A grant proposal from Clallam County Public Works officials for additional construction of the Olympic Discovery Trail recently was ranked first by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation District.

The $460,900 grant will enable a half-mile portion of the abandoned railroad grade along the Spruce Railroad Trail bordering Lake Crescent and the 460-foot McFee Tunnel to be integrated into the the trail.

The grant also will pay for trailhead improvements and necessary expansion.

“This portion of the trail has been one of several critical places,” said Jeff Bohman, president of the Peninsula Trails Coalition. “The ability to move forward with the trail here represents the hard work of Clallam County and Olympic National Park to be able to accomplish this goal.”

The grant from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program administered by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office was one of three grant proposals submitted for the Olympic Discovery Trail, said Chuck Preble, vice president for east Clallam County Peninsula Trails Coalition.

Of the 20 proposals received by the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, the other two proposals for the Olympic Discovery Trail ranked 14 and 18 and may fall below the cutline for the budget the state Legislature will set early next year.

What really made the difference with this grant proposal was having the support and participation of Lisa Turecek — chief of facility management at Olympic National Park — while presenting the project, Rich James, transportation program manager for Clallam County Public Works, said.

The presence of Olympic National Park staff gave the grant review committee the assurance needed to show the park was supportive of the project.

Also, that the Peninsula Trails Coalition was able to make a 10-percent, or $46,000 grant match, proved to the committee there is substantial non-governmental support, James said.

Additionally, given the narrow and winding nature of the road along Lake Crescent the eventual completion of the trail will allow for much safer access for road bicyclists, equestrian use and wheelchairs.

“We were thrilled the project was ranked first,” Bohman said. “We know the ODT is a recreational and economic development opportunity that has the attention both locally and even nationally, but this just further demonstrates how important this project is on a statewide basis.”

Grant backing

In 2008, the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office provided a grant that allowed county officials to complete 6.5 miles of the ODT along Lake Crescent, but the total portion in need of construction is about 10 miles, James said. Piece by piece the ODT continues to come together to connect the west and east ends of the Spruce Railroad Trail.

Although a portion of old railroad grade soon to be refurbished into the ODT will coincide with the existing trail often used to reach an area notoriously known by locals as the “Devil’s Punch Bowl,” James said, both trails will remain and travelers simply will have two options at that point on the ODT.

The designs for the McFee Tunnel portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail are anticipated to be completed throughout 2015, but the actual trail likely will be built in 2016.

Despite a good ranking, funds won’t be granted until late spring or early summer, once the state Legislature has reviewed the budget, Bohman said.

The Peninsula Trails Coalition has submitted an additional three grant proposals to the Recreational Trails Program, also administered by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, Preble said, and should be ranked in early October. Officials with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe also are awaiting the rank of a grant proposal submitted to the Washington State Department of Transportation to complete an eastern section of the ODT in Clallam County.

The construction of the Olympic Discovery Trail is an ongoing endeavor blossomed from a mere vision and began in the late 1980s to create a projected 128-mile route from Port Townsend to the edge of the Pacific Ocean at La Push.

For more information on the ODT, visit www.olympicdiscoverytrail.com.

Reach Alana Linderoth at alinderoth@sequimgazette.com.