Hearings dates set on draft for motorized use on trails

Two hearing sites have been scheduled for the proposal to use motor vehicles on Washington State Parks long-distance trails, including the Columbia Plateau Trail and the John Wayne Trail in Whitman County. A draft proposal calls for use of the trails by adjoining property owners under a fee system, according to Nikki Fields, coordinator for the trails system.

The department has sent out notices to property owners in Whitman County who adjoin the John Wayne Trail. Fields two weeks ago told the Gazette they have a listing of property owners from Malden to Tekoa which was compiled as part of the planning study which concluded earlier this year and were working on getting the addresses for property owners from Malden to the west side of the county.

Interest for the proposal in the Kittitas Valley has led the department to slate one of the public hearings on the draft proposal at the Hal Holmes Center, 209 N. Ruby in Ellensburg from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The John Wayne Trail goes through the Ellensburg area on the former Milwaukee Railroad right-of-way.

The second hearing will be at the Veterans Memorial Museum, 100 Veterans Way in Chehalis.

A fee schedule included in the draft proposal suggests a $200 fee for application, an hourly rate fee for processing the application with the amount set according to the type of trail involved and use fee of $500 to $3,000 per mile, for use on the trail.

A deadline for comments on the proposal will be Dec. 19.

The proposal will go before the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission at the Dec. 19 meeting.