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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 03/17/2015 - For Immediate Release
ELLENSBURG, WA – Kittitas County officials announced today the County will not go to construction on the Yakima Canyon Interpretive Center and will return the federal grant funding awarded to the project. The project is in the final design phase and beginning the environmental review and permitting phases with construction planned later this year. The interpretive center is to be located at the mouth of the Yakima Canyon south of Ellensburg at Helen McCabe State Park. The decision comes as a result of a meeting between Federal Highway Administration personnel, Washington State Department of Transportation personnel, and the County which took place March 3rd in Olympia. The meeting was requested by Kittitas County. “As we neared the bidding stage with this project it became clear that we needed more information about the funding secured by the grant application submitted by the Kittitas Environmental Education Network (KEEN). We had concerns about the allowable uses of the federal funds and the long-term obligations of the County if we used this funding for the project. We weren’t getting the answers we needed to address our concerns, so we asked the decision makers to meet with us face-to-face,” said Commissioner Paul Jewell. During the meeting it became clear that utilizing the center to generate revenue to support the operations of the facility would be problematic and would likely require additional costs and monitoring to accomplish. It was also noted that the County would be required to assure the building remain in operation as an interpretive center for up to 50 years, regardless of available funding or operational success. If not, the County could be required to repay the grant funding totaling up to $800,000. “We also asked where the rules and interpretations being discussed existed in written form so that we could review them and consider our options. We were told they weren’t written,” commented Commissioner Obie O’Brien. “All of this information led us to an unfortunate, but very obvious, decision that the County simply cannot accept that level of risk.” The decision to return the grant funding may only be a delay in the project, not an end. The County has been successful over the last year in achieving substantial progress for the interpretive center project. The plans for the building itself will be completed and ready. The approval from Washington State Parks to transfer 20 acres to the County for siting of the facility is complete. Permitting for the conditional use needed to locate the interpretive center on that site will also likely be finished. All combined – the design, land ownership, and permitting – these elements equal a construction-ready project which just needs funding. “Our intent in moving this project forward was really to support the grass-roots efforts of local citizens who have a dream and vision for an interpretive center to serve the Yakima Canyon Scenic Byway,” said Commissioner Paul Jewell. “They took the initiative to plan and secure a substantial grant to try to make it happen. It just didn’t work out this time with this money. But a lot of the hard work is done now and we’re really several important steps closer to making it a reality - just not today.”
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Paul Jewell, Kittitas County Commissioner509.962.7508