jim Justin, said it’s because a study is looking at the future of all the residential centers. ”Why put money in for expansion if you’re not sure what you’re going to do with the facility?” he said.

But he said the office took another look and decided there was no expansion called for in the proposal. While it’s not a huge sum, it’s especially significant because Rainier School has been proposed for closure in the past, including by Gregoire. Spending new money on upgrades might help preserve it in the future.

“Once we start making financial commitments to Rainier then we will get the target off the back,” Roach said. So Roach was surprised when Gregoire’s office called her again later in the day to say the governor had reconsidered and decided against a veto. It’s “amazing” news, Roach said.

UPDATE 3:55 p.m.: Gregoire said she made sure before deciding not to veto the money that it would not prevent future decisions such as closure of Rainier School. She also said she would veto a $600,000 study of the future of Rainier School that Roach had wanted. “I don’t see any reasons for that when we’ve got a study already that’s underway,” Gregoire said.

Enumclaw Patch Reports On Rainier Work

Roach Looks Ahead to Rainier School Study After Securing $3 Million for Capital Improvements

After placing the $3 million in funding for Rainier School Renovation Project into the Senate capital budget this week, Sen. Pam Roach continues to build support for the residential habilitation center in Buckley.

• By April Chan

• April 14, 2012


News that $3 million was headed toward a renovation project at the Rainier School in Buckley as part of a "Jobs Now" package passed by the state legislature was greeted with enthusiasm this week by local leaders including Rep. Christopher Hurst and Buckley Mayor Pat Johnson (read the story).

Meanwhile, it was actually Sen. Pam Roach who put the item in the Senate-passed capital budget. The money will be used to improve living quarters and supporting facilities, said a press release issued Friday from Roach's office.

"It was what I wanted if they wanted my vote," she said.

Roach, who in June 2010 (see her blog), formed an ad hoc committee to promote and save Rainier School from frequent efforts to close it and has for the last several years worked to secure the position of the Buckley facility.

"Pierce County wanted to tear down the facility and use it as a juvenile detention center," she said. "A threat of closure has been in existence for many years and putting the $3 million in that capital investment will help secure Rainier School."

With the state now investing in the physical condition of the Rainier School, Roach turns her attention toward the Rainier School Vision Development Committee that, though a funded study, will “create and submit to the legislature a long-range community vision and development plan for the efficient use of the Rainier School facility to best serve the needs of persons with developmental disabilities, including the establishment of a respite care center for families and other caregivers of persons with developmental disabilities.” The vision statement will be presented to the legislature and the Department of Social and Health Services.

The study committee consists of several stakeholders:

• The three legislators representing the 31st district;

• Two persons representing the cities of Enumclaw and Buckley;

• Two persons representing the chambers of commerce of Enumclaw and Buckley;

• Two persons representing the “Friends of Rainier School” organization; and

• One person representing the Pierce county developmental disabilities board.

In March, Roach announced that $100,000 was appropriated in a then Senate-passed bipartisan 2012 supplemental operating budget (read that announcement) for this purpose.

The final version of the operating budget passed this week now sets aside $600,000 for the project. Roach said she believes her 31st District colleague Hurst helped to increase the dollar amount. "While I had the language of the study committee, I do think he had something to do with that," she said. "I'll give him credit for that."

With the budget now with Gov. Chris Gregoire for review -- and vulnerable to section vetoes -- Roach said she hopes the funding for the study remains intact.

Meanwhile, she has held several community meetings and developed a common vision statement for Rainier School "about all the things we've thought of for Rainier School: how do you make it more viable, how can it be better integrated into the community, what services are offered at Rainier School and for the larger community of the developmentally disabled."

Roach said the effort to establish the long-term vision for Rainier School goes beyond the Plateau community. "I'm excited about it and I think it takes this kind of effort to put Rainier School on the map," she said.

Roach's past work has involved the support of many leaders in Pierce County, including the entire Pierce County delegation in the state legislature, she said. "Beyond that, we need the vision statement and the integrated thinking of the state legislature and DSHS."

Read more:

Sen. Roach's website with a Rainier School white paper (also linked to this story), fact sheet, FAQ and background on the Olmstead Decision over the rights of individuals to with disabilities to live in their community)

Roach Helps Rainier School during 2012 Session

PRESS RELEASE
Roach secures $3,000,000 for Rainier School improvements, plus study funding

OLYMPIA…As the result of a years long effort by Senator Pam Roach, (R) rural Auburn, $3,000,000 has been secured for capital improvements at Rainier School in Buckley. The money will be used to improve living quarters and supporting facilities.

Through Roach's efforts money was also included to fund a study with the end result to be a vision statement presented to the legislature and the Department of Social and Health Services.

Roach has held several community meetings and developed a common vision statement for Rainier School. “We needed to make the effort larger,” said Roach. “We need to involve the entire state in creating a long-term vision for Rainier School and our region.”

The new study committee consists of several stakeholders:

· The three legislators representing the 31st district;

· Two persons representing the cities of Enumclaw and Buckley;

· Two persons representing the chambers of commerce of Enumclaw and Buckley;

· Two persons representing the “Friends of Rainier School” organization; and

· One person representing the Pierce county developmental disabilities board.

The new law requires the committee to “create and submit to the legislature a long-range community vision and development plan for the efficient use of the Rainier School facility to best serve the needs of persons with developmental disabilities, including the establishment of a respite care center for families and other caregivers of persons with developmental disabilities.”

One of those greatly encouraged by this development is Bob Gee, the father of long-time Rainier resident Angela. Referring to the study Gee said “Finally we may be in position to use state assets like Rainier School to reach out to those living in family or other settings in dire need of long-absent critical services.”