For Immediate Release

August 9, 2005

FEDERAL ASSISTANCE APPROVED FOR REPAIR
OF HOQUIAM’S HISTORIC OLYMPIC STADIUM

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A grant of $150,000 to assist the City of Hoquiam in repairing the historic Olympic Stadium has been approved by Congress, according to U.S. Congressman Norm Dicks.

            The stadium, originally built with local timber as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1937, is one of the last remaining wooden stadiums in America.  It has served as the home to AA league baseball, local high school baseball and football games as well as the venue for local, regional and national baseball tournaments.  In recent years, several of the seating planks and support beams have deteriorated, and repairs are requited for safety reasons.

Rep. Dicks added a provision to the Interior Appropriations bill for the next fiscal year, allocating $150,000 in federal funding from the “Save America’s Treasures” account for the stadium rehabilitation.  The program is designed to support local projects, including rehabilitation of historic structures that have cultural significance in communities around the nation, the congressman said.

In seeking approval for the grant, Rep. Dicks noted that the State’s Historic Preservation Officer has recommended the inclusion of the stadium on the National Register of Historic Places.  “It is clearly one of the city’s most unique and important cultural landmarks that should be maintained for future generations to enjoy,” Rep. Dicks said.

The congressman said Hoquiam Mayor Jack Durney had alerted him to the need for assistance in the city’s effort to repair the facility.  Rep. Dicks noted that the local support for the project was important in securing approval from the congressional panel, which received many more requests for funding than it could fulfill.

The rehabilitation funds were included in the Interior Appropriations bill for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2005, which has now been signed into law by President Bush.


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