Title
Special Recognition - Approval to Rename the Olympia Woodland Trail the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
At their meeting on September 21, 2017, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) recommended that should the City of Lacey change the name of the Lacey Woodland Trail to honor former State Senator Karen Fraser, that the City of Olympia should change the name of its section of the trail to “Karen Fraser Woodland Trail.”
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to rename the Olympia Woodland Trail the “Karen Fraser Woodland Trail.”
Report
Issue:
Whether the Olympia Woodland Trail should be renamed the “Karen Fraser Woodland Trail” to honor Senator Fraser’s contributions to the community.
Staff Contact:
Jonathon Turlove, Associate Director, Parks, Arts and Recreation, 360.753.8068
Presenter(s):
Jonathon Turlove, Associate Director, Parks, Arts and Recreation
Background and Analysis:
The Woodland Trail is a regional paved walking/biking trail that spans Olympia and Lacey and connects to the Chehalis-Western Trail. The portion in Lacey is named the “Lacey Woodland Trail” and the portion in Olympia is named the “Olympia Woodland Trail.”
On August 2, 2017, the Lacey Board of Park Commissioners recommended to Lacey City Council that they rename Lacey’s portion of the Woodland Trail after former State Senator Karen Fraser. On September 11, 2017, Lacey’s General Government Committee agreed with the recommendation and sent it to their full city council for consideration on September 28, 2017.
Karen Fraser has been a trailblazer in the region. She was Lacey’s first female councilmember, and in 1976 was elected as Lacey’s first female mayor. Senator Fraser went on to serve eight years as a Thurston County Commissioner and four years as a state representative. She was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1993 and served as a state senator until December 2016.
Senator Fraser has been a strong advocate for park projects in Olympia and in the region. She consistently supported strong funding levels for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, a major funding source for local park projects. Perhaps most notably for Olympia’s parks, Senator Fraser was also instrumental in Olympia receiving two major state appropriations for Percival Landing reconstruction, one for $3 million in 2010 and one for $921,500 to be used for the upcoming bulkhead replacement project.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
While broad community interests are unknown, Jack Horton, the president of the Olympia Woodland Greenway Association is supportive of the name change as is Jamie Rainwood, who, along with wife Carol Rainwood, envisioned the concept of the trail and approached the City with his idea in 1990.
Options:
1. Move to approve renaming the Olympia Woodland Trail the “Karen Fraser Woodland Trail.”
2. Move to approve an alternate name that honors Karen Fraser, such as the “Karen Fraser Trail.”
3. Do not rename the Olympia Woodland Trail.
Financial Impact:
Minor costs for signage changes.
Attachments:
None.