Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Washington State Parks has announced the 12 members of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail Advisory Committee.
Each of the appointed members will serve during a four-stage process which will conclude next summer with a goal to propose a solution for a 135-mile section of the trail – which had been listed for closure in an ill-fated legislative budget proviso last fall.
The committee includes property owners, trail users (hikers, cyclists, equestrian), agriculture interests, tourism, natural resources, historic and cultural resources and a utility provider.
The list is as follows: Jay Allert, adjacent property owner; Ted Blaszak, Tekoa Trail and Trestle Association; Keith Bailey, AgVentures NW; Marie Dymkoski, Pullman Chamber of Commerce; Sue Sackmann, Washington Weed Association; Mark Borleske, Cascade Rail Foundation; Andrea Imler, Washington Trails Association, Blake Trask, Washington Bikes; Tom Short, John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders, and Paul Kimmel, Avista Corp.
State Parks Planner Randy Kline will lead the series of meetings – to follow a process the Parks Department has used for more than 80 state parks.
The four sequential stages will each feature one public workshop and an opportunity for follow-up comments by mail or online. All public comments will be posted online for public review. At the conclusion of the final stage, recommendations will be made to the State Parks' seven-member Recreation Commission governing board to consider for adoption.
Kline indicated that the process aims to deliver four things: a management plan for the trail describing actions to solve issues brought out during the planning process; a long-term boundary describing necessary lands to support trail purposes; a plan for any real-estate related activities to be needed to address issues raised in the process; and a budget request for the 2017-19 biennium – to include funds for trail improvements (decided on during the public process) and an operating budget request for maintenance and stewardship needs, including costs for capital improvements.
The trail section in question runs from the Columbia River at Beverly to Malden.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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