12.17.01

Cantwell Announces Grants for Central Washington University

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today announced that Central Washington University's Open Spaces Technology Center has been awarded two grants totaling more than $364,000. The grants are from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ($101,000) and the U.S. Department of Education ($263,465).

Cantwell-who wrote both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department of Education in support of the grants-said, "The Open Spaces Technology Center will become an important resource for Central Washington. The Center will provide tremendous opportunities for access to technology and training for all members of the community, young and old. I congratulate Central Washington University, the City of Ellensburg, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Workforce Development Council, all of whom have worked together to make this victory possible."

The Open Spaces Technology Center (OSTC) is a community technology center which provides several key services in the Ellensburg area. It provides computer infrastructure for Worksource, which is a computer and technical training center for displaced workers in the Ellensburg area. OSTC will team with the Ellensburg Parks and Recreation Department to make computer technology available to the entire community. OSTC will also fund a Mobile Technology Center, which will further increase access to technology and training in rural Kittitas County.