Chehalis Pool Renovation Project Receives $250,000

Posted

Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday announced the award of $397,800 to Lewis County as part of $86 million in state and federal grants to be used, throughout the state, for the promotion of outdoor recreation and conservation.

Two hundred fifty thousand dollars were awarded specifically to the Chehalis Pool Renovation project.

Thirty-four of the state’s 39 counties were awarded money. Grant recipients match the funding with resources of their own. This year, grant recipients will contribute approximately $57 million in matching funds.

“Washington’s outdoors are one of the things that make this state great,” Inslee said. “Outdoor recreation in Washington contributes more than $11.7 billion annually to our economy, supports 115,000 jobs across the state, draws people from around the world to our mountaintops and shorelines and is one of the reasons people and businesses move here and stay here. Investing in Washington’s outdoor economy just makes good sense.”

Before an organization is selected for funding, its grant proposal goes through an extensive review that includes evaluation by advisory committees made up of citizens with experience in recreation, farming and wildlife habitat.

“Our rigorous process ensures that we fund only the best of the best projects,” Kaleen Cottingham, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office said.

The grants are funded through eight different grant programs that receive money from state and federal sources, including the sale of state bonds, gas taxes and user fees. The Legislature authorizes funding for all the grants.

The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board awards the grants.

Typically, only about half of the grant requests are funded. This year, 414 projects requested more than $163 million in funding.

The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board was established in 1964 to finance recreation and conservation projects throughout the state.

 

Lewis County projects that received funding include:

Chehalis: $250,000

Purpose: Renovating the Chehalis Pool

Grant provided by: The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

The city of Chehalis will use this grant to renovate its community pool.

Work will include replacing the pool liner, mechanical systems, guard stands and diving board; resurfacing its shared parking; adding parking stalls; building a restroom; and upgrading the locker rooms to meet accessibility standards.

The work should extend the life of the pool by more than 20 years, according to the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board.

The only public outdoor pool in this region, its use averages 230 people a day.



While the city maintained these aging facilities even in lean times with support from its foundation and the community, it lacks money for major upgrades or expansion.

The city of Chehalis will contribute $530,340 from another Recreation and Conservation Office grant, staff labor, and donations of cash. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

 

U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot National Forest: $78,800

Purpose: Maintaining trails in Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Grant provided by: The state Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities program

The Cowlitz Valley Ranger District will use this grant to fund two seasonal workers for two years to maintain 230 miles of trails and trailheads for motorized users in Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Lewis County.

The workers also will clean and maintain six campgrounds primarily used by motorized recreationists.

Approximately 6,000 motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle users ride annually in the Gifford Pinchot, according to the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board.

Volunteers will contribute 2,200 hours over two years to help with the maintenance.

The Cowlitz Valley Ranger District will contribute $74,720 in donated and staff labor and agency equipment.

 

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission: $139,799

Purpose: Grooming snowmobile trails in the South Cascade Mountain Range

Grant provided by: The Recreational Trails Program

State Parks' Winter Recreation Program will use this grant to plow snow at 11 snow parks and groom about 282 miles of snowmobile trails for two years in the Cascade Mountain Range in eastern Cowlitz and Lewis counties, and extensively in Skamania County in the foothills near Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams.

State Parks will plow snow parks as needed, groom trails at least once a week and contribute $139,799 in state funding.