Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) and officials from the City of Burlington celebrated the announcement that Burlington was awarded a grant for over $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help with construction of the Burlington-Skagit County Regional Scenic Byway Visitor Center. Larsen supported this project through meetings with local officials and a letter to the Department of Transportation advocating for the grant.

“Building a new visitor center in Burlington is going to create good jobs in the community now and well into the future,” said Rep. Larsen. “This building will help revitalize the Burlington downtown and attract more visitors to the region who will spend their dollars here and help support businesses and the local economy.”

“The creation of a focal point for downtown has been a dream of the community for over twenty years. This will move the redevelopment of downtown forward, including new businesses, mixed use development and renovation of existing businesses. This is the economic driver that will bring new businesses and development to the heart of town, and boost sales in the I-5 retail core area substantially,” said Mayor Ed Brunz. “Job creation includes 20+ construction jobs and many long term employment opportunities in addition to four immediate permanent positions. It is estimated that once the facility opens, several hundred new jobs will be indirectly created because of the positive economic effects across the city. Design of the facility was funded with Lodging Tax dollars and the strong support of the local lodging industry.”

“The creation of the Burlington-Skagit County Regional Scenic Byway Visitor Center will bring many new visitors to Burlington to stay in our hotels, shop and enjoy the Skagit Valley experience,” Brunz continued.

"This grant will revolutionize downtown Burlington. A group of Burlington citizens have worked for 20 years to achieve this park. Everyone can use the park and we are now truly the Hub City!" said Duane Stowe, a long time Downtown Business Owner.

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