Now a vacant lot sandwiched between Interstate 5 and Yardbirds, with the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds to the north, Bob Russell envisions more for roughly 60 acres of land owned by the City of Chehalis.
The project he outlined to council members is a restoration project that Russell said would spark ecotourism in Lewis County while aiding the Coho and Steelhead salmon that call the creek home. Russell will host a community meeting to discuss the project at 5 p.m., Jan. 29 at the Twin Cities Senior Center.
“This is something that is right in the middle of the city,” Russell said. “We’re going to stake an environmental and a beautification claim at the same time we’re staking a growth and a development claim.”
According to Russell, the project would have several benefits, including improved flood storage, improved aesthetics, added wildlife viewing, stormwater improvement and recreational access. The City of Chehalis owns 66 acres of land at the project, with Russell proposing the acquisition of an additional 15 acres. According to Russell, the project could take 10 years or more to complete, and he is eyeing grant money through the Office of the Chehalis Basin and other agencies to fund the project.
After completion, the land would continue to be owned by the city of Chehalis.
“With community support and involvement, this area can be transformed to provide a healthy corridor for salmon through productive farmland, while holding back flood waters and creating an attractive public space,” the draft vision for the project reads.
While there’s not yet a draft proposal to review, Russell eyes a similar project in Auburn as inspiration, where the city opened a 120-acre “environmental park” complete with a boardwalk.
Proposed in 2004, the park opened in 2012.
Russell said the proposal in Chehalis could result in a boom of ecotourism for the city.
“This project literally would set the groundwork and stake the claim for what we want to do for Coal Creek and Salzer. These are already protected areas. They’re environmentally sensitive,” Russell told Chehalis City Council members on Dec. 11. “We have the opportunity to build in this area, on top of those hills, and make beautiful homesites, and set the groundwork for the floodplain.”
