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Parks board pushes volunteer-built Chinook walking trail; drainage at dog park remains city responsibility
Summary
Ocean Shores Parks Board said volunteers will build a walking trail at Chinook Park and asked city council for about $20,000 in rock. Board members discussed tying a French drain into city work to address persistent flooding in the large dog park but said the city would need to complete formal drainage work.
The Ocean Shores Parks Board on April 9 said volunteers will construct a walking trail at Chinook Park and asked the City Council for about $20,000 in rock to surface it, while discussing how to address persistent flooding in the park's large dog park.
Board members said the walking trail will be volunteer-built and that the request to the council covers rock only. "We've asked for about $20,000 in rock from city council to approve that but all the work has to be done by volunteers," Parks Board member Bill Sport said. He and others said the project is likely to occur in summer when weather dries.
Why this matters: board members said the digging needed to install the volunteer trail could create an opportunity to route surface water away from the adjacent large dog park. The board discussed using a French drain tied into the city's storm system while volunteers trench for the walking trail, but repeatedly clarified that formal drainage fixes would be the city's responsibility, not the volunteers'.
Board members described a likely sequence of work: volunteers would excavate and lay the trail base; the city would then perform the engineered drainage connections needed to make a lasting improvement to the dog park's flooding. Sport said volunteers might install some drain lines during the trail work but that larger drainage work would be separate and require city crews.
The board also discussed equipment and timing. Members noted volunteer access to tractors could speed the work and suggested targeting June–August for construction when conditions are dryer. Several members emphasized coordinating with city staff about the drainage scope and any required permits before digging.
Members asked public works to advise on technical details and to coordinate the city's contribution to drainage once volunteers perform the initial trenching. No formal motion or vote on funding or scheduling was taken at the meeting.
Looking ahead: the board agreed to continue planning with the city and to recruit volunteers and equipment. Sport said he will talk with city staff about how to sequence volunteer trenching and formal drainage repairs so the trail effort helps rather than hinders a drainage solution.
