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closeSumner keeps connecting the dots for trails
Roxanne Cooke
As Sumner’s trail plan receives updates this spring, city officials continue to look toward finishing up the city’s trail system to connect the dots to Orting, Pacific and the areas beyond those communities.
“We’re the hub of the wheel,” said Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow.
Updates to the Sumner/Pacific Master Trail Plan are mostly “housekeeping” alterations that aim to address changes in funding, environmental conditions and design constraints over the past 12 years, said Sumner Senior Planner Ryan Windish. The updates also include a new map that shows the planned trail connections as well as the completed portions.
Last summer, the city completed a portion of trail that connects Sumner’s trail from the confluence of the White and Puyallup rivers to the bridge over the Puyallup River. It allows access from Sumner’s Traffic Avenue and Puyallup’s East Main Street.
“You’re able to connect safely” to the Puyallup trail, Windish said.
There are seven portions of the trail that are not yet complete. The total cost of constructing these sections is estimated at $4.3 million, which will mostly come from grants.
The city could have increased taxes to help pay for the trail connections, Enslow said, but instead the city is designing and constructing the pieces as grants are awarded. Doing it incrementally is more economical than a huge one-time expense.
“The holes are just filling in,” Enslow said. “This system is becoming complete.”
The design of three of the seven trail sections is complete, but none have been constructed yet. The city has applied for several grants to pay for the design, right-of-way and construction costs of the seven portions.
The goal of Sumner’s plan: Connect the city to a regional trail and recreation system. To the north, it will connect to Pacific. To the south, it provides a link to the Orting Foothills Trail.
City officials also hope that connecting the pieces will offer a biking alternative to commuters who usually drive to the Sumner Sounder Station.
Sumner Communications Director Carmen Palmer said that the status of Sumner’s trail system is one of the most common questions she is asked. She noted that during the Daffodil Parade a couple of weeks ago, the Orting Foothills trail was jam-packed — and locals said that was the norm, even on a non-parade day.
“It’s not really a matter of if you build it, they will come,” Palmer said. “They’re here.”
The Sumner/Pacific Master Trail Plan was originally adopted in 1996. The city’s Planning Commission will review the updated plan at its May 1 meeting before the updates go to the city council for approval.