FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CLC recalls key role in saving East Lake Sammamish Trail

As the community celebrates the formal opening of the East Lake Sammamish Trail and the links it provides to other trails in the region, we should savor the steady, long-term civic commitment and partnerships at the foundation of this success.

King County has long labored to make the trail happen, but there also is a deeper story, the “story behind the story.”

This quiet chapter involves the role of citizens joining to advance a common vision.  It involves the Cascade Land Conservancy and the financial risks it takes to advance the quality of life in the region, often with those willing to put up their own money to accomplish goals.

In 1996, the then Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad stopped service on its line along East Lake Sammamish. King County was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to preserve the right of way as part of “rail bank” movement that developed after the Supreme Court upheld rails to trails legislation in 1990.

Enter what was then called the Land Conservancy of Seattle and King County, later to become the Cascade Land Conservancy.  In early 1997, backed by $2 million in loans from a public-spirited partnership of Ken Alhadeff, the Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation, the Bullitt Foundation, REI and Vulcan Inc., the Conservancy purchased the line as an existing railroad.  The commitment from these lenders was significant -- loaning money to a fledgling organization for a project where success was far from certain.

Negotiations were completed with BNSF in April 1997 and even with a generous discount price the Conservancy found itself on the line for a purchase valued at several times its  balance sheet.

Risky, you bet.  Necessary, of course.

Over the next 18 months, the Conservancy held the title to the railroad and engaged in a costly, hard-fought procedure before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board and the courts to secure “rail bank” designation so the corridor could be preserved and converted to a trail.  Volunteer assistance came from many quarters -- Cascade Bicycle Alliance, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, attorneys Matt Cohen and Mark Johnsen(cq) and public affairs consultant Rick Cocker.

The process took the Conservancy before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals twice before the corridor was saved.

Being a railroad owner was not without its moments of drama - some more like the Perils of Pauline rather than what we might imagine of rail barons.  Issaquah police called the Conservancy one night to do something about crossing barriers that kept going up and down on busy Gilman Boulevard during rush hour.

As owners, the Conservancy was responsible.  A few board members sped to the scene, opened the control box and, not knowing anything about railroad crossings, just started moving wires until the barrier stayed open.

These lighter moments were joined by dark months when the administrative and legal process seemed to run against the Conservancy.  There was the very real specter of a $2 million debt and mounting legal and other expenses to pay off without the real estate to do so.   The Conservancy always recognized this potential threat, but it never wavered because of the importance of this corridor to the quality of life of our community.

Once rail-bank designation was obtained, the right of way was sold to King County in 1998.  The rest of the story of the trail’s development is about the resolute leadership of King County Staff, Executive Sims and County Council members, joined by City of Sammamish officials.

The lost chapter on the trail is a cautionary tale.  Government can and should do much. But it is also up to ordinary citizens to step up to the mark at times.  The Cascade Land Conservancy and its supporters did that almost 10 years ago and ensured the trail is now opening.

Last May the Conservancy and a broad range of partners introduced the Cascade Agenda, a long-term vision for the region that links conservation with the quality of life and economic vibrancy of the region.  The program came from a year and a half of conversations with 4,500 people around the region. The East Lake Sammamish trail helps to advance that vision.

On Tuesday, there will be lots of ceremony around the opening of the trail.  The Conservancy will join in, happy that the region’s trail system has such a wonderful addition.

Now all of us can join those people who made it happen to walk, jog and bike on the trail.

###