Last month, the Coalition organized two exciting project tours of WWRP sites: the Covington Community Park and the proposed Roslyn to Teanaway Regional Trail System.
The Covington Community Park Tour on August 18 showcased an impressive example of how projects funded through the WWRP can meet the high priority recreation needs of a young and growing community. The project, sponsored by the City of Covington in 2013, is the city’s first community park. It builds upon the vision to improve recreation opportunities for all ages while providing a location for community events through a multi-purpose sports field. The park also features rolling pastures, a stream, mature forests, and an interpretive trail where families and local residents can explore the natural world in their backyard.
The tour also highlighted the next phase of the project, which was awarded funding by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in 2014. The City of Covington is currently in the process of enhancing the park’s recreational and community facilities by adding a destination playground, picnic shelters, a completed trail system, tennis courts, outdoor exercise equipment, and a covered stage and amphitheater.
The tour was attended about 40 individuals, including Representative Pat Sullivan and Representative Mark Hargrove, as well as former Covington Mayor Margaret Harto, Coalition Board Chair Joe Mentor, and many community members.
Senator Joe Fain posted his support for the project on his social media page – helping us spread the word about this great project.
The second project tour, on August 30, highlighted the proposed Roslyn to Teanaway Regional Trail System. Sponsored by the City of Roslyn, this proposed project addresses the high priority recreational and public access needs in Kittitas County, and builds upon the vision to create recreational connectivity between the surrounding communities to adjacent public lands. The project also provides an opportunity to experience Central Washington in a way that has not before been available, by linking existing trail corridors from Roslyn, the Teanaway Community Forest, and the Yakima River valley all the way to Leavenworth.
Local legislators Senator Judy Warnick and Representative Tom Dent (Pictured above) spoke in favor of the project. Other speakers included Mitchell Long of the Kittitas Conservation Trust, Chris Martin of Basecamp Books & Bites, and members of the Coalition board. In total, about 55 people attended the tour.
Check out the Daily Record article about the project tour for more information.