City of Leavenworth backs Amtrak funding, accepts annexation process

LEAVENWORTH — During the July 22 meeting, Leavenworth City Council voiced support for Amtrak’s Empire Builder and reviewed an annexation request for an undeveloped property just north of the US-2 and Icicle Road roundabout

The near-century old Empire Builder is among one of the company’s busiest long-distance routes, stretching from Seattle to Chicago. Leavenworth’s Icicle Station saw approximately 13,000 passengers from the passenger train in 2024. During the meeting, the council passed a resolution requesting the continuation of federal funding for the line.

The concern was brought forth by Mark Meyer, regional representative of the Aurora Group, a nationwide group of railroad professionals trying to save, sustain and grow the long-distance intercity rail passenger network. Meyer reached out to the city with concern that Amtrak had not yet submitted a funding request to Congress for 2026, threatening the aging service.

“The reason I wrote the original letter was to tell you all of the ongoing threat to the service. And the ongoing threat is that the equipment is so old on these trains now that it's likely to expire before anything new is being built,” said Meyer.

In a prior meeting, Government Affairs Manager Chase Kitchen clarified that while it was delayed, Amtrak had submitted its FY2026 Grant and Legislative Request. However, Kitchen agreed that a resolution in support of funding approval would be impactful.

Prior to the council’s vote, Meyer and Kitchen debated Amtrak’s intentions with the Empire Builder. Kitchen disputed Meyer’s claims that the company was going to use the funding to address cosmetic issues, rather than serious mechanical problems.

“We're probably not going to solve this tonight. I would say that we've got something before us that says what we can do. I'm willing to definitely contact our legislators and make them aware that we think more investment would be wise,” Mayor Carl Florea interjected.

Lastly, the city council discussed a Notice of Intent to Annex submitted by Thomas Lin of Willkommen LLC for a 33.41-acre property near the intersection of West Benton Street and Mill Street, north of US-2. 

The vacant parcel is located within the Urban Growth Area and is split-zoned Tourist Commercial and Residential Multifamily. If approved, the annexation would bring the property under city jurisdiction, requiring any development to go through the city’s process, rather than the county. 

The council gave staff the green light to move forward with the process. A public hearing date will be scheduled at a future meeting.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media