Big park plan draft reviewed in Elmer City

Elmer City officials and citizens met to look over a draft of the town's park and recreation plan Aug. 22.

Planning consultant Kurt Danison of Highlands Associates presented the draft as the small group discussed ideas and additions or changes to it.

The town hired Danison to help put together a master plan that will serve in the ever-important process of acquiring grant money for projects to improve the quality of life in the town with better recreational amenities. That process, itself, is fueled with a $68,350 grant to develop the plan.

A survey was completed to gain community ideas and earlier community meetings have been held.

"And now we're asking for the feedback, for everybody to weigh in on, and then in the end, we'll do adoption and approval," Danison said.

Elmer City actually has two parks, plus a big federally funded trail that goes through town.

But the parks need an update, especially Seaton Park, across the street from the town hall. A basketball court full of cracks got big kudos from kids when city leaders hung new nets on the baskets a while ago, stirring a desire for future improvements, which are coming.

The town applied for a grant to fix the court pavement, from RCO, the Recreation Conservation Office, which Danison called the "the preeminent agency in the state that provides money for parks, recreation and open space" - things like playgrounds, basketball courts, swimming pools, tennis courts, and RV parks.

The grant application process is quite competitive, with many communities in line for the help.

"They've been trying to make sure that rural communities like Elmer City can get into some money and do some parks," Danison said. "Since you've never had an RCO grant except for this one ... and your parks are in really poor shape, I think that the community will really fare well."

Seaton Park's basketball court could be just the start. The town is eyeing significant upgrades to Elmer City Park, too. That's the 0.2-acre triangle next to town hall by the highway that "offers a respite to travelers," Danison noted.

But the big one, with lots of potential, is what they currently refer to as the Elmer City Down River Park, the town's own slice of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's 6.5-mile Downriver Trail along the Columbia River.

The survey found that 70 percent of people don't like the city parks, which they said were not kept up and dirty. But they almost all like the available trails.

The town has lifted goals from a plan the Colville Tribes put together for the town a few years ago and modified them in the current planning process.

"In order to get to the goals, we have to have some objectives," Danison said. Number one is to restore and improve Seaton Park to include parking access, a playground, picnic area and sports court.

Next is to prepare to implement a plan for improvements to Elmer City Park along SR 155. Number three is to develop new outdoor recreation facilities in Down River Park, with a priority on constructing an RV park and parking facilities, and a wheelchair-usable access to fishing in the river.

That last one is a bit of a challenge because of about 50 yards of large rocks between the touted trail and the river, but someone noted the Bureau has already installed a ramp across it in Seaton's Grove, so it's possible.

The last objective is developing an annual maintenance plan for all of the town's outdoor spaces, Danison said.

The plan is to have a formal 30-day public review-and-comment period once the draft plan is ready.

After the public review, the comments will be compiled and recommendations will be made to the town council on any changes to the plan before it is adopted.