Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The new year in the County Parks department promises a mix of completion of old work and new projects.
First on the list is to finish the roof replacement on the shelter at Wawawai Park, a project begun last summer to put a new metal roof on the 1978 structure. After fall weather shut down the work, County Parks board members and staff expect to be out there when weather breaks to put in an estimated week’s work to finish the gentle slope of the roof.
The project was separated into two sections, first the steeper, smaller-diameter work replacing the original wood-shake roof, followed by the gentle slope.
The new Delta-Rib steel roof is expected to last 40 years or more, according to Tim Myers, Whitman County Parks director.
Next on the 2017 list is Kamiak Butte, where Parks staff will replace sections of cribbing on the backside of the hiking trail. The work will replace wood-and-rebar reinforcements on particularly sloped sections of the trail. The cribbing was originally laid in the 1990s and has rotted in sections.
“It’s just time to do it again,” said Myers.
Parks will work in three or four areas, on sections 10-30 feet long. All materials will need to be carried in on foot.
This year Myers and staff will compile a new five-year comprehensive plan. Myers is putting it in a draft format now in preparation for public meetings/comments in March and April.
In mid-April, water will be turned on again in county parks, which are open year-round.
A new ranger/operations and trails coordinator, Laura Bloomfield, started at Kamiak in August. Dave Mahan is the park ranger/operations and trails coordinator at Wawawai and Klemgard parks.
The board’s first meeting of the year is Jan. 12 in Colfax.
“We’re looking forward to a good, productive year,” Myers said.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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