The history of a trail: Apple Capital Recreation
Loop Trail

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08/23/2005
Wenatchee Riverfront road plan moves ahead

Wenatchee, Washington --
City asks Chelan PUD for its support; $5 million grant sought.

The city of Wenatchee says it now has enough support from
waterfront property owners to move forward with its plans
to build a new riverfront road.

The city asked the Chelan County PUD commissioners Monday for their
backing as it seeks a nearly $5 million grant to buy property and
build the new road to connect Walla Walla Avenue and Worthen Street.

PUD commissioners, who called the road project a "beautiful plan,"
will decide next week whether to sign a letter of support for the
Riverside Drive project.

The road would be a major step toward the city's plans of developing
the riverfront with condos, retail shops, restaurants, hotels and
other features to entice economic growth.

The Wenatchee City Council approved the riverfront redevelopment
plan in February 2004 that covers roughly a three-mile strip along
the river. Then last September, the council approved the route for
a new riverfront road.

The city applied for a grant last year to build the road. But Allison
Williams, executive services director for the city, said they lost out
largely because they did not have enough support from property
owners whose land the road would cross.

She told PUD commissioners on Monday that most of the property
owners are expected to write letters of support for the new road.

The road would cross city and PUD property, as well as a few businesses,
some residential lots and go through the Ninth Street Trailer Park.
The future of the trailer park is uncertain.

Williams would not reveal the identity any of the property
owners in support of the road except for Columbia Colstor.

The total cost of the road project is estimated at $6.9 million.
The city would begin buying property next year and then build
the road in 2008, Williams said.

To avoid the new road becoming a bypass for other congested streets
in Wenatchee, Williams said it is being designed to slow traffic.
Calling it "planned congestion," she said the road will include
features like round-abouts, speed bumps and narrow sections.

Truck traffic would be routed along Piere Street to keep it off the most
congested areas along the riverfront between Fifth and Ninth streets.

The letter of support the PUD commissioners are being asked to sign would
also include a statement of their commitment to take a look at converting
its property at the foot of Ninth Street to public parking, to help the
city design the new road, removing an old substation near Columbia Colstor
on Worthen Street, and building a new substation near Ninth and Piere streets
to accommodate construction of new high-density housing.

"I think the whole thing is beautiful,"
said PUD commissioner Gary Montague.

Commissioner Ann Congdon expressed concern about allowing six-story
buildings along the waterfront that would block views of the river.
But Williams said Riverside Drive would be located between any housing
and retail building, and pointed out that the previous industrial zoning
for the land allowed buildings up to 13 stories.

"It's a beautiful plan," said Commissioner Werner Janssen.
"But hopefully the beauty of the parks won't be destroyed by all this."

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08/12/2005
Orchardist’s appeal stops proposed trail in its tracks

East Wenatchee, Washington --
Judge rules parks commission needs zoning
change permit from county for extension..

An orchardist has won the latest round in the fight over
an extension of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail.

A Douglas County judge has ruled that the Washington State Parks
and Recreation Commission must first get a zoning change permit
from the county if it wants to extend the trail through Baker
Flats and farmland leased by orchardist Jack Feil.

Bill Fraser, regional parks planner for the state parks commission,
said Feil’s legal opposition has dragged and delayed the state parks
commission’s efforts to implement a project that is backed by the community.

“If there was no legal action, we could have started
this fall, and now it won’t happen,” he said.

“We have been working on this (trail) since 1995,”
he added. “This just puts it back on the shelf.”

The judge’s decision will delay “indefinitely” the extension
of the trail, said Assistant Attorney General Barbara Herman,
who represented the parks commission.

In his Aug. 2 written opinion, Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss
stated that the state parks commission must apply to the county for
a conditional use permit or a recreational overlay permit if it wants
to extend the trail five miles from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln
Rock State Park.

Hotchkiss added that he doubted the final outcome of the
project would change but that he did not believe the state
could build the trail without such a permit.

Feil has long opposed the state parks department’s plans to
extend the trail through his farmland, citing concerns about
lawsuits and vandalism from trail users.

“Liability is a big thing,” Feil said. “People who don’t understand
about orchards will be coming in, also there’s thousands of bees,
which poses a threat as well.”

He has suffered some setbacks in his fight to stop the extension.

Last March, the state’s Shorelines Hearing Board rejected Feil’s
appeal of the county’s decision to grant a shoreline permit to the
trail extension project.

The shoreline permit was the only one the county’s hearing examiner had issued
in the state, which caused Feil to file an appeal to demand a second permit be
required, an appeal upheld by Hotchkiss in his Aug. 2 opinion.

“It’s a clear victory for our client,” said
James Klauser, the attorney representing Feil.

Klauser said the state was getting ready to start cutting trees
while the shoreline permit only applied to the two-fifths of the
trail extension that are within 200 feet of the Columbia River shore.

Herman said that while the judge’s ruling that the state needs to
get another permit is a victory for Feil, the fact that Hotchkiss
upheld the shoreline permit issued was a victory for the state.

An appeal of Hotchkiss’ decision is not out of the question, she said.

Mark Kulaas, Douglas County Planning Director said it is up
to the state to decide whether to apply for the second permit
or appeal Hotchkiss’ ruling. It could take between three to
six months for the permits to be processed, he said.

“We will wait for (the state) to contact us,” he said.

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06/21/2005
Confluence viewing area closed due to leaning tree

Wenatchee, Washington --
A possibly hazardous 100-foot cottonwood tree has caused
a viewing station in Wenatchee Confluence State Park to
remain closed, said Matt Morrison, the park’s manager.

Morrison said he is waiting for the only arbor crew in the
state park system to assess what kind of danger the tree poses.

“It looks healthy, but it has a lean to it,” Morrison said.
“We thought we’d be prudent and close the viewing station.”

Virginia Painter, spokeswoman for State Parks in Olympia,
said the arbor crew is working in northwest Washington.
Painter said she did not know when the crew would make
its way to Wenatchee.

The viewing station, which has been closed since the end of
April, is one of 16 stations in the park’s Walt Horan Natural
Area, Morrison said.

Last December, a woman was struck by a falling
tree and killed at Lake Wenatchee State Park.

After the accident, park officials said they would re-evaluate
their program for identifying and eliminating dangerous trees,

Painter said a request for a second arbor crew has been put on an
agency “needs list,” but there is currently no funding available.

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05/20/2005
Dog owner cited in pit bull attack on Loop Trail

Wenatchee, Washington --
An Orondo-area man has been cited for a dog attack on the
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail last month, an animal
control officer said.

Christopher "C.J." Corter, 22, was fined $62 and his pit bull,
Mammas, was deemed a "potentially dangerous" dog by the
Wenatchee Valley Humane Society, animal control officer
James Rowe said.

The civil infraction for having a dog at large
was issued around April 25, Rowe said.

Corter could not be reached for comment.

The attack happened April 14 on the loop trail near Worthen
Street, where Corter works at American Building !*! Roofing,
Rowe said.

A 71-year-old Edmonds woman who was bit in the calf did
not need stitches. But the woman's Labrador retriever needed
several on its neck and back. The animal survived. The woman's
husband, also present during the attack, wasn't hurt.

Corter's pit bull, a 3- or 4-year-old female, was quarantined
April 19 and then released to Corter a few days later, he said.

As a potentially dangerous dog, Mammas must be on a leash
when in public, Rowe said. Rowe said Corter also places a
muzzle on the dog now.

The dog's identity, and that of its owner,
weren't immediately known after the attack.

The Edmonds couple said the dog came running out of the
fenced lot of American Building !*! Roofing and attacked
them around 2 p.m. that Thursday, Rowe said. The couple
said a man in his 20s with short reddish hair and a light
complexion came out of the business, got the pit bull,
and left, Rowe said.

Rowe said company officials told him after the attack that
they didn't recognize anyone fitting the man's description.

The manager of the business, at 310 S. Worthen St., said
in an interview with The Wenatchee World the day after the
attack that she did not recognize the dog's owner from a
description provided by a reporter.

Rowe said he later got about a dozen anonymous tips from
people saying Corter, who fit the description, worked at
American Building !*! Roofing and had a dog there.

Rowe said he went back to the business
and asked Corter to contact him.

Rowe said Corter came into the Humane Society
office on April 19 and handed over the dog.

Rowe said Corter told him he had been keeping the dog in
the cab of his truck while at work, but that the dog escaped
when he opened the truck's door just before the 2 p.m. attack.

---

04/15/2005
Pit bull attacks couple on loop trail

Wenatchee, Washington --
~Woman and her dog bitten, both injured~

A pit bull attacked a black Labrador retriever and one
of the dog's owner as she and her husband walked on the
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail near Worthen Street
on Thursday, an animal control official said.

A 71-year-old woman was bitten once in the calf, said Pat Baker,
executive director of the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society. The
woman, from Edmonds north of Seattle, did not need stitches,
Baker said. She didn't release her name.

The Lab, a spayed female on a leash, needed several stitches on
its neck and back, Baker said. The Lab is expected to survive,
she said.

The Edmonds woman's husband was not hurt, Baker said.

Baker believes the pit bull bit the woman because she
was between it and the Lab at the start of the attack,
which happened about 2 p.m.

The Humane Society is looking for a man who "came running out of
American Building & Roofing and ran away with the dog (pit bull),"
Baker said.

It isn't clear if the man is associated with the business, Baker said.

However, Tina Jahr, manager of the business at 310 S. Worthen St.,
said she was the only person in the building at the time.

She was on the phone when she "heard a little bit of commotion," she
said. She went outside and saw an elderly man who was visibly upset.

Jahr said she had not seen and does not know anyone who matched
a police description of the man who left with the pit bull.

Baker said that since the pit bull bit a person, it needs to be
quarantined in case it has rabies. It is a misdemeanor if someone
fails to quarantine a dog, but Baker wasn't sure the man who fled
knew the dog had bit the woman.

Having an at-large dog is punishable by a fine of $62 to $205,
depending on whether it is a repeat offense, Baker said.

The pit bull could also be deemed potentially dangerous,
which would force its owner to have it registered, Baker said.

Wenatchee police Sgt. John Kruse said the man who left with the
pit bull was described as being in his 20s with short, reddish hair.
He was balding and had a light complexion, Kruse said. He wore
a white tank top and long pants and had freckles on his shoulders,
he said. Baker said the pit bull was a dark color.

Kruse said he hadn't heard of any other recent dog attacks in Wenatchee.

Anyone with information can call the Humane Society at 662-9577.

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04/11/2005
Gang member arrested in Riverfront Park assault

Wenatchee, Washington --
A 14-year-old Wenatchee boy was arrested after a handgun
was pointed at another teenager at Riverfront Park Sunday
night, police said.

Nobody was hurt, he said.

Wenatchee police Sgt. John Kruse said the suspect is a gang
member who thought that the victim was a member of a rival
gang. The victim was not a gang member, Kruse said.

The incident was reported at 8:30 p.m. on the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail near the Wenatchee Ice Arena, Kruse said.

He said the 14-year-old boy was caught by officer Edgar Reinfeld
after a short foot pursuit. Officers did not find a weapon.

The victim was riding a bike with two other teenagers, Kruse said.
Witnesses said the suspect began yelling “gang stuff” and then pulled
out the gun, Kruse said.

Two other boys who were with the suspect were cited for
obstructing an officer and were released to their parents,
Kruse said.

The suspect was also arrested on suspicion of minor in possession
of a firearm. He was booked into the Chelan County Juvenile Center.

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04/09/2005
Park fence protects young trees

Wenatchee, Washington --
A 100-foot-long fence was put up along the shoreline
in Wenatchee Confluence State Park to keep people from
trampling new trees.

The fence between the boat launch and Odabashian Bridge will
keep park users from accessing the Columbia River and boaters
from reaching the park along the quiet stretch of waterfront
for the next year.

The Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail is close to the river in that area.
Boaters frequently beach their boats along the shoreline at that spot.

The Chelan County PUD planted 230 young river birch,
coyote willow and red osier dogwood trees this spring,
said Ray Heit, parks manager for the utility.

The trees were planted as mitigation for work the utility did
along the shoreline between the boat launch and the swimming
area at the park, placing rocks to control the erosion.

The new trees will help stop erosion of the
riverbank and provide shade for fish, he said.

The fence will probably be removed early next year, he said,
once the trees are strong enough to survive without its protection.
State park manager Mark Morrison said he doesn't expect
the fence to have that much impact on park users.

"But it's also going to save a bit of the park's shoreline,
so it's all right," he said.

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04/08/2005
Protest flags appearing along loop trail

East Wenatchee, Washington --
Tiny flags bearing the face of President Bush are once
again appearing in piles of dog and horse feces along
the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail in East Wenatchee.

The NCW Take Pride In America is offering a reward for
information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible for
the flags, said the group's director, Matt Warner. He said
the flags are a form of litter.

"This is not an appropriate political expression," he said.

The reward will be $101 -- the same as the fine for littering.

The flags first started appearing in January, then stopped before
more were discovered Thursday. About 50 have been found so far.

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03/14/2005
Loop trail lover thinks Bush bash smells

East Wenatchee, Washington --
No rookie to politics, Matt Warner thought he had seen it all.
Then he took one of his regular strolls on the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail two months ago.

Stuck in a pile of dog feces like a flag was a tiny picture
of President Bush attached to a tooth pick. He has found
another 19 since January.

"Any American would be incensed to see this type of thing,"
said Warner, who lives in East Wenatchee near the trail.

Warner, 52, is a former Douglas County commissioner and is
director of North Central Washington Take Pride in America,
which has worked to clean up the 10-mile loop trail.

In 2004, Warner ran as a Democrat and lost a bid to unseat
GOP incumbent Douglas County Commissioner Ken Stanton.

Although he has been a Democrat since 1989 in the heavily
Republican region, Warner said he voted for Bush in the 2004
presidential election. "If John Kerry's picture was on a flag
in dog feces, I would be just as mad, and I think any American
would," he said.

He hopes that if enough people know about the situation,
they might turn in whoever is defacing the trail.

"I myself am not going to stand still while this is happening.
It's littering," he said.

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03/10/2005
Wenatchee Loop Trail Extension Appeal Rejected

Wenatchee, Washington --
Plans by the State Department of Parks and Recreation
to extend the Apple Capital Loop Trail to Lincoln Rock
State Park, an additional six miles, has received the
State Shoreline Hearings Board's seal of approval.

The panel last week rejected an appeal by a trail opponent.

Hearing board denies orchardist’s appeal to halt Loop Trail plan

Wenatchee, Washington -- CC - http://www.wenworld.com
Happy trail at last? —

The state Shorelines Hearing Board has denied an appeal by a local
orchardist who opposes a plan to extend the Apple Capital Recreation
Loop Trail to Lincoln Rock State Park.

In the past, orchardists, beekeepers and residents along
Baker Flats have said the proposed trail would clash with
their farming rights and fear that it opens them up to
lawsuits and vandalism from others who might wander off
the trail and onto their property.

Trail supporters have said the trail would create another
recreational and transportation asset for the community
and help attract visitors.

Whether the denial last week from the shorelines board could
set the stage for a legal showdown in the Douglas County
Superior Court is unclear.

"It's premature as to what we'll do next," said James J. Klauser,
one of the attorneys representing orchardist Jack Feil.

Klauser said that his client had 10 days to seek reconsideration
from the board and 30 days to appeal the decision to the Douglas
County Superior Court, where another case to put the brakes on
the proposed trail is still pending.

Feil, an orchardist and the lead petitioner in the suit to halt
the trail extension, said he was disappointed the shorelines
board allowed the permit to extend the trail to stand.

"The Shorelines Hearings Board decided against the orchardists,
but that's no surprise," he said. "Orchardists are low on the
totem pole in Douglas County and Olympia."

It's been a winding road for the proposed trail. For 13 years,
there has been talk of extending it 5.1 miles along the Columbia
River, from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park.

The trail would run through land owned by the state
Department of Transportation and the Chelan County PUD.

Douglas County Hearing Examiner Don Moos granted a shoreline
development permit for the project last January. The state
Parks and Recreation Commission wants to build the trail.

Mark Gillespie, state parks development region
manager, said he is ready to move forward.

"It's been a long, difficult process," he said. "But at this point,
the ball's in Mr. Feil's court. ... I would much prefer that this
would be resolved."

Gillespie said Feil is the only holdout in a settlement
agreement reached with other parties who objected to the trail.

Feil farms 35 acres along the proposed trail route.
He and others who still opposed the project filed an
appeal to the Shorelines Hearing Board last year and
in Douglas County Superior Court.

Last Friday's decision from the shorelines board
upheld the hearing examiner's granting of the permit.

"I think the decision sent a pretty strong statement that
everything we've done conforms with state laws and regulations
in both the framework of the Douglas County code and among
the community," said Gillespie.

In the appeals to the shorelines board and Superior Court,
Feil argued the county sidestepped proper rezoning procedures
and critical environmental reviews when it described the trail
as a "multi-modal transportation facility."

While the ruling said that the board agreed that the petitioners
were "justifiably concerned about the conflicts of this proposed
trail," the "thrusts of the concerns raised by agricultural landowners,
however, relate to operation of orchards, not to impacts to shorelines
from the proposed Rocky Reach Trail."

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11/18/2004
Construction on new dock set for spring

Wenatchee, Washington --
The Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club says it now has enough
money to build a new dock in Riverfront Park, but must secure
a federal permit before the project can be started in spring.

The club has raised $60,000 from its members and received
a $47,500 state grant to do the work. On Monday, the Chelan
County PUD agreed to contribute up to $20,000, including in
-kind landscaping, toward the dock project.

The 60-foot metal dock would replace the existing wooden dock near the
paddle club's boathouse in Riverfront Park at the foot of Ninth Street.

"Up until two weeks ago, we didn't know whether we were going to
have the money to go forward with this," said Mike Kaputa, project
manager for the club.

But new cost estimates for construction lowered the
price tag from $150,000 to about $100,000, he said.

Now the only hurdle is a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
which requires permission from NOAA Fisheries, which Kaputa said has already
been consulted on the dock design. He said he expects the federal agency
to give its approval by Jan. 1, and a permit to be issued by Jan. 15.

"We're crossing our fingers on those dates," he said.

If it receive the permit in January, Kaputa said club members hope to install
the pilings for the new dock in February. He said the dock must be in place
and the project completed by April 30, when the state grant expires.

The only thing that could kill the project, he said, would be if the costs go
up. Kaputa said it would be difficult for the club to raise more money. The PUD
agreed on Monday to pay 40 percent of any costs over $110,000, up to $17,000,
if the club comes up with the other 60 percent.

Kaputa said the project is part of the city's riverfront development plan,
and city planners have been helping with the bid documents. The city did not
contribute money to the project, but served as a pass-through agency for the
state grant.

"This is going to be a community dock," he said.
"It will provide everyone with better access to the river."

Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club Web Site - http://www.wenatcheepaddle.com

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10/15/2004
Riverfront Park boat launch to close for maintenance

Wenatchee, Washington --
Maintenance on the dock pilings at the Wenatchee Riverfront Park
boat launch will require the Chelan County PUD to close the launch
for three days starting Tuesday through Oct. 21.

The parking lot will remain open for park users.

Boat launches on the Columbia River are also available
at Confluence State Park and Rock Island Hydro Park.

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10/12/2004
New boat-club dock in works for riverfront

Wenatchee, Washington --
The Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club wants to build a
60-foot metal dock near its boathouse in Riverfront Park.

The proposed dock would be next to the club's existing
12-foot wooden dock, said Mike Kaputa, project manager
for the club.

A paved trail to the current dock would be extended to reach
the new dock, Kaputa said. None of the area's trees would be
cut down, he said, and the club will replace any plants lost
with new ones nearby.

The club applied to Wenatchee for a project permit and
the city expects to approve the application next month,
said Brandon Whallon, an associate planner in the city
Department of Community Development.

"If we can be a part of people getting increased recreational
opportunities out of the riverfront, we'll certainly try our
best to help," Whallon said.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, which oversee state and federal
environmental rules, also need to sign off on the project,
Kaputa said.

With close to 300 members, the club is growing and wants
to add more programs, Kaputa said. Plans for a new boathouse
are part of the city's waterfront redevelopment plan.

The club received a $50,000 grant to build the dock from the
state Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, Kaputa
said. The club is matching that amount and will ask for some
in-kind donations from the Chelan County PUD, which runs the
park. The project is expected to cost $120,000.

The club's goal is to start building in January, he said.
Work can't continue past March 1, to avoid interfering
with young salmon migrating downriver.

Once the dock is finished, the club plans to start raising money
for a new boathouse, which would be located either on the shore
or in the parking lot at the foot of Ninth Street, Kaputa said.

"Our strategy is, if we can get this dock in, that will
start a lot of momentum for the new boathouse," he said.

Wenatchee Row & Paddle Club Website -
http://www.wenatcheepaddle.com

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10/02/2004
Loop Trail Sternwheeler Plaza Replacing Pavers Project

Wenatchee, Washington --
The Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail will get a slight
detour starting 10/04/2004 when a project starts in Riverfront
Park near the foot of Fifth Street.

About 700 feet of new asphalt trail is being built through
the Sternwheeler Plaza to replace concrete block pavers.

According to the Chelan County PUD, the block pavers
pose a bumpy obstacle for skaters, bikers and strollers.

The project is to take about one month, the PUD says.

( Photos of the project October 2004 )


Photos - Loop Trail Sternwheeler Plaza Project Oct.2004

A spray of colored coating is added on the new asphalt trail through
Sternwheeler Plaza at Riverfront Park. The 700-foot section of the
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail replaces concrete block pavers
that posed a bumpy obstacle for in-line skaters, bikers and strollers.

Chelan County PUD spokeman Steve Lachowicz said the utility had received
a few complaints about the pavers being a hazard to narrow bicycle wheels
and roller blade wheels. The new trail section is scheduled to re-open on
Monday the 25th of October 2004.

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09/30/2004
Columbia River pedestrian bridge falling on dark times

Wenatchee, Washington --
The Columbia River pedestrian bridge
seemed to have a bright future in 1995.

On a cold night in October that year, 100 people gathered to
watch as new lights on the bridge were turned on for the first time.

But the bridge has grown dim as the lights — paid for with $66,210
in community donations — have been broken or left to burn out
without being replaced.

On Wednesday night, 49 of the 67 lights were out. Two of the
working lights were pointed out toward the water instead of up
at the bridge, and two others were missing altogether. Several
were shattered.

Officials at the city of Wenatchee, who are responsible for
maintaining the lights, admit the job has slipped through the cracks.

“I don’t have a good answer for you, other than that we don’t
have anyone that regularly goes by there at night and checks the
lights,” said Don McGahuey, a city engineer and public works director.

McGahuey said street crews are responsible for replacing the lights,
but they rely on parks workers to tell them when they’re out, since
the street crews rarely go down that way.

“That’s off the beaten path for them,” McGahuey said.
“It’s not on their route of things to check.”

The bridge is owned by the Wenatchee Reclamation District,
which runs irrigation water through the pipeline that crosses it.
The city has an agreement with the reclamation district to maintain
the lights, with the Chelan County PUD reimbursing the city up to
$3,000 a year for electricity and work done on the lights.

Information on how much, if any, the city has collected
from the PUD was not immediately available from the utility.

The lights were the brainchild of former North Central Educational
Service District superintendent Gene Sharratt and members of the
Wenatchee and East Wenatchee chambers of commerce, who saw
them as a way of uniting the two communities during the dark days
of the 1994-95 Wenatchee child sex-abuse investigations.

“This is a night when light overcomes darkness, when hope
overcomes fear,” Sharratt said at the lighting ceremony.

Organizers said then that the lights could be maintained for three
years with the money raised. They also said the bulbs would be
replaced with colored lights during the holiday season.

Built between 1906 and 1908, the bridge was the first in the
United States to span the Columbia, and has been placed on
the National Register of Historic Places.

Graffiti is a regular occurrence on the bridge, but McGahuey
said the city checks it once a week and paints over the damage.
The last time they did so was Tuesday, he said.

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09/24/2004
Waterfront route gets final approval

Wenatchee, Washington --
With no comment from residents at a scheduled public hearing,
the Wenatchee City Council on Thursday night unanimously
approved the route for a new road along the waterfront.

The proposed Riverside Drive would connect
Worthen Street and Walla Walla Avenue.

City officials hope the estimated $3 million project
will encourage development near the Columbia River.

Some residents have criticized the road, which would pass through Riverfront
Park in two places. But no one spoke at a public hearing Thursday.

Councilman Steve May, a founder and past president of
Ridge to River, said he heard complaints from three race
participants because the road would pass through the finish line.

May said they were satisfied after he told them the street
would provide better access and more parking for the race,
which draws hundreds of participants each year from across
the Northwest.

The council’s approval set the centerline for the street
so developers can begin planning projects, city planner
Allison Williams said.

The city applied for a state Transportation Improvement Board
grant in August that would cover up to 80 percent of the cost.
City officials have said the earliest it will be built is 2006.

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09/14/2004
Groups to get attorney opinions on trail lease

East Wenatchee, Washington --
Representatives of the state Department of Transportation,
the Eastmont Recreation Service Area and Douglas County
met Monday to discuss transferring the lease of the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail from ERSA to the newly
created Eastmont Metropolitan Park District.

The entities were discussing the legalities of the lease transfer
because ERSA will soon be phased out after voters failed to
approve a levy that funded the entity, which was charged with
overseeing the parks within East Wenatchee.

Douglas County Commissioner Mary Hunt said that the groups
will meet again after transportation officials receive an attorney
general's ruling on the issue and the attorney for ERSA renders
a decision on whether the transfer can be made.

Voters approved the creation of the metropolitan park district in May.
The district has five commissioners and gets tax money.

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07/23/2004
Fire burns area near Wenatchee`s Loop Trail

East Wenatchee, Washington --
A fire along the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail near
19th Street burned about a half acre of brush late Friday
afternoon before firefighters were able to stop it.

Douglas County Fire District 2 firefighter Jeff Stephens
said Saturday morning the cause remains under investigation.

"We jumped on the fire real quick," he said. "It could have
gotten to be an acre or so in size because fuels are really
dry down there."

The blaze emitted a column of smoke that could be seen from
various spots in the Wenatchee area. It also attracted the attention
of numerous boaters who were on the Columbia River at the time.

Fire crews will check the area periodically on Saturday
to make sure no more flare-ups occur, Stephens said.

---

06/19/2004
Loop Trail lawsuit on hold until January

East Wenatchee, Washington --
A lawsuit to stop a proposed extension of the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail has been put on hold while another
challenge to the project plays out with the state Shoreline
Hearings Board.

Douglas County Superior Court Judge John Hotchkiss on
Thursday set a Jan. 25 hearing date for the lawsuit, in which
Baker Flats orchardist Jack Feil and 19 other residents claim
the state Parks and Recreation Commission failed to obtain a
required conditional-use permit and rezone to build the trail.

The same residents are challenging the project on environmental
grounds at the state Shorelines Hearings Board. Feil's Seattle
attorneys, Bob Rowley and Jim Klauser, said that case should
be finished by early next year.

The project is for a 5.1-mile trail along the Columbia River
from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park.

---

05/25/2004
The waterfront: A new vision

Wenatchee, Washington -- http://www.wenworld.com
It's the right time and the right place for
upscale shoreline development, many believe
- but will investors step up?

A Public meeting

What: City's plans for the proposed Riverside Drive

When: 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday May 26, 2004

Where: Riverfront Park Ice Arena

Why: View and comment on the three options
for joining Worthen and Walla Walla streets

See the rest of the story at:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/GenesBMX/message/6444

---

05/07/2004
Holdout orchardist hires new attorneys

East Wenatchee, Washington -- http://www.wenworld.com
The battle over a proposed extension of the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail continues, with a new set of attorneys
hired to pursue legal challenges against the project.

Orchardist Jack Feil said he's hired Seattle attorneys Bob Rowler
and Jim Clauser to represent him and about four other Baker Flats
residents who still oppose the project, which would extend the trail
5.1 miles along the Columbia River to Lincoln Rock State Park.

"I'm not going to do this just to delay the trail," Feil said.
"I'm trying to stop it or get some better deal."

A group of 20 orchardists, beekeepers and residents from
Baker Flats appealed Douglas County's shoreline development
permit for the project in January. Appeals were lodged at Douglas
County Superior Court and the state Shoreline Hearings Board.

The group, except for Feil, agreed to drop the appeals last month
after reaching an agreement with the state Parks and Recreation Commission.

Jim Harris, regional director at the state agency,
declined to release a copy of the deal but said the agency agreed to:

Put chain-link fence around orchard pumps

Harden the trail where farm equipment will cross

Build gates for equipment to go through fences

Add more ranger patrols

Feil said he also wants chain-link fence along the east side of the
trail for property owners who want it. The agency offered to share
the cost of doing that, but Feil rejected the offer, said Mark Gillespie,
regional development manager for state parks in Wenatchee. Feil said
he can't recall Gillespie making that offer.

Thom Graafstra, the attorney who filed the appeals for the original
group, still represents them all except Feil. He said his clients are
keeping their names on the appeals for now because the deal with
the state Parks and Recreation Commission doesn't go into effect
unless the appeals are dropped. As long as Feil pursues the appeals,
his clients want to have some say in the outcome, Graafstra said.

"My disappointment is the matter didn't get resolved,"
Graafstra said. "It came as a bit of a surprise ...
that he (Feil) went in the direction that he did."

---

05/06/2004
Beekeeper fears proposed trail comes too close to hives

East Wenatchee, Washington -- http://www.wenworld.com
~Stinging criticism: - but official says worries are overblown~

A veteran beekeeper says it makes no sense that the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail will go right by his son's bee
yard and three others when it's extended from Odabashian
Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park next year.

"Can you imagine people riding bikes with all these bees in here?
That's nuts," said Bruce Smith, a Wenatchee-area beekeeper for
30 years. "I don't see how they can without getting stung."

People will be stung, perhaps fatally, said Smith, who turned the
business over to his son, Blaine, in 2001 but still helps him. Smith
said the state Parks and Recreation Commission, which plans to
build the trail, and Douglas County, which has granted a permit, will be liable.

Mark Gillespie, eastern regional development manager of the state
agency, said he doesn't know who would be liable but that Smith is
painting "as negative" a picture as possible.

Gillespie said the state Parks and Recreation Commission looked
at the issue carefully and decided buffers of 60 to 100 feet total width
(30 to 50 feet on either side of a 12-foot trail) would be sufficient from
bees and orchard pesticide spray drift. But, he conceded, "There is a
certain amount of opinion involved."

Warning signs will be posted on the trail, but "people need to be
prudent. If people are allergic to bees, they probably would want
to avoid that area," Gillespie said.

He said bees, by nature, are not aggressive and that the trail
will be closed in the mornings from April 1 through June 30
for the bees and pesticide spraying.

Smith said he was part of a Baker Flats group that appealed the
county's trail permit in January. He and some of the others have
since dropped their challenge, although Smith said he still sympathizes
with opponents and is concerned people will get hurt by the bees.

"These guys don't know a damn thing about bees," Smith said.
"When it's warm out is when they fly. They'll close the trail in the
morning, but the bees are out in the afternoon."

Smith said there are some mean varieties among the 2,400 hives
of honeybees - or 60 million bees - his son rents each spring from
California to pollinate Wenatchee Valley fruit crops.

"They sting if you bother them or their hive. They go for your face.
If you get stung in the throat, it can be deadly because, if you're
allergic, it cuts off your breathing," Smith said.

Glen DeVries, senior planner for Douglas County, said the
beekeepers have a legal right to keep their yards because the
area is zoned for agricultural use. The Smiths' bee yard is on
Milt Johnson's orchard about a mile north of Odabashian Bridge.
There are three other bee yards to the north along the proposed
route of the 5.1-mile trail extension.

The hives are trucked into the Smiths' yard the last week of March
and first week of April each year. The Smiths haul a few at a time
out to orchards in the valley. They collect the hives and bring them
back to the yard before they are trucked out in early May.

A large cloud of bees was active in the air over the hives on the
afternoon of April 27. Lone bees occasionally landed in a reporter's
hair up to 200 feet from the hives.

Smith said the bees travel about a mile from the hives into nearby
orchards. He said he suggested closing the trail extension for six
weeks to two months during bee season. Gillespie said that defeats
the purpose of having a trail.

"It's not our intention to put anyone in jeopardy," Gillespie said.
"I don't see that as being as big an issue as is being portrayed.
I think it's being overstated because they don't want the trail."

"I don't care if they put the trail in," Smith said. "The farmers don't
want it and I can see their point of view. I just don't want to see
someone get hurt. I guess we will find out when someone gets
stung who was right and I don't think that will take too long to happen."

---

04/02/2004
Riverfront Parks Hit with gang graffiti

Wenatchee, Washington --
Police are investigating a rash of gang graffiti
at Wenatchee parks along the Columbia River.

Parts of the Apple Capital recreation Loop Trail were tagged,
as were handball courts at Walla Walla Point Park, the boat
house at the foot of Ninth Street, and the train house near
Riverwalk Crossing pedestrian bridge in Riverfront Park,
police Cpl. Mike Huffer said.

"We haven't had a lot at the park, not of that magnitude,"
Huffer said.

There also was graffiti on a wooden foot bridge on the north
end of Walla Walla Point Park, said Kimberlee Craig, a spokeswoman
for the Chelan County PUD, which maintains the parks.

The graffiti occurred sometime in the last week or 10 days,
Huffer said.

He said Friday he wasn`t aware of any arrests
made in connection with the incidents.

Craig said parks maintenance crews had sanded off the graffiti
on the foot bridge and had painted over taggings on the trail.
The other markings will be covered or removed soon, she said.

---

03/25/2004
Happy trails? Trail deal nearer, but some farmers unhappy

East Wenatchee, Washington -- http://www.wenworld.com
A tentative deal has been struck between State Parks officials
and orchardists to extend the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail,
but some farmers may not accept it.

Bruce Haupt, the lead negotiator for the orchardists, said an
agreement is circulating among his group that could allow the
project to move forward.

"I don't want to go in-depth, but positive things are happening,"
said Haupt, an orchardist and salesman at Valley Tractor in East
Wenatchee. "Hopefully within the next week we'll have an answer."

Jack Feil, an orchardist who farms 35 acres along the proposed trail,
said he and others aren't happy with what State Parks is offering.

"We don't think it's enough," Feil said. "I don't know whether the
whole group is going to sign on it or not. I kind of doubt it."

Mark Gillespie, eastern region development manager for State Parks
in Wenatchee, said the agency offered to add wildlife-friendly wire
fences along the east side of the trail wherever it runs next to farms
- adding about $80,000 to the cost of the $1.5 million project.

"State Parks is trying to do everything we can to reach an equitable
solution and meet all their concerns," Gillespie said.
"The ball is in their court."

About 20 orchardists, beekeepers and residents in Baker Flats
have appealed the shoreline development permit for the trail
approved by Douglas County Hearing Examiner Don Moos on
Jan. 12. The project would extend the loop trail 5.1 miles along
the Columbia River from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park.

The orchardists want State Parks to minimize the impact to their
property. They fear it will interfere with running their farms and
open them up to lawsuits and vandalism from trail users.

The agreement with State Parks is being circulated among the group now,
and Feil said all the orchardists have to sign off before the appeals
are lifted.

"Some have already signed it, but they say they really didn't want to,"
he said. "We really don't have many options now.
This thing was crammed down our throats."

Some orchardists want the whole eastern side of the trail fenced off,
Feil said. Even then, he said, people will likely cross onto their property,
especially if they sneak onto the trail after hours.

The trail was proposed more than 12 years ago by residents,
but has been mired in red tape ever since. It runs through land
owned by the state Department of Transportation and the Chelan
County PUD.

The orchardists have filed two appeals, one with the state Shoreline
Hearings Board and the other at Douglas County Superior Court.

Haupt remained upbeat about the deal.

"It's positive. It's going in the right direction.
It's just a matter of getting everyone to agree," he said.

---

02/20/2004
Finally, a new waterfront blueprint

Wenatchee, Washington --
Riverfront strip rezoned to promote restaurants,
multi-family housing, recreation and lodging
~~~~~
City Planner Allison Williams offered up the popular phrase
"Bring it on!" after the Wenatchee City Council approved a
new waterfront redevelopment plan Thursday night.

Culminating years of planning work, the council adopted a new
plan that encourages commercial and recreational development
and multi-family housing along roughly a three-mile strip of the
city that lies between Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad
tracks and the riverfront park system.

"We're taking down fences and finding ways to bring the
park to the city and the city to the park," Williams said.

City Councilwoman Carolyn Case cast the only no vote on the waterfront
plan, saying she did not think drinking establishments should be permitted.

A handful of people who testified during the public hearing
- all of them property owners within the proposed new zoning
districts - largely supported the plan.

The waterfront "is the principal asset of this community and we've
turned our back on it for 100 years," said Wenatchee attorney
Bob Parlette, who plans to develop land along River Park Avenue.

Much of the land along the waterfront was zoned for commercial,
industrial and residential uses. Now, most of it will fall under a
new waterfront mixed-use zoning that will allow retail sales,
eating and drinking establishments, offices, lodging, recreation
and multi-family housing. Buildings will be limited to six stories
in the zoning district.

The plan also calls for extending the riverfront park system and
the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail south of the pedestrian
bridge that crosses the Columbia River.

"We're trying to make sure we're doing things on the park that
are an enhancement and not just a wall of buildings," Williams said.

She said the waterfront plan encourages the building of 1,440
new housing units, 96,000 square feet of new commercial space,
one or two restaurants and at least one hotel.

The development would be more dense along the Orondo Avenue
gateway to the waterfront and between Fifth and Ninth streets,
and less intense around Walla Walla Point Park.

The new plan calls for improving access to the waterfront in
several areas, including an overpass or underpass at the railroad
crossing on Hawley Street, a new Riverside Drive between Fifth
and Ninth streets, extending Orondo Avenue to the river, connecting
Walla Walla Avenue to Hawley Street, and building a pedestrian
overpass across the railroad tracks near Bridge Street.

It also encourages creative uses in the waterfront such as a
permanent covered farmers market, an educational center for
urban agriculture, an amphitheater, a new nonmotorized boat
facility and sternwheeler moorage.

Existing industrial uses and single-family homes will be allowed
to stay in the mixed-use zone. However, industries cannot be
expanded, and if a single-family home burns down, it cannot be rebuilt.

Ted Zacher, who owns property adjacent to Lowe's Home
Improvement Warehouse on Walla Walla Avenue, asked if
part of his property could remain commercial, rather than switch
to mixed use. But city planners said that would constitute a spot
zone, and would not be allowed.

Residents living on River Park Avenue, which is adjacent to
Walla Walla Point Park, had differing views on how their neighborhood
should be addressed in the new plan. It is the only area in the new plan
that is zoned as residential-recreation, where the focus will remain on
housing and buildings are limited to four stories tall. Parlette's property
on the street lies just outside the residential zone and is in the mixed-use
district. He has talked of putting up six-story condominiums on the land.

Some property owners wanted the neighborhood to be included in the
mixed-use district, allowing for taller buildings, while others
wanted to retain the residential tone that now exists.

"I think you should leave us alone," said Matt Byers, who lives at 301
River Park Ave. "We're a nice, quiet neighborhood. I don't want to
see a big wall. ... I like to see Burch Mountain."

Rick Cozzalio, general manager and part owner of G.G. Richardson Inc.,
a commercial construction company, said some existing commercial
businesses will be negatively affected by the rezoning.

His business and others, including Star Rentals, United Pipe and
Brett and Son, are now nonconforming uses along Walla Walla Avenue,
meaning they can never expand.

But he also said he was in favor of the new waterfront plan.
He encouraged city officials to find another area for such
commercial businesses, or they will be forced to leave the city.

"We've been the backbone of Wenatchee for years," he said.
"Kind of the dirty side of it."

After the council approved the plan, Mayor Dennis Johnson said
the city will need to lead the charge for waterfront redevelopment
by moving its storage yard on Ninth Street and its public works facility.

"Development will not occur without our encouragement," he said.
"We need to take the lead."

---

01/27/2004
Loop Trail extension faces legal challenge from orchardists

EastWenatchee, Washington --
Orchardists from Baker Flats have filed two appeals to stop an extension
to the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail, their lawyer said Tuesday.

The appeals filed with the state Shoreline Hearings Board and at
Douglas County Superior Court will halt the project until they're
resolved, said Glen DeVries, a senior planner at the county's land
services office.

Work on the trail probably won't start until fall of 2005 due to
lack of funds, said Bill Fraser, regional planner with State Parks
in Wenatchee. In their appeals, the orchardists say the state
Parks and Recreation Commission is wrongly calling the trail
a transportation facility and didn't get the required permits,
said Thom Graafstra, an attorney with offices in Wenatchee and Snohomish.

The orchardists are negotiating with State Parks about measures
to protect them if the trail is built. Graafstra said the appeals could
be withdrawn depending on the outcome of those talks, but declined
to be specific about what the orchardists want.

"We are doing this to preserve our rights, and if necessary
we'll fight those appeals," Graafstra said. "But hopefully this
is a holding mechanism to preserve the status quo so that we
can continue the discussions."

The proposed trail would run 5.1 miles along the Columbia River
from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park. Graafstra
represents about 20 orchardists, beekeepers and residents along
the route who say it will affect their property and businesses.

Bob Parlette, a Wenatchee attorney and orchardist who supports
the trail, said outdoor recreation is what draws people here.

"It is a tragedy that people try to pit the agriculture industry
against those of us who use the trails," Parlette said. "I think
the ag industry has to wake up to the fact that if they're going
to stay around, they have to change."At state Shoreline Hearings
Board, Graafstra's clients appealed a shoreline development
permit approved by Douglas County Hearing Examiner Don
Moos on Jan. 12. Graafstra said if the trail is a transportation
facility, state law on shoreline protection doesn't allow it within
200 feet of the river.

The Superior Court appeal says the county broke its own rules
by not requiring a conditional-use permit and rezoning for the
trail as a recreation facility. DeVries said because it's considered
a transportation route, the trail only needs the shoreline development
permit Moos approved.

The trail hit a snag in 2002 when the state Department of Transportation,
which owns right-of-way along the route, opposed rezoning it for
recreation. DeVries said county staff decided the trail qualifies as
a multimodal transportation facility.

---

01/21/2004
Orchardists demand details on loop trail extension plan

EastWenatchee, Washington --
Orchardists from Baker Flats are preparing to appeal a proposed
extension to the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail,
their lawyer said on Wednesday.

Thom Graafstra, an attorney with offices in Wenatchee and
Snohomish who represents about 20 orchardists, beekeepers
and residents along the proposed trail, said his clients want more
details about how the project will affect neighbors. They want to
meet with officials from State Parks and other agencies involved,
Graafstra said, but they have only until Jan. 30 to file an appeal.

"It probably means there is going to be an appeal filed,
but hopefully there can be some discussion at the same time,"
Graafstra said.

Douglas County Hearing Examiner Don Moos approved a shoreline
development permit Jan. 12 for the 5.1-mile trail along the Columbia
River from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park.

An appeal would head to the state Shoreline Hearings Board.

Moos' approval included requirements to help offset the impact
to orchards, such as fences, warning signs and ranger patrols.
The trail would be closed in the morning from April through June,
when most pesticide spraying occurs.

Graafstra called the conditions "a step in the right direction,"
but said farmers want more details about how they'll work.

He said they want to know how high fences will be and where
they'll be placed, where farm equipment will cross the trail and
when farmers can spray.

"My clients aren't opposed to recreational trails. They're just
opposed to this trail as conceived under this application,"
Graafstra said. "We're trying to find if there's a win-win way
of achieving peaceful coexistence."

---

01/19/2004
City of Wenatchee seeks comment on waterfront plan

Wenatchee, Washington --
The city Planning Commission will hold a public hearing
on proposed zoning changes for Wenatchee's waterfront area
at 5:30 p.m. 01/21/2004 at City Hall, 129 S. Chelan Ave.

A copy of the plan can be found on the city's Web site,
http://www.cityofwenatchee.com or picked up at 25 N. Worthen St.

For more information, call Allison Williams at 664-3390

---

01/12/2004
Loop trail extension approved: Opponents say they may appeal

East Wenatchee, Washington --
Bikers and runners will get a new trail from the Odabashian Bridge to
Lincoln Rock State Park, but they won't be able to use it during morning
hours from April through June, a Douglas County official decided Monday.

County Hearing Examiner Don Moos approved a shoreline
development permit for the proposed 5.1-mile extension of the
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail along the Columbia River.
Getting the permit is the last obstacle to the trail, proposed
more than 12 years ago by residents.

In a nine-page notice of approval filed Monday, Moos says the
proposal by the state Parks and Recreation Commission protects
the environment and agriculture. Anyone who disagrees with the
decision has three weeks to appeal. Moos declined to comment
in the meantime.

Orchardists and beekeepers around Baker Flats oppose the trail,
saying it will open their property to vandals and expose trail
users to pesticide spray.

Moos said the trail should only be open in the afternoon from
April 1 through June 30. He notes that spraying and pollinating
usually happens from April through June 30. The trail will be
closed after dark year-round under the proposal.

Jack Feil, who has 35 acres of orchard trees in the area, said
Moos' approval was no surprise. About 20 Baker Flats residents
have hired a lawyer and may appeal the decision, he said.

"Our group will get together and look at the conditions and
see where we go from here," Feil said. "As much as we despise
the trail, if you can't do anything about it, that's it."

Their attorney, Thom Graafstra, declined to comment
because he said he hasn't read Moos' approval notice.

Moos noted in his decision the project also includes:

Entrance gates to close the trail at night.

Fences to keep people out of orchards
and environmentally sensitive areas.

Signs warning people about farm machinery, pesticides and bees.

Ranger patrols to deter vandalism and fruit theft.

Construction on the trail must be finished within five years, he said.

---

12/19/2003
Endangered'farmers object to extension of Loop Trail to Rocky Reach Dam

East Wenatchee, Washington --
Orchardists continued their opposition to a proposed
Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail extension at a public
hearing Thursday night at the Eastmont High School auditorium.

Douglas County Hearing Examiner Don Moos will decide by Jan.
12 whether to approve a shoreline development permit for the
trail, which has been bogged down in red tape since it was
first proposed 12 years ago.

Farmers told Moos the trail would hurt their ability to get
insurance, expose trail users to harmful pesticides, open their
property to vandals and ultimately make farming there impossible.

"It really comes down to a right-to-farm issue," said orchardist
Bob Rogers. "Wenatchee farmers are becoming an endangered species."

The permit is the final hurdle for plans to extend the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail 5.1 miles along the Columbia River
from the Odabashian Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park.

County planning staff told Moos they support the $1.5 million
project. They said the plan meets state and county requirements
and minimizes impacts to the environment and agriculture.

About 60 people attended the meeting. Nearly 20, mostly
Wenatchee residents, spoke in favor of the plan.

"Many of us probably won't use this trail much in our lifetime,
but it's our hope that future generations will get to enjoy it
once it's built," said Bob Parlette, a Wenatchee attorney and
co-chairman of the Complete the Loop Coalition.

But orchardists and beekeepers along Highway 2/97 continued
their long-standing criticism. They were joined by Thom
Graafstra, a Snohomish attorney representing 21 property
owners and farmers opposed to the trail.

The shoreline permit application emphasizes the trail as a
transportation project. Orchardists said by doing that, the state
Parks and Recreation Commission and county planners avoided
a series of permits and public meetings. The trail would cross
state Department of Transportation right-of-way. By emphasizing
the trail as a transport corridor, state parks and the county
avoided having to zone it for recreation - a change the DOT opposed.

Moos will accept public comment on the trail in writing until
5 p.m. Dec. 26 at the Douglas County Transportation and Land
Services office at 140 19th St. N.W. in East Wenatchee.

---

12/18/2003
Parking fees keeping park visitors away

Wenatchee, Washington --
Visitation at Wenatchee Confluence State Park dropped
by 36 percent and visitation has been low at other state
parks since a $5 day-use parking fee was imposed in January.

The Washington Parks and Recreation Commission began
charging for day-use parking as a way to boost a sagging budget.

Jim Harris, regional State Parks manager, said "fee resistance"
has kept many people away from the parks since then.

"Nobody wants to pay for something they've received
for free for a number of years," Harris said.

Park attendance was down by more than 3 million people
statewide and parking fees brought in about 87 percent of the
predicted $4 million, according to Rita Cooper, director for
business development and administrative services in Olympia.

"Any time you start up a parking fee you expect that," Cooper said.

Attendance at local parks reflected the state trend. At Daroga
State Park near Orondo and Lincoln Rock State Park north of
East Wenatchee, visitation has decreased by 25 percent and 11
percent respectively to date, Harris said. At Wenatchee
Confluence State Park, visitation dropped by 50 percent
during the summer alone.

Harris believes those numbers will increase in the next few years
as the public gets used to the idea of paying to park. "How fast
will people return to these parks is the question," he said.

With free parking offered at nearby Walla Walla Point Park,
many people chose not to pay to play at Wenatchee Confluence
State Park, said park manager Matt Morrison.

Morrison said the fees are "not such a bad deal," considering how
much folks pay to park in downtown Seattle or at a Mariners' game.

And for most people, an extra $5 for a day of recreation won't
break the bank, Harris said, adding it is a small price compared
to what people spend on gasoline, food and water crafts.

"This is not an economical barrier to people,"
he said. "It's more of a psychological barrier."

The fees will fund park improvements, and Harris said he has
asked the State Parks Commission to choose highly visible
projects so the public can see the results.

"It's a lot easier to accept paying a fee if you can see that you,
as a user, got something in return," he said.

---

12/15/2003
Loop Trail Extension On Hearing Examiner Agenda

Wenatchee, Washington --
Plans to extend the Apple Capital Loop Trail north from
the Odebashian Bridge to Lincoln Rock State Park gos
before the Douglas County Hearing Examiner on Thursday.

The State has applied for a permit to construct the five-mile
extension within Detartment of Transportation right-of-way.
According to Glen Devries of the County`s Planning Department.

The county is recommending the permit be approved.

The Hearing Examiner meeting is set for December 18th 2003
at the Eastmont High School Auditorium.
Copies of the proposal are available at the
County`s 19th Street annex building in East Wenatchee.

---

11/10/2003
Waterfront Planning Meeting

Wenatchee, Washington --
Long term planning for the future of Wenatchee`s
Waterfront is entering its second phase.

A pair of public meetings to review prosed new zoning
designations for that area are set for this week.

The meetings are held at the Wenatchee Center
Wednesday night from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm and
Thursday morning from 8:00am to 9:30am

The City of Wenatchee’s Department of Community Development
is working swiftly toward plan adoption for the Wenatchee
Waterfront Sub Area Plan. Click on the link for the following
planning documents: www.cityofwenatchee.com/WaterFront_Home.html

---

09/01/2003
Public to get look at Rocky Reach trail plans

East Wenatchee, Washington -- Wenatchee World
If permit process continues without delay, construction of
the Apple Capital Loop Trail extension could begin this fall.

The public is getting its first chance to look
over plans for the Rocky Reach trail extension.

On Thursday, a comment period began on the shoreline permit
application submitted to Douglas County by the state Parks
and Recreation Commission. If the permit is granted, the
commission will move one step closer to building a 5.1-mile
extension to the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail.

The application, which details trail plans and includes an
environmental assessment, is in the earliest stage of review,
and the county has not started its analysis yet, said Mark
Kulaas, county director of land services.

The analysis will examine public safety, county codes and public
comments. A staff analysis and public comments will be
presented at a public hearing sometime after Oct. 16.

The examiner's decision will be passed along to the state
Department of Ecology, which serves as a coordinator for all
state projects, and an appeal period will begin, Kulaas said.

A parks department official said he is confident the county will
approve the project.

"The biggest obstacle has been securing the total support of the
Washington Department of Transportation," said Bill Fraser,
project manager and regional park planner for state Parks and
Recreation.The DOT has not yet struck a deal to let state parks
put the trail on its right of way, said DOT's regional director of
real estate, Ted Hill. But since the resolution of a dispute
between the county and the transportation department earlier
this summer, plans for a future lease look good, he said.

In addition to state grants, community donations and
cooperating partners, like the Chelan County PUD, will help pay
the estimated $1.2 million to $1.5 million cost. The PUD will
likely fund about one mile of the trail from the entrance of
Lincoln Rock State Park to a riverfront viewpoint, said PUD
spokeswoman Kimberlee Craig.

The commission won't need to wait for all grants to come
through before beginning construction, according to the
regional director of state parks, Jim Harris.

"If the permit process goes well,
we could start construction this fall," Harris said.

Trail extension plans have been in the works since the
mid-1990s, but were delayed several times because of
disputes with adjacent property owners.

Some of these neighbors lease land from the DOT and grow fruit
trees along the proposed trail route. Their concerns include
liability issues due to spray drift, vandalism, theft and trespassing.

** Trail plans
The public is invited to review the trail plans at Douglas County
Transportation and Land Services office, 140 19th St. N.W., East
Wenatchee, or Washington State Parks and Recreation office,
2201 N. Duncan Dr., Wenatchee.

How to comment: In writing to Douglas County Hearing
Examiner, 140 19th St. N.W., East Wenatchee, WA, 98802.

---

08/01/2003
Wenatchee Confluence State Park Parking Permit Fee

Wenatchee, Washington --
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission requires
a vehicle parking permit to park in state parks system-wide.
~~ Wenatchee Confluence State Park ~~
The commission set the daily vehicle parking permit fee at $7 daily
and $70 for an annual permit. This permit is discounted to $5 daily
and $50 annually until 2006.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission began
charging a vehicle parking permit fee at six Washington State Parks
in June 2002. During the December 2002 commission meeting,
the commission voted to expand the vehicle parking permit fee
program to a statewide system, effective Jan. 1, 2003.

Although revenue from this fee will not solve the long-term funding
issues of state parks, it will help hold the park system together.

For more about vehicle parking permits:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parking/parkingfaq.asp
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parking
http://www.parks.wa.gov

---

06/07/2003
Man found stabbed near Loop Trail in stable condition

East Wenatchee, Washington -- Wenatchee World
A 48-year-old man apparently stabbed himself in the abdomen
with a steak knife and collapsed against a tree Saturday
afternoon near the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail in East
Wenatchee. He was in stable condition this morning at Central
Washington Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

His hometown isn't known, said East Wenatchee Police Chief
Randy Harrison, who described the man as homeless.

Trail users called police about 4:40 p.m. Saturday after seeing
the man staggering in a parking lot off 19th Street near the trail.
Officers found him unconscious.

Harrison said one of the responding officers, Officer Dan
Dieringer, wrote in a report that the man's wound appeared to be
self-inflicted. Police searched the area but found no potential
suspects or evidence of a crime, Harrison said.

---

05/28/2003
Waterfront Plan Goes Forward

An ambitious blueprint for the development of Wenatchee Waterfront was
laid out for the public at a meeting at the convertion center Tuesday night.
Conceptual drawings of what the waterfront might look like in 20 years
were presented. The plans included a mix of condominiums, restaurants,
trendy waterfront shops, improved access to walking and bike trails,
expanded parkland development, as well as the creation of a new
Riverside Boulevard.

---

05/10/2003
Loop Trail - Riders/Walkers/Jogers Beware going to Hydro Park

East Wenatchee Washington --
With the new trail now in place, lots of people are
using the new trail extension to get to Hydro Park.
The guardrails are now installed for the saftey of the trail,
But a Beware/WARNING for cars at Grant road and SR 28 as the trail
does run in a cross walk and most cars do NOT look or stop for people
in the cross walk even if the crossing light says "walk" the
cars don`t seem to care. A warning light should be added
in this area so people do not get crunch with a car.
Please Beware! of Cars and trucks if you are using the
new trail extension to get to Hydro Park
( PHOTOS of Loop Trail - Going to Hydro Park 05-10-2003 )
(looking at the trail guardrails and Grant road and SR 28)

---

03/07/2003
State Parks takes step toward Loop Trail extension

East Wenatchee Washington -- James Pitkin Wenatchee World
The proposed Rocky Reach Trail project is moving forward,
a State Parks official said.

Mark Gillespie, resources region manager for State Parks, said
his agency sent a final draft of a shoreline permit to the DOT for
approval on Tuesday. The permit contains revised language that
designates the project, which would extend the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail five miles to Lincoln Rock State Park,
as a transportation corridor.

The DOT, which has right-of-way to the route of the proposed
trail, insisted on the wording last summer. Douglas County had
planned for the route to be designated for recreational use, and
the dispute threatened to scuttle the project. Gillespie said the
two sides reached an agreement late last year.

Once the DOT signs off on the revised permit, Gillespie said,
it will be sent back to the county for a series of public meetings
before final approval. He said he was not sure when that would happen.

---

03/05/2003
City envisions a waterfront with fun stuff, too

Wenatchee Washington -- Marco Martinez Wenatchee World
A Saturday afternoon on Wenatchee's waterfront
could play out like this in the future: mom at the 100-room
hotel for a half-day business conference; the kids get dropped
off at the aquatic center across the street; and dad at the
nearby amphitheater for a concert.

Under current city zoning rules, it would be impossible. Most of
the waterfront property between the south-end pedestrian bridge
and the Odabashian Bridge is zoned industrial.

But the city of Wenatchee and Chelan County PUD are working on a
plan that would allow new types of development in the next 20 years.

"Waterfront development is going to require (city) zoning
changes and for that, we need a better idea of where we're
going," said Allison Williams, a community planner with the city.
"We do know that industrial (zoning) doesn't get us where we want to go."

Mayor Dennis Johnson said the city wants to do everything
possible to encourage new types of development along the waterfront.

Removing some barriers, like the chain-link fences that runs
along some sections, would improve accessibility and encourage
more use, said Johnson, who owns property himself along
Worthen Street next to Riverfront Park.

The community has benefited hugely by the PUD's work to
create the waterfront parks, Johnson said. He said the next step
is to develop ideas that would better connect the parks with the
rest of the community.

"It makes sense to make good use of the properties next to the
park that are undeveloped or could have a different use," he said.

The hotel, amphitheater and aquatic center ideas were
generated at a public meeting in December. Some of the other
ideas include a combination condo and retail space
development, a riverfront restaurant near the boat launch at the
foot of Orondo Avenue and a 3,500-seat baseball and football stadium.

A team of five different firms from Seattle and Wenatchee -
hired by the city and the PUD for $145,000 - took the ideas and
created three alternatives that focus on different sections of the waterfront.

About 110 residents, property owners and developers picked
their favorite ideas from those plans at a second public meeting on Feb. 25.

A preferred alternative based on the most popular elements
from each plan will be completed by mid- to late-April, Williams said.

Most of the major waterfront development is probably two to 10 years away, she said.

The city's sewage treatment plant is one of the big obstacles for
any development plan. Williams said the estimated $15 million
to $25 million cost of relocating the plant from the waterfront
likely means it will stay put.

"I don't know if that is an expense this community can afford,"
she said. "In an ideal world, it would not be there."

To comment - Who: Allison Williams, community planner
E-mail: awilliams@cityofwenatchee.com
Phone: 664-3390
Mail: To Williams' attention at City of Wenatchee,
P.O. Box 519, Wenatchee, WA, 98807

Alternative 1
Restaurant and plaza, looking south near boat launch
Walkway to boat moorage area
Existing boat basin
Continuous park trail south to bridge
Improved park plaza with amenities
Improved access to boat ramp
Restaurant

Alternative 1 focuses on the section of waterfront next to the downtown core. Features:
Improved access to the waterfront would be provided through an
extension of Orondo Avenue. The existing frontage road near
the boat launch would be eliminated.

Access would also be improved through a reconfiguration of the
Thurston Street underpass at the south end of Worthen Street.

Development might include a restaurant, park and streetscape
improvements, a residential and office complex and park
improvements near the sewage treatment plan.

Boat moorage area near the existing boat basin.

Alternative 2
Mixed-use building, Parkside Drive and expanded park looking
south midway between Fifth and Ninth streets
Riverside trail
Expanded park space
Riverside Drive designed for slow speeds, not a cut-through street
Mixed-use, residential and retail building
Residential courtyard over parking

The area between Fifth and Ninth street is the focus of Alternative 2. Features:
Park improvements between Fifth and Ninth streets.
A local access street called Riverside Drive would branch off
Worthen Street toward the river just north of the city sewage
treatment plant, cutting in front of the office building and ice
arena. The road would continue along the waterfront all the way
to Walla Walla Point Park.
Retail, hotel and residences west of Riverside Drive.

Alternative 3
Hotel complex plaza and amphitheater looking south from new access street
Environmental restoration
Expanded park area
Plaza with farmers market
Amphitheater
Hotel/mixed-use building part of large scale redevelopment

Alternative 3 calls for a recreational village just south of Walla Walla Point Park. Features:
A small amphitheater, aquatic center, plaza, farmers market,
hotel and residential condos.
An option reserving a big chunk of space for a large-scale
institutional use like a regional sports center, college or research
and development center. The land could also have a corporate use.

A new gateway to the waterfront created by building a road from
Wenatchee Avenue south of Miller Street to the Walla Walla Point Park area.

---

02/25/2003
WATERFRONT PLANNING MEETING IN WENATCHEE

WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON
THREE ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF
WENATCHEE'S WATERFRONT WILL BE UNVEILED TONIGHT.

THE CONSULTANT WILL TAKE WHAT THEY HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC,
AND DEVELOP THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WATERFRONT.
THE MEETING BEGINS AT SEVEN P.M. AT THE WENATCHEE CENTER.

---

10/14/2002
Trail extension to Hydro Park is paved

East Wenatchee, Washington --
Loop Trail - Southeast 3rd Street - Hydro Park Photos 10-14-2002
***** Riders beware: *****
Trail extension to Hydro Park is paved,
but guardrails still need to be installed

---

10/12/2002
Trail Repair Forces Detour

Wenatchee,Washington --
Users of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail
will be asked to take a short detour over the grass
in WallaWalla Point Park starting Monday.

Basin Aspalt is repairing a section of the trail near
the coyote sculpture, Chelan County PUD officials said.
The work is expected to take about 10 days.
Click for Photos of the work at
WallaWalla Point Park 10-16-2002
( Photos by Gene`s BMX )

---

09/29/2002
Bank employees replant section of Loop Trail

Wenatchee, Washington --Denise Holley, Wenatchee World
About 14 KeyBank employees left work Tuesday afternoon and dug
into the dry ground on the East Wenatchee side of the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail. They planted 250 native plants
in an area that had been cleared of knapweed as part of KeyBank's
"Neighbors Make the Difference" program.

The company effort enlists employees in community projects about
a month before the national Make a Difference Day, scheduled for
Oct. 26 this year.

The plants -- mostly berry, sage and wild grasses
-- will need drip lines for first year, said Pat Rasmussen,
handpulling coordinator of the Chelan-Douglas Citizens Knapweed Coalition.
When they are grown, they will provide habitat for birds.

Volunteers and an inmate crew cleared knapweed skeletons from the area,
at Wilshire and 23rd Street, last year on Make a Difference Day, Rasmussen said.
KeyBank contributed funds to buy the native plants.

In past years, bank employees cleaned yards for seniors,
painted a room at the YMCA and cleared brush from a fire area near
Blewett Pass, said Lin Phillips, sales and service associate.

---

08/05/2002
NOTICE OF TEMPORARY CLOSURE

East Wenatchee, Washington --
NOTICE OF TEMPORARY CLOSURE
Please Be Advised that the 19th Street Trail Access and
Parking Facility Will Be Closed From August 5 to October 5, 2002
The closure is necessary to allow
The Contractor to begin Construction of the Douglas County Administration Building.
Other Points of access to the trail continue to be available for your use.
These Include the Following:
* 3rd Street SE | * River Drive at Broadmoor | * 27th Street NW
SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE

---

07/31/2002
Southeast 3rd Street to Rock Island Hydro Park Starts

East Wenatchee, Washington --

Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail
Southeast 3rd Street to Rock Island
Hydro Park is taking shape of a trail.
Photos posted - Click on pic.

---

07/16/2002
The Hawley Street Improvements Finnishing Up

Wenatchee, Washington --
The Hawley Street section of the
Apple Capital Recreational Loop Trail
has been converted from a sidewalk to an
actual path and separated from the nearby street.

The work on the $170,000 project began
on May 13th 2002 and is now finnishing up.
A nice new paved trail to ride and walk on
with no cars and trucks to battle with now.
The Hawley Street Pathway Improvement
is just one of the improvements being done
this year on the Apple Capital Recreational Loop Trail.

Photos of the Hawley Street Improvements:
( from start to finnish..) Photos by Gene`s BMX
http://community.webshots.com/album/38532439vYJhfR
News Clip Hawley Street Improvement
http://www.genesbmx.com/looptrail-hawleystreet.html

---

05/15/2002
Hawley Street Construction Project

Wenatchee, Washington --
A section of the Apple Capital Recreational Loop Trail
will be converted from a sidewalk to an actual path
and separated from a nearby street.

Apple Capital Recreational Loop Trail
Hawley Street Construction Project
Trail CLOSED at each end of Hawley St.
( News Clip & Photos Via clicking on Photo )

---

05/14/2002
Eastside trail going downhill?

East Wenatchee, Washington -- By Ryan Feeney Wenatchee World
On the Douglas County side of
the Apple Capital Recreational Loop Trail, nature abounds
along the shores of the Columbia River. But so does
evidence of vandalism, lack of maintenance, and trail
misuse, say some trail users.

On the five-mile stretch between the Odabashian Bridge
and the pipeline bridge, road and interpretive signs have
been damaged or are missing, viewing stations have been
tattooed with graffiti, and mountain bikes have carved paths
into areas off the paved trail.

Douglas County officials, who are responsible for
maintaining the east side portion of the trail and a trail plaza,
deny vandals pose a major problem. On Friday, county
workers were sent to correct some of the problems.

"From the historical view, we've never had a problem with
vandalism," said Jim Barker, county administrator of
transportation and land services and interim parks director.
"Our No. 1 problem is the misuse of speed" by people on
bicycles, skateboards or roller blades, he said.

Douglas County leases the land for the trail, which opened
in 1994, from the state Department of Transportation.

The vandalism and lack of upkeep and policing is upsetting
some trail users, however.

East Wenatchee resident Jan Cramer said the trail overall is
beautiful, but she would like to see officials crack down on
the unwanted activity.

"I just don't see why people have to do this in a public
park," said Cramer as she walked her beagle, Trinket, on
Saturday near the Russell T. Congdon Recognition Plaza off
19th Street Northwest.

"There's quite a few trails that have been made by bicycles
and they're slowly eroding the landscape," Cramer said.
Brent Higgins, who as a contractor helped build the
Congdon plaza, stopped by to visit the area Saturday.

"The county should come out and weed this," said Higgins,
reaching down below a tree in a landscaped plaza area to
pull out a weed.

The plaza area, which includes a fountain and a wall bearing
the names of 600 people and groups that donated money
for the trail, is covered with weeds. Bricks in the plaza have
been removed.

The problems have extended up and down the trail, which
has become a tourist draw and has been written up in West
Coast newspapers and magazines.

Two viewing platforms below the plaza have been tagged
with graffiti, including obscenities and racial slurs. One of
the benches appears to have been burned. In the Porter's
Pond area, clear plastic covering an interpretive sign has
been shattered. A large interpretive sign about a quarter
mile north of the plaza has been stolen and one of the two
posts that held it up was damaged.

The tops on a quarter-mile stretch of wooden fence just
north of the pipeline bridge are warping, buckling and
popping off.

Graffiti has been spray painted on rocks at Jude's Oasis, a
small waterfall area near the pipeline bridge.

When told about the examples Friday morning, Barker said
he would send someone out to investigate. By Friday
afternoon, the graffiti at the viewing stations had been
painted over with brown spray paint, plastic shards on the
Porter's Pond sign were removed, and the damaged post
was cut off.

Barker said so many people use the trail that vandals can't
get away with much without being seen.

Graffiti has also been spotted along portions of the west
side trail and on the pipeline bridge.

Barker said the parks department once tried to keep
mountain bikers from riding off-trail on the east side by
placing barriers in front of unwanted trails. But the barriers
were removed because officials were afraid the county
would be liable for accidents.

"We don't encourage it (off-trail riding), but it's kind of hard
to keep it from happening," he said.

When the trail was first proposed in the early 1990s, some
people were against it because they wanted to see a
riverfront highway instead or wanted the shoreline area to
remain as it was. They questioned whether the county could
prevent vandalism and afford maintenance.

Barker said the county spends about $11,000 a year
maintaining the east side portion of the trail, which cost $1.3
million to build. Jail inmates also hit the trail three times a
week to pick up garbage, and a maintenance supervisor
visits once a month to scope out damage, he said.

He said the east side trail was built to give people a rural
experience, while the west side in Wenatchee is more
park-like and manicured. The Wenatchee side is maintained
by the Chelan County PUD, state Parks and Recreation
and the city of Wenatchee.

"People could well get the impression the east side was not
maintained as well as the west," Barker said.

---

05/08/2002
Sweep The Bridge

Wenatchee,Washington --
Apple Capital Bicycle Club of Wenatchee,
May 8 at 4:30pm, bring brooms, pans, and gloves to help the
Greater Wenatchee Bicycle Advisory Board in sweeping the new,
and wider the better, Odabashian Bridge bike path.

---

03/01/2002
New Douglas County office building
going up on Eastside near Loop Trail

East Wenatchee, Washington --
Apple trees will fall to heavy
equipment this month on Douglas County's building
site at the foot of Northeast 19th Street.

County commissioners are going ahead with plans to build a
16,000-square-foot office build-ing there for the county's
Transportation and Land Services, the Solid Waste
Program and the East Wenatchee branch of the Assessor's Office.

The Transportation and Land Services building on 9th
Street does not meet Americans with Disabilities Act
standards, said County Commissioner Dane Keane.

Keane said the assessor's branch and Solid Waste Program
also need to be in the same facility with transportation so
people don't have to go to so many offices for services.

The county trimmed 2,000 square feet from the building
since last fall to save money. Construction was estimated to
cost $3.1 million, but is now estimated at $2 million to $2.5
million, said Jim Barker, Transportation and Land Services
administrator. Construction is expected to start this summer.

The county will pay for it with $1 million in bonds left over
from renovation of the courthouse in Waterville and 3rd
Street Annex in East Wenatchee, Barker said. Another
$1.5 million will come from reserves, the sale of the 9th
Street office building and a year-end cash balance or a new,
small, short-term bond, he said.

The building will be built on two acres on the south side of
the parking lot of the 19th Street trailhead of the Apple
Capital Recreation Loop Trail. The parking lot will be used
for the trailhead and building, Barker said.

The county owns 22 acres but only 16 are buildable
because of setback requirements from Sand Creek, Barker
said. The county already cleared Red Delicious apple trees
from 10 acres on the south side of the creek which it has no plans for.

Now it's ready to clear six acres of Goldens on the north
side of the creek, including the two-acre building site and
four acres which will be replanted in cherries to create a
buffer between the building and neighbors, Barker said. A
buffer is required by the city. It can be changed to a
property-line screen if the county eventually builds a new
sheriff's office and District Court on the four acres, Barker
said. Keane said such expansion won't happen for at least 10 years.

Commissioners hope to have a 10-year lease signed for
management of the cherries within the next two weeks.
Keane said neighboring landowner, Shawn Ballard, who
has opposed the building plans, may bid on the cherry lease.

Commissioners then plan to hire Bremmer Construction of
Wenatchee, an apparent low bidder, to remove the
Goldens. Commissioners want to remove the apples as
soon as possible before they have to be sprayed for pest
control. The four acres of trees will be burned since it will
be replanted. Trees on the building site will be chipped.

Commissioners reviewed construction designs this week
and will consider final designs on April 2 so they can call for
construction bids, Keane said.

Last September, state Rep. Clyde Ballard, Shawn Ballard's
father, wrote commissioners a letter opposing the project.
He said the area is residential and should be used for
housing. He said a culvert under Sunset Highway has been
reduced in size and that the property is in significant risk of
flooding in spring runoff.

Barker said the county will meet or exceed flood standards.

Keane said commissioners have received no other
comments concerning the site since September. He said he
takes Ballard's concerns seriously but has to consider
what's good for the community as a whole.

Commissioners Mary Hunt and Ken Stanton said they
looked at four other potential sites including Batterman
family property near Pangborn Memorial Airport and
Eastmont Junior High. They said they were all too costly.

---

01/10/2002
The bridge that links downtown Wenatchee to Riverfront Park

Wenatchee,Washington --
Wenatchee has one of the best waterfront park systems
in the state is hardly a secret anymore.

Three parks stretch end-over-end along the Columbia River
for more than four miles, from the Odabashian Bridge to
just past the Orondo Avenue boat launch.

But finding a restaurant along the waterfront is no small
task. Locating a condominium is impossible. And don't even
ask about a hotel or marina.

They're nowhere to be found.

The PUD completed Riverfront Park in 1985 and Walla
Walla Point Park in 1990. The Apple Capital Recreation
Loop Trail was built in 1994, linking the east side of the
river with the west side. Prior to the parks, the Wenatchee
shoreline was home to factories, orchards, a garbage dump,
even a shack town. Railroad tracks blocked access then and now?

Today Wenatchee has a pedestrian bridge at First street
and Wenatchee Ave.that links the down town Wenatchee
area to the Riverfront Park .

A 643-foot-long span over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Railway tracks and Worthen Street. About 80 percent of the
$1.84 million span/pedestrian bridge has been paid for with federal grants.

The bridge has yet to be named,The Wenatchee Downtown
Association is having a" name that that bridge" contest and
they will have a name for the bridge by January 15, 2002

---

12/03/2001
Loop trail supporter dies

East Wenatchee, Washington --
Dr. Gordon Congdon, one of the
driving forces behind the development of the Apple Capital
Recreation Loop Trail, died Saturday at his home.

Congdon, 86, was a co-founder of the Complete the Loop
Coalition, which worked to construct a trail along the
Columbia River in East Wenatchee that would connect with
a trail on the Wenatchee side of the river.

"He was a man of a few words and a lot of action," said
Bob Parlette, a Wenatchee attorney and the other
co-founder of the coalition. "He was a can-do guy."