Huge Miller Peninsula State Park could be reality by 2013

SEQUIM — Kayaking, cabins, a grand lodge, camping, horseback riding, biking and connecting to Olympic Discovery Trail.

Those ideas and other hopes were raised at Carrie Blake Park’s Guy Cole Convention Center during a discussion of the future Miller Peninsula State Park.

The 3,000-acre parcel that will become the park includes 2 miles of waterfront on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and another mile on Discovery Bay, said Steve Gilstrom, Sequim Bay State Park manager.

Much of the land, which surrounds Diamond Point, is wooded with second-growth forest.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Park planners will seek a $12 million investment from the state Legislature during its 2007 session.

The goal is to complete the park by 2013, the Washington State Parks centennial.

Input from about 160 people who took part in the meeting “really ran the gamut, from preservation for wildlife species and corridors to commercial partnership ideas,” Gilstrom said.

Some 20 miles of old logging roads run through the Miller Peninsula property, he added.

Hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers — the pedal-powered kind — came to the meeting to air their enthusiasm about using those roads.

Off-road vehicles most likely will not be permitted at Miller Peninsula State Park, Gilstrom said.

During the two-hour meeting, there also was talk of a range of lodging possibilities, from campsites to a Lake Quinault- or Kalaloch-style lodge.

Sequim Bay State Park’s future was also discussed.

Campers there complain of road noise from nearby U.S. Highway 101, Gilstrom said, so planners will consider replacing Sequim Bay campsites with new sites on Miller Peninsula.

Others at the meeting suggested preserving portions of the park for wildlife, said Peter Herzog, the state parks planner who came from Olympia for the forum.

“We talked about making sure sensitive species are protected, and zoning the park so we’d leave some places with less use,” he said.

During the next few months, Washington State Parks will review ideas from the meeting, consult with a park designer from the private sector and conduct a financial analysis of park operation.

“Then we will bring that back to the public in late May or early June,” Herzog said.

More in News

From left to right, Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding students Krystol Pasecznyk and Scott McNair sand a Prothero Sloop with Sean Koomen, the school’s boat building program director. Koomen said the sanding would take one person a few days. He said the plan is to have 12 people sand it together, which will take a few hours. (Elijah Sussman/Peninsula Daily News)
Wooden boatbuilding school building ‘Twin Boats’

Students using traditional and cold-moulding construction techniques

Prevailing wage by trade across multiple counties in Washington state.
Prevailing wages are driving up housing

Administrative burden may decrease competition

North Olympic Library System
Rendering of the new Sequim Library, which is currently under construction.
Library system board recognizes top donors

Naming opportunities still available

Port of Port Angeles approves roof rehab projects

McKinley Paper Company moves out of Marine Drive warehouse

Drug takeback day set across Peninsula on Saturday

Law enforcement agencies across the North Olympic Peninsula are poised to take… Continue reading

Public meeting set to meet administrator candidates

Jefferson County will host a public meeting at 5… Continue reading

Interfund loan to pay for Port Townsend meter replacement

City will repay over four years; work likely this winter

Artists to create murals for festival

Five pieces of art to be commissioned for downtown Port Angeles

Clallam assessor’s office to extend reduced hours

The Clallam County assessor’s office is continuing its reduction… Continue reading

Girders to be placed Thursday night

Contractor crews will place four 100-foot bridge girders over a… Continue reading

Cameras to check recycling contents in new program

Olympic Disposal will deploy a system of computerized cameras to… Continue reading

Port Angeles Fire Department responds to a residential structure fire on West 8th Street in Port Angeles. (Jay Cline)
Police: Woman arrested in arson investigation

Niece of displaced family allegedly said house was ‘possessed’