PORT ANGELES — Public access to creek corridors in Port Angeles should be enhanced, City Council members said last week.
Existing access to Peabody, Valley, Tumwater and other creeks is poorly marked, and long-term plans to expand creek access should be reviewed, council members said during a think tank last Tuesday.
“[Creeks] are amazing assets and they are not being used as assets,” said Mayor Sissi Bruch, who introduced the topic at the informal gathering.
“Entrances to them are pretty hidden in some places.”
Council member Mike French agreed that improved creek access matches the city’s vision.
“I do recognize that there are a lot of practical barriers for specific creeks that are going to be very expensive,” French said.
“But I think it would be hard to find someone who wouldn’t want a babbling brook next to their house.”
Several creeks in the city run through old culverts. The lower reaches of Peabody Creek, for example, run under Lincoln Street along an eroded culvert to its mouth near City Pier.
“I do recognize the practical barriers in many cases just because we had previous generations that had a different plan,” French said.
“So deconstructing that is gong to be more difficult.”
Bruch said she struggled to find the entrance to Peabody Creek for a recent tour led by Feiro Marine Life Center personnel, who organized a student field study and clean-up of the creek corridor.
“There’s this little dirt path,” Bruch said.
“There’s not a ‘Welcome to our amazing creek [sign].’ Nothing. There is absolutely nothing there to tell you this is how you access the creek.”
City Manager Nathan West said the planned Valley Creek-Peabody Creek Loop Trail is one of his favorite projects in the city’s Capital Facilities Plan.
“It’s been in the Capital Facilities Plan for a long time,” West said.
“Both Valley and Peabody creeks have quite a bit of publicly-owned land.”
A loop trail along the creeks that connects the downtown area to Olympic National Park would be “very meaningful to Port Angeles and ultimately our long-term vision,” West said.
“So I think it’s something great to implement,” West added.
“The key is how can we solve the problem of maintenance and operation once we get some trails open.”
Funding for the loop trail has not been identified, according to the Capital Facilities Plan.
In the short-term, City Council member Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin suggested adding signs for existing creek trails like the Verne Samuelson Trail along Valley Creek.
The 1.5-mile Verne Samuelson Trail, part of the Clallam County parks system, connects Wellman Road to U.S. Highway 101 at the Port Angeles city limit.
Adding signs to existing trails would “let people know ‘Hey, this is a public trail. You’re not trespassing by going down that trail,’ ” Schromen-Wawrin said.
“And often, when more people use trails, they become safer and more accessible,” he added.
Council member Cherie Kidd said she picks up trash left by people who camp in creek corridors.
“That’s an issue we can clean up,” Kidd said.
Deputy Mayor Kate Dexter said improving access to creek corridors would result in “positive use.”
“We need to find a place for people to live, and the more we can increase positive use the less negative use there is,” Dexter said.
No formal action was taken at the think tank. The purpose of the meetings, which began this year, is to provide an informal setting for the council to brainstorm among themselves and discuss policy and other ideas, city officials said.
Council members Michael Merideth and Jim Moran did not attend the Tuesday meeting.
The think tank was adjourned midway though a recap of a Oct. 5 Housing Task Force meeting when Kidd and French excused themselves, resulting in a lack of a quorum.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
