Celebrating 40 Years of the Public Works Board in Washington

by Nancy Connery

Nancy is a board member and longtime supporter of The Center for Sustainable Infrastructure and designed the Public Works Trust Fund in 1983.

Nancy Connery

A few nights ago, I watched the Washington State Senate consider and pass SR 8607 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Washington State Public Works Board (PWB), along with a special TVW episode on the PWB. I was likely the only soul who shed tears during both videos. Yet I was neither sad nor bored; in fact, I was thrilled.

Everyone who spoke on its behalf—senators from both sides of the aisle and members of the PWB and staff reflected the same deep values and aspirations that were vital to its creation. The fact that the PWB has invested $3.6 billion in 2200 local public works improvement projects throughout the State of Washington is a breathtaking accomplishment considering its modest start. The fact that the PWB is still alive after a massive shakedown by the Legislature several years ago is clear testament to its shared resolve.

The Public Works Board has helped pay for infrastructure projects - roads, water, broadband, and more - across the state of Washington.

In 1983, I was part of the PWB origin story at the State Planning and Community Affairs Agency. Because of my unusual interest in public works, the Legislature asked me for an inventory of local public works in Washington State and their estimated capital needs. I was shocked to learn that no other state had tried to do so before. If that wasn’t daunting enough, data collection and analysis still relied on punch cards in those days.

As soon as we presented the inventory, the Legislature demanded that we design a financing strategy that would be politically palatable – a process that often resembled a blood sport. It was one of the most intense, exhausting, and rewarding times of my life. Once the Public Works Trust Fund was established by law, I was very happy to hand it over to professional managers. Later, I was recruited to Washington, D.C. to repeat a similar mission at the Federal level.

Right now, I feel blessed to be able to witness the PWB 40th anniversary and a job well done by countless people dedicated to public works and public service. Thank you!

TVW's coverage of the 40th anniversary of Washington State's Public Works Board