By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch The Bud Blancher Trail is open for business GÇô the hiking, biking and running kind of business. Eatonville town officials, other dignitaries and community members participated in a formal dedication Nov. 7 of the route that, as part of a regional trail system, skirts Smallwood Park, crosses the Mashel River via a pedestrian bridge, and ends at the University of Washington's Pack Forest with a connection to trails within the forest. The 2.5-mile trail is about 98 percent completed, officials said. The week of its formal unveiling, the contractor, Boettcher and Sons, was still wrapping up some finishing touches, including a parking area at Weyerhaeuser Way South and Center Street. The trail for bicyclists, walkers and joggers is named for a member of the project's planning committee who donated money for the project before his death. Eatonville received about $500,000 in combined donations from the Bud Blancher estate, the Rails to Trails Conservancy, and Peter and Christine Koch. Another $10,000 was donated by Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club. Funding also came from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. The project hit a bump in 2012 when the state auditor, in a report on Eatonville's financial management, said town officials shouldn't have used trail donations to help meet unrelated expenses. The money was supposed to be spent only for the project, as agreed to by the donors and town officials, but $164,418 of the "restricted donations" were used for general town expenses. The town later repaid the donated amount to the project's fund.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment