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Thurston County to draft transfer agreement for segments of Yelm‑Rainier trail with City of Yelm
Summary
At its April 30 work session the Thurston County Board of Commissioners directed staff to draft an agreement to transfer ownership of trail parcels to the City of Yelm, conditioned on county-standard maintenance, a reversion clause and continued public access and trail naming.
Thurston County public-works staff told the Board of County Commissioners on April 30, 2025, that the City of Yelm has asked to acquire county-owned parcels that form the eastern terminus of the Yelm‑Rainier trail and has proposed developing a parking area that would touch county property. County staff said the board instructed staff to draft transfer language that preserves public access, requires maintenance to county standards and includes a reversion clause if standards are not met.
“Of those 1.6 miles, there are 7 county owned parcels located within the UGA and the majority of those parcels are either fully or partially within the city limits,” Public Works Director Karen Leese told commissioners. County staff said the parcels under discussion include a cluster just under 5.5 acres near the trail terminus, and that the City of Yelm is pursuing annexation of some parcels in 2025.
The city’s short‑term request, as described by county staff, is to acquire a specific parcel abutting land the city already owns to allow a conceptual parking plan that would exit onto State Route 507. County staff said Yelm has expressed willingness to consider an interlocal agreement but prefers ownership to support its downtown-improvement and trail-terminus plans.
Commissioners and staff raised operational concerns about “checkerboard” ownership — county parcels interleaved with city parcels — and asked that any transfer proposal preserve trail name and public access. County staff cited precedent language used in a prior Moon Road transfer that included maintenance standards and a reversion mechanism; Commissioner Grant suggested similar language for the Yelm transfer.
Public Works Road Operations Manager Mike Lohman, Parks and Trails Maintenance Manager Ed Marson and Director Karen Leese described the parcels and maps during the briefing. Commissioner Grant said Yelm staff and volunteers have a strong maintenance record and indicated support for a transfer so long as the county secures protections in writing.
What the board decided: commissioners directed staff to prepare draft agreement language for formal consideration at a future business meeting that would transfer ownership of the interested parcels to the City of Yelm provided the agreement preserves public access, requires maintenance at county standards and includes a reversion clause if the standards are not met. Commissioners also asked staff to consider whether transferring contiguous parcels within the city limits would be sensible to avoid fragmented ownership.
Ending: County staff will work with the City of Yelm to draft the proposed agreement and present it to the board for a business‑meeting decision at a later date.
