Washington’s Public Works Board is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025. While the board is not well known to most Washingtonians, chances are it has helped pay for an infrastructure project in your community — from roads and bridges to drinking water, stormwater and sewer systems, recycling and solid waste, and more recently, broadband.
Established by the Legislature in 1985, the board’s low-interest loans have funded more than 2,000 critical infrastructure projects in towns and cities across the state. In 40 years there’s never been a default on a loan.
This week we dig into the history, mission, and future of the Public Works Board with its Executive Director, Maria Jawad, Board Chair Kathryn Gardow, and board members Kelly Snyder, Public Works Director for Snohomish County, and Gary Rowe, who retired after a career in public works in Jefferson and Skagit Counties, plus working for the Washington State Association of Counties.