Land for parks, pathway to be discussed in public meeting

A second Electric City Pathways and Parks meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, July 16, in the park-like grassy area behind city hall, where residents can see how well the city’s Pathways and Parks Revitalization plan is coming along.

Ice cream will be provided by MJs Bistro.

The futuristic plan has been shaped by a Washington State University team from the school’s Rural Communities Design Initiative, after an earlier public meeting in May. A local committee, appointed by the city council, has reviewed some of the plans from the WSU group and asked that they focus on the proposed trail system with the emphasis on the Ice Age Floods.

The local committee decided to focus on a beach trail.

The group also asked that the plan include sidewalks and bike trails through the commercial district and that in two park areas — the new park behind the fire station and the park by the arsenic treatment plant — that restrooms be established.

The idea of a barbecue pit area with a partition wall was discussed for the Fire Station Park as well as the planting of trees to cut the rays of the afternoon sun.

At the park by the arsenic treatment plant, the design calls for a near full-size outdoor basketball court. The city and the WSU team, made up of professors and students, will present a more complete proposed plan at the July 16 meeting, which will begin at 1 p.m.

Local Pathways and Revitalization Committee members present at their last meeting were Lonna Bussert, Brad Parrish, Cynthia Greely, Clark Perman, Carol Nordine and city Administrator Russ Powers.

The city council has proposed that some $400,000 of its hotel/motel tax money be held in reserve to go towards the project, plus another $40,000 for the planning phase.