Apple Capital Recreation
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04/15/2008
Orchardists Filed Appeals On Rocky Reach Trail Extension
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Orchardists filed appeals Monday of the Douglas County
Commission's March 25 approval of the Rocky Reach trail extension.
Jack Feil and John Tontz and the Right to Farm Association of Baker Flats
filed the appeals in Douglas County Superior Court in Waterville and before
the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board in Yakima. Named
as defendants in both actions are Douglas County, county commissioners, the state
Department of Transportation, State Parks and Chelan County PUD.
Courts, in two prior appeals, have sent the trail project back to Douglas
County because the county failed to follow zoning code, James Klauser, a
Seattle attorney representing the growers, said in a news release.
The appeals allege that county commissioners violated state and county land-use
laws and ignored the latest Superior Court ruling, two recent state Supreme Court
decisions and Growth Hearing Board rulings, Klauser said. All of those rulings
severely restrict any nonagricultural development within protected agricultural
resource areas, he said.
County Commissioner Ken Stanton said commissioners haven't violated any laws and
that the Growth Management Hearings Board and state Shoreline Hearings Board have
upheld county decisions in the case.
At issue is county approval of a permit allowing State Parks to construct a
5.1-mile extension of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail between Odabashian
Bridge and Lincoln Rock State Park, near Rocky Reach Dam. The trail would be built
on DOT and PUD right of way. Four miles of the proposed trail would pass through
land that county commissioners previously designated as "Agricultural Resource Area
of Long Term Commercial Significance" under the state Growth Management Act,
Klauser said.
That designation requires protection and that no incompatible uses be allowed,
he said.
The farmers say the trail would interfere with their operations and
destroy 24 acres of mature trees, Klauser said in the release.
"It's hard to understand how Douglas County can continue to ignore the law and
flout the courts' decisions. If we farmers broke the law like this, they'd locks
up," Feil said in the release.
Stanton said the Growth Management Hearings Board has held that the
trail is a compatible use with agriculture and doesn't violate the law.
"They have every right to appeal," Stanton said. "I was hopeful this, after how
many years this has been going on (15), that it would be the end for everyone."
Stanton said he believes the commissioners' conditions on the permit addressed growers' concerns.
In the news release, Feil said, "Lawyer Bob Parlette and his trail coalition want
this trail and he has pulled all the substantial political strings at his disposal
to pressure Douglas County staff and officials to ram this project through the
protected area."
Parlette, co-chairman of the Complete the Loop Coalition, said he is disappointed
that the growers have "chosen to prolong the agony for everybody."
"I was really looking forward to working with farm groups to get them to realize
trail users are really their friends and work on interpretive signs to help educate
the public about the importance of agriculture," he said.
Parlette denied pulling political strings. "Those commissioners did a remarkably
thorough job in looking at the facts before them," Parlette said. "If Jack believes
that (that Parlette pulled strings), he's absolutely wrong. He doesn't understand
how popular and important trails are to fully integrated developing communities such
as Wenatchee."
Feil said he's most galled by the hypocrisy of politicians and media condemning
Chelan County commissioners for not protecting large agricultural areas 12 years
ago under the Growth Management Act and then supporting Douglas County in ignoring
its protection of ag lands.
"The dispute is treated like a popularity contest and no criticism is heard," Feil
said in the release. "Instead, we hear public criticism of farmers for demanding
the protections that flow from such a designation.
"Our public officials have been happy to avoid criticism by designating
Agricultural Resource Areas which they have no intention to actually protect,
at least if enforcement interferes with their public projects."
04/14/2008
Pipeline Bridge Study Will Cost $156,000
Wenatchee, Washington --
The Wenatchee Reclamation District and the city of Wenatchee have selected
a Montana-based company to do a more thorough evaluation of the pipeline
bridge across the Columbia River, but now must come up with $156,000 to
pay for the work. HDR Engineering of Missoula will inspect the 100-year-old
bridge this summer and identify necessary repairs and how much they will cost.
An analysis of the bridge last year found severe rusting, cracked beams and
missing bolts and pins, and recommended further study of the bridge's condition.
The bridge carries a 46-inch irrigation pipe across the river and serves as a
crossing for the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail.
Because the stability of the bridge is unknown, the city has limited its
occupancy to 20 people at a time and requires groups that use the bridge
for events to carry $1 million liability insurance.
The reclamation district, which owns the bridge, has agreed to pay up to $56,000
toward the new study, said Superintendent Rick Smith. Link Transit has offered to
pay $15,000. The Wenatchee Valley Transportation Council is ponying up $25,000,
said WVTC director Jeff Wilkens.
At a City Council meeting last week, Wenatchee officials said they will agree
to work with the reclamation district to find $60,000 from other government
agencies and community organizations in the area. Wenatchee Mayor Dennis
Johnson said he's confident other agencies will step up to share the bill but said
the city has guaranteed to cover the $60,000 balance to get the study rolling.
03/25/2008
Douglas County Commissioners Approve Loop Trail Extension
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Douglas County commissioners unanimously approved the Rocky Reach trail
extension Tuesday afternoon, but an attorney for orchardists who oppose the
trail says there are good grounds for appeal.
Seattle Attorney James Klauser said his clients, grower Jack Feil and the
Baker Flats Right to Farm Association, have 21 days to decide whether to appeal.
Feil and members of the association said they will think it over. They said they
were disappointed with county commissioners.
The Complete the Loop Coalition, which supports the trail extension proposed
by State Parks, was pleased with the decision. Coalition members have said it
will enhance the region's tourism draw.
One issue is whether Douglas County Hearing Examiner Andrew Kottkamp's
Nov. 3, 2006, approval of the trail extension was a site-specific permit
or a rezone. In remanding Kottkamp's decision to county commissioners on
July 31, 2007, Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss ruled
it was a rezone that Kottkamp had no authority to make. But Douglas County
Prosecutor Steve Clem has said that's an apparent contradiction of an earlier
Hotchkiss ruling calling it a permit.
Klauser has said commissioners could not rezone the land without first removing
it from its designation as ag land of long-term commercial significance under
the Growth Management Act.
The trail would run 5.1 miles through orchard and other land on a state Department
of Transportation right of way linking the 10.5-mile Wenatchee area Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail to Lincoln Rock State Park, near Rocky Reach Dam.
The 20 growers who make up the Baker Flats Right to Farm Association say it's
an incompatible land use that will force many of them out of business. They
contend their orchards are protected from any kind of development since they
are designated as agricultural lands of long-term commercial significance.
Commissioners, two of whom are farmers, said it was an extremely difficult
decision but they had to approve Kottkamp's permit because State Parks met
all county and state laws.
Commissioner Dane Keane, a Rock Island wheat and cattle rancher, said he has
not supported the trail extension but he had to base his decision on whether
county codes were being met. He said they are.
Commissioners adopted Kottkamp's 26 findings of fact and conditions of approval
and added one more condition allowing growers to reduce buffers from 60 to 100
feet on each side of the trail to something less that all sides could agree upon
so growers could save more fruit trees.
Commissioner Mary Hunt, a Sims Corner wheat and cattle rancher,
called the decision her hardest in her 10 years as a commissioner.
Hunt said wide buffers shouldn't be needed because growers spray fruit trees to
the edges of county roads in many places throughout Douglas and Chelan counties.
"I believe in this valley we can live, work and play side by side. Agriculture
is the life blood of this area and I would suggest we give this a try," she said.
The condition contains a two-year review to determine if smaller buffers
work or need to be changed. Klauser said reducing buffers won't work.
Orchardists Larry and Susan Letts said reducing buffers won't help them.
They said 8.8 acres, about a third of their apple orchard, is land leased
from the Department of Transportation. They said they assume they will lose
the lease because DOT won't want the liability of an orchard so close to the
trail. Without the 8.8 acres they won't have a viable orchard and aren't sure
what they will do.
Milt Johnson, a grower just north of the Odabashian Bridge, said any
buffers will change the air flow through his orchard, creating frost
pockets and significantly reducing his income. Larry Letts said buffers
would also cause frost pockets for him.
The Lettses and Johnson are members of the Baker Flats Right to Farm Association.
Feil, as leader of the group, has admitted he has spent more than $200,000 of his
family's money fighting the trail. The fight, before various governmental bodies
and in court, has been going on for 15 years.
Bob Parlette, co-chairman of the Complete the Loop Coalition, has said the real
issue for orchardists isn't spray drift and incompatible land uses as much as who
gets ownership of the right of way if the DOT relinquishes it. Feil has said that's
a secondary reason he's fighting, that he wants first dibs on the right of way since
DOT purchased it from growers in the 1950s. He has said that won't happen if State
Parks gets it.
At a Feb. 25 public hearing before county commissioners, Feil suggested DOT
sell the right of way to growers with the requirement that the trail be built.
"Parks gets their trail and the orchardist gets his land
back, problem solved and everyone's happy," he said then.
Tuesday, Klauser said there's no such thing as a recreational overlay permit
in the county code and the area's designation as commercial ag land of long-
term significance protects it from any development, including trails.
Commission Chairman Ken Stanton read the 26 findings of fact, including one the
county has issued other recreational overlay permits. Another was the Eastern
Washington Growth Management Hearings Board on Feb. 16, 2007, ruling that the
hearing examiner's decision was a site-specific project permit, not a rezone.
03/20/2008
Hazard Trees To Be Removed From Confluence State Park
Wenatchee, Washington --
Approximately twenty-five elm and white poplar trees will be cut from the area
between Olds Station Road and the Apple Capital Loop Trail in Wenatchee
Confluence State Park March 24-27, 2008.
The non-native trees are fast growing and considered invasive, and are a safety
and power-reliability concern. Low-growing, native trees in the area will be kept.
The PUD’s contract tree-trimming crew, Kemp West, will remove the trees.
Larger logs will be delivered to the Hospitality House for heating fuel.
Other debris will be chipped and placed on the slope as mulch.
Trail users will be rerouted through the park and around the work during
the project. Cones and signs will alert trail users to the temporary change.
Park users will also see more truck traffic than usual,
and are asked to use extra care.
03/14/2008
Groups Using Pipeline Bridge Must Pay For Insurance
Wenatchee, Washington --
Groups that want to include the beleaguered pipeline bridge as a part of
an event this summer better make sure they have a solid insurance plan.
The City Council unanimously voted Thursday night to require groups
— such as organizers of the Wenatchee Marathon — that want to use
the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Columbia River to have $1 million
in insurance.
The ordinance goes into effect immediately.
The move is an effort to limit the city's liability and
promote safety for users of the century-old bridge.
Currently there is a limit of 20 people allowed on the
bridge at any given time because of fears it may collapse.
As part of the ordinance requiring the insurance, a group must also agree
to not hold the city liable for any damages that occur during the event,
as well as pay a $50 bridge-use permit application fee.
"Our key here is not trying to pass liability to others, it's more trying
to watch the weight restriction on the bridge for safety," said Mayor
Dennis Johnson.
City staff estimated the cost for $1 million in insurance to be around $700. The
requirement is consistent with the insurance requirement for parades in the city.
Along with acquiring insurance, groups that want to use the bridge must also
submit a plan to the city that details how they plan to monitor and control
traffic on the bridge.
"I think given what we know about this bridge right now, it is important for
these groups to have insurance," said Steve Smith, city attorney. "It protects
us from the worst-case scenario … which is they have too many people on
the bridge and the bridge fails. We're on the hook for that."
The concern for safety stems from a fall 2007 engineering study showing that
if 20 people were packed together at the bridge's weakest point the compact
load would push 3,400 pounds. That amount is the recommended limit for the
bridge's most fragile part, according to the study.
The Wenatchee Reclamation District, an irrigation utility, owns the 100-year
-old bridge which houses a 46-inch irrigation pipe that carries water to 4,000
acres of farmland in Douglas County. It is also part of the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail and can be used as part of the trail because the city
of Wenatchee assumes liability.
The council wanted a plan for groups using the bridge because of the addition
of water to the irrigation pipe, which is expected to happen later this month
and will add additional weight to the bridge. A plan was also called for because
groups will likely be using the bridge again soon, now that cooler winter weather
is morphing into springtime climates.
02/25/2008
Loop Trail Extension Public Hearing No Decision Yet
East Wenatchee, Washington --
After about a decade and a half of wrangling, proponents and opponents of
a proposal to extend a trail five point one miles from the Odabashion Bridge
to Lincoln Rock State Park will have to wait another month to find out if the
project will be given the green light by Douglas County Commissioners.
After hearing over three hours of testimony Monday night, and receiving hundreds
of e.mails, calls and letters recently, Commissioners will take written testimony until
March 10th 2008 and could make a decision on March 25th 2008.
02/22/2008
Loop Trail Extension Plan For Another Round Public Hearing
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Public hearing on Rocky Reach extension of Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail
at 5:30 p.m. Monday 02/25/2008 at the Eastmont Junior High School commons
Information: 884-7173 or www.douglascountywa.net (click on current projects)
http://www.douglascountywa.net/departments/tls/projects/rrtrail
Douglas County commissioners are holding a public hearing Monday on
a proposed rezone that would allow State Parks to extend Wenatchee's
riverfront recreational Loop Trail to Rocky Reach Dam.
Proponents and opponents of the extension have been battling before government
boards and courts for about 15 years. They say it would be nice if this were the
final chapter, but neither side thinks it is.
Bob Parlette, co-chairman of the Complete the Loop Coalition which supports
the trail, says the hearing will be the "last shot this year" if State Parks and the
coalition loses but that "we will keep coming back until we get this trail built."
He said it may become a campaign issue in county commission races if
commissioners turn it down.
Jack Feil, orchardist and leader of the Baker Flats Right to Farm Association
which opposes the trail, says he thinks the association would want to consult
with its attorney but that he believes it would fight on if commissioners
approve the rezone.
"It would be awfully difficult to farm out here. It's zoned commercial agriculture
and is protected farm land. That's important. Farm land is getting scarce all the
time and with prices of apples, wheat and cherries being good I don't think any
one (any grower) is anxious to convert anything from ag," Feil said.
Parlette said the plan to extend the trail 5.1 miles, from Odabashian Bridge to
Lincoln Rock State Park next to Rocky Reach Dam, is extremely popular among
recreationists. He said he has petitions of support, signed by more than 1,100
people, that he will give commissioners Monday.
"I'm not giving up. It either has to be me or Jack Feil.
One of us has to die first," Parlette said with a laugh.
Parlette said he expects 200 to 300 trail extension supporters to attend the
5:30 p.m. hearing in the Eastmont Junior High School commons. Parlette and
Andy Dappen, content editor of WenatcheeOutdoors.org sent a combined e-mail
to trail supporters urging them to attend the hearing suggesting talking points.
Curtis Lillquist, a senior county planner, said he expects the hearing to go at
least two hours. Each side has been given half an hour for presentations following
a staff report and then time will be provided for public comments.
The trail extension has been approved by the state's Shorelines Hearing Board but a
recreational zoning overlay on top of agricultural zoning has been the battleground.
Parlette said State Parks at one time had $1.2 million in state and federal grants to
build the trail. Some of the federal money was used for design work, but $550,000
in state grants was lost because it wasn't spent on time, he said.
The Complete the Loop Coalition has $200,000 of its own money for trail construction
and the Chelan County PUD has committed to giving $500,000 as part of the recreation
component of the relicensing of Rocky Reach Dam. The PUD and coalition money would
be enough to get construction going, he said, noting that the trail wouldn't have to be paved
right away if that helped to get it started.
02/01/2008
Loop Trail Pipeline Bridge Limit Of 20 People
Wenatchee, Washington --
The pipeline bridge will stay open to people — but
don't just walk out there, do a quick head count first.
Only 20 people at a time are allowed on the bridge from now on,
the city says. The century-old span crossing the Columbia River
can certainly hold much more weight but with all the unknowns
about its stability, "there is no option for us from a liability
standpoint," said city engineer Steve King.
Why 20?
If 20 people were packed together in the very middle of the bridge
—its weakest point — the compact load would push 3,400 pounds, the
recommended limit for that most fragile part, according to the
engineering analysis done so far. A 2007 Ford Taurus weighs 3,741 pounds.
Hard answers to the many questions about the span's stability and longevity
likely won't come until a more-complete engineering study of it finishes,
presumably this fall.
The Wenatchee Reclamation District, an irrigation utility, owns the
100-year-old bridge. People can use it as part of the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail because the city of Wenatchee assumes liability.
The city can cancel the deal anytime.
City leaders have considered closing the bridge to people once water starts
flowing through the 46-inch irrigation pipe in late March or early April,
adding thousands of pounds to the load. The exact weight of the water is
unknown, but a couple of figures provide an inkling of the load: one gallon
of water weighs 8.33 pounds and the pipe delivers 225 to 375 gallons of water
per second.
As it stands, the bridge won't close to people when the tap turns on,
but that's when the the city, King said, will be sure to have posted
20-person limit signs at both ends of the bridge. No one will be on guard
to enforce the 20-person load limit during regular times but a monitor may
be on hand during events where people cross the bridge. Perhaps the largest
of them, the annual Wenatchee Marathon, might have to be rerouted. Race
organizers could not be reached for comment.
King said people shouldn't worry crossing the span. Karen Kornher,
an engineer with the East Wenatchee firm RH2, which is advising the
reclamation district, agreed.
"I think that the risks of anything happening are extremely low," Kornher said.
The reclamation district is seeking a firm to do another study to the get
definitive answers about the condition of the bridge.
01/10/2008
Apple Capital Loop Trail To Grow By 1,600 Feet
Wenatchee, Washington --
The Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail will grow by an additional
1,600 feet this year thanks to two state Department of Transportation
projects, one on each side of the Columbia River.
When complete, the projects will create connections to the trail
that feature safer access to areas near the Odabashian Bridge.
"Both of the projects are specifically for improving the safety and
connectivity of the Loop Trail," said DOT spokesman Jeff Adamson.
The projects are scheduled to be advertised for bids Feb. 25. Construction
on both is slated to start in spring and be complete by fall, Adamson said.
The projects are expected to cost about $2 million, with $1.6 million
coming from the state's 2005 gas tax, according to the DOT's Web site.
On the west side of the river the project will create safer access from
the trail to the Olds Station area and Highway 97A where bicyclists can
ride north to Rocky Reach Dam and Lake Chelan.
"Now, anyone who wants to go from the Loop Trail to the north usually has
to get off their bike, take themselves and the bike across four lanes of
speedy traffic and over one concrete barrier. This essentially eliminates
that issue," Adamson said.
The west side project will construct a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge next
to the railroad bridge on Highway 2/97 and extend the trail west across around
the northbound off ramp. The extension will connect with Highway 97A and Euclid
Avenue across from the Washington State Apple Commission Visitor Center.
This provides a direct connection from the trail to the Port of Chelan
County's Olds Station Industrial Park, the nearby commercial district
and shopping center and Highway 97A.
Washington State Department of Transportation's Loop Trail connectivity improvements:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US2/WenatcheeTrailConnection
www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US2/EOdabasianBridge
12/10/2007
Rock Island Hydro Park To Be Renamed
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Chelan County PUD commissioners voted today to change the name
of Rock Island Hydro Park to Kirby Billingsley Hydro Park.
The vote came after a request was made by customer Bob Parlette,
Wilfred WOods, Rich Congdon and Bill Layman. Billingsley was a
former PUD general manager and commissioner.
The community members outlined the accomplishments of Billingsley,
a former PUD general manager and commissioner, citing his pivotal
involvement in public power in the region, the funding and construction
of Rocky Reach Dam, and the creation of Chelan County PUD’s parks system,
among other accomplishments.
When presenting the request to commissioners, Parlette noted that
Billingsley’s impact on the Columbia River was huge. “He was a giant
in the struggle for public power,” he said. For More Please See:
( http://www.chelanpud.org/5024.html )
12/10/2007
New Pipeline Bridge Analysis Will Determine How Safe
Wenatchee, Washington --
The city of Wenatchee and the Wenatchee Reclamation District
are looking for partners to help finance a third engineering
study of the pedestrian bridge over the Columbia River.
Previous studies to determine whether the bridge could
withstand bus traffic turned up structural problems.
Officials from Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Douglas and Chelan counties
and various organizations that have an interest in the longevity of the
bridge met Monday at the Wenatchee Convention Center.
"This bridge is an icon of the Columbia River. A critical part of this
meeting is that everyone who has a stake in this bridge will be able to
hear firsthand what needs to be done," said Wenatchee Mayor Dennis Johnson.
"Doing this study is the most prudent path to proceed ahead with so we can
get a more clear view of what needs to be done."
The purpose of the new study, which will be done by Spokane-based Nicholls
Engineering, is to find out exactly what improvements are needed and, most
importantly, to conduct a test to determine the bridge's load-bearing capacity.
The study will also provide estimated costs for repairs.
The reclamation district, an irrigation provider, has owned the span since
1952. Under a two-decade-old agreement, the city takes responsibility if
anyone is hurt or injured on the bridge, which is part of the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail.
Johnson said if the next study finds that pedestrian traffic is not a viable
option on the bridge, the city could drop out of its agreement with the reclamation
district, and the bridge would be used solely to transport water. It would eliminate
the Loop Trail's south-end crossing, and the loop would become a horseshoe.
The 1,000-foot-long bridge was built in 1908 and carries irrigation
water from Wenatchee to 4,000 acres in Douglas County.
"We need to work together and look at partnerships throughout the community
that will help us find ways to keep the bridge's loop connection," Rick Smith,
reclamation district manager, said Monday.
The new engineering study will involve cleaning the bridge, examining joints
and bolts and conducting load-bearing and other tests. The estimated cost of
the study is between $150,000 and $260,000, said Randy Asplund, an engineer
with the firm RH2. Asplund said the scope of work still needs to be finalized
before providing a concrete cost.
The study would begin no earlier than the beginning of March. Johnson did
not have an estimate for how long the study would take and said the city
and reclamation district would not have to pay the entire study cost all
at once. He said it is likely the study would be completed in stages and
that the load-bearing test would be performed when water is sent through
the pipeline in the spring.
After the meeting, Johnson said possible organizations that could partner with
the city and reclamation district to help finance the study include Chelan and
Douglas counties, the city of East Wenatchee, Chelan County PUD and the port
districts of both counties.
12/07/2007
Pedestrian Pipeline Bridge Open For Now
Wenatchee, Washington --
The pipeline bridge reopened this morning with the
ultimate fate of the century-old span decidedly unstable.
Crossing the bridge is a 48-inch wide pipe that carries water from
Wenatchee to 4,000 acres of Douglas County farmland. Part of the pipe
collapsed Oct. 16 while being sucked dry for the season. Pipe repairs
closed the bridge weekdays from early November until this morning. The
1,000-foot-long span connects the west and east sides of the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail.
People can again cross but for how long isn't known. The bridge has corroded
bearings, rusted joints, cracked support beams and missing bolts, rivets and
pins, according to a recent engineering study.
The bridge "will probably not fail within the next two years," the report said,
noting that a more in-depth analysis is needed to figure out how long the bridge
will hold up.
On Monday, local politicians will get together to talk about possibly doing another
study in a meeting called by Wenatchee Mayor Dennis Johnson. The meeting could make
clear which jurisdictions are willing to plan and pay for further study and possibly
repair of the bridge.
The Wenatchee Reclamation District, an irrigation
provider, has owned the span since 1952.
To enable pedestrians and bicyclists to use the bridge, the city of Wenatchee in
1984 assumed liability for anyone hurt while crossing through an agreement with
the reclamation district. As part of the agreement, the city could end the deal
with the reclamation district at any time.
Engineer Karen Kornher, with the East Wenatchee firm RH2, said that the earlier
study could not nail down the condition of the bridge because so many joints can't
be seen under layers of rust. A new study would include chipping off the gunk to
get a look at the previously invisible places.
11/21/2007
City Moves On Pipeline Bridge Problem
Wenatchee, Washington --
A two-decade-old agreement makes the city responsible if
anyone is hurt or killed in a collapse of the pipeline bridge.
The agreement, which surfaced following recent reports that the 100-year-old
span is basically falling apart, means the city has a big say about how long
people should be allowed to use it. The 1,000-foot-long bridge connects the
west and east side segments of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail.
The City Council could close the bridge to pedestrians until its stability is
verified through further engineering studies, said City Attorney Steve Smith.
One analysis completed early this month concluded the bridge "will probably not fail
within the next two years." The study, commissioned by Link Transit, recommended that
pedestrians and bike riders stay off the span starting in late 2009, unless a more
detailed study verifies its capability to hold up longer. As it is, officials know the
bridge is weak — much weaker than previously figured — but they still have no firm idea
about how long people can safely use it.
The Wenatchee Reclamation District, an irrigation provider, has owned the span
since 1952. The district uses the bridge to carry a 48-inch pipe that delivers
water to Douglas County. In order to make it possible for pedestrians and bicyclists
to use the bridge, the city of Wenatchee in 1984 stepped up to assume liability for
anyone hurt while crossing, Smith said.
The city could terminate the liability agreement at any time, Smith said. In that
case, it would be up to the reclamation district whether or not to let people cross.
Smith said he has not advised city officials to rescind the liability agreement.
He said he will decide whether or not to make such a recommendation based upon
what area leaders decide about determining the reliability of the bridge.
Councilman Mark Kulaas said "it doesn't seem prudent" to maintain
the agreement if the stability of the bridge is in question.
"The city alone should not be exposing our taxpayers to that risk," he said.
Councilman Frank Kuntz said he's willing to have the city take the risk for
now but added that he would "have no problem shutting it down" if that's what
engineers end up advising.
"We have to listen to what the engineers tell us and I
don't know that we know what they're telling us yet."
Kuntz said the city should help pay for further study of the bridge.
'We clearly have a stake in this."
Mayor Dennis Johnson agrees. He has invited county and city leaders from both
sides of the Columbia River to a Dec. 10 meeting to find out who is interested
in dedicating resources toward saving the bridge, or at least figuring out how
much longer it can remain in use.
The firm that did the analysis released in October reported that not enough was
known about the bridge and its construction and maintenance history to determine
how fast it is deteriorating.
"Since we don't have a solid background on all the factors affecting deterioration,
answers to specific questions, such as 'How can it be fixed?' and 'How long will it
last?' are more difficult to answer," the report stated.
The study found: Half of all bearings are corroded. 60 percent of joints are rusted.
Others are misaligned, damaged or are missing parts. Support beams are cracked. Bolts,
rivets and pins are missing.
Link Transit paid for the studies on the stability of the bridge to find out if
it could be retrofitted to support buses, getting them between Wenatchee and East
Wenatchee without having to cross the often-congested Sen. George Sellar Bridge.
A first engineering study, finished in July, found that the bridge probably could
hold buses if it underwent a relatively minor remodel. The second study found the
major deficiencies and eliminated the possibility of the bridge carrying buses.
"I think there are partnerships we have to talk about," Johnson said of the purpose
of the December meeting. "The hope is to save it (the bridge) in some fashion."
The pipeline bridge will be closed November 26-30, 2007 as crews
continue repairing an irrigation pipe that collapsed in October.
The bridge has been open on weekends and closed on weekdays this month.
The bridge will reopen for the weekend, Dec. 1-2, but could close again
the following week if repairs aren’t completed, said Rick Smith, manager
of the Wenatchee Reclamation District, an irrigation provider that owns the bridge.
11/16/2007
Public On Same Page, Save Loop Trail, Loop Trail Will Stay
East Wenatchee, Washington --
State Department of Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says her agency
will preserve the 4.5-mile section of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail
along the east shore of the Columbia River.
Hammond said she will officially designate the trail a part of the area’s highway
system, giving the state the legal authority to hold on to the land beneath the trail.
“I’m committed to doing that,” Hammond said in an interview at
The Wenatchee World this morning. “It makes perfect sense.”
The city of East Wenatchee and Douglas County
lease the land under the trail from the state.
On Thursday night, Hammond joined about 300 people at Eastmont Junior High
School for what turned out to be an Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail love fest.
State Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, called the meeting so officials
and the public could hear about the state agency’s plans to surplus 400 acres
of land on the east shore of the Columbia River, from the Sen. George Sellar
Bridge to the Odabashian Bridge.
Officials and members of the public praised the trail for its positive economic
impact, its value as a transportation route and for the refuge it provides in an
expanding urban area.
“This trail is the crown jewel of Wenatchee,” said Bob Bugert,
executive director of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust.
The state bought the land over several decades — starting in the 1950s
— intending to build a highway along the river. It came close to building
the road but the project was ultimately scrapped because of challenges to
shoreline permits, said Dan Sarles, assistant regional administrator with
the state transportation department.
Though the state abandoned plans to build the road years ago, the required
studies officially saying that the state has no use for the land wrapped up
only this summer. That put into motion the state’s process of declaring the
land surplus and ultimately selling it. State law says the transportation
department must sell surplus land at market value.
Hammond told the crowd at Thursday meeting, “This trail is too valuable to lose.”
Hammond was in town on a statewide tour to introduce herself to local officials.
Governor Chris Gregoire appointed Hammond earlier this month.
Though the trail itself may be saved by the state, the fate of the open space
around the trail is unknown. The land is zoned for mixed use, similar to how
Wenatchee has planned its waterfront, said Lori Barnett, community development
director for the city of East Wenatchee. Condominiums, retail shops and
restaurants could go in the area.
The prospect of the trail someday being hemmed in by buildings bugged trail user
Jack Stagge, an East Wenatchee resident. Stagge said he moved to Wenatchee in the
early 1990s to escape rampant development in Southern California.
“We came here (to the meeting) to help it (the riverfront) not become what we left,”
Stagge said, speaking of himself and his wife, Holly Stagge. “What we have is unique.”
Following the meeting, state Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee, said there’s
no magic wand to wave to see that the trail is preserved but that “the odds are
very strong that we’ll preserve the trail one way or another.”
The state’s process to surplus and sell the land will take several years,
Sarles said. The value of the land is yet to be determined.
CC - Wenatchee World
11/05/2007
Loop Trail Users Undaunted By Bridge Closure
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Photo - Wenatchee Reclamation District employee Mike Abhold, top, secures
temporary fences Monday to block people from crossing the pipeline pedestrian
bridge across the Columbia River. The bridge will be closed weekdays for about
three weeks while the irrigation pipe is being repaired. Bicyclist Michael Carlos
rides up to ask how long the bridge will be closed.
Walkers and bikers good-naturedly accepted Monday's closure of the
pipeline pedestrian bridge — even though it took them by surprise.
"We'll just change our route," said Sal Mugnos of Wenatchee as he and
Mike Lowell, both 48, cruised up to the east end of the bridge Monday
afternoon on their mountain bikes.
Two orange "Road Closed" signs and a chain-link fence blocked their way across.
Mugnos of Wenatchee and Lowell of East Wenatchee ride the 12-mile Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail every day during their lunch break at Stemilt Growers in
Olds Station. Monday they decided to head back to Stemilt the way they came.
The bridge, which spans the Columbia River at the loop trail's south end,
will be closed Monday through Friday for the next three weeks, as workers
repair a section of 48-inch irrigation pipe that collapsed Oct. 16.
Popular with Loop Trail exercisers and non-motorized commuters, the span also
carries the irrigation pipeline, natural gas and telephone cables across the river.
The pipeline isn't the only part of the century-old bridge in need of repair.
Badly rusted and missing bolts, the bridge may be
closed permanently by 2009 if it isn't repaired.
The Wenatchee Valley Transportation Council and the cities
will weigh alternatives in the coming weeks and months.
For now, the closure is only temporary.
"I heard they were going to close it, and here it is," said Paul Bieniasz,
50, of East Wenatchee, pausing on his bike and viewing the big orange signs.
Bieniasz said he bikes the Loop Trail about four times a week, but will also change
his route until the bridge reopens. Monday, he opted to cross the heavily traveled
Sen. George Sellar Bridge, nearby.
That was Scott Woods' decision as well. Woods, 50, of Wenatchee discovered
the bridge closure on the one day he decided to walk the entire Loop Trail.
The Seattle transplant said he preferred the cool
fall weather to the scorching heat of summer.
"It's a beautiful fall day to see all the leaves out. It's not that
much farther. I'll just walk across the other bridge," he said.
Ian Ashbaugh, 37, of Wenatchee began cycling north near the Orondo Avenue
boat launch and had almost completed the 12-mile loop when he encountered
the big orange signs.
"It adds more of a challenge. I'll get twice the workout," he said.
Did he take a short detour across the Sellar Bridge? Nope.
"I'm going to go back the way I came," he said. "It's a gorgeous
day. You can't complain about a Nov. 5 that looks like this."
11/03/2007
Pipeline Bridge May Be Off Limits By 2009
Wenatchee, Washington --
A engineering analysis released Friday says the pipeline bridge "will probably
not fail within the next two years" and recommends that pedestrians and bike
riders stay off the span starting in late 2009, unless a more detailed study
verifies its capability to hold up longer.
The firm that did the analysis, Nicholls Engineering, says it doesn't know
enough about the bridge and its construction and maintenance history to
determine how fast it is deteriorating. The bridge carries people, water,
natural gas, and telephone and cable lines across the Columbia River. The
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail also goes over the bridge.
"Since we don't have a solid background on all the factors affecting deterioration,
answers to specific questions, such as 'How can it be fixed?' and 'How long will it
last?' are more difficult to answer," the report states. Various haphazard repair
jobs — support brackets welded to different parts here and there in 40 places over
the years — could have altered the way the bridge supports weight, making it hard
to determine its true strength, the report said.
The analysis, commissioned by Link Transit, did find, however,
that the span is in terrible shape and probably can't be repaired.
The defects reported include:
Rust is "a major problem throughout the bridge."•Half of all bearings are
corroded.•60 percent of joints — parts holding pieces of steel together —
are rusted. Others are misaligned, damaged or are missing parts. •Support
beams are cracked.•Bolts, rivets and pins are missing.
Link initiated the study process as part of its proposal
to use the bridge as an alternate route for its buses.
The first engineering study, done in July, found that the 1,000-foot
bridge probably could hold buses if it underwent a relatively minor remodel.
The second found major deficiencies. Now, Spokane-based Nicholls Engineering
is recommending a third study to nail down an expected life span.
Rick Smith, manager of the Wenatchee Reclamation
District, favors a closer inspection.
"We are looking for better answers," he said.
The reclamation district, an irrigation provider, has owned the bridge since
1952. A 48-inch pipe carries water to 4,000 acres of farmland in Douglas County.
Smith said the poor condition of the bridge came as a surprise and that the
district is exploring options, including how else it might be able to get
water across the Columbia River.
The future of the bridge will be taken up by elected officials from both
sides of the Columbia River at next Thursday's meeting of the Wenatchee
Valley Transportation Council. The meeting is set for 9 to 11 a.m. in the
third-floor conference room at Columbia Station, 300 S. Columbia Ave.
11/02/2007
Parlette Pushes To Save Loop Trail Access
Wenatchee, Washington --
State Sen. Linda Evans Parlette is taking up the cause to keep the
Eastside portion of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail open to
the public.
"I know how important this piece of property is to our citizens and
I want to do all I can to ensure we can access it for generations to
come," she said in a press release.
The release announced a Nov. 15 meeting she has put together to address
the future of the Loop Trail and 400 acres along the east shore of the
Columbia River between the Sen. George Sellar and Odabashian bridges.
The state Department of Transportation owns the land, which it no longer
needs since plans to build a highway along the stretch have been abandoned.
The state is preparing to surplus the land.
Parlette said she wants everyone interested in the fate of the land to
all hear at the same time what representatives of the state Department
of Transportation have to say about their plans for it.
Dan Sarles, assistant regional administrator with the DOT, said there's a
misconception that the state is flat-out selling the land immediately. The
process of selling the land could take several years, he said.
The upcoming meeting is aimed at "establishing a community vision for that
area," Sarles said. "There's a lot of potential uses there," he said.
State law to a large degree dictates what DOT does with surplus land. As it
stands, the state has to sell surplus land at market value. That value won't
be known until the state does an appraisal.
Sarles said it might take legislative action to "accomplish community goals,"
and that "everyone we have talked with to date agrees that … maintaining the
Apple Capital Loop Trail is a priority."
"The dialogue needs to happen," Sarles said.
The city of East Wenatchee and Douglas County lease
the 4.5-mile Loop Trail right-of-way from the state.
If you go
What: Discussion with Sen. Linda Evans Parlette and state officials about the
fate of 400 acres of state-owned land along the east shore of the Columbia
River from the Sen. George Sellar Bridge to the Odabashian Bridge
When: 5 to 6 p.m., Nov. 15th 2007
Where: Eastmont Junior High School, 905 8th St., East Wenatchee
11/01/2007
Reclamation Bridge Closing For Three Weeks
Wenatchee, Washington --
Starting Monday Nov 5th 2007 the Wenatchee Reclamation bridge will be
closed as crews replace 100 feet of pipe that was damaged last month.
The bridge will be closed for about three weeks.
The bridge will be open to the public on weekends.
Future of reclamation district bridge is in doubt.
Link transit will not be using the Wenatchee Reclamation District's
bridge in the future, and if nothing is done, within a couple years
or so the bridge might be closed to the public.
An engineering report, released today, says the age of the bridge,
combined with rust related corrosion of structural joints, has weakened
the bridge to the point it it's not able to accomodate significant
motorized traffic.
The report adds that while there is no immediate risk to the public
who use the bridge now, over time the corrosion will continue to weaken
the structure to the point that the bridge will become unsafe for its
current loop trail use.
10/31/2007
Pipeline Bridge's Future Uncertain
Wenatchee, Washington --
The pipeline bridge over the Columbia River "is at the end
of its useful life," Link Transit's general manger says.
Just how weak the pedestrian bridge is is expected to come out Friday
when officials report the results of an engineering analysis of the
century-old span that carries an irrigation pipe as well as pedestrians
and bicyclists on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail.
The study, begun 18 months ago by Link Transit, was first aimed at finding
out if the bridge could support buses, possibly providing a way for buses
to shuttle between Wenatchee and East Wenatchee without getting tangled up
in traffic on and around the Sen. George Sellar Bridge.
Early indications were promising: Inspectors found significant decay but
not so much that it ruled out the possibility of repairing the bridge at
a reasonable cost.
The repair bill was pegged at about $3 million early on.
The picture flipped in late September when Link General Manager Richard
DeRock told the transit agency's board of directors that further study
of the span's underside had turned up severe degradation of steel that
ruled out the possibility of it carrying buses and brought into question
how long the bridge could last carrying an irrigation pipeline and pedestrians.
On Friday, officials are expected to say how many years the bridge, the first
to carry automobiles across the Columbia River, should hold up, according to
a private engineering firm's study.
DeRock on Tuesday would not offer specifics about the engineering findings.
However, he said: "The bridge is at the end of its useful life."
The bridge is the south end of the popular Loop Trail.
Rick Smith, manager of the Wenatchee Reclamation
District, could not be reached for comment.
The reclamation district has owned the bridge since 1952. The district
provides water to 4,000 acres of farmland in Douglas County via a 48-inch
pipeline that crosses the bridge.
"It was a very exciting concept that provided relatively inexpensive
accessm if we could have pulled it off," DeRock said of the possibility
of the pedestrian bridge carrying Link buses.
Link paid for the engineering study, but it's unclear what role,
if any, the agency will have in rebuilding or repairing the bridge.
DeRock said Link and the reclamation district will present the results
of the study to the Wenatchee Valley Transportation Council early next
month. The council, made up of politicians and transportation planners
from both sides of the Columbia River, decides which roads need to be
fixed and where the money will come from.
10/25/2007
Pipe Collapse Could Close Pedestrian Bridge
Wenatchee, Washington --
A collapsed irrigation pipe will likely cause a three-week closure
next month of the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Columbia River.
The pipe collapsed Oct. 16 while it was being drained for fall maintenance,Rick
Smith, manager of the Wenatchee Reclamation District, said Wednesday afternoon.
The collapse was caused by a vacuum that formed inside a 110-foot section of the
pipe as water was being drained through a set of small valves. Typically, the pipe
would have been drained using two large valves. The smaller valves were used in an
effort to reduce vibration on the bridge as a precaution until the bridge's structural
integrity is evaluated in the second phase of an engineering study, Smith said.
"Unfortunately, the vacuum was an inadvertent consequence of how we decided to drain the pipe,"
Smith said.
"In order to get the work done safely without any pedestrians or workers possibly
getting injured, we will have to close the bridge," he said. "I am hoping that it
will be able to be opened for weekends during the closure period, but I can't say
for sure right now."
The bridge is part of the popular Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail.
The damaged pipe is part of a stretch of about 1,000 feet
of pipe that runs across the bridge, Smith said.
"It's not a very common occurrence that the bridge is closed, and we
really appreciate people's consideration due to the circumstances,"
he said.
He also said a new pipe has been ordered and he's hoping it arrives next week.
10/04/2007
Parties Ponder Trail Extension
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Douglas County commissioners probably won't address the proposed
Rocky Reach extension of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail
until after the first of the year, Commissioner Ken Stanton said Tuesday.
When Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss ruled July 31
that a permit for the trail from the county hearing examiner was insufficient
and that a rezone from commissioners was needed, Stanton said commissioners
likely would hold a public hearing on a proposed rezone within 30 to 45 days
and make a decision.
“That time has passed, and we just haven't got to it
because of other things happening,“ Stanton said Tuesday.
He mentioned Commissioner Dane Keane being on medical leave until
Oct. 25 and commissioners needing to work on the 2008 county budget.
Hotchkiss remanded Hearing Examiner Andrew Kottkamp's Nov. 3, 2006,
recreational overlay permit for the trail extension to commissioners
for review and a decision, saying Kottkamp's action amounted to a
rezone that only commissioners have the authority to approve.
County Prosecutor Steve Clem said county commissioners do not have to
proceed without first receiving a request from State Parks, the agency
wanting to build the 5.1-mile trail extension from Odabashian Bridge to
Lincoln Rock State Park, which is near Rocky Reach Dam.
Karolyn Klohe, an assistant state attorney general representing State Parks,
said the state has until Oct. 12 to decide whether to appeal the judge's July
31 decision. She said State Parks has not made a decision.
Stanton said he wants to hold a public hearing on a proposed
rezone and then decide whether or not to allow the rezone.
Some orchard owners have opposed building the trail.
“It's my understanding that through the hearing examiner process a lot
of issues with the orchards were addressed,“ Stanton said. “So that's
why I would like to reopen it and see what has been addressed and what
hasn't been addressed.“
He said he believes Commissioners Keane and Mary Hunt feel the same way,
but he said any commission action may be delayed if State Parks appeals
the judge's July 31 decision.
Kottkamp's decision was appealed to Hotchkiss by Jack Feil and other
Baker Flats orchardists in the Baker Flats Right to Farm Association
who contend that the trail is incompatible with farming and violates
the state Growth Management Act.
On Aug. 10, Klohe presented a proposed final order of the judge's
July 31 decision, reversing it and affirming Kottkamp's permit.
Klohe also asked the judge to reconsider his decision.
On Sept. 13, Hotchkiss denied the motion for reconsideration and
Klohe's proposed final order. He wrote that putting anything more
than necessary on paper allows both sides to suggest findings he
did not make. He reiterated his July 31 decision that Kottkamp's
recreational overlay permit amounted to a rezone and that rezones
have to be approved or denied by county commissioners.
10/03/2007
State Prepares To Sell Eastside Waterfront
East Wenatchee, Washington --
The east side of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail is at
stake as the state prepares to sell the land that the trail sits
on, as well as hundreds more acres of riverside property between
the Odabashian and pipeline bridges.
The state Department of Transportation bought the riverfront land
decades ago, planning to build a highway along the bank someday.
In the mid-1980s, and again in the mid-1990s, officials considered
but ultimately abandoned plans to put a road along the river.
The DOT has scrapped the notion of building the road. Instead, the
agency is expanding Sunset Highway to four lanes. This summer, the
Federal Highway Administration backed up the state by declaring Sunset
Highway the preferred route, officially making the riverfront land surplus.
The state is required by law to sell the property at market value.
There's no guarantee that whoever buys it will preserve the 4.5-mile
segment of the Loop Trail between Odabashian Bridge and the pipeline
bridge. The city of East Wenatchee and Douglas County lease the trail
right-of-way from the DOT.
The process to sell the land is just starting and could take several
years to complete, Ted Hill, a DOT real-estate service manager, said Monday.
At this point, “there are a lot of different scenarios“ that could
play out, said Jeff Adamson, a Department of Transportation spokesman.
Among them is that commercial developers will go after riverfront
tracts that stand to become prime property — as has happened in Wenatchee.
“You have a lot of competing interests,“ Adamson said. People who have
lived on leased land for decades, those who want the area to stay undeveloped,
Loop Trail advocates, as well as commercial builders, are all in the picture,
he explained. Adamson said public agencies such as Douglas County, the city of
East Wenatchee or the State Parks Department could be granted the first crack
at buying the land before private parties.
Hill said he didn't know exactly how much land the DOT owns between the
bridges. Also unknown is how much the land is worth. He said an appraisal
is needed. Hill said the department would prefer to sell the land to one
buyer, but the possibility of selling to multiple parties isn't ruled out.
“If we lose the trail, we lose one of the gems of this valley,“
said Dave Schwab, director of the Eastmont Metropolitan Parks District.
This morning, the sun lit up the yellowing treetops near the river
as brothers Ed Brugmann, 76, and Dick Brugmann, 68, quietly walked
the trail near 19th Street. The brothers, both East Wenatchee residents,
have been walking the trail together for an hour every morning for about
eight years.
It's away from traffic and quiet, they said,
which seemed to suit the brothers of few words.
“We don't talk that much,“ Ed said.
“I've already heard all his lies,“ said Dick.
The brothers said they couldn't imagine citizens and government
agencies not standing up to see that the trail survives.
With everything up in the air, East Wenatchee Community Development
Director Lori Barnett said she's sure of one thing: “We need to get
proactive doing something to be able to keep that trail.“
10/03/2007
Safety Questions For Pedestrian Bridge
Wenatchee, Washington --
The 100-year-old pedestrian bridge crossing the Columbia River
certainly can't carry buses, and it's questionable how much life
the span has left, according to the latest engineering analysis.
Experts studying the stability of the bridge for Link Transit have
found that joints holding it together from the underside are irreparably
rusted, in contrast to joints on the top side, which engineers determined
earlier this year could be salvaged.
“Degradation of the bridge is much more extensive than preliminary
analysis showed,“ Richard DeRock, Link general manager, said Monday.
He said the bridge will never hold buses. “They (engineers) discovered
that there is no effective way to repair it.“
Analysis of the bridge, the first built to carry cars across the
Columbia River, is still going on. Yet to be determined is how much
steel the rust has eaten away and how fast new rust is forming, he said.
DeRock said engineers told him the lifespan could be anywhere from
10 to 50 more years. At any rate, DeRock said indications are the
bridge is much weaker than officials had thought.
Link had hoped the bridge could carry buses, getting them around the
jam-packed Sen. George Sellar Bridge. Now Link's role in the span's
future is unknown. The Wenatchee Reclamation District, an irrigation
provider, owns the bridge.
DeRock said it might take several agencies teaming up to save the span.
“In the near future we should probably be talking about this process,“
he said.
Noting its use as a conduit across the river of cable lines, an
irrigation pipe and the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail, DeRock
said: “There's a whole bunch of people who need this corridor.“
Among them are farmers and orchardists tending 4,000 acres in the
East Wenatchee area. A 48-inch pipe carries irrigation water over
the bridge to Douglas County.
“I think we've got to take it one step at a time,“ said Rick Smith,
superintendent of the Wenatchee Reclamation District.
Smith said the final analysis could show that the bridge can continue
doing what it's doing, carrying pedestrians, cyclists and a water pipe.
“For the existing uses we may be just fine,“ Smith said.
“We're pursuing better information.“
08/01/2007
Trail Extension Rezone Improper, Judge Says
Wenatchee-Waterville, Washington --
A judge has thrown out approval of a riverfront trail
between Lincoln Rock State Park and Odabashian Bridge.
Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss ruled
that a hearing examiner lacked the authority to rezone land
to allow the trail. The Tuesday decision, unless appealed,
will send the trail case to the Douglas County Commission.
Commission Chairman Ken Stanton
said it “will be a real tough decision.”
He said philosophically he doesn’t think he or commissioners
Mary Hunt or Dane Keane are opposed to the trail but that they’ve
“always had issues with the compatibility of the trail going through
the orchards and farm land and impacting their ability to farm.”
“That’s been the major concern we’ve had,” Stanton said.
Stanton said he assumes commissioners will hold a public hearing
on the matter in the next 30 to 45 days and make a decision.
07/18/2007
No Decision Yet On Trail Extension
Wenatchee-Waterville, Washington --
Supporters and opponents of a riverfront trail extension
to Lincoln Rock State Park will have to wait one more
month before a decision is made on the fate of the
proposed trail.
Arguments for and against the trail were presented at a hearing
in Douglas County Superior Court Monday. Judge John Hotchkiss
said it would be at least a month before he would make a decision.
The proposed 5.1-mile pedestrian and bicycle path along
the Columbia River between the Odabashian Bridge and
Lincoln Rock State Park has been contested for more than
a decade. The trail would link the Apple Capital Recreation
Loop Trail with Lincoln Rock State Park.
It would be built on public lands owned by the state
Department of Transportation and the Chelan County
PUD. However, some of the land has been leased to orchardists.
Last year, Douglas County hearing examiner Andy Kottkamp
approved a permit for the trail to the state Parks and Recreation
Commission and recommended that county commissioners
rezone the property.
Shortly after the permit was granted, Jack Feil, John Tontz
and The Right to Farm Association of Baker Flats filed a
lawsuit in Douglas County Superior Court against the county,
the state Department of Transportation, the state Parks and
Recreation Commission and Chelan County PUD. The suit
seeks reversal of Kottkamp's decisions.
Feil, Tontz and the association are challenging whether
Kott-kamp has the authority to approve permits and
recommend rezones as an administrator.
They also argued that by rezoning the land the county
would be going against the Growth Management Act
which calls for protecting agricultural lands, Jim Klauser,
an attorney representing Feil, Tontz and the association,
said Monday afternoon after the hearing.
Klauser said if Kottkamp's recommendation stands,
Hotchkiss will be "setting an unfortunate precedent
that will have ramifications throughout the state."
"The ramifications will be severe. If you could do
administratively what they are trying to do, which is
supposed to be done legislatively, it would be like
setting a wildfire from county to county," he said.
"You'd have administrators and bureaucrats creating
legislation."
02/06/2007
Pedestrian Bridge Closures Camera Work
Wenatchee, Washington --
Brief closures on pedestrian bridge due to camera work
Work to install security cameras on the Columbia River
pedestrian bridge, which links Wenatchee and East Wenatchee,
will cause brief, 10- to 20-minute bridge closures on
weekdays through Feb. 23.
The Chelan County PUD is installing the cameras to monitor
an electric substation on South Worthen Street, the utility
said in a news release. Both the RiverCom emergency dispatch
center and the Washington State Patrol will also be able to
remotely rotate the cameras 360 degrees to monitor bridge traffic,
PUD spokeswoman Kimberlee Craig said.
Beckstead Electric of Wenatchee is doing the installation
for $9,250. The bridge will be closed during the short
periods for welding or when new materials arrive.
11/04/2006
Ruling Clears Path For Trail Extension
East Wenatchee, Washington --
A long-sought riverfront trail extension north
of East Wenatchee got the green light to proceed
on Friday.
Douglas County Hearings Examiner Andy Kottkamp
approved an application by the state Parks and Recreation
Commission to build the 5.1-mile bicycle and pedestrian
path on the Douglas County side of the Columbia River.
The trail would link the Apple Capital Recreation Loop
Trail with Lincoln Rock State Park. It would be built entirely
on public lands owned by the state Department of Transportation
and the Chelan County PUD. However, some of the land has
been leased for years to orchardists.
The proposal was opposed by orchardists in the Baker
Flats area who say they fear the trail would bring an
increase of thefts, trespassing, vandalism, liability
over spraying and beehives kept near the trail route,
and a risk of frost pockets.
Orchardist Jack Feil, who hired an attorney to fight
the proposal, could not be reached for comment.
In his written ruling, Kottkamp ruled that the proposal
did enough to make up for any potential impacts the trail
may have. State Parks has committed to closing the trail
during orchard spraying times and patrolling for violators,
as well as creating buffers between the trail and orchards
and installing fences and gates for farmers.
Kottkamp wrote that during a Sept. 12 public hearing on the
proposal, several people testified to the incompatibility
between orchard activities and public recreation.
"However, the more convincing testimony leaves the
Hearings Examiner to find that orchard activities, pedestrians
and bicyclists can co-exist in the same proximity, just as they
have for over 100 years," he wrote.
Kottkamp also ordered that the trail and buffers
be built to minimize frost pockets in area orchards.
He also wrote that State Parks may -- but won't be
required to -- consider a temporary closure of the trail
for up to two weeks during peak beehive assembly times.
Kottkamp dismissed concerns raised by orchardists
during the Sept. 12 hearing that helicopter spraying
would no longer be allowed if the trail is built.
He said the proposed trail closures will allow large
blocks of time in the morning hours over a three-month
period for spraying near the trail.
He also wrote the orchards near the trail could serve as
an educational opportunity for the public through the use
of interpretive signs.
Washington State Parks has been working on the trail
project since 1995. The agency received a shoreline
development permit to build the trail from the county
in 2004. But the decision was appealed, and a Douglas
County Superior Court judge later ruled that State Parks
needed a conditional use permit or recreational overlay
permit to build the trail.
In his ruling, Kottkamp granted the permit Friday.
10/17/2006
Rebuttal Period Delays Rocky Reach Trail Decision
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Douglas County Hearing Examiner Andy Kottkamp
probably won’t decide whether to grant a permit
for the Rocky Reach trail until Nov. 3.
Kottkamp held a public hearing on the proposed
recreation overlay permit Sept. 12 and had said he
would make a decision by Oct. 13. But he’s giving
the state Parks and Recreation Commission, which
is seeking the permit, until Friday to rebut comments
the public made through Sept. 29, Mark Kulaas,
county planning director, said Monday.
Kottkamp has 10 days after Oct. 20 to rule and probably
will need the entire time to review material, Kulaas said.
The 5.1-mile Rocky Reach trail, an extension of the
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail to Lincoln Rock
State Park near Rocky Reach Dam, has been disputed
for more than a decade. Recreationists want it but
orchardists along the route say it’s incompatible
with their orchards.
Kottkamp’s ruling could be appealed to Superior Court,
Kulaas said.
09/11/2006
Hearing Set On Loop Trail Extension
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Official will consider granting overlay
permit, which would allow construction.
A public hearing is set for Tuesday on a proposed but
long-delayed extension of the Apple Capital Recreation
Loop Trail.
The state Parks and Recreation Commission has applied for
a permit from Douglas County to build a 5.1-mile pedestrian
and bicycle path along the Columbia River between Odabashian
Bridge and Lincoln Rock State Park.
Orchardist Jack Feil is fighting the plan, arguing that the
trail would encroach on prime orchard property and increase
the risk of theft, trespass and vandalism.
He farms 35 acres along the proposed route.
Douglas County Hearing Examiner Andrew Kottkamp
will consider granting a recreation overlay permit,
allowing the trail to be built.
The underlying zoning, much of which is designated
agricultural resource, would stay the same, said
county Planning Manager Glen DeVries.
No decision is expected Tuesday.
Kottkamp could continue the hearing, extend the public
comment period for five working days, or issue a decision
in 10 working days, DeVries said.
Former county hearing examiner Don Moos in January 2004
granted a shoreline development permit for the project.
Feil's appeal was rejected in March 2005
by the state's Shorelines Hearing Board.
In August 2005, after Feil appealed that decision in
Douglas County Superior Court, Judge John Hotchkiss
ruled that the state Parks and Recreation Commission
needed a conditional use permit or recreational overlay
permit before starting work.
05/10/2006
No hunting near the Loop Trail
East Wenatchee, Washington --
The no hunting signs will soon be going up along
Douglas County's side of the Apple Capital Loop Trail.
Commissioners have approved an ordinance that
bans the discharge of firearms in the area.
The ban was ordered after public safety complaints about
water fowl hunters firing their weapons in the area.
04/06/2006
Douglas County Hunting Ordinance and Loop Trail
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Hunting near the Douglas County side of the
Apple Capital Loop Trail may be prohibited
in the future.
County Commissioner Ken Stanton says a public
hearing is slated for May 2nd to discuss the issue.
Several people have told County Commissioners
they are concerned about people shooting around
the popular walking and biking trail.
03/21/2006
Bridge update begins — Loop Trail detour in effect until Friday
Wenatchee, Washington --
Update - The bridge at the Linden Tree Area is Open!
Photo - 04/03/2006 Olga Rybakov, 20, of Malaga zooms across
the recently updated bridge at the Linden Tree Area of the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail on Monday. The Chelan County PUD
replaced the wooden deck of the bridge with a concrete surface to
make it safer for use in bad weather. Crews also replaced the railings.
Photo - Work has begun to replace the small bridge on the
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail in the Linden Tree Area,
near the Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club barn. Apprentice
carpenter Isidro Arellano, right, removes a bracket Monday
from a plank as he and journeyman carpenter Lynn Preston,
both of Blodgett Construction Associates of Malaga, dismantle
the bridge. The timbers will be replaced with a concrete deck.
The clickety-clack of bikes and in-line skates crossing the
little wooden bridge at Linden Tree Area is about to be silenced.
The Chelan County PUD this week is replacing the wooden deck of the
aging bridge with a concrete surface to make it safer in bad weather.
PUD spokeswoman Kimberlee Craig said the bridge will have a
deck similar to a boat launch, giving better traction in snow and ice.
The bridge is on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail and crosses
a water runoff channel at the bottom of Ninth Street, near the Wenatchee
Row and Paddle Club barn. The wooden crossing was built between 1988
and 1990, Craig said.
She said the PUD, which owns the riverfront park system,
is also replacing the bridge’s railings. The small posts
supporting the railings will be placed closer together in
compliance with new safety standards, she said.
The bridge work started Monday,
forcing the closure of the Loop Trail in that area.
Craig said the deck replacement work will be finished by
Friday afternoon, and the bridge will be reopened in time
for a Saturday fundraising run through the park.
The railing work will be completed next week.
03/14/2006
Riverfront Trail Section To Close For Repairs
Wenatchee, Washington --
The Linden Tree section of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail
between Wenatchee Riverfront Park and Walla Walla Point Park will
be closed Tuesday through March 24 while crews repair the small
bridge there.
Construction Service Associates of Malaga will replace
the handrails and decking of the bridge at a cost of
about $9,900, the Chelan County PUD said.
Trail traffic will be routed to the sidewalk along Walla Walla
Avenue from Ninth Street to the entrance of Walla Walla Point Park.
02/20/2006
Visits drop by half at Confluence State Park
Wenatchee, Washington --
Visits to Wenatchee Confluence State Park have dropped
by more than half since a day-use parking fee was imposed
in 2003.
The state Legislature is working to repeal the $5 fee in the
hopes of luring people back to state parks that collectively
lost more than 7 million visitors in the last three years. The
parking fee would be axed under a version of the state budget
approved Friday by the Senate. The House also favors
eliminating the fee.
Visitor figures at Wenatchee Confluence dropped from
480,868 in 2002 -- the year before the parking fee was
imposed -- to 209,080 last year.
"With the Chelan County PUD parks so close by and free,
people had alternate places to go," said Jim Harris, regional
director of Washington State Parks in Wenatchee.
Attendance at 50 state parks in the Eastern region
-- including 20 in NCW -- has dropped from 11.4
million in 2002 to fewer than 8.5 million last year,
according to the state.
The count is only an estimate, though. The state figures the
number of visitors by counting cars, then multiplying by an
estimated number of people per car. The vehicle occupancy
formula varies through the year, but averages 3.5 people.
In addition to Wenatchee Confluence, attendance at
Lincoln Rock, Daroga, Lake Chelan and Lake Wenatchee
state parks also dropped dramatically.
Eliot Scull, a member of the Washington Parks and Recreation
Commission, said he believes the drop-off in visitors has been
exaggerated and is fewer than 7 million statewide.
Scull, an East Wenatchee resident, also said
visitor numbers started to rebound last year.
While parks users will overwhelmingly welcome elimination
of the $5 parking fee, the parks agency is worried about the
budgetary impact of cutting the fees.
In a written statement, the commission objected to any reduction
in its funding without replacement. The parking fee generated $3.4
million in the last three years. Losing the money could result in
park closures or a reduction in service, the commission said.
"I'm quite happy to see the fee go away, provided we can get
a definite, ongoing, reliable source of funding to replace it,"
Scull said in an interview Friday. "But I don't see that
happening in the current bill proposals."
He said state lawmakers are proposing a one-time backfill of $2.7
million for the next biennium, but nothing is decided after that.
"What I'm hoping is that we don't find ourselves in a couple
years having to cut back services or considering closing parks,"
he said.
Scull acknowledged that there was an "enormous amount of
resistance" to the fee from a vocal group of opponents. He
said he believes that many of the people who didn't like the
fee are those who make short visits to the park, such as for
lunch or a walk.
He said parks that saw the biggest drop in
visitors were in urban or suburban areas.
Harris, the regional parks director, said he suspects most
of the visitors who stopped coming to Wenatchee, Lincoln
Rock and other parks in the region were local residents not
used to paying fees to recreate along the waterfront.
Harris and Scull both said one positive side effect of the
fee has been a decrease in vandalism, damage and troublesome
visitors to the parks.
"With the parking fee, we saw a change in the type of people
who came to the parks," Harris said. "With no cost, we saw
people with behaviors less than desirable. With the fee, they
no longer came."
Scull added, "There were less kegger parties, and fewer
teenagers driving in and playing loud music. The parking
fee has made the rangers' jobs easier."
If the fee is repealed, Washington will be the only state
in the West that does not charge for day-use parking.
02/15/2006
Low-hanging wire 'not a danger' PUD says
Wenatchee, Washington --
A wire hanging low from the Riverwalk Crossing does
not present any danger to users of the pedestrian bridge,
a Chelan County Public Utility District spokesman said.
The cable, a temporary fiber optic cable wire installed
about two months ago for TV, Internet and phone service,
is “completely passive,” said John Smith, PUD networks
director. There is no electrical current running through it.
The bridge connects downtown Wenatchee with Riverfront Park.
The cable, about 350 feet in length, was installed above
the bridge when the cold weather did not allow for the
installation of underground cable.
Now the wire is hanging about 7 feet 6 inches from the ground.
The only danger is the potential for vandalism, Smith said.
If people swing on it, they could damage it,
which could cause fiber outages around Worthen Street.
The wire is scheduled to be replaced in the next
three weeks by an underground wire, Smith said.
12/08/2005
PUD starts work to move route farther from river
Wenatchee, Washington --
A section of the riverfront trail system north of Walla Walla
Point Park was temporarily closed Tuesday as workers moved
a 650-foot section of fence in preparation for a trail relocation
next spring.
The site is one of a handful of spots along the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail in Wenatchee that have
taken on a construction-zone feel in recent weeks as
projects to repave, move and add trail and replant a
softball field were either stalled or jump-started by
the cold, wet weather.
The fence at the south end of the Walt Horan Wildlife Area was
moved about 20 feet inland from the water’s edge, paving the
way for a realignment of the trail next spring. The $30,000 fence
-and-trail move is needed to protect the riverbank and trail from
erosion, said Ray Heit, who managers the riverfront parks for the
Chelan County PUD. He said the erosion is being caused by river
motion and people and their pets walking down to the water.
The fence was moved into an area where a pear orchard was
torn out last month. The orchard was removed because of the
potential hazards of pesticide sprays drifting onto trail users,
said Steve Currit, PUD parks director.
The PUD and Wenatchee Valley College have discussed the
idea of the college building an environmental learning
center on the former orchard site. But Currit said Tuesday
that the project is very preliminary right now, and no
designs or proposals have been presented to the PUD,
which owns the land.
Tuesday’s fence work was originally scheduled for next spring
but was moved up when funding became available after three
other projects were delayed by weather. Those projects are:
* A 1,000-foot-long section of the pedestrian
trail through Walla Walla Point Park.
* A softball field at Walla Walla Park.
* A new spur trail leading to the new
Wenatchee Row & Paddle Club boat dock.
11/28/2005
Work along trail to begin today
Wenatchee, Washington --
Fencing along a section of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail
will be moved starting Monday the 28th, but the trail will remain open.
A contractor will move about 650 feet of fence near a former pear
orchard at the sound end of the Horan Wildlife Area in Wenatchee.
The work, which will continue until Dec. 9, is preparation for
realigning a section of the trail next spring. The trail will
be moved back from the river's edge to prevent erosion.
11/23/2005
Loop trail section won’t be paved until spring
Wenatchee, Washington --
A section of the pedestrian trail in Walla Walla Point Park
torn up earlier this month for widening will not be repaved
until next spring.
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail users are advised to use
caution in the 1,000-foot stretch of trail now covered with gravel.
The trail section is between the coyote statue and the entrance to
the Confluence Wildlife Area.
The paving work was delayed by wet weather,
according to the Chelan County PUD.
11/20/2005
Riverside drive funding
Wenatchee, Washington --
A road that will help spur development along Wenatchee's waterfront
is closer to becoming a reality. Friday, the State Transportation
Improvement Board announced they will fund the first phase of the project.
The cost of the first phase of the project is estimated at 3.4 million
dollars. That includes project design and right-of-way acquisition.
11/07/2005
Wenatchee Riverfront - A developing controversy
Wenatchee, Washington --
~Trail users go both ways on plans for condos, restaurants~
The city’s plan to replace the warehouses, homes and light
industry that line Riverfront Park with condos, shops and
restaurants got mixed reviews Saturday from people who
visit the park.
“I don’t like it. They’re looking out for the economics,
not for the people,” said Maria Hays, 55, of Sunnyslope,
taking a break from her brisk walk along the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail near Fifth Street.
“They make it out to be a huge thing and that everything
will be wonderful. But there is no benefit to anyone who
can’t afford to buy the condos. I like it the way it is.”
In a few years, the property across from where Hays spoke
is expected to become a string of seven-story condominiums
with commercial space on the ground floor and a street,
Riverside Drive, that will replace the parking lots that
currently line the west side of the park.
The city’s riverfront master plan calls for upscale development
along much of the property between Fifth and Ninth streets.
The city council approved the plan in early 2004. Private
developers would carry out most of the work.
Much of Hays’ concern was for the families of the Ninth
Street Trailer Park. The people who own or rent the 85
trailers and modest homes in the park will be forced to
move in 2007 to make way for the city’s plans.
Many have said they have no where else to go, and are hoping the
city and the trailer park’s new owner, Kamkon Inc. of Wenatchee,
will help them relocate. So far, they have no assurances.
“I understand progress. I understand that the riverfront development
plan is very important for the city, but the city has to understand
that they can’t just do nothing,” said Molly Littrell, 70, from the
neat, Africa-themed living room of the trailer she’s called home for
more than 10 years. Her chihuahua-teacup poodle mix dog, Diva,
squirmed in her lap.
“They need to find a piece of property and move all these
trailers at the city’s and Kamkon’s expense,” she said.
“It’s going to be a stressful winter for a lot of people.”
Other exercisers along the Loop Trail echoed concerns for
the trailer-park residents, but many liked the city’s plan.
“I think it’ll be a big improvement that will add more points
of interest,” said Paul Kapeikis, 39, as he walked his newly
adopted dog, Coral, and toted his 16-month-old son, Liam, in
a backpack carrier.
Kapeikis’ wife, Louise Kapeikis, is skating director at the
Riverfront Ice Arena. He said the couple lived six years in
Portland and enjoyed that city’s riverside walk and shops
along the Willamette River.
“I worked three blocks from there, and we’d meet there for
lunch or to take the dog for a walk. I thoroughly enjoyed it,”
he said.
Mike and Janice Daines, who live in the Sleepy Hollow area
near Monitor, said they also favored the condo-look to the
park’s current industry.
“It looks real nice,” said Mike Daines, 45, after examining
an architect’s rendering of the proposed condos and shops.
“They need a few spots like that. I like the ambience.”
But he wouldn’t like to see the high-density development
spread to the East Wenatchee side, which both he and Janice,
40, said they enjoyed for its natural, woodsy feel.
Joy Kalar, 24, who moved to Wenatchee two months ago
from Northern Minnesota, said she rollerblades the Loop
Trail for the mountain and river scenery, but she’d also
welcome the development.
“I don’t think it would ruin my experience,” she said.
“I’m just here for the river, but I could still see that.”
Leon Simms, 70, of Puyallup also approved.
“As long as the specifics of the park... are not disturbed,
I would say that it (the development) would be fantastic,”
he said, getting ready to start a trail walk near Ninth Street.
“To me, it would be a major breakthrough for Wenatchee. I’ve often
wondered why they’ve never built anything that went up to any height
for the beautiful view of the Columbia and the mountains.”
Simms said he visits Wenatchee twice a month to see his
kids and hopes to build a home and move here, himself.
A pilot for Horizon Air, Sean O’Connor, 28, said he stays in
Wenatchee twice a month and runs on the Loop Trail every time
he’s here. He said he’d wouldn’t oppose the condos and shops,
but would object to increased vehicle traffic along the trail.
“You’d get too fumigated,” he said.
Longtime residents of Wenatchee and five-time-per-week Loop Trail
walkers, Paul and Jeannie Phillips shook their heads disapprovingly
at the mention of the city’s development plans.
“I’m against it,” said Paul Phillips, 73, “I think we’ve got a
beautiful thing here. I don’t like change, and it looks as though
they’re going through all this for the sake of private enterprise.”
11/03/2005
Dock project to close Linden Tree of Loop Trail
Wenatchee, Washington --
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail users should
use caution in the Linden Tree area between Walla
Walla Point Park and Wenatchee Riverfront Park,
where crews are doing work this week.
Contractors are extending a path and building a
bulkhead just upriver of the old barn as part of the
Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club dock project,
according to the Chelan County PUD.
The main trail may have temporary closures near
the restroom building at the top of the hill as crews
bring materials and equipment across the trail,
the PUD said in a press release.
The paddle club is extending the path from its
existing dock below Ninth Street by about 50 feet
to the site of a new dock, which will be installed
in about two weeks.
11/02/2005
Eastside Trail Agreement
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Douglas County, the City of East Wenatchee, and the
newly formed Eastmont Metropolitan Parks District
have come to an agreement on the future maintenance
and operation of the Eastside Apple Capital Loop Trail.
A new cost-sharing plan calls for the EMPD to lease the
trail from the City and County. The Parks District had
earlier refused to take over the trail's ownership because
of cost concerns.
The Eastside Trail extends from Douglas County
Hydro Park north to the Odabashion Bridge.
10/24/2005
Loop Trail closed by suicide investigation
Wenatchee, Washington --
Authorities closed a stretch of the Apple Capital Recreation
Loop Trail to investigate an apparent suicide Monday morning.
The closed area went from Hawley Street to the north entrance
to the Walt Horan Natural Area at Confluence State Park.
The area closed around 11 a.m. and reopened about 3 p.m.
09/05/2005
Loop Trail fire burns 3 acres
East Wenatchee, Washington --
The cause considered accidental.......
Fire burned about 3 acres along the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail near Odabashian Bridge on Saturday.
The blaze was reported at 2:16 p.m. and burned through grass
and brush along the Columbia River and up over the trail near
32nd Street, said Cam Phillips, a Douglas County Fire District
2 firefighter.
The cause is considered accidental, he said. Firefighters had been
called to the area Friday by the report of a fire but found nothing.
Firefighters also responded Saturday to a 1-acre
brush fire at 101 Rudolph Road, near Palisades.
No one was injured and no buildings were damaged,
Phillips said. The cause is under investigation.
08/23/2005
Wenatchee Riverfront road plan moves ahead
Wenatchee, Washington --
City asks Chelan PUD for its support; $5 million grant sought.
The city of Wenatchee says it now has enough support from
waterfront property owners to move forward with its plans
to build a new riverfront road.
The city asked the Chelan County PUD commissioners Monday for their
backing as it seeks a nearly $5 million grant to buy property and
build the new road to connect Walla Walla Avenue and Worthen Street.
PUD commissioners, who called the road project a "beautiful plan,"
will decide next week whether to sign a letter of support for the
Riverside Drive project.
The road would be a major step toward the city's plans of developing
the riverfront with condos, retail shops, restaurants, hotels and
other features to entice economic growth.
The Wenatchee City Council approved the riverfront redevelopment
plan in February 2004 that covers roughly a three-mile strip along
the river. Then last September, the council approved the route for
a new riverfront road.
The city applied for a grant last year to build the road. But Allison
Williams, executive services director for the city, said they lost out
largely because they did not have enough support from property
owners whose land the road would cross.
She told PUD commissioners on Monday that most of the property
owners are expected to write letters of support for the new road.
The road would cross city and PUD property, as well as a few businesses,
some residential lots and go through the Ninth Street Trailer Park.
The future of the trailer park is uncertain.
Williams would not reveal the identity any of the property
owners in support of the road except for Columbia Colstor.
The total cost of the road project is estimated at $6.9 million.
The city would begin buying property next year and then build
the road in 2008, Williams said.
To avoid the new road becoming a bypass for other congested streets
in Wenatchee, Williams said it is being designed to slow traffic.
Calling it "planned congestion," she said the road will include
features like round-abouts, speed bumps and narrow sections.
Truck traffic would be routed along Piere Street to keep it off the most
congested areas along the riverfront between Fifth and Ninth streets.
The letter of support the PUD commissioners are being asked to sign would
also include a statement of their commitment to take a look at converting
its property at the foot of Ninth Street to public parking, to help the
city design the new road, removing an old substation near Columbia Colstor
on Worthen Street, and building a new substation near Ninth and Piere streets
to accommodate construction of new high-density housing.
"I think the whole thing is beautiful,"
said PUD commissioner Gary Montague.
Commissioner Ann Congdon expressed concern about allowing six-story
buildings along the waterfront that would block views of the river.
But Williams said Riverside Drive would be located between any housing
and retail building, and pointed out that the previous industrial zoning
for the land allowed buildings up to 13 stories.
"It's a beautiful plan," said Commissioner Werner Janssen.
"But hopefully the beauty of the parks won't be destroyed by all this."
08/12/2005
Orchardist’s appeal stops proposed trail in its tracks
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Judge rules parks commission needs zoning
change permit from county for extension..
An orchardist has won the latest round in the fight over
an extension of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail.
A Douglas County judge has ruled that the Washington State Parks
and Recreation Commission must first get a zoning change permit
from the county if it wants to extend the trail through Baker
Flats and farmland leased by orchardist Jack Feil.
Bill Fraser, regional parks planner for the state parks commission,
said Feil’s legal opposition has dragged and delayed the state parks
commission’s efforts to implement a project that is backed by the community.
“If there was no legal action, we could have started
this fall, and now it won’t happen,” he said.
“We have been working on this (trail) since 1995,”
he added. “This just puts it back on the shelf.”
The judge’s decision will delay “indefinitely” the extension
of the trail, said Assistant Attorney General Barbara Herman,
who represented the parks commission.
In his Aug. 2 written opinion, Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss
stated that the state parks commission must apply to the county for
a conditional use permit or a recreational overlay permit if it wants
to extend the trail five miles from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln
Rock State Park.
Hotchkiss added that he doubted the final outcome of the
project would change but that he did not believe the state
could build the trail without such a permit.
Feil has long opposed the state parks department’s plans to
extend the trail through his farmland, citing concerns about
lawsuits and vandalism from trail users.
“Liability is a big thing,” Feil said. “People who don’t understand
about orchards will be coming in, also there’s thousands of bees,
which poses a threat as well.”
He has suffered some setbacks in his fight to stop the extension.
Last March, the state’s Shorelines Hearing Board rejected Feil’s
appeal of the county’s decision to grant a shoreline permit to the
trail extension project.
The shoreline permit was the only one the county’s hearing examiner had issued
in the state, which caused Feil to file an appeal to demand a second permit be
required, an appeal upheld by Hotchkiss in his Aug. 2 opinion.
“It’s a clear victory for our client,” said
James Klauser, the attorney representing Feil.
Klauser said the state was getting ready to start cutting trees
while the shoreline permit only applied to the two-fifths of the
trail extension that are within 200 feet of the Columbia River shore.
Herman said that while the judge’s ruling that the state needs to
get another permit is a victory for Feil, the fact that Hotchkiss
upheld the shoreline permit issued was a victory for the state.
An appeal of Hotchkiss’ decision is not out of the question, she said.
Mark Kulaas, Douglas County Planning Director said it is up
to the state to decide whether to apply for the second permit
or appeal Hotchkiss’ ruling. It could take between three to
six months for the permits to be processed, he said.
“We will wait for (the state) to contact us,” he said.
06/21/2005
Confluence viewing area closed due to leaning tree
Wenatchee, Washington --
A possibly hazardous 100-foot cottonwood tree has caused
a viewing station in Wenatchee Confluence State Park to
remain closed, said Matt Morrison, the park’s manager.
Morrison said he is waiting for the only arbor crew in the
state park system to assess what kind of danger the tree poses.
“It looks healthy, but it has a lean to it,” Morrison said.
“We thought we’d be prudent and close the viewing station.”
Virginia Painter, spokeswoman for State Parks in Olympia,
said the arbor crew is working in northwest Washington.
Painter said she did not know when the crew would make
its way to Wenatchee.
The viewing station, which has been closed since the end of
April, is one of 16 stations in the park’s Walt Horan Natural
Area, Morrison said.
Last December, a woman was struck by a falling
tree and killed at Lake Wenatchee State Park.
After the accident, park officials said they would re-evaluate
their program for identifying and eliminating dangerous trees,
Painter said a request for a second arbor crew has been put on an
agency “needs list,” but there is currently no funding available.
05/20/2005
Dog owner cited in pit bull attack on Loop Trail
Wenatchee, Washington --
An Orondo-area man has been cited for a dog attack on the
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail last month, an animal
control officer said.
Christopher "C.J." Corter, 22, was fined $62 and his pit bull,
Mammas, was deemed a "potentially dangerous" dog by the
Wenatchee Valley Humane Society, animal control officer
James Rowe said.
The civil infraction for having a dog at large
was issued around April 25, Rowe said.
Corter could not be reached for comment.
The attack happened April 14 on the loop trail near Worthen
Street, where Corter works at American Building !*! Roofing,
Rowe said.
A 71-year-old Edmonds woman who was bit in the calf did
not need stitches. But the woman's Labrador retriever needed
several on its neck and back. The animal survived. The woman's
husband, also present during the attack, wasn't hurt.
Corter's pit bull, a 3- or 4-year-old female, was quarantined
April 19 and then released to Corter a few days later, he said.
As a potentially dangerous dog, Mammas must be on a leash
when in public, Rowe said. Rowe said Corter also places a
muzzle on the dog now.
The dog's identity, and that of its owner,
weren't immediately known after the attack.
The Edmonds couple said the dog came running out of the
fenced lot of American Building !*! Roofing and attacked
them around 2 p.m. that Thursday, Rowe said. The couple
said a man in his 20s with short reddish hair and a light
complexion came out of the business, got the pit bull,
and left, Rowe said.
Rowe said company officials told him after the attack that
they didn't recognize anyone fitting the man's description.
The manager of the business, at 310 S. Worthen St., said
in an interview with The Wenatchee World the day after the
attack that she did not recognize the dog's owner from a
description provided by a reporter.
Rowe said he later got about a dozen anonymous tips from
people saying Corter, who fit the description, worked at
American Building !*! Roofing and had a dog there.
Rowe said he went back to the business
and asked Corter to contact him.
Rowe said Corter came into the Humane Society
office on April 19 and handed over the dog.
Rowe said Corter told him he had been keeping the dog in
the cab of his truck while at work, but that the dog escaped
when he opened the truck's door just before the 2 p.m. attack.
04/15/2005
Pit bull attacks couple on loop trail
Wenatchee, Washington --
~Woman and her dog bitten, both injured~
A pit bull attacked a black Labrador retriever and one
of the dog's owner as she and her husband walked on the
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail near Worthen Street
on Thursday, an animal control official said.
A 71-year-old woman was bitten once in the calf, said Pat Baker,
executive director of the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society. The
woman, from Edmonds north of Seattle, did not need stitches,
Baker said. She didn't release her name.
The Lab, a spayed female on a leash, needed several stitches on
its neck and back, Baker said. The Lab is expected to survive,
she said.
The Edmonds woman's husband was not hurt, Baker said.
Baker believes the pit bull bit the woman because she
was between it and the Lab at the start of the attack,
which happened about 2 p.m.
The Humane Society is looking for a man who "came running out of
American Building & Roofing and ran away with the dog (pit bull),"
Baker said.
It isn't clear if the man is associated with the business, Baker said.
However, Tina Jahr, manager of the business at 310 S. Worthen St.,
said she was the only person in the building at the time.
She was on the phone when she "heard a little bit of commotion," she
said. She went outside and saw an elderly man who was visibly upset.
Jahr said she had not seen and does not know anyone who matched
a police description of the man who left with the pit bull.
Baker said that since the pit bull bit a person, it needs to be
quarantined in case it has rabies. It is a misdemeanor if someone
fails to quarantine a dog, but Baker wasn't sure the man who fled
knew the dog had bit the woman.
Having an at-large dog is punishable by a fine of $62 to $205,
depending on whether it is a repeat offense, Baker said.
The pit bull could also be deemed potentially dangerous,
which would force its owner to have it registered, Baker said.
Wenatchee police Sgt. John Kruse said the man who left with the
pit bull was described as being in his 20s with short, reddish hair.
He was balding and had a light complexion, Kruse said. He wore
a white tank top and long pants and had freckles on his shoulders,
he said. Baker said the pit bull was a dark color.
Kruse said he hadn't heard of any other recent dog attacks in Wenatchee.
Anyone with information can call the Humane Society at 662-9577.
04/11/2005
Gang member arrested in Riverfront Park assault
Wenatchee, Washington --
A 14-year-old Wenatchee boy was arrested after a handgun
was pointed at another teenager at Riverfront Park Sunday
night, police said.
Nobody was hurt, he said.
Wenatchee police Sgt. John Kruse said the suspect is a gang
member who thought that the victim was a member of a rival
gang. The victim was not a gang member, Kruse said.
The incident was reported at 8:30 p.m. on the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail near the Wenatchee Ice Arena, Kruse said.
He said the 14-year-old boy was caught by officer Edgar Reinfeld
after a short foot pursuit. Officers did not find a weapon.
The victim was riding a bike with two other teenagers, Kruse said.
Witnesses said the suspect began yelling “gang stuff” and then pulled
out the gun, Kruse said.
Two other boys who were with the suspect were cited for
obstructing an officer and were released to their parents,
Kruse said.
The suspect was also arrested on suspicion of minor in possession
of a firearm. He was booked into the Chelan County Juvenile Center.
04/09/2005
Park fence protects young trees
Wenatchee, Washington --
A 100-foot-long fence was put up along the shoreline
in Wenatchee Confluence State Park to keep people from
trampling new trees.
The fence between the boat launch and Odabashian Bridge will
keep park users from accessing the Columbia River and boaters
from reaching the park along the quiet stretch of waterfront
for the next year.
The Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail is close to the river in that area.
Boaters frequently beach their boats along the shoreline at that spot.
The Chelan County PUD planted 230 young river birch,
coyote willow and red osier dogwood trees this spring,
said Ray Heit, parks manager for the utility.
The trees were planted as mitigation for work the utility did
along the shoreline between the boat launch and the swimming
area at the park, placing rocks to control the erosion.
The new trees will help stop erosion of the
riverbank and provide shade for fish, he said.
The fence will probably be removed early next year, he said,
once the trees are strong enough to survive without its protection.
State park manager Mark Morrison said he doesn't expect
the fence to have that much impact on park users.
"But it's also going to save a bit of the park's shoreline,
so it's all right," he said.
04/08/2005
Protest flags appearing along loop trail
East Wenatchee, Washington --
Tiny flags bearing the face of President Bush are once
again appearing in piles of dog and horse feces along
the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail in East Wenatchee.
The NCW Take Pride In America is offering a reward for
information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible for
the flags, said the group's director, Matt Warner. He said
the flags are a form of litter.
"This is not an appropriate political expression," he said.
The reward will be $101 -- the same as the fine for littering.
The flags first started appearing in January, then stopped before
more were discovered Thursday. About 50 have been found so far.
03/14/2005
Loop trail lover thinks Bush bash smells
East Wenatchee, Washington --
No rookie to politics, Matt Warner thought he had seen it all.
Then he took one of his regular strolls on the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail two months ago.
Stuck in a pile of dog feces like a flag was a tiny picture
of President Bush attached to a tooth pick. He has found
another 19 since January.
"Any American would be incensed to see this type of thing,"
said Warner, who lives in East Wenatchee near the trail.
Warner, 52, is a former Douglas County commissioner and is
director of North Central Washington Take Pride in America,
which has worked to clean up the 10-mile loop trail.
In 2004, Warner ran as a Democrat and lost a bid to unseat
GOP incumbent Douglas County Commissioner Ken Stanton.
Although he has been a Democrat since 1989 in the heavily
Republican region, Warner said he voted for Bush in the 2004
presidential election. "If John Kerry's picture was on a flag
in dog feces, I would be just as mad, and I think any American
would," he said.
He hopes that if enough people know about the situation,
they might turn in whoever is defacing the trail.
"I myself am not going to stand still while this is happening.
It's littering," he said.
03/10/2005
Wenatchee Loop Trail Extension Appeal Rejected
Wenatchee, Washington --
Plans by the State Department of Parks and Recreation
to extend the Apple Capital Loop Trail to Lincoln Rock
State Park, an additional six miles, has received the
State Shoreline Hearings Board's seal of approval.
The panel last week rejected an appeal by a trail opponent.
Hearing board denies orchardist’s appeal to halt Loop Trail plan
Wenatchee, Washington -- CC - http://www.wenworld.com
Happy trail at last? —
The state Shorelines Hearing Board has denied an appeal by a local
orchardist who opposes a plan to extend the Apple Capital Recreation
Loop Trail to Lincoln Rock State Park.
In the past, orchardists, beekeepers and residents along
Baker Flats have said the proposed trail would clash with
their farming rights and fear that it opens them up to
lawsuits and vandalism from others who might wander off
the trail and onto their property.
Trail supporters have said the trail would create another
recreational and transportation asset for the community
and help attract visitors.
Whether the denial last week from the shorelines board could
set the stage for a legal showdown in the Douglas County
Superior Court is unclear.
"It's premature as to what we'll do next," said James J. Klauser,
one of the attorneys representing orchardist Jack Feil.
Klauser said that his client had 10 days to seek reconsideration
from the board and 30 days to appeal the decision to the Douglas
County Superior Court, where another case to put the brakes on
the proposed trail is still pending.
Feil, an orchardist and the lead petitioner in the suit to halt
the trail extension, said he was disappointed the shorelines
board allowed the permit to extend the trail to stand.
"The Shorelines Hearings Board decided against the orchardists,
but that's no surprise," he said. "Orchardists are low on the
totem pole in Douglas County and Olympia."
It's been a winding road for the proposed trail. For 13 years,
there has been talk of extending it 5.1 miles along the Columbia
River, from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park.
The trail would run through land owned by the state
Department of Transportation and the Chelan County PUD.
Douglas County Hearing Examiner Don Moos granted a shoreline
development permit for the project last January. The state
Parks and Recreation Commission wants to build the trail.
Mark Gillespie, state parks development region
manager, said he is ready to move forward.
"It's been a long, difficult process," he said. "But at this point,
the ball's in Mr. Feil's court. ... I would much prefer that this
would be resolved."
Gillespie said Feil is the only holdout in a settlement
agreement reached with other parties who objected to the trail.
Feil farms 35 acres along the proposed trail route.
He and others who still opposed the project filed an
appeal to the Shorelines Hearing Board last year and
in Douglas County Superior Court.
Last Friday's decision from the shorelines board
upheld the hearing examiner's granting of the permit.
"I think the decision sent a pretty strong statement that
everything we've done conforms with state laws and regulations
in both the framework of the Douglas County code and among
the community," said Gillespie.
In the appeals to the shorelines board and Superior Court,
Feil argued the county sidestepped proper rezoning procedures
and critical environmental reviews when it described the trail
as a "multi-modal transportation facility."
While the ruling said that the board agreed that the petitioners
were "justifiably concerned about the conflicts of this proposed
trail," the "thrusts of the concerns raised by agricultural landowners,
however, relate to operation of orchards, not to impacts to shorelines
from the proposed Rocky Reach Trail."
11/18/2004
Construction on new dock set for spring
Wenatchee, Washington --
The Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club says it now has enough
money to build a new dock in Riverfront Park, but must secure
a federal permit before the project can be started in spring.
The club has raised $60,000 from its members and received
a $47,500 state grant to do the work. On Monday, the Chelan
County PUD agreed to contribute up to $20,000, including in
-kind landscaping, toward the dock project.
The 60-foot metal dock would replace the existing wooden dock near the
paddle club's boathouse in Riverfront Park at the foot of Ninth Street.
"Up until two weeks ago, we didn't know whether we were going to
have the money to go forward with this," said Mike Kaputa, project
manager for the club.
But new cost estimates for construction lowered the
price tag from $150,000 to about $100,000, he said.
Now the only hurdle is a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
which requires permission from NOAA Fisheries, which Kaputa said has already
been consulted on the dock design. He said he expects the federal agency
to give its approval by Jan. 1, and a permit to be issued by Jan. 15.
"We're crossing our fingers on those dates," he said.
If it receive the permit in January, Kaputa said club members hope to install
the pilings for the new dock in February. He said the dock must be in place
and the project completed by April 30, when the state grant expires.
The only thing that could kill the project, he said, would be if the costs go
up. Kaputa said it would be difficult for the club to raise more money. The PUD
agreed on Monday to pay 40 percent of any costs over $110,000, up to $17,000,
if the club comes up with the other 60 percent.
Kaputa said the project is part of the city's riverfront development plan,
and city planners have been helping with the bid documents. The city did not
contribute money to the project, but served as a pass-through agency for the
state grant.
"This is going to be a community dock," he said.
"It will provide everyone with better access to the river."
Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club Web Site - http://www.wenatcheepaddle.com
10/15/2004
Riverfront Park boat launch to close for maintenance
Wenatchee, Washington --
Maintenance on the dock pilings at the Wenatchee Riverfront Park
boat launch will require the Chelan County PUD to close the launch
for three days starting Tuesday through Oct. 21.
The parking lot will remain open for park users.
Boat launches on the Columbia River are also available
at Confluence State Park and Rock Island Hydro Park.
10/12/2004
New boat-club dock in works for riverfront
Wenatchee, Washington --
The Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club wants to build a
60-foot metal dock near its boathouse in Riverfront Park.
The proposed dock would be next to the club's existing
12-foot wooden dock, said Mike Kaputa, project manager
for the club.
A paved trail to the current dock would be extended to reach
the new dock, Kaputa said. None of the area's trees would be
cut down, he said, and the club will replace any plants lost
with new ones nearby.
The club applied to Wenatchee for a project permit and
the city expects to approve the application next month,
said Brandon Whallon, an associate planner in the city
Department of Community Development.
"If we can be a part of people getting increased recreational
opportunities out of the riverfront, we'll certainly try our
best to help," Whallon said.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, which oversee state and federal
environmental rules, also need to sign off on the project,
Kaputa said.
With close to 300 members, the club is growing and wants
to add more programs, Kaputa said. Plans for a new boathouse
are part of the city's waterfront redevelopment plan.
The club received a $50,000 grant to build the dock from the
state Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, Kaputa
said. The club is matching that amount and will ask for some
in-kind donations from the Chelan County PUD, which runs the
park. The project is expected to cost $120,000.
The club's goal is to start building in January, he said.
Work can't continue past March 1, to avoid interfering
with young salmon migrating downriver.
Once the dock is finished, the club plans to start raising money
for a new boathouse, which would be located either on the shore
or in the parking lot at the foot of Ninth Street, Kaputa said.
"Our strategy is, if we can get this dock in, that will
start a lot of momentum for the new boathouse," he said.
Wenatchee Row & Paddle Club Website -
http://www.wenatcheepaddle.com
10/02/2004
Loop Trail Sternwheeler Plaz