2019_KittitasCountyHMP_Volume2_For Adoption

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1 Chapter 3. City of Cle Elum Annex 3.1. HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN POINT OF CONTACT Primary Point of Contact Alternate Point of Contact Edwin Mills, Fire Chief 301 Pennsylvania Ave Cle Elum, WA. 98922 Telephone: 509-674-1748 Email: firechief@cityofcleelum.com Lucy Temple, City Planner 119 W. 1st St. Cle Elum, WA 98922 Telephone: 509-674-2262 Email: lucy@cityofcleelum.com 3.2. JURISDICTION PROFILE The following is a summary of key information about the jurisdiction and its history: • Date of Incorporation - Cle Elum was officially incorporated on February 12, 1902. • Current Population - 1,872 as of 2010 (US Census). The American Community Survey estimated a population of 1,993 in 2017. • Population Growth - The City of Cle Elum has had a growth rate of approximately 7.3 percent since 2000 according to City-Data.com. • Location and Description - The City of Cle Elum is located in Upper Kittitas County at Milepost 83 on Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass (47°11'39"N 120°56'15"W). It is bordered on the north by the Cle Elum Ridge and the south by South Cle Elum Ridge, including Peoh Point. It has a total land area of 3.22 sq. mi. It is a neighbor town to the City of Roslyn. It is at an altitude of 1,913 feet. The City of Cle Elum sits on the east slopes of the Central Cascade mountain range in the center of Washington State. This area is historically significant for its rich natural resources, fish and wildlife and cultural resources. • Jurisdiction Vulnerability to Hazards— Cle Elum, along with all jurisdictions in Kittitas County, has an overall low vulnerability to avalanche, drought, landslide, and volcano hazards, and an overall high vulnerability to severe weather events. Based on the three dam failure scenarios used in this plan, 62% of Cle Elum’s population and property is at risk of dam failure. Cle Elum has high exposure to earthquakes, and various earthquake scenarios result in losses up to 8% of building value. Cle Elum has 174 buildings (19% of assessed building value) located in the 100- or 500- year floodplain, and therefore a high vulnerability to flood events. Cle Elum has moderate vulnerability to wildfires, with 2% of buildings exposed to the 0-30 Year Fire Interval. • Brief History - The founders of Cle Elum were Thomas L. Gamble (later known as Judge Gamble) and Walter J. Reed. Mr. Gamble took up a quarter section of land in Section 26, Township 20 North, and Range 15 East, in April 1883 with the intent of farming the land. Mr. Reed took a claim adjoining Mr. Gamble’s on the west. On those two preemptive claims the town was laid out. The date of these filings was three years prior to the discovery of coal. Scattered discoveries of coal ledges had been made in 1883 and 1884, but in 1886 a definite discovery of a large ledge of good coal in paying quantities made it clear that an important stage had come in the history of the region and populations in the region began to increase. Meanwhile, the Northern Pacific Railway was seeking a route over the Cascade Mountains. On October 11, 1886, the first Northern Pacific Railroad train pulled into the new Cle Elum station. Following the arrival of the railway, the small