Sustainable Living
September 2007

Under Your Own Power
by Steve Schott

Progress continues on the project to construct a multi-purpose, year-round, non-motorized trail between Kettle Falls and Colville. A Master Plan for this safe, convenient and scenic pathway for runners, walkers, strollers, bicycles, skates and skis is being developed by the engineering firm of Welch-Comer of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Public meetings are coming up to inform people about the project and encourage public participation in the process.

Such a trail is long overdue. It will provide a safe route for non-motorized commuting and travel, and a safe place for quiet recreation for adults, children and the whole family. Similar pathways in our region have proven to be very valuable community assets, well used by both locals and people who come to the area specifically to use the trail. A prime example is the popularity of the Rotary Trail in Colville; there are already plans to extend and enhance that trail. The volume of use and the benefits of non-motorized trails in Wenatchee, Yakima, the Methow Valley, Spokane and Moscow, Idaho, have far exceeded the expectations of the groups that planned and built the trails.

Supporters hope that this pathway between Kettle Falls and Colville will be the first segment of a system of such trails in Northeast Washington. It will encourage alternative transportation and provide opportunities for people to get out of their motor vehicles and safely enjoy moving around under their own power. It is definitely time for such a trail and for the equitable transportation and recreation possibilities it will provide.

The Tri-County Economic Development District and the Citizens Advisory Committee have been working together since 2004 to make the Colville/Kettle Falls pathway a reality. There have been monthly open meetings to involve the public and gain support for the project. Grants from Stevens County and the Inland Northwest Community Foundation were secured to provide funding to create the Master Plan. The search for a firm to make the Master Plan began in the Fall of 2006, and Welch-Comer was selected as just the right group of people to put the plan together.

The Master Plan, in written and mapping form, will describe the overall concept of the project and provide guidance on how it will develop in the future. The plan will serve as a guide for alternative trail alignments, trailhead locations, right-of-way considerations, construction phasing schedules and costs, maintenance plans and possible funding sources for construction of the trail. There will be two public meetings, one in Kettle Falls and one in Colville, for the convenience of local residents. Each meeting will begin with a short presentation on the background of the project, information on other successful trails and a report by Welch-Comer on their work on the Master Plan. Then there will be an open-house style Question and Answer session and comment period. It is only necessary to attend one meeting, as each will provide the same information. Plan to attend to hear about the Master Plan and add your voice to the planning process.

The Kettle Falls meeting is set for September 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Woodland Theatre. The Colville meeting will be September 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Community Colleges of Spokane-Colville Campus in the Rendezvous Theatre. For more information, call 684-4571, extension 102, or 738-2135.

Care to comment? Please direct your comments to editor@ncmonthly.com.

The North Columbia Monthly provides news, views, humor and a calendar of events for an area that stretches from Nelson in British Columbia south to Spokane in Washington State and covers all points in between. A free (and free-thinking, progressive) magazine, The Monthly is available at several hundred spots throughout the region and now is also available on-line at www.ncmonthly.com. Published once a month since 1994, The Monthly is an independent magazine that often challenges contemporary wisdom by encouraging critical thinking about issues and attitudes in the region and beyond.

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