At the end of August, construction of the 14-acre Summit Park project officially began. Summit Park is the largest parks project undertaken by the city since its incorporation in 1997. The $9.4 million project, approved by the city council in July, will include construction of an inclusive playground, a skate park, three synthetic-surface athletic fields, walking trails, restrooms/shelter pavilion, site landscaping, and parking.
Phase one of construction included a survey to identify the project’s tree protection limits and removal of trees outside the protection boundary. It was during the survey process that city staff and contractors devised a mutually beneficial plan for some of the trees slated for removal.
The subcontractor completing the logging and tree removal portion of the Summit Park project, Cherry Valley Logging, is one of the contractors working on a large U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) project in Chelan County. The Middle Entiat River Habitat Improvement Project, managed by the Cascadia Conservation District (CCD), Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group (CCFEG), and Chelan County Natural Resources Department, will increase the amount of suitable habitat for the fish and wildlife species that utilize the Entiat River through the construction of large woody material structures and reestablishment of side channels. The project’s focus is on improving the habitat of endangered species such as the Upper Columbia River spring Chinook salmon, steelhead, and Bull Trout.
Approximately 200 trees from the Maple Valley Summit park site are being repurposed for the habitat restoration project. These trees will be transported, with the root wads intact, to Chelan County and placed along the Entiat River in strategic locations. The Maple Valley City Council, and city staff are very pleased that these trees will contribute to the river’s restoration.
For more information about the Middle Entiat River Habitat Improvement project, please contact the Chelan County Department of Natural Resources at 509-667-6533, or visit www.co.chelan.ua.us.
For more information about the Summit Park Project, please contact Dave Johnson, Parks and Recreation Director, at (425) 432-9953 or dave.johnson@maplevalleywa.gov.
