PORT ANGELES — Eight months of negotiations culminated this week as Clallam County commissioners signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Interior, the National Park Service and Olympic National Park to build three paved segments of the Olympic Discovery Trail near Lake Crescent.
Construction of the connected segments from the top of Fairholme Hill to the park boundary near Waterline Road is scheduled for 2011.
“We’re just glad to get it done and get the environmental process going,” said Rich James, Clallam County Transportation Program Manager.
Clallam County won a $999,000 grant through the state Recreation and Conservation Office to restore two tunnels of the long-defunct Spruce Railroad on the north shore of the lake.
The grant was matched by $1.2 million in federal dollars and the county road fund.
Most of the match money has already been spent on a 6.4-mile section of paved trail west of the existing Spruce Railroad Trail.
The Recreation and Conservation Office, or RCO, required the parties to renew an earlier agreement by June 20. The three commissioners approved the agreement on Tuesday.
The World War I-vintage Spruce Railroad grade serves as a backbone of western segments of the 140-mile Olympic Discovery Trail, which will eventually connect Port Townsend to LaPush.
After the National Park Service approves the environmental review and the county builds out the trail Olympic National Park will manage the segments within its boundary.
The trail on the gentle railroad grade must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Commissioner Steve Tharinger said the access for disabled trail users will allow more people to enjoy the park.
He said the trail will be a “fantastic facility” for Olympic National Park and the county.
“For someone to get on this trail and head through those late successional forests and see the beauty of the park I think is just a wonderful option — to go around the lake like that in a safe trail environment,” Tharinger said.
“I’m just really pleased that we’re moving ahead on this, and of course not losing the dollars that the RCO dedicated to this project.”
Karen Gustin, Olympic National Park superintendent, agreed.
“We are very much looking forward to continuing the work,” she said.
“It’s a good team of people that are in place, and we’re glad to be a part of it.”
Homeless grants
In other action at Tuesday’s meeting, the commissioners extended two grants from the state Department of the Commerce Housing Division for homelessness assistance through June 2011.
The grants are worth $830,000 and $350,860, respectively.
A contract with Bill Maier was increased by a maximum of $8,910 to provide more mental health services for unfunded clients through the county’s chemical dependency and mental health program fund.
The commissioners also signed a proclamation recognizing Saturday as National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Memorial
The proclamation will be read aloud during a ceremony commemorating National Law Enforcement Memorial Week at 10 a.m. Friday.
The ceremony will take place at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Lincoln Street in Port Angeles.
Jessie Davis, daughter of Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy Wally Davis, who was killed in the line of duty in August 2000, will sing the National Anthem.
The event will feature a 21-bell salute, remarks from Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict and a benediction by Sheriff’s Chaplain Jim Chase.
Cub Scouts from Sequim Pack 4490 will participate in the bell-ringing ceremony and receive National Sheriffs’ Association crime prevention patches from Benedict, Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Doug Jensen said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
