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Appendix III <br />DEVELOPMENTOF THE WASHINGTONSTATE HORSE PARK AUTHORITY <br />The history of the Washington State Horse Park Authority is succinctly summarized in a <br />January 16,1998 memo From Cleve Pinnix,Director of the Washington State Parks and <br />Recreation Commission: <br />In 1990 the State Parks and Recreation Commission acquired land adjacent to Lewis <br />and Clark State Park for developmentof an equestrian facility.Subsequent detailed <br />evaluationdetermined that the amount of wetlandson the property made it unsuitable <br />for an equestrian facility.The propedy remains in Parks ownership. <br />The Commissionnext authorized staff to hire a planning consultantto design a <br />schematic master plan alternative for an 1,120 acre site near the town of Ethel,on <br />Highway 12 about nine miles east of Interstate 5.The Commission approved the <br />consultant'srecommended plan in January 1993.Staff was also authorized to begin <br />acquiring needed land through use of funds previously designated for a horse park <br />facility and through public-private land exchange authority.Staff was also authorized to <br />work with private padies to develop suppod for a legislative package for equestrian <br />center developmentthrough a quasi-govemmentalentity to be chartered by the <br />legislature.Land acquisition was conditioned upon receiving legislative authorization <br />for the managing and developmententity by September 30,1994,a deadline later <br />extended to September30,1995.Because several of the landowners were unwilling to <br />sell their land the project stalled. <br />On May 1,1995 the Governor signed SSB 5403,creating the Washington Horse Park Authority. <br />59