QUILCENE — Count Me In for Quilcene is launching a community trail project through the south Jefferson County village.
Count Me In for Quilcene (CMIQ), a community service group, has received a major grant to fund the initial work on a proposed community trail, organizers said in a press release.
The funding from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) will support design, construction and installation of eight kiosks along the route of what CMIQ hopes will be a 3.1-mile-long walking trail through the village.
“Each kiosk will have a theme,” CMIQ President Linda Herzog said, “such as salmon, logging, native plants or fishing and aquaculture, and include information on the Twana people native to the Quilcene area.”
“The AARP award gives this project terrific momentum,” Herzog continued.
“We’re especially pleased because their Community Challenge program received thousands of submissions this year from all over the country. Ours was one of only 8 percent of proposals funded, and it was one of the largest in terms of total monetary award.”
Board member Cass Brotherton said the AARP staff told the group that what sent the proposal to the top was the tremendous community support it received.
“Our proposal was accompanied by 18 thoughtful and enthusiastic letters of endorsement from a wide array of community organizations,” she said. “That can-do Quilcene spirit made all the difference.”
Board Member Tom Brotherton said one side of each kiosk will feature a piece of artwork, such as paintings of Salish Sea creatures donated by artist Jacob Kohn and a wooden eagle carved by former Quilcene resident Bob Canterbury.
The other side will have more information on that kiosk’s theme.
CMIQ has already held several community meetings to brainstorm about the design of the kiosks and associated benches, and about the information, photos, themes and stories that should be included on each kiosk. And more community meetings and work parties are in the works, organizers said.
“This is not a CMIQ project,” Herzog said. “It’s a community project — a way for residents to highlight what makes this place so special.
“We’re hoping that everyone who wants to participate will contribute ideas. So we’re doing lots and lots of listening and note-taking,” she continued.
“But we’ll need to recruit volunteer work crews and start picking up our hammers and shovels soon,” she said.
“AARP has set a deadline of late November for all of this year’s Community Challenge projects to be completed.”
