OLYMPIA — Recreation and conservation grants for three Kitsap County projects totaling $670,736 were announced May 7 by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board.
In Kitsap County, the board gave funding to projects in Bainbridge Island, Indianola and Poulsbo.
The funding board allotted a total of $12.6 million to projects around the state to build trails and waterfront parks and to restore beaches.
Forty projects in 19 counties were funded by the board. King County received the largest allocation on a countywide basis: $3,169,041. Spokane County was awarded $1,504,186, followed closely by Snohomish County’s $1,500,000.
Poulsbo:
The City of Poulsbo will use grant funding of $460,000 to buy 10.05 acres and build a trail that connects two parts of Poulsbo’s Fish Park along Liberty Bay shoreline. The 30-acre Fish Park connects Liberty Bay, Puget Sound and Dogfish Creek.
In addition to buying the land, the state Department of Recreation and Conservation said, the city will build an 800-foot pedestrian trail, 1.5 miles of gravel trails or boardwalk, two viewing platforms, five interpretive signs, benches and picnic tables.
The city also will renovate a parking lot and restore the shoreline and wetland areas.
Poulsbo’s Fish Park has been a 14-year community investment in conservation planning.
The park, which includes shorelines, wetlands, second-growth forests and estuarine shoreline, is a natural wildlife corridor in an urban setting and supports a diverse population of fish, bird and mammal species.
Poulsbo will contribute $475,552 in cash and donations of labor and land, the funding board said.
Bainbridge Island:
The Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District is the recipient of $180,050 in grant money to improve the Hawley Cove trails and beach access.
The park district will build boardwalk bridges, upgrade the existing trails, build multiple viewing areas, create an environmental interpretation and improve the parking at a second park entrance.
Hawley Cove Park has a wide expanse of shoreline along Puget Sound at the entrance of Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island. The park district will contribute $180,050 in cash and donations of cash.
Indianola:
The third grant for $30,686 has been awarded to the Port of Indianola to redevelop the Port of Indianola Dock.
The port will use the grant to redevelop a dock that is part of the Mosquito Fleet train by installing an access ramp and interpretive signs, placing a Mosquito Fleet Historical Monument, planting plants and installing a wildlife viewing area.
The redevelopment will enhance outdoor recreational opportunities by providing access to activities, including fishing, swimming, boating, wildlife observation and walking. Community involvement has raised more than $18,000 in donations.
The state department said that completion of the project will decrease the impact of contamination from street runoff, creosote and treated lumber by limiting paved surfaces and installing a planter to catch rainwater.
Officials also said it will reduce pollution by helping to protect the tide flats, eelgrass, surf smelt, sand lances and herring habitat.
The Port of Indianola will contribute $30,686 to the project.
Project funding comes from two grant programs: the aquatic lands account and the Recreational Trails Program.
The aquatic account uses money generated by the state Department of Natural Resources’ leasing of the 2.6 million acres of state-owned tidelands and shorelines to pay for projects that provide public access to those shorelines and tidelands, and improve the health of those areas, said Kaleen Cottingham, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office in Olympia.
The grants for Kitsap County projects were all from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account.
