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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 - 05/16/2016 - The Kittitas County Commissioners are now accepting applications for parks and recreation projects. The project application is available on the County’s website at www.co.kittitas.wa.us. The applications will be the basis for developing a list of projects in the County’s Parks and Recreation Plan. Applications will be accepted until May 25th, at 5:00 PM. Anyone is eligible to submit an application to have a project included in the plan.
The Kittitas County Parks and Recreation Plan is a newly-developed strategy which is being created utilizing the work effort completed as part of the County’s recently-adopted Tourism Infrastructure Plan. “Much of the economic benefits we enjoy in the County from tourism are directly related to recreation access and infrastructure, especially in the Upper County,” stated Commissioner Paul Jewell. “Most of the work we did to create the other plan translates easily.” The Tourism Infrastructure Plan included an inventory of existing recreational assets in the County as well as an analysis of future needs. It also included numerous public outreach opportunities; including focus groups, open house events, and surveys. “We also realized that there are additional benefits to creating and adopting a Parks and Recreation Plan. For one, it provides some direction for future investments in the County to enhance recreation amenities. But it also makes the County eligible for substantial grant opportunities” added Commissioner Jewell. The County’s Parks and Recreation Plan is designed specifically to meet the requirements of the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) planning qualifications. By adopting this plan, the County and other entities operating in the County, will have to opportunity to apply for millions of dollars in grant funds that currently are not available because the County does not have an adopted plan. The RCO deadline each year for adopting a qualifying plan is generally in early March. Entities must have a qualifying plan submitted by then in order to apply for grant funding that year. The County missed the deadline, but did apply for and received an extension until June 3rd to submit their plan. “We had completed quite a bit of work by the first deadline and RCO agreed to the extension,” remarked Commissioner Jewell. “That’s really why we need a quick turnaround on these applications so we can meet the deadline.” The list of projects that will be created from the applications will create a capital improvement program list, which is a requirement of the Parks and Recreation Plan. The County Commissioners will consider the final version of the Kittitas County Parks and Recreation Plan in a public hearing scheduled for Thursday, June 2 at 2:00 PM in the Commissioner’s Auditorium at the Kittitas County Courthouse. A copy of the current draft of the plan is available on the County’s website.
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 Commissionerpaul.jewell@co.Kittitas.wa.us509-962-7508