title
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the King County executive to execute an aquatic land easement between the state of Washington, acting through the department of natural resources and parks, and King County department of natural resources and parks, a governmental agency, regarding the construction, operation and maintenance of the Foothills Trail.
body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. King County is working cooperatively with the state of Washington, the city of Buckley, the city of Enumclaw and Pierce County to construct a new multiuse bridge over the White river, which separates the completed portions of the Foothills Trail in Enumclaw and Buckley.
2. King County owns certain real property which contains a portion of King County's Foothills Trail to the north of and adjacent to the White river.
3. The completed portions of King County's and Pierce County's Foothills Trail remain separated by the White river. The lack of a safe pedestrian and cycling trail river crossing between the surrounding communities presents certain health and safety risks and limits the ability of the communities to interact using nonmotorized transportation methods. There is also a need for alternative emergency vehicle egress from the city of Buckley to Enumclaw in the event of a SR-410 bridge closure.
4. In 2015, King County, the city of Buckley, Pierce County and the Washington state Department of Transportation entered into the interlocal agreement for cooperative planning design and construction of a Foothills nonmotorized bridge across the White river.
5. King County will lead efforts to connect the southern terminus of the trail in King County to the northern terminus of the trail in Pierce County through construction of the nonmotorized-use bridge across the White river. This construction project will primarily consist of the nonmotorized-use bridge, a maintenance turnaround area, and mitigation plantings.
6. When executed, the aquatic lands easement that is the subject of this Ordinance will grant King County a nonexclusive easement from the state of Washington to build the nonmotorized-use bridge over the White river.
7. The term of this aquatic lands easement, Attachment A to this ordinance, is thirty years.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. The King County executive is hereby authorized to execute a thirty-year aquatic lands easement between the King County parks and recreation division of the department of natural resources and parks and the Washington state Department of Natural Resources, substantially in the form of Attachment A to this
ordinance, for the construction, operation and maintenance of the portion of Foothills Trail that is over the White river.