Squaxin Island Tribal Council Chairman Kris Peters said they are open to reconsidering the removal of the railroad berm in the water next to West Bay Park.
Olympia city council members and several staff met with the Squaxin Island Tribal council on Wednesday, February 1, to deliberate matters of interest to the tribe such as the West Bay Park restoration and trail project, as part of their agreement to meet at least twice each year.
The city is considering three alternatives for the design of the park’s southern portion, with one of the main considerations being the route of the park trail.
Paul Simmons, the city’s parks and recreation director, said that they are aware that the tribe has previously voiced that they do not support the construction of an overwater route over the old railroad berm.
Peters replied that though they want to remove the berm, they are open to reconsidering this option in light of the possible removal of the Capitol Lake dam next to the Fifth Avenue Bridge.
“We're open to the conversation,” Peters said. “[Simmons] mentioned that we were against it, we were. But we're hoping… of bringing that back around.”
“The thing that we want to make sure that we're doing in coordination with removing that berm, which is our ultimate goal, is understanding that it goes in line with the removal of the dam,” Peters added.
The Department of Enterprise Services released on October 31, 2022, its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the long-term management of Capitol Lake and Deschutes Estuary. The agency identified the restoration of the estuary as its preferred alternative, which would mean the removal of the dam.
Three alternatives for West Bay Park
City officials showed tribal representatives three alternatives for designing the southern portion of West Bay Park. Cost estimates for these alternatives range from $44 million to $54 million.
The first alternative involves removing the entire berm and constructing an overwater trail on top of it. According to a 2019 analysis report on West Bay Park, the removal of the berm would allow for the intertidal mixing between the lagoon and West Bay.
The second alternative also includes the construction of a trail along the old railroad berm, but a significant portion of the berm would be retained instead of completely removed. According to the 2019 report, this would allow for the creation of islands that could provide wildlife habitat.
The last alternative also involves the removal of the berm but the trail would be constructed along West Bay Drive. Olympia City Mayor Cheryl Selby said this option would be the most expensive as it involves the expansion of West Bay Drive. Simmons added that they do not have the right of way on the road which means that they would have to acquire properties that are going to be affected by the project. This was the least popular alternative among those who commented informally at the meeting.
The city initially had five design alternatives when the city published the 2019 report. Another consideration detailed in the report was the rerouting of the southern stem of Garfield Creek, which could drain to the West Bay or the lagoon.
Welcome pole
Olympia City Manager Jay Burney also told the tribal council that the city wants to work with Native American artist Andrea Wilbur-Sigo to create a welcome pole symbolizing the friendship between Olympia and the Squaxin Island Tribe.
Burney said that Wilbur-Sigo would have the capacity to work on the project around the fall of this year. The city has also set aside $75,000 from the parks department budget for the pole, with City Council Member Dani Madrone suggesting to place the pole on the roundabout near the 4th Avenue Bridge.
The tribal council approved of the initiative. “I think there's a real potential here with the estuary in the city, the waterway, the Steh-Chass,” Peters said. “There's just an opportunity there to really represent who we are.”
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bonaro
Tribe tell Olympia they are open to considering....LOL
The tribe has no clout here but the woke Oly Council will roll over for them
Friday, February 10, 2023 Report this
JJmama
The tribe has standing, bonaro.
We honor the original indigenous peoples of our region, and everywhere..
It is good for their voice to be in power.
Friday, February 10, 2023 Report this
Coug66
Is Olympia part of the Squaxin reservation? We abdicated the history of our own historic heritage by changing the name of Priest Point park, bowed to their preference for the destruction of Capitol lake, are budgeting $75,000 of our parks money (tax money from Olympia's citizens) for a "welcome pole" and now are, apparently, subject to their tribal vote as to whether we, the City of Olympia, construct an over water trail along Olympia's West Bay. Do they own that land the existing berm sits on? The Squaxin tribe is located near Shelton, not Olympia. Their museum speaks little, if anything, about the help they received from the pioneer settlers or succeeding generations of Olympia's citizens that helped them improve their standard of living. When is our City council going to propose a name change to "Squaxin City?"
Sunday, February 12, 2023 Report this
FirstOtter
well, Coug66, considering that the government broke every single treaty it ever made with the indigenous people of this country..took their land, destroyed their cultures, indulged in genocidal massacres, wiping out women and children and referring to them as 'nits', (Wounded Knee), told them their god was wrong, ripped children from their parents in order to teach them to be white (but not too white, no, not with the rights, oh, heaven's no), to this day routinely do things like run oil pipelines through the every shrinking reservations the government shoved them onto (ever hear of Keystone Pipeline and the Pine Ridge Sioux who were water cannoned in the middle of a North Dakota winter?)-considering all this, I can think that this may be just a small way of saying, Sorry, we were wrong. As for the 'help' they may have received from white settlers, if you look at the few crimes I've listed above, I am amazed that any Indian will even speak to us, never mind try to work with us.
Sunday, February 12, 2023 Report this
KellyMcAllister
The comments of Tribal Council Chair Kris Peters are baffling. The article says that Chairman Peters said the tribe is open to reconsidering removal of the railroad berm. He is quoted as saying that the tribe had expressed their opposition to a trail on the berm and had changed their position and said, "But we're hoping... of bringing that back around". Then, he states that what the tribe wants is to make sure that "removing that berm, which is our ultimate goal" goes in line with the removal of the dam." I'm having a hard time understanding how removal of the berm, as the ultimate goal could possibly be consistent with any level of willingness to revisit the overwater trail. It really seems like the quoted statements of the Tribal Chairman are inconsistent with the article's interpretations of the tribe's position.
Thursday, February 16, 2023 Report this