Centralia Coal Transition Board Awards Grant to support Water Pre-Apprenticeship Program
Centralia, Wash. (July 25, 2025) The Centralia Coal Transition Grants Economic & Community Development Board is pleased to announce it has approved a grant award in the amount of $30,240.00 to support the Water Pre-Apprenticeship Program underway in the Napavine School District. The grant funding will support pre-apprenticeship training in preparation for water distribution certification for high school students. This program is a partnership between the Napavine School District, City of Napavine, and the Evergreen Rural Water of Washington. To reach the size and apprenticeship requirements the district is seeking membership with other schools within the Education Service District 113 Region.
The objective of this project is to establish a long-term system for training students in preparing them for certification in Water District Management I, Water Treatment Plant Operator I, or Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator I. The intent is to have the program ready for the start of the 2025-2026 school year with an overall goal to have seven students successfully complete the program within the school year.
The Napavine Career and Technical Education Department has evolved over the past five years with a focus over the last two years on providing students with outstanding training opportunities to prepare them for life after graduation. The program now includes 11 teachers, one director (administrator) and one administrative assistant and a wide array of program subjects.
The Economic & Community Development Board was formed as a result of the 2011 Agreement between TransAlta and the state of Washington to transition the Centralia Plant away from coal-fired operations with one unit retiring at the end of 2020 and the second unit at the end of 2025. The company is investing $55 million in Lewis and South Thurston Counties and the state of Washington through the Coal Transition Boards.
Overview of the Centralia Coal Transition Funding Boards:
Weatherization Board ($10M): established to fund energy efficiency and weatherization for the residents, employees, business, non-profit organizations and local governments within Lewis County and South Thurston County; up to $1 million shall be allocated to fund residential energy efficiency and weatherization measures for low-income and moderate-income residents of Lewis County and South Thurston County;
Economic & Community Development Board ($20M): established to fund education, retraining, economic development, and community enhancement; at least $5M shall be allocated to fund education, retraining and economic development specifically targeting the needs of workers displaced from the Centralia facility;
Energy Technology Board ($25M): established to fund energy technologies with the potential to create environmental benefits to the state of Washington.