Washougal eyes land purchase for trail

The city of Washougal is hoping to purchase land that would connect Schmid Family Park to the lower portion of Hathaway Park.

Washougal City Administrator David Scott said the idea is to have greenway connectivity all along the city’s parks holdings on the Washougal River in that area.

The city is estimating the total cost of the .22 acres to be acquired would be $55,000. One-half of that would be paid for by the Clark County Legacy Lands program, also known as the Conservation Futures Program.

“This program is fully funded by conservation futures property tax revenues,” Scott said. “This is the same program that paid for half of the Schmid Family Park acquisition.”

Schmid Family Park, 1407 32nd St., was established in 2016, when the city of Washougal purchased 17.81 acres from Schmid Family Limited Partnership I for $599,000. Washougal received $299,500 from Clark County Conservation Futures.

George Schmid & Sons, Inc., previously operated at the recreation area for more than 50 years.

Hathaway Park, 799 25th St., was established in 1910.

The Washougal City Council is expected to decide during its Jan. 22 meeting whether to pursue the purchase of the .22 acres for the connector trail.