2010 Washington State Trails Conference
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DECEMBER 2010 | TRAIL LINE NEWS | VOLUME 24 | ISSUE FOUR President’s Message 2010 Washington State BY BUZZ GRANT, COALITION PRESIDENT For the last two months, the Trails Conference major focus of the Foothills Rails- BY ERNIE BAY, PRESIDENT EMERITUS to-Trails Coalition has been on the In 2008, a suggestion was made that the next Washington State Trails Washington State Trails Coalition’s Conference be in Tacoma. Board members enthusiastically bought into biennial Conference.The conference the idea, and by the morning business meeting, an invitation extolling the was a great success and showcased merits and attractions of Tacoma was delivered. Dr. Jane Moore, President all of our local trails. I would like to of ForeverGreen, was also present at Spokane and upon returning to Tacoma give a GIANT THANK YOU to all helped enlist ForeverGreen to co-sponsor the event. of you who were able to help with Two years later, on October 21-23, it was evident that the many the planning for the conference, trail planning meetings and teleconferences paid off. Tacoma hosted one of the tours, and mixer. Those who were most successful conferences to date. Nearly 200 registered guests attended. able to attend added to the success The LaQuinta Hotel proved the ideal location with excellent service, food, of over 196 attendees, making it one and accessibility. A Friday night wine and hors d’oeuvre reception at the of the largest WSTC Conferences in Washington State History Museum catered by The Vault Catering Company history. introduced attendees to Tacoma’s new Thea Foss Esplanade, museum Now we need to get back to district, and adjacent UWT Campus. Post conference survey results, a the business of our Coalition. On slide show, and conference highlights together with selected power point December 7, 2010 Pierce County Parks slides and ‘Idea Marketplace’ Summations can be found on line at www. and Recreation, with the very strong W-S-T-C.ORG. This site will be updated monthly, and a full report of the support of your Foothills Rails-to- conference will be posted in January. Trails Coalition’s 35-plus members, The 2012 conference will be held in Vancouver, WA. present, received authorization from the Pierce County Council to file condemnation proceedings to extend the Foothills Trail towards Buckley. Pierce County Bike Map Update The condemnation will be through BY DAVE SEAGO, COALITION MEMBER the Happy Trails RV Park owned by Good news for fans of the mysteriously vanishing Pierce County Bike Mr. Dwight Partin on the East side of Map: It’s coming back this spring in an updated, improved and possibly South Prairie at the end of the bridge lawsuit-proof version. over South Prairie Creek. There has County Public Works Director Brian Ziegler announced plans for the been lots of talk about the North, new map at the Washington State Trails Conference in Tacoma last month. South or on the former railroad Transportation planning supervisor Jesse Hamashima, who has worked on centerline routes. Personally, I do not previous versions of the map and will coordinate work on the new one, care, as long as it gets done! says the goal is to have the new version out for release in April. Condemnation is not the best The new map will feature a revised and “beefed-up” liability disclaimer way of getting across one of the last that will, it is hoped, help protect the county from future lawsuits. holdouts for a trail between South A lawsuit involving a cycling accident -- the county settled out of court Prairie and Buckley. I believe a -- had prompted the county earlier this year to destroy as many 10,000 negotiated settlement would have copies of the map retrieved from public locations. been a much more expedient method. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Page 2 TRAIL LINE NEWS Issue 4 . Foothills Trail Coalition Board President...............................................................Buzz Grant Notices: (253) 845-4991, [email protected] Vice President.......................................................Pat Johnson (360) 829-2068, [email protected] Annual Meeting Announcement Treasurer.......................................................Loras Gassmann The Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition announces (253) 508-3354, [email protected] Secretary.....................................................Melanie Robinson its annual meeting for Thursday, January 27th, 2011, (253) 230-5421, [email protected] from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the High Cedars Golf Course Past President.......................................................John Downs club house, 14604 149th Street Court East, Orting (just (360) 897-2617, [email protected] President Emeritus...................................................Ernie Bay off the Sumner-Orting Highway). There will be an (253) 848-7718, [email protected] optional buffet dinner at 6:00 PM for a nominal fee prior Board Members.....................................Edward (Ed) F. Davis (253) 508-7533, [email protected] to the annual meeting. Please RSVP to Pat Johnson at .............................................................................Tim Duggan 360-829-2068 or by email at [email protected] for (253) 306-3717, [email protected] ...........................................................................Jeanette Fohn reservations for the buffet. Payment for the dinner will (360) 897-2261, [email protected] be collected at the door. An accurate “head count” is .............................................................................Bill Harmon necessary in order to make sure there is plenty food. (253) 475-1537, [email protected] .............................................................................Jerry Larson The purpose of the annual meeting is the election (253) 845-7219, [email protected] of the Board of Directors. The following names are .......................................................................Peggy Levesque (360) 897-8253, [email protected] submitted for consideration to be re-elected or elected .........................................................................Don Partington (NOTE: Current board members are shown with an (253) 863-5307, [email protected] ................................................................................John Selby *): Don Partington*; Ken Woolery*; Edward (Ed) (253) 841-1767, [email protected] F. Davis*; Steve Brown; Richard Cockrell; Diane ............................................................................Ken Woolery Kastama; Don Rich; and David Seago. (253) 863-4773, [email protected] In accordance with the bylaws, a member of the Publisher: Coalition may also be considered an eligible candidate The Trail Line News is published quarterly by the for Director by submitting a petition of nomination to Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition, P.O. Box 192, the Board of Directors not less than 21 days before the Puyallup, WA 98371. Our website is http://www. annual meeting. Such petition must include the valid piercecountytrails.org/ and our email address is signature of ten Coalition members or ten percent of the [email protected]. Coalition membership, whichever is less. The elected Mission: Board of Directors will then elect officers at the first The mission of the Foothills Rails-to-Trails Coalition board meeting following the annual meeting. is to assist Pierce County communities in the creation, A quorum is needed to conduct our annual business, maintenance and usage of a connected system of non- so please make a point to come to High Cedars on motorized trails for healthier people from Mt. Rainier to January 27, 2011! Puget Sound. Ads: Business card ads are published for a fee of $25 per quarter or $100 for one year, paid in advance to the Coalition and sent to the Ad Manager, Loras Gassmann, P.O. Box 192, Puyallup, WA. Editing: Tom Enlow The Trail Line News is edited by Wendy Beauchaine, [email protected]. Certified Public Accountant Layout: The Trail Line News is designed by Charlene Binfet, 820 S. Lawrence St. 253-236-4873, [email protected]. Tacoma, WA 98405 Printing: 253.549.5860 The Trail Line News is printed at L&L Printing and [email protected] Graphics, (253) 848-5546. Circulation is approximately 1250 copies. Page 3 TRAIL LINE NEWS Issue 4 Milestone Trail Connection Exchange Ride on the ODT BY ERNIE BAY, PRESIDENT EMERITUS BY JOHN S. SELBY, BOARD MEMBER In 1989, Pierce County Parks had a master plan that Out of an inspiration that came to us at the WA outlined the vision for a continuous Foothills Linear State Trails Coalition Conference, my brother Jeff and Park Trail from the Nisqually Delta to Mount Rainier. I arranged a joint ride on the Olympic Discovery Trail While the vision has materialized slowly, a small but for members of the Foothills Trail Coalition and the major milestone is currently nearing completion - the Peninsula Trails Coalition. On November 7, Don and Robin Partington and Dottie and I rode with 12 cyclists from the other side of Puget Sound. We started at the Morse Creek trail head, had lunch in Port Angeles, The Puyallup Riverwalk extension awaits a protective canopy intended to safeguard pedestrians and cyclists against possible debris. Olympic Discovery Trail approaching the Elwha River Bridge. vital link beneath the Puyallup/Sumner Puyallup River Photo by Jeff Selby Bridge on East Main Street and the adjacent Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway bridge that will eventually then rode out west to the Dry Creek canyon bridge and lead to the Foothills Trail. Before