Resident Heron Bluff Trail work is advancing

Great to see the City of Moses Lake move forward with the Heron Bluff Trail. The trail will add a wonderful scenic walking/biking path through Blue Heron Park and provide a safe connection for cyclists to bike out to Mae Valley and Moses Pointe and beyond. The city and the Trail Planning Team have worked many years for this trail and it has broad support from groups and individuals across our city. Trails such as this not only benefit our citizens but they also increase tourism. Neighboring cities like Wenatchee, Yakima, Spokane, and Coeur d'Alene all support trail systems that enhance their cities and attract visitors.

Building the Heron Bluff Trail will run a little over $300,000. However, our hard working city staff has managed to obtain $174,800 of the needed funds from outside grants and donations. That's nearly two-thirds of the final cost from outside funding. These grants came from local corporations and foundations that recognize the value of trails, as well as state granting agencies such as the "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century" and the "Community Economic Revitalization Board". It is not easy to obtain grants in these economic times but the city staff's hard work made it happen.

As part of these grants, many local individuals have written letters of support for the trail, including letters from local legislators, corporate leaders and service club leaders. Supporting letters have also come from the Chamber of Commerce, Grant County Health Department, Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District, The Columbia Basin Foundation, and The Columbia Basin Walleye Club.

This trail is a direct response to what our community requested 10 years ago. In 2003, as a member of the Trails Planning Team, I helped conduct a community wide survey of Moses Lake residents. We sent surveys to over 11,000 people and found that resident's highest priority for trails were those along the Moses Lake shoreline and those that forged connections. Heron Bluff Trail accomplishes both.

Joe Rogers

Moses Lake