Meetings planned on John Wayne Trail

Property owners, residents and advocates for the John Wayne Pioneer Trail are invited to take part in three upcoming community meetings.

The meetings are sponsored by Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, and the Tekoa Trail and Trestle Association. Tekoa residents and trail supporters were upset earlier this year because of language in the capital budget that could have closed a 135-mile stretch of the statewide trail without a public hearing.

The provision was later removed because of a technicality. Schmick is gathering information before deciding whether to file a bill about the trail in the 2016 legislative session.

The meetings are not intended to interfere with plans that the state Parks and Recreation Commission is developing for the trail corridor, he said.

“However, we felt there could be a more personal, less informal way of gathering information from the public,” he said in a statement.

Meetings are set for noon Nov. 10 at the community center at Seventh Street and Whitman Avenue in Rosalia, at noon Nov. 16 at the Union Elevator conference room, 201 S. St. in Lind, and at 6 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Hal Holmes Center, 209 N. Ruby St. in Ellensburg.

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Meetings planned on John Wayne Trail."