Parks and recreation in Centralia, Washington
{{Short description|none}}
Parks and recreation in Centralia, Washington, United States, is administered by the Centralia Parks and Recreation Department (CPRD). The agency oversees a variety of sites, including natural areas, community recreation facilities, and city parks, classified as either neighborhood or community. The department also oversees several single-purpose sites in the city and partners with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on maintenance and improvements to several areas, including Hayes and Plummer lakes. Centralia hosts privately owned parks and there are some trails under volunteer oversight.
History
Centralia's first organized park and recreation plan began in 1963 and the agency has had plans to create a trail corridor system to link the parks in the community.{{cite web |title=Centralia Parks and Recreation Master Plan |url=https://www.cityofcentralia.com/DocumentCenter/View/699/Centralia-Parks-Plan-Adopted-6-10-2014 |publisher=City of Centralia |access-date=April 19, 2024 |date=June 10, 2014 |archive-date=March 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326020641/https://www.cityofcentralia.com/DocumentCenter/View/699/Centralia-Parks-Plan-Adopted-6-10-2014 |url-status=live }} In 2024, the city incorporated a program known as the Hub City Greenway initiative, a plan to connect neighborhood paths and nature trails already existing in Centralia to each other, linking the system with parks, schools, and other districts and important sites within the community. The project is backed by a technical assistance grant from the Thriving Communities Program via the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Centralia was one of 52 communities in the United States to receive the grant.{{cite news |last1=Sexton |first1=Owen |title=Centralia city staff prepare to start Hub City Greenways project |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/centralia-city-staff-prepare-to-start-hub-city-greenways-project,362163 |access-date=September 26, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=September 20, 2024}}
{{As of|2024}}, Centralia Parks and Recreation Department had an operating budget of $2.5 million, and employed 161 people.{{rp|11}}{{cite web |title=Centralia's Park Plan |url=https://www.cityofcentralia.com/DocumentCenter/View/3136/Parks-Board-Agenda-for-January-8-2024 |publisher=Centralia Parks and Recreation Department |access-date=April 19, 2024 |page=10 |date=March 2024 |quote=PDF combined with city board meeting agenda and minutes; scroll down to Park Plan |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422210200/https://www.cityofcentralia.com/DocumentCenter/View/3136/Parks-Board-Agenda-for-January-8-2024 |url-status=live }}
Parks
=Neighborhood parks=
Centralia classifies most parks under {{convert|10|acre|ha}}, and within residential areas, as a neighborhood park.{{rp|23}}
=Community parks=
Centralia classifies most parks between {{convert|10|acre|ha}} and {{convert|100|acre|ha}} as a community park, provided that the area contains a variety of leisure activities, such as sports, hiking, or picnicking. The classification also includes grounds at Centralia Middle School, Centralia High School, and Centralia College, but not elementary school recreation areas. School park areas are not under oversight of the CPRD, but in a cooperative partnership with the education systems to help expand or maintain the land, especially if the school grounds are adjacent to a city park.{{rp|23–24}}
Natural areas and open space corridors
The classification covers areas in a more natural setting, with recreational activities geared toward hiking or exploration.{{rp|25}}{{efn|Additional areas include an annex at Fort Borst Park, the Grand Property, city oversight of Plummer Lake, the Sunrise Estates Open Area, and cooperative management of Hayes Lake with the WDFW.{{rp|22}}}}
{{notelist}}
Private parks
{{notelist}}
Recreation areas
Special facilities
Under the CPRD, several buildings or locations are considered a special facility. Classified as a single-purpose location, this includes such sites as the Armory Hills Golf Course, the Centralia Train Depot, the First Street trees, and the Sticklin Greenwood Cemetery and Washington Lawn Cemetery.{{rp|26}} The classification also includes historical buildings and sites within Fort Borst Park.{{rp|23,44–47}}
Trails
=Discovery Trail=
The largest trail that is not connected to a park is the Discovery Trail, a level {{convert|1.5|mi|adj=on}} path located on what was once a homestead. It traverses through restored riparian habitat that parallels the Chehalis River. Opened in 2006 after fourth graders from Centralia began planting trees, it is located north of Centralia in Ford's Prairie.{{cite news |last1=Rubin |first1=Will |title=Residents Fed Up With Trouble at Discovery Trail |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/residents-fed-up-with-trouble-at-discovery-trail,13280 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=October 30, 2018 |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419182210/https://www.chronline.com/stories/residents-fed-up-with-trouble-at-discovery-trail,13280 |url-status=live }} Volunteer efforts that continue to include local student involvement have replanted the area since the path's early beginnings. The trail is overseen by the city and is part of a habitat conservation easement owned by the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust.{{cite news |last1=Trent |first1=Eric |title=Invasive Plant Removal Planned at Discovery Trail Saturday |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/invasive-plant-removal-planned-at-discovery-trail-saturday,1455 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=September 9, 2020 |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419182210/https://www.chronline.com/stories/invasive-plant-removal-planned-at-discovery-trail-saturday,1455 |url-status=live }}
The repaired ecosystem is home to a variety of wildlife, including beaver, deer, and eagles.{{cite news |title=KIRO 7's Cox Conserves Heroes 2017 |url=https://www.kiro7.com/news/seen-on-kiro-7/kiro-7s-cox-conserves-heroes-2017/190643538/ |access-date=May 2, 2024 |work=KIRO 7 News |date=October 3, 2017}} Vegetation includes Douglas fir, horsetail, and a non-native plant, hopbush, thought to be spread remnants of hop fields that once populated the surrounding farm valleys.{{cite news |last1=Perednia |first1=Graham |title=BioBlitz Helps Public Connect With Nature Along Discovery Trail |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/bioblitz-helps-public-connect-with-nature-along-discovery-trail,28666? |access-date=December 2, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=June 6, 2017}}
Future plans
The parks system has long been planned to be linked by a trail corridor, allowing residents and visitors access to a variety of recreation opportunities.{{rp|59–65}}{{cite web |title=Paving/Reconstruction, Sidewalks/Parking Lot, Site Development Construction Project Lead, Centralia |url=https://www.constructionjournal.com/projects/details/73bb7b49ee2f417f9723a1d04d1d954e.html |publisher=ConstructionJournal |access-date=April 19, 2024 |date=June 6, 2023 |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422205402/https://www.constructionjournal.com/projects/details/73bb7b49ee2f417f9723a1d04d1d954e.html |url-status=live }} Expansion of existing parks, including upgrades, have taken precedence in the 21st century, including emphasis on retaining or reinvigorating historically important concerns with the park system.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://cityofcentralia.com/262/Parks-Recreation Centralia Parks & Recreation Department]
- [https://www.cityofcentralia.com/565/Hub-City-Greenways Centralia Parks & Recreation Department - Hub City Greenways]
- [https://www.chehalislandtrust.org/ Chehalis River Basin Land Trust]
Category:Centralia, Washington