Skate park proposal hits speed bump

Landfill site has drawbacks, say county officials

LIONA TANNESEN THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- Thurston County commissioners learned this week that placing a regional park for BMX bicycles, inline skates and skateboards on an old county landfill might not be an easy task.

Lacey officials and a parent first met with county officials in January about the site at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center, formerly the Hawks Prairie Landfill.

"I'm still really open to looking at this," County Commissioner Cathy Wolfe said. "There's just a lot of things to be worked through."

Access to gas coils

County Commissioner Diane Oberquell, who asked many questions during a presentation by the county's Water and Waste Management Department, said traffic concerns could be resolved.

"There are other concerns I don't think can be mitigated," Oberquell said.

County staff discussed liability, access to underground coils that collect gas and relocating the Hazo House and Recycle Center.

The park would include a 2.5-acre BMX track, 1.5 acres for dirt-bike jumps and practice, and 1.5 acres -- which could be divided into a beginner and an experienced section -- of jumps and other devices for bikers, boarders and inline skaters.

County commissioners and Lacey officials plan to visit the former landfill April 2.

"We're not opposed to this," said Dick Blinn, director of the county's Department of Water and Waste Management. "There are some things that need to be looked at in detail."

The coils of underground pipes collecting gas underneath the proposed park will be there for 20 to 30 more years, until the former landfill doesn't produce gas.

The amount of maintenance depends on a variety of factors, including how much the garbage settles, said Scott Schimelfenig, solid waste manager.

The coils have been in the ground for 10 years, and maintenance on them this summer will be the first, Blinn said.

Above-ground coils need more frequent maintenance, Blinn said. Now they are maintained about once a week, but they hope to taper off to once a month.

A leachate lagoon, above-ground gas valves and pipes, a 12-foot drop-off at the transfer station and electrical cabinets could be tempting or dangerous to young people, Schimelfenig said.

The issues can be resolved, Blinn said.

County Commissioner Kevin O'Sullivan suggested a fence around the lagoon.

"We recognize that there may be problems that either can be overcome with technical answers or design solutions -- or that conceivably it might not be the right location," Lacey Mayor Graeme Sackrison said.

The city also has been looking at other vacant property.

"I think it's important that people understand that we are committed to working with the citizen group ... to find a suitable site," Sackrison said. "That may either be a short process or a long process."

On the Web:

-City of Lacey

-Thurston County

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