Steptoe Butte to receive updates, removals

STEPTOE - According to the Washington State Parks website, the Road Improvement Project at Steptoe Butte State Park Heritage Site is likely to begin this year in May, along with the permanent removal of the summit rest room.

The project includes the removal of the old road surface and the installation of the new road. Construction will result in a four-month park closure and removal of the summit rest room, leaving the only available rest room in the lower parking lot.

Concerned park visitor Mark Finley wrote a letter in objection to removing the existing concrete vault toilet from the summit.

"I strongly believe that such a decision will have detrimental effects on the park's functionality, accessibility, and overall appeal," Finley said.

Finley said he is part of a locally active community of Free Flyers called "Center of Life," that has hosted several events for similar groups from around the region at Steptoe Butte. "Last year, three flyers from Seattle, Chelan, Tri-Cities and Boise attended our 50th anniversary fly-in," Finley said in his letter to the commission.

Finley states four points of concern in his letter regarding the proposed removal, including visitors' accessibility to basic facilities. "Removing this amenity would inconvenience visitors and may discourage them from exploring the summit," he said.

Other points of concern include the environmental impact of construction activities and removal, causing people to resort to other means when needing a facility for their biological needs.

Finley argues that removing the toilet would impact preserving historical and cultural resources, compromising the site's historical integrity.

"As stakeholders in the enjoyment and preservation of our state parks, the free-flying and local farming communities should be involved in decisions that impact these spaces," Finley states in the letter, noting that having the opinions of those who frequent and value the park should have an impact.

Finley urges the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission to reconsider the removal of the toilet. "I believe that preserving this facility is in the best interest of both the park's visitors and its natural and cultural resources," Finley wrote the commission project managers.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission could not be reached at press time.