County leaders talk Monday during a regular meeting. Commissioners are moving closer to approving a transfer to take on land in Packwood currently owned by Washington State Parks.
Lewis County leaders are closer to accepting a transfer a Washington State Parks land in Packwood, following a positive tour of the property and a favorable assessment of the risks involved with ownership.
“It’s given us a lot more information to digest,” said county commissioner Bobby Jackson. “It encourages me that this might be a very good direction for us to pursue. … It sounds like it’s a minimal risk. It is very encouraging, but obviously we’ve got more legwork to do and more questions to ask.”
The forested 174-acre property sits at the confluence of Skate Creek and the Cowlitz River and has been designated for surplus by the state agency. At present, no development is present at the “passively open” park other than a few trails maintained by locals. While the state is ready to move forward with transferring the site to the county, Lewis County leaders have sought out more information before making a decision.
Recently, county manager Erik Martin, Discover Lewis County executive director Tamara Hayes and Community Development director Lee Napier took a tour of the site. Martin showed photos of the trails to county commissioners, who agreed that the wooded area is an important community asset.
“It’s an absolutely gorgeous park,” Martin said. “We had a lot of fun walking around there. … It’s relatively flat. It wasn’t a strenuous hike at all, so it would be really good for families, little kids.”
Meanwhile, risk and safety administrator Wayne Whiton gave county leaders a liability assessment they had requested.
“We’ve had an initial site assessment that looks like there’s not a lot of risk there,” he said. “This is a low-risk opportunity to obtain benefits for Lewis County residents.”
Whiton noted that trees can fall, but recreational properties often have immunity for injuries that happen on-site. He added that the possibility of environmental hazards is minimal. As private companies like Weyerhauser charge more for recreational users to access their timber tracts, Whiton said maintaining a free community resource in Packwood could be a good step for the county.
The county is looking into finding a partner to handle operations at the site, similar to many parks maintained by Kiwanis or Lions Clubs. The Destination Packwood nonprofit has expressed interest in being involved, perhaps installing a campground on the property.
The county’s next step will be obtaining a draft transfer agreement from State Parks, which will give them an idea of what uses will be allowed on the land — which is designated for recreational use in perpetuity. That document will be reviewed by the prosecuting attorney’s office.
Some locals have complained about the seemingly rushed speed of the transfer and the lack of clarity about what will happen with the land once it’s in the county’s hands. County leaders have stressed that no change to the site is imminent, and they’ll solicit community feedback before starting any development. While there are still details to figure out, county commissioners sounded generally supportive of going ahead with the transfer.
“I always thought it was the right thing to do to have local ownership of that piece of property,” said county commissioner Gary Stamper.
Commissioner Edna Fund said the site could help boost tourism in rural East Lewis County, as well as provide direct revenue if a campground or concessions were established.
“If we have another option for people to come enjoy and spend their money, yay,” she said.
