OLYMPIA–The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office today announced the award of more than $2 million in grants to help diverse, urban neighborhoods and rural communities plan for outdoor recreation facilities.
The grants were awarded to 21 different organizations in 15 counties and ranged from $35,000 to $250,000. Many of the grants will help smaller communities write parks and recreation plans, which then can be used to apply for development grants, and some will help communities plan specific projects. For example, the communities of Mattawa, Oroville, Carbonado and Morton will use grants to develop park and open space plans. The Seattle Parks Foundation will use a grant to develop construction documents to transform an elementary school playground and field into a community recreation area while the City of Quincy will use a grant to redesign and add to its community’s athletic fields. The Spokane Tribe will use a grant to design the renovation of Snwx mene (Salmon People) Island, formally known as Canada Island, in Riverfront Park.
The Legislature funded the Planning for Recreation Access grant program in 2021 as a way to fund planning projects in communities that lack adequate access to outdoor recreation opportunities. The program focuses on diverse urban neighborhoods, small rural communities and those with less experience writing grants.
“The overwhelming number of applications we received speaks to the need for this kind of funding,” said Megan Duffy, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office. (RCO) “Many small and underfunded communities don’t have the resources to apply for grants. This funding will help them get started. Ultimately, we hope the planning leads to construction and we can increase the number of parks, trails, playgrounds and sports fields in places where there are currently few options for outdoor recreation.”
Of the 99 applicants, three-fourths hadn’t received recreation grants with RCO in the past decade, and nearly half hadn’t applied for an RCO grant during that time. The grants may be used to support planning, community engagement and collaboration between local governments, community-based organizations and residents to define outdoor recreation needs, prioritize investments to address those needs and prepare on-the-ground projects for funding opportunities.
Projects were funded in the counties below:
| Chelan County……………………. $86,000 | Okanogan County………….. $108,350 |
| Cowlitz County………………….. $250,000 | Pierce County…………………. $39,075 |
| Douglas County………………….. $87,000 | Skagit County…………………. $45,000 |
| Grant County……………………. $355,663 | Skamania County…………… $250,000 |
| King County……………………… $400,000 | Spokane County……………… $55,000 |
| Klickitat County…………………… $50,000 | Stevens County………………. $95,000 |
| Lewis County……………………… $75,550 | Yakima County……………… $168,172 |
| Mason County………………….. $150,000 |
In total, project proposals requested more than $12.5 million and fewer than one-fifth were funded.
“There are many communities in Washington where families don’t have access to nearby recreation areas or the areas are worn out and unusable,” Duffy said. “Everyone should be able to get to a park or outdoor area and receive the health benefits, both mental and physical, of spending time outside recreating. These grants are a first step in helping communities provide places to improve the wellbeing of their residents.”
Projects in Klickitat County
Wishram School District Grant Awarded: $50,000
Designing a Ball Field
The Wishram School District will use this grant to enhance the community’s only park and design an athletic field. The park’s current amenities include only a dirt lot, a half basketball court, and small play area. This small, impoverished community has no football, softball, baseball, or soccer fields. The school district will work with the community and a consultant to solicit community input on layout and design and develop site plans for the park and new field. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project.