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County public works details Guler Park repairs and park safety plans
Summary
Klickitat County Public Works Director Jeff Hunter described recent RCO-funded repairs at Guler Park, plans for restroom and fencing work, staffing shortfalls and options for hazard-tree management; community members proposed hiker permits and raised concerns about culverts, fees and fire pits.
Jeff Hunter, Klickitat County Public Works Director, briefed the Trout Lake Community Council on maintenance and improvement plans for Guler Park and wider public-works staffing on March 4.
Hunter said the county received an RCO grant last year that funded chip-sealing and gazebo repairs and described planned work to repair restrooms and plumbing, install a coin-operated shower machine, and fix fencing in 2026. He told the council the county is down one westside road-crew position and has six new hires "with a steep learning curve." Regarding trees, Hunter said hazard trees are removed annually and the county seeks to preserve mature trees where safe: "Hazard trees are removed every year," and staff will repair damage from the tree that recently fell across a fence.
Community members asked whether the county could remove or lock fire pits during burn bans, create a lower-rate option or designated site for hikers with a $10 permit sold at the Store, and perform culvert cleaning after a flow-event blockage. Hunter said the county may be open to partnerships with the Store for selling permits and that culvert maintenance had been limited last year due to staffing but will be scheduled this year. He cautioned that returning park land to heirs or dividing two acres for a senior/community center could trigger repayment of prior grants and shift road-maintenance responsibilities to the successor owner.
