Public invited to provide input regarding Touchet Valley Trail

DAYTON—The Touchet Valley Trail Steering Committee, in partnership with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program, is hosting a design workshop in order to develop early stage design concepts for the trail. The design charrette (workshop) takes place this Saturday, October 26th from 5–7 pm at the Columbia County Fairgrounds Pavilion. A light sandwich dinner will be provided for all who attend.

In an email, organizers shared a link to a downloadable summary of the comments about the trail from the community process thus far.

One of the goals of the design workshop is to brainstorm ideas to help address some of the concerns and challenges organizers have heard from community members. 

The Port's Economic Development Coordinator Kathryn Witherington said design professionals from the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects will volunteer their time to facilitate the intensive two-day workshop with the help of ten students from WSU and two students from the University of Washington, along with community stakeholders.

Here is the schedule for the public portion of the workshop:

Design Ideas Presentation and Workshop-open to the public

A light sandwich dinner will be provided for all who attend

5:00 PM         Welcome and introductions

5:05 PM         Project History and Proposed Timeline 

5:15 PM         Overview of NPS-ASLA Partnership

Alex Stone, National Park Service 

5:20 PM         What is landscape architecture and what is a charrette?

Don Benson, American Society of Landscape Architects, Washington Chapter 

5:25 PM         Design Team Presentations

6:15 PM         Community Workshop

Gallery walk to view design ideas up close

Conversations with design teams

Sticky dot voting 

6:45 PM         Raffle Drawings 

6:55 PM         Thank You and Close

Community members are asked to note that this is a VERY early-stage design exercise. Surveying, planning, and design will begin later this year and continue into 2020. Feedback from this design charrette will be used as a starting point. More information on the design workshop can be found on the Port of Columbia's website. https://www.portofcolumbia.org/design-workshop-planned-for-touchet-valley-trail/