The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

The Touchet Valley Trail organizers held a meeting on Monday, September 23 at Waitsburg's City Hall. The meeting's content and delivery closely followed last week's meeting in Dayton (covered below) with a detailed PowerPoint presentation that included information about the genesis of the trail, its benefits, safety issues, planning and engineering, plus results from community surveys.

Following the meeting, attendees were directed to various areas in the back of the room for a chance to have their specific questions addressed. Those available to address questions were:

Mary Campbell - Executive Director of Commitment to Community

Adam Schmidtgall and Bryan Hansen- engineers from Anderson Perry,

a civil engineering, surveying, and natural resources firm

Clara Dickinson McQuary - Washington State Parks

Paul Gonseth - Washington State Department of Transportation

Shaun Darveshi - Palouse Regional Transportation Planning Organization

Kari Dingman - Department of Fish and Wildlife

Jon Campbell - Architect 

Sheriff Mark Crider – Safety questions

Joy Smith – Waitsburg Commercial Club

Kathryn Witherington – Port of Columbia

Jennie Dickinson - Executive Director, Port of Columbia

In addition, on each seat in the meeting hall was placed a detailed fact sheet and a comment and contact form, to be deposited in multiple baskets throughout the room.