by Richard Uhlhorn
New council member:
Manson Community Council’s Mike Kirk swore Rene Commons as the latest council member to join. Commons replaces Chris Willoughby who left the council to join the Chelan County Planning Commission, a position he can use to help the Manson community with its issues.
“We are looking for one more councilperson,” said Kirk.
Finance report:
Dom Amor reported that the council has $417.78 in the bank and that they have filed a 501 (3) application with the Secretary of State. A federal filing will be applied for soon. “We have only one check left,” said Amor.
The council will seek a grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Washington to help with financial needs. “We don’t need a lot of money,” stated Kirk.
Incorportation:
Kirk mentioned that the council would like to engage the community to discuss the pros and cons of incorporating the community. Incorporation can only be done within the Urban Growth Boundary. Kirk says there are 1500 residents in the UGA.
Councilman Jeff Conwell would like to see a feasibility study or public survey done on the subject. “There’s a lot of good reasons and a lot of bad reasons to incorporate,” he said. “It would be a good exercise for us.”
Kirk mentioned that the yearly required GMA comprehensive update is coming up. The council needs to be involved in the process. Willoughby would be a good source of what updates are being considered.
Northshore Pathway:
The Northshore Pathway is being considered once again under the auspices of the Chelan Douglas Transportation Council. Kirk reported that the council considered moving the multi-use trail off Hwy150 but right-of-way issues emerged.
They are looking at moving some of the trail to the north side of 150 but still considering the southside along the lake on the 150 corridor. “They are meeting with the cabana owners tomorrow,” said Kirk.
Cost of the trail has swelled to $18 million on both sides of Rocky Point, but someone came up with a $50 million dollar estimate to negotiate around Rocky Point. More current information can be found at the www.chelannorthshoretrail.com
Amor asked if the trail could be done in segments.
Some insights – Residents in Chelan Hills have been asking the City of Chelan to extend the trail from the Roaundabout to Chelan Hills. Another segment that could be constructed from Manson to Rocky Point which would open up a number of residents and visitors to a multi-use system.
Northshore Pathway history:
The Northshore Pathway is and was initially a long term planning effort by the Lake Chelan Trails Association (501 (c) 3) which was an offshoot of the Lake Chelan Recreation Association. It was just one of the many trails outlined in the Lake Chelan Comprehensive Trails Plan which is still in use by agencies and municipalities today.
The Northshore trail feasibility study was undertaken by the Lake Chelan Trails Association with JAO Consultants (Jennifer Olson). When it was finished, the City of Chelan contributed $10,000 to the effort. Chelan County contributed another $30,000 from their Paths and Trails fund and the Department of Natural Resources gave the trails group a $225,000 ALEA grant to begin construction in 1995. These funds were too early in the process and the AlEA grant was returned.
During the Chelan Hydro-Electric Relicensing, a Chelan Legacy group put together a $11.25 million dollar endowment fund for five projects including the Northshore Pathway and Lakeside Trail project from downtown to Lakeside which will be built this year for an estimated $3 million dollars.
The PUD flatly turned down the Legacy Groups request and the proposed trail systems collected dust until the federal government designated trail systems as important projects to fund.
The funding is available. The Northshore Trail needs to be completed even if only in segments.
All Things Lake Chelan 