State Rep. Judy Warnick acknowledged earlier this week that despite her research, there's more that she doesn't know than what she does know about how the federal stimulus funding will be allocated throughout the state.

"Details about how the whole, complex process works is becoming more clear, but it's still too early to have all the answers," said Warnick from Olympia where she represents Kittitas County as part of the 13th Legislative District.

Warnick pointed to a new, state recovery Web site to show how early it is: the site became active on Thursday.

Yet, based on her understanding to date, she has advice for local governments and nonprofit groups and service providers who receive federal or state grants or funding.

"Don't wait for the state or the feds to contact you to apply for stimulus funds," Warnick said. "Contact the state agencies now to find out what's available and how to apply.

"If you wait for them to call you, it might be too late."

Out of the total $787 billion federal stimulus package signed by President Obama Feb. 17, about $4.682 billion is due to come to Washington, Warnick said.

Some of the infrastructure funding for state highways, bridges and capital projects related to state institutions will be prioritized and approved by the Legislature and the governor.

Warnick said many of these projects, in order to be in the running for funds, must show that work on them can start within 120 days from Feb. 17 and that they create jobs and contribute to ongoing economic development.

Other portions will be allocated to a variety of state agencies that already administer state grants and funding to local city and county governments, school districts and special service districts.

These state agencies will take in local applications for stimulus projects, evaluate them based on federal criteria and make decisions on allocations.

Yet the final approval or certification will come from the governor's office.

As of Feb. 20, the state Office of Program Research had received more than 1,400 applications for funding and more than 200 were entered into the system that day alone.

As of the same day, the state had taken in applications reflecting $280 million worth of projects for the clean drinking water portion of the stimulus package.

Warnick said she's jumped into trying to understand the details of funding allocations because she's a member of the state House capital budget committee, which will make decisions on some of the projects.

"It's all very, very new to all of us and very complex, but we want to do these allocations in the right way that fits the criteria and helps the state's economy," Warnick said.

If she had one wish, Warnick said it would be to have had more time before the president signed the bill to understand exactly how it works.

City of Ellensburg

Ellensburg officials hope to put any stimulus funding into road improvement projects and signal upgrades. Potential projects highlighted for this include:

- Canyon Road pavement overlay: Interstate 90 to Umptanum Road, a $411,000 project, creating 34 jobs.

- Canyon Road overlay: Umptanum Road to Mountain View Avenue, a $294,000 project, creating 34 jobs.

- Canyon Road overlay: Berry Road to Interstate 90, a $178,000 project, creating 34 jobs.

- Umptanum Road overlay: Canyon Road to west city limits, a $186,000 project, creating 34 jobs.

- Main Street overlay: Mountain View Avenue to Third Avenue, a $554,000 project, creating 34 jobs.

- Main Street overlay: Third Avenue to University Way, a $353,000 project, creating 34 jobs.

- Ruby Street overlay: Umptanum Road to Mountain View Avenue, a $156,000 project, creating 34 jobs.

- University Way overlay: Main Street to Chestnut Street, a $309,000 project, creating 34 jobs.

- Signal upgrade: Fifth Avenue, Main Street, University Way, Chestnut Street, a $300,000 project, creating 28 jobs.

- Signal upgrade: Third Avenue and Main Street, a $120,000 project creating 28 jobs.

Schools

While local school officials are hopeful some federal stimulus money may make it their way, they're certainly not banking on it.

Both the Ellensburg and Kittitas school districts have identified the top priorities for stimulus funding that may come for building renovation projects, but superintendents for both districts are still in a wait-and-see mode.

At Kittitas, Superintendent Monty Sabin said money to expand the district's bus garage is atop the wish list for stimulus funds.

The current bus garage doesn't allow enough room for the mechanics to adequately service the buses and often forces them to perform maintenance "out in the weather."

Sabin acknowledges his district, which opened a new high school two years ago, is in "pretty good shape," but said district officials will keep an eye on the details of the stimulus in order to see if they have other projects that may qualify.

"We have to wait and see what the details are," he said.

In Ellensburg, the district's top priority is the $900,000 needed for a new roof on Lincoln Elementary School. Superintendent Paul Farris has already submitted that request for stimulus help to the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction.

But Farris' bigger concerns revolve around the state budget process. He said when Gov. Chris Gregoire first announced the state's projection of a $5 billion budget deficit in the next two-year state budget, the district was facing an $800,000 reduction in state funding. Now that the state's budget deficit projection has grown to $8 billion and counting, ESD faces a minimum of a $1.4 million reduction in state funding.

University

"If we knew (about stimulus functions), we could start planning, but we're waiting," Bill Vertrees, Central Washington University's vice president for business and financial affairs.

Planned projects:

- Hogue Hall: a renovation project that would expand and update the original building. The building will be updated to a "green" building, qualifying under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum certification standards. If funded, the estimated $47 million project would create a yet-undetermined number of jobs and, optimistically, could be completed within two years. Realistically, it may take closer to four or eight years depending on how funding is dispersed, according to Vertrees.

- Consolidating utilities: a construction project to dig up the various utility lines from the Student Union and Recreation Center to the town ditch. Some of the lines, such as the steam line, are more than 60 years old. The total project cost would be between $3 million and $4 million and call for between 20 and 30 construction employees.

Stimulus funding road project proposals

Submitted Friday by Kittitas County Public Works to the state Department of Transportation:

- South Cle Elum -- Chip seal truck route Madison Street and 6th Street, $15,000.

- Kittitas -- Patch repair and overlay paving on Patrick Avenue, 4th Avenue, Main Street and 1st Avenue, $30,000.

- Cle Elum -- West 1st Street, grind down and overlay paving, $50,000.

- Kittitas County -- Guardrail installation and replacement; Thorp area, Hungry Junction, Prater and Westside roads, $440,000.

Three alternate projects:

- Ellensburg -- Overlay paving on Umptanum Road to Mountain View Avenue, $224,000.

- Kittitas County -- Asphalt overlay paving Anderson Road, $200,000.

Separate "enhancement" project category:

- Yakima River Canyon environmental center, Thrall Road and Yakima River Canyon highway, as planned by the Kittitas Environmental Education Network, picnic shelter, parking, vault toilet, trails, $50,000.

The above projects require DOT approval and final certification by the governor.

I-90 projects

The following are proposed Interstate 90 repaving or concrete rehab projects proposed by the state DOT and funded from an allocation of $341 million in federal stimulus funds. The projects require Legislature and governor approval:

- Yakima River to Ellensburg, $3 million.

- Slide Curve to Cabin Creek, $4.2 million.

- Easton Road to near Bullfrog interchange, westbound, $11.18 million.

- Lake Easton to Bullfrog interchange, state 2 work, $10 million.

Other I-90 projects:

- Snoqualmie summit to Hyak, westbound, dowel bar retrofit/concrete rehab, $5.02 million.

- Lake Easton to Big Creek, eastbound, concrete rehab, $23 million.

Help for local housing authority

The Housing Authority of Kittitas County, which administers federal-subsidized public housing for low-income people, will receive $248,016 in federal stimulus funds.

Perry Rowe, housing authority executive director, said information from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said the local funds are part of $4 billion going to housing authorities around the nation and a total of $25.2 billion going to HUD for distribution.

Rowe said the estimated $248,016 is much needed to continue work to modernize and upgrade 1960-1970-era apartments. Local contractors will be used.

The housing authority oversees 74 apartments in four complexes in Ellensburg and 36 units in two complexes in Kittitas.

Fifty of the units are for the elderly and disabled, and 60 are for families.

The funds also are needed to construct a housing authority shop building to allow maintenance employees to work on equipment or make other repairs out of the weather.

Health department seeks funds

Kittitas County Health Department Administrator Cathy Bambrick said her department will apply soon for $90,000 to $150,000 in federal stimulus funding in cooperation with other local and state agencies to help improve the water quality of Wilson Creek.

The work will be in connection with the impact of nearby septic tanks on the creek.

Other stimulus projects:

- Funds will be sought to support the County health department's ongoing public wellness outreach in connection to obesity, nutrition and promoting physical activity.

- Additional funds will be applied for to complete work to interconnect with an existing computerized network of electronic medical records involving local physicians' offices and Kittitas Valley Community Hospital.

The work also will enhance the project to connect the department's system to the state health department.

- The health department is assisting the owners and operators of rural, public water systems in applying for stimulus funds to repair and replace systems damaged in the Jan. 6-16 flooding.