By Chris Hendrickson, Contributing Writer
The city of Sultan adopted a resolution to honor longtime community volunteer Bob Knuckey, who passed away in December.
The resolution, which was adopted through a motion that passed unanimously at the Sultan City Council meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, recognized the thousands of hours donated by Knuckey that were dedicated to the betterment of the city of Sultan.
The city further resolved that the trail at Osprey Park will henceforth be named the Bob Knuckey Memorial Trail. Two signs will be crafted, both featuring Knuckey's name, and will be placed at each trailhead at the park.
Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick expressed that she was highly honored to be able to help facilitate such an important means of memorializing Knuckey, with whom she had been acquainted for many years.
"Usually, in the last six years of my time in this chair, I would look out in the audience and see Bob there,GÇ¥ said Mayor Eslick. "I miss him terribly.GÇ¥
Knuckey was well known for his advocacy of Osprey Park. He could frequently be found either using his tractor to help improve the trail system or cleaning up the park and making sure it was free of litter. Knuckey worked closely with the Monroe-based land use consulting firm Harmsen and Associates in an effort to create a comprehensive and accurate map of the entire park as well as its trail system.
Knuckey was not only known for his work in Osprey Park. He was also a 5-year member of the Sultan Planning Board, worked closely in support of both the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Sultan Education Foundation, and founded the Adopt-a-Street program in Sultan.
Sultan city councilmembers were given the opportunity to comment on their memories of Knuckey.
"One of the things I remember him most for was his love of making his home look beautiful,GÇ¥ said Councilmember Sarah Davenport-Smith. "And his home really did include this-áentire-ácommunity.GÇ¥
Davenport-Smith commended Knuckey for his ability to create opportunities for others, after which he would step out of the way and allow them to take on the projects for themselves. She also recalled Knuckey's lively sense of humor, stating that every time she got to speak with him, she always enjoyed the interaction.
"He had a great sense of humor,GÇ¥ said Davenport-Smith. "I'm so glad we can do something like this.GÇ¥
Councilmember Rocky Walker, another active community volunteer, recalled a winter's day where Knuckey's generous nature came in particularly handy. There had been a substantial snowstorm, and the city was experiencing difficulty with clogged drains. In an effort to help alleviate the backlog of water created by all the snowmelt, Walker was out with a shovel, wading in the backed up water, working to clear the debris out of the drains.
"Bob drove by and honked and waved,GÇ¥ said Walker. "About five minutes later he showed back up with his little tractor with the front end bucket on it, and we cleaned out every drain in this town in about a half hour.GÇ¥
"He never passed up an opportunity to help out,GÇ¥ Walker continued.
Members of Knuckey's family, including his son and daughter, were in attendance at the meeting. They were given a copy of the resolution and the opportunity to comment.
"My dad would be very proud to have his name on that trail,GÇ¥ said his son, Michael Knuckey. "I just want to thank everybody for doing that for him.GÇ¥
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