Residents along old Evergreen Highway are taking a gamble that they can raise enough money to have room to gambol.
For years, the local residents near the Columbia River have pushed for the construction of a walking trail along the narrow two-lane highway, a stretch of road marked by a lack of sidewalks and an abundance of speeding drivers. The plan is for a 6.5-mile path that will stretch from Wintler Park to 192nd Avenue, about a half-mile of which has been constructed.
That leaves six miles to go at an estimated cost of $1 million per mile. That’s no walk in the park, but residents insist it would be worth it.
“It is more important and pressing than ever to move forward now, to keep our community safe and to preserve a piece of local history,” Rick Takach, chairman of the Evergreen Highway Trail Coalition (http://www.oldevergreenhighway.com), recently wrote in a fundraising letter to local residents.
We agree. The Evergreen Highway Trail is a worthy project, especially because no local public funds are planned for the construction. The trail would enhance the quality of life, safety, and aesthetics in several of Vancouver’s historic neighborhoods. And it would be available for use by the public, not only local residents.
The trail coalition has established levels of donations beginning at $1 (you receive a letter of appreciation) to $6 million (you get the trail named for you). To contribute, visit http://www.parksfoundation.us/OldEvergreenHighwayTrail.php. We wish supporters of the project well in their private fundraising efforts, with the understanding that the proposal doesn’t rise to the threshold of being worthy of public financing in tough financial times.
And there is some hope for the project: Last summer, supporters received a grant of $925,000 in federal money from the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council. That money is earmarked for the design and construction of one mile of trail running west from Ellsworth Road.
According to a story in The Columbian, the grant was the largest of five handed out at that time by the council, which had $2.3 million in federal money to spread around.
The evolution of the Evergreen Highway Trail presents an timely opportunity for all able-bodied local residents. Now is a reasonable time to revisit the importance of adequate spaces for gamboling, walking, running, or pushing a baby stroller.
As author Raymond Inmon once wrote: “If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”
Or, as the late American physician Dr. Paul Dudley White once proclaimed: “A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.”
Safe places to walk enhance the zeitgeist of a community, and a trail along the old Evergreen Highway would help the area maintain its contact with its roots. One of Vancouver’s original thoroughfares, old Evergreen Highway is now flanked by homes ranging from opulent modern riverside estates to modest houses built in the 1930s.
It is within shouting distance of the Columbia River, bisecting the area between the river and Highway 14. It is a scenic, bucolic area, and a walking trail would greatly enhance the beauty and accessibility of the region. And with benefits such as that, there’s really no gamble involved.
