2022-03-14-minutes-public-works-study-session

Home Browse Search

Candie Leader From: Nicky Pasi <nicky.pasi@mtsgreenway.org> Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2022 9:31 AM To: Mark Cook Subject: T2T responsibilities CAUTION: This email originated from outside the Kittitas County network. Do not click links, open attachments, fulfill requests, or follow guidance unless you recognize the sender and have verified the content is safe. Good Morning Mr. Cook, As we move towards solidifying the adoption of Towns to Teanaway by Public Works, I thought it might be helpful to clearly write out the Implementation Group's asks of your department. It is not our intention to create additional burdens on your very limited staff! We hope that Public Works will: Serve as the legal and fiscal sponsor for the project, such that we can: o Pursue grants using the county as the applying entity o Accept grant funds into an account managed by Public Works, from which we can issue checks to pay contractors for trailwork Provide us with account statements so we can operate transparently Hold trail easements purchased from or donated by private land owners Extend liability insurance coverage to the trail system. HOWEVER, recreation on private lands in the State of Washington is also protected under RCW 4.24.210, so becoming the legal and fiscal sponsor for T2T should not place an undue legal burden on the county. We do NOT expect Public Works to: • Put manpower or resources towards the construction of the trails, unless a specific project is negotiated with the county (Ex: improvements to the Ronald Coal Mines Trail parking area, which was discussed some time before we applied for project sponsorship) • Otherwise fund the implementation of the T2T master plan o Although, again, if the County would like to provide match on certain projects, that would be wonderful! • Take over maintenance of the trail system. Thus far we have conducted maintenance through volunteer efforts, with some professional assistance from Greenway Trust trail crews and the local EMBA chapter. • Conduct outreach to the community regarding new trail construction, trail closure, recreational etiquette, or really anything at all. The Implementation Group has maintained communication channels and is happy to continue doing so. • Provide signage, or put any resources towards developing or implementing a signage plan If, as Public Works grows and gains resources to manage recreational infrastructure, you are interested in using the T2T system as a case to train staff or test out the department's ability to oversee and complete rec projects, we would be very happy to work with you on that! But please know that we do not expect the county to come in and make T2T real on our behalf.