Jaime Herrera Beutler Helps Chehalis Recreation Park Improvement Project Move Forward

Statement

The City of Chehalis has been informed that its Chehalis Recreation Park renovation will be able to proceed without significant delay, thanks in part to assistance from Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler.

The project, which would improve four ballfields and make the Penny Playground safer and ADA accessible, had successfully secured state funding earlier this year. However, Washington state was informed by the National Park Service that the federal portion would be delayed, which would also jeopardize timely delivery of the state funding portion. Without a contract secured for these sources of funding, construction could not begin.

The Chehalis Foundation is a partner in this effort, and upon learning of the delay, asked Herrera Beutler for help with the administrator of the project's federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant -- the National Park Service.

Herrera Beutler immediately contacted the National Park Service, urging them to issue a waiver for the project -- a necessary document to release Washington state's portion of the funding. On July 29, five days after Herrera Beutler got involved, the National Park Service notified the state that the waiver had been granted.

"Once completed, the Chehalis Recreation Park will be a safe, accessible and up-to-date resource for children and families from all over Lewis County, and I was happy to answer the call to help the renovation proceed," Herrera Beutler said. "I stand ready to assist however I can to ensure that we have a new playground complex to enjoy in Chehalis, and I applaud the hard work of the Chehalis Foundation and the City of Chehalis in this effort."

"The delays we were experiencing in D.C. put a lot of hard work being done locally to get the Recreation Park project underway in jeopardy," said Chehalis Foundation President Tim Sayler. "It was certainly welcome news when Rep. Herrera Beutler's office notified us that we were being given the green light to proceed with construction. It's nice to have a place to turn for help and their efforts to intervene with the federal agency is just another example of the collaborative approach to this whole project."

"It was amazing how quickly Jaime Herrera Beutler responded. We were facing an entire year lost on this important project and now we can move forward," said Lilly Wall, Recreation Manager City of Chehalis.

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