Clallam County public-works staff told commissioners on Aug. 18 that the county has received Washington State review comments and is prepared to sign seven local agreements required by a RAISE-style grant package to advance planning and design for multiple Olympic Discovery Trail segments.
Scope of work: staff said the package covers seven trail segments including planning and design and, for one segment (Waterline Road), a 100% design with NEPA. Most RAISE-funded segments are planning/design grants that avoid immediate NEPA-triggered timelines, giving the county flexibility to pursue later construction funding.
Funding and timing: staff reported more than $3.75 million of federal, non‑match funds were now formalized in draft agreements and that state review had been required before signature. Staff said the state’s review process slowed submittal but that WSDOT had completed comments and staff intended to return signatures to the state and the federal recipient before the end of the federal fiscal year.
Key constraints and benefits: staff said planning grants will prepare shovel‑ready projects without the immediate requirement to secure construction funds that would accompany NEPA-complete designs. One notable gap highlighted was a Vovachiel River crossing and a Freshwater Bay/Elwha River corridor segment where DNR landowner coordination is critical.
Next steps: county staff will place the executed local agreements on the next regular-meeting agenda for signature and begin the planning/design phase work in coordination with WSDOT, DNR and other partners.