Chelan County Gathers Public Ideas On Future For Peshastin Site

Chelan County is formulating a plan for future use of a 65-acre site near Peshastin. 

About 35 people attended a workshop Tuesday night where they offered their opinions on what should be done with the land. 

Chelan County spokesperson Jill FitzSimmons says there were concerns about developing the space, including one option calling for creation of a community park. 

"Some of the concerns that came up were certainly about traffic, and overflow from Leavenworth with the high visitor population there," said FitzSimmons. 

Consulting firm SCJ Alliance will now analyze the information collected from the workshop. 

“They’re going to take all of these concerns, all of the input that was given from the citizens, and they’re going to put that together,” FitzSimmons said. “And they’re going to look at what was some of the options that were most popular, and the ones that were the least popular.” 

The Chelan County Department of Natural Resources will issue a report on those findings soon. 

Natural Resources and the Peshastin Community Council are collaborating on plans for the 65 acres after a private landowner offered it for public use.  

The residents who attended the workshop came from not only Pashastin, but from area communities – Leavenworth, Wenatchee, Blewett Pass area. 

The gathering, which took place at Peshastin Memorial Hall, featured six display boards around which attendees were asked to give their thoughts and ideas. 

FitzSimmons said questions about the potential community park centered around how big it should be, what amenities it should offer and should it even be created. 

The Natural Resources department and the Peshastin Community Council held a meeting earlier in January where more definitive plans for the community park were rolled back in favor opening up the possibility to a number of options, including nothing.  

The option for a community park is not dead, however, as the Washington Department of Natural Resources secured a $35,000 grant from the state's Recreation & Conservation Office to help fund a feasibility study for a park. 

The plans for the site are still in the early stages. Next steps will take place once Natural Resources releases its report on the findings from Tuesday’s workshop.