The Twisp Parks and Recreation Commission has offered a list of priority projects, gleaned from an updated comprehensive plan adopted earlier this year, to the Town Council for consideration.
At last week’s town council meeting — the group’s first in the new Twisp Civic Building — Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Nick Hershenow presented a summary of six projects the commission thinks could be done “based on need and/or achievability.” They are:
• Improvement of the Burton Street access to the Methow River. “A designated path, a bench and a sign would help reclaim it as a quiet neighborhood place,” the commission suggested.
• Improvements to Maves Park, the tiny park on Glover Avenue that currently has few features that would encourage use. “An upgrade of this park would be a natural complement to the brickwork and plantings in the new plaza area around town hall,” the commission said.
• Construction of a connector trail between the east end of Riverside Avenue and Airport Road. “The planned construction of affordable housing units at this location creates an added incentive for this trail,” the commission said.
• Construction of a bike and pedestrian path between the two dead ends of Methow Street. The commission suggested a path could be constructed at minimal expense with volunteer labor.
• Securing of easements to ensure public use of the connector path between May Street and the Methow Valley Community Center, currently in private ownership. “It is a critical pedestrian connector,” the commission said.
• Accelerated planning for a skate park.
“These are not necessarily exclusive,” Hershenow told the council.
Council member Hans Smith and Mayor Soo Ing-Moody said the town needs to get its 2023 budget settled before committing to any spending for next, but Ing-Moody said “this gives us some clear starting points.”
The comprehensive parks and recreation plan lays out a guideline for future park improvements and additional recreational opportunities.
The plan was developed by the Parks and Recreation Commission, a five-member volunteer advisory group, to update the previous plan adopted in 2014.
In other business, council approved a request by the Twisp Chamber of Commerce to increase the town’s contribution to the chamber’s operating budget from the $26,000 allotted in 2022 to $30,000 in 2023. The town’s support comes from its lodging tax funds, which must be designated for tourism-related activities.
Chamber board President Don Linnertz told the council that the chamber’s $76,745 2023 budget is expected to increase by about 4.2% to support its promotional activities, the visitor information center and services for members. The chamber also relies on member dues, and additional lodging tax funds from the county, for the bulk of its revenues.
The council also reviewed a proposed revision of the town’s five-year capital facilities plan, which will have a public hearing at the council’s Nov. 22 meeting.
In response to a question from council member Katrina Auburn, Public Works Director Andrew Denham said a proposed traffic roundabout at the intersection of Highway 20 and Twisp-Carlton Road is included in the plan as a “high priority.”
And, the council approved a change in the town’s development standards to allow one-way traffic where appropriate. Denham said the current development standards do not provide for that option.
