Manson Parks and Recreation discusses waterfront project

MANSON - Manson Parks and Recreation District gathered Thursday, August 10, for their regularly scheduled board meeting. Agenda for the monthly meeting covered financial overview and an update on the recently completed restrooms placed at Willow Point Park. A couple noteworthy topics were also discussed, including Manson Bay waterfront revitalization project and the repaving of Old Mill Park and Marina.
Plans began for the Manson Bay revitalization project during late summer of last year. Now heading into planning and financing stages, Parks board members and commissioners were provided a presentational proposal from Pacific Engineering representative Kara Zupke. Included in the proposal were several options available to get the revitalization project in motion. One funding option proposed was a grant through RCO (Recreation and Conservation Office) which assists in funding for communities looking to build or improve parks, trails, boating facilities, and water access. The RCO funding cycle is every other year, on even years, Zupke explained when asked about the projected construction start timeframe of 2020. “Funds for RCO are not available for next year,” Zupke explained to Parks members, then added “it doesn’t mean that there isn’t other (funding options) that you can’t pursue in the meantime.”  Smaller districts, she went on to explain, don’t tend to have the budgeting or funds to be able to continue with design or development without outside funding, and the outside funding can take a while.  Zupke also suggested contacting the Port of Chelan County as a possible funding source, “I think it’s gonna be a good first step to getting the project up and going,” she added.
After completing the proposal, Zupke asked if the Parks board were ready to move forward with the proposal, however they stated they were not ready to sign a contract, and needed some time to further review the proposal.
Mill Bay Park & Marina Paving Project
Next on the agenda list was the Mill Bay Park and Marina paving project. Chelan County PUD representatives notified Manson Parks that, due to the voiced concerns from the community, the repaving project at Old Mill Park and Marina will take place in April or early May 2018, instead of the original planned dates of Sept. 5 through Oct. 6. Chelan PUD put a counter in place at the entrance of the park to determine the most convenient time frame to close it and get the repaving done. With around 5,900 ticks on the counter during September and around 7,700 in April, the end of summer was believed to be the best timeframe for traffic and weather. However, after receiving several concerns from local residents and taking into consideration upcoming events, the hopeful rescheduling of April or May was put in place, weather depending.
For more information on Manson Parks or upcoming projects visit their website at mansonparks.com.