The Times 

Touchet Valley Trail Committee releases concept plan

Community feedback, volunteer work of students and architects included

 

DAYTON—The Touchet Valley Trail Steering Committee has released a detailed concept plan for the trail which is in the planning stages between Dayton and Waitsburg.

The committee conducted a weekend of workshops, a semester of design work, and several virtual review sessions in the process of developing the plan, which currently has no funding attached. The plan incorporates all public comments received during last year’s survey, and from numerous public and private meetings about the trail.

After reviewing the plan, the Port of Columbia Board of Commissioners agreed to forward the document to the consultant for their use as they work on a preliminary design of the project.

Work from the design charrette workshop that took place in October 2019, which included community members and architects from the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, students in the Landscape Architecture program from Washington State University and the University of Washington were also given to the design teams that developed the concept. Effort was taken to incorporate ideas from potential users as well to provide solutions to concerns that were raised.

“We received some really constructive comments during the public process last year that we worked to address in the conceptual plan,” stated Glen Mendel, a long time Dayton resident that serves on the Touchet Valley Trail Steering Committee. “The conceptual plan is intended to help shape the design as it progresses and provide a visual representation of the ideas generated thus far.”

Concept Plans are also useful documents for securing grants, appropriations, and assisting in other fundraising efforts.

A technical assistance grant from the National Park Service (NPS) Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program helped the Port of Columbia and its partners complete the Concept Plan with minimal spending at the local level.

“One of the goals of Washington State Parks is to provide a better connection between our parks and the communities they serve, stated Clara Dickinson-McQuary, a Washington State Parks employee who is a member of the steering committee and worked on one of the design teams during the charrette process. “We estimate that 30 – 40 percent of the families camping at Lewis & Clark Trail State Park bring their bicycles and don’t have anywhere safe to ride. This trail would literally provide that connection and offer a wonderful recreation experience.”

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is funding the preliminary design of the trail. The Port of Columbia has contracted with a private consulting firm that is currently working on surveying the rail corridor and sifting through title records and other documents to verify the location of the Port-owned right of way.

“Bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and safety are a concern in the Highway 12 corridor,” stated Paul Gonseth, a Washington State Department of Transportation Planner who is serving on the steering committee. “Our agency is helping fund this portion of the design to provide multimodal alternatives along this corridor.”

The next milestone in the trail planning project will be the 30 percent design stage, which is described as a preliminary alignment and grading plan that is prepared after surveying, aerial photos, base map preparation, and supplemental survey and right of way work is undertaken. This stage in the design is expected to be reached in late 2020. At that time, Port of Columbia Commissioners plan to hold a public hearing to receive comments on the design-in process.

The concept plan can be viewed on the Port of Columbia website at https://www.portofcolumbia.org/economic-development/touchet-valley-trail/.

 

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