Done Deal
Published 2:04 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
SNOQUALMIE – The Snoqualmie Preservation Initiative reached a new milestone last Wednesday as land was transferred in a document signing ceremony held at the Salish Lodge and Spa at Snoqualmie Falls.
The ceremony coincided with a $4 million payment from the Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Co. (WRECO) to close the purchase and sale agreement that transfers 145 acres of sensitive land surrounding Snoqualmie Falls to the city of Snoqualmie. The property had been slated for development by Puget Western Inc. (PWI) as part of the corporation’s Falls Crossing business and residential development.
King County Executive Ron Sims signed on behalf of the county, while Snoqualmie Mayor Fuzzy Fletcher and City Attorney Pat Anderson issued their signatures on behalf of the city. PWI representative Dave Yasuda affixed his name, as did Quadrant Corp. CEO Steve Dennis, signing for WRECO. The documents were also signed by Gene Duvernoy, executive director of the Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC). The conservancy group brokered the complex series of land swaps and transfer of development rights that will preserve nearly 10,000 acres of sensitive Snoqualmie Valley land.
“All the legal papers are now signed and the city owns this 145 acres as of today,” Fletcher said. “This is a benchmark day, and I am extremely pleased to have been a part of this. The Falls are now saved for all time.”
The ceremony was witnessed by about 30 city, county and business representatives, including Metropolitan King County Council members Larry Phillips and David Irons. Also in attendance was Jim Ellis, a long-time preservation activist and executive director of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust.
“This was a dedicated effort by everyone,” Irons commented. “But 99 percent of the success comes back to the city. Mayor Fletcher stayed with this and didn’t let it die, no matter how many doors were shut along the way. It took a team, but the city was the captain, and they were able to get everyone to sit down at the table to get this done.”
Following the ceremony, Sims honored the city of Snoqualmie and Fletcher as an individual with an Earth Legacy Award. The award is given to cities, organizations and individuals in recognition of outstanding commitment and action to environmental responsibility.
“This is an incredible project,” Sims told the Valley Record. “It seemed impossible at first, but sometimes the stars just fall right. In this case, they did. The view corridor of the Falls and the Raging River are protected forever through some amazing cooperative efforts. We should savor this moment and commitment to this community.”
At an informal gathering at the Falls Brewery followed the signing ceremony, Duvernoy presented CLC awards to all the parties to the initiative agreement, including county and city leaders, along with PWI and WRECO negotiators.
“It’s been a lot of work,” said Snoqualmie City Administrator Gary Armstrong, “but from the city’s perspective, we’re really just starting. We have a lot of details to begin working on now as things move forward.”
