Members of the Federal Way City Council recently gave a unanimous stamp of approval to continue their commitment to protecting and preserving high-value conservation properties within the city.
On Tuesday, Council members unanimously approved authorization for Mayor Jim Ferrell to purchase the Larson-Justice property, a two-acre parcel located in the West Hylebos Basin, for $80,000, plus $1,500 in closing costs.
“In 2012, we set forward to cobble (the Basin) together,” Ferrell said. “We want to preserve and conserve these areas in the future. In the long-term of the future of this community, the conservation of the watershed will pay great dividends, not only to flood control but also to educational and recreational opportunities at that location.”
Federal Way’s commitment to preservation dates back to 1994. The city has made a concerted effort in preserving properties within the Hylebos Basin because of the “riparian corridors’ high-conservation value,” according city documents.
Since 1994, Federal Way has acquired four properties within the West Hylebos Basin, comprising 57.3 acres. These four properties have been acquired with 50 percent funding from the city’s surface water management utility fund and 50 percent funding from King County Conservation Futures grants.
This same funding mechanism will be applied to the purchase of the two-acre Larson-Justice property.
“We are very deliberate on how we utilize these monies,” Ferrell said. “We plan to apply for $40,000 of the costs from a (Conservation Futures) grant. We are being careful stewards of public land, but also careful stewards of public money as well.”
The Larson-Justice property is not included in the seven remaining properties identified by the city for future acquisition. These comprise the Barovic, Snyder, Cadaram, Gowers, Carlson, Ostrom and Castellar parcels. In 2014, the city approached all seven private landowners and none showed interest at the time to sell. But in the fall of 2014, the Larson family approached the city with an interest to sell the Larson-Justice property for the purpose of conservation use.
According to a city documents, approximately 130 feet of the North Fork of West Hylebos Creek and a wetland are located within the northeast quadrant of the Larson property. One of the prime benefits of purchasing the property will be the allowance for the city to construct a proposed nature trail system already identified in the city’s surface water capital improvements list.
“Down the road, this will be a nature trail for education and recreation,” Ferrell said. “We’ll get school kids down there.”
Ferrell has fond childhood memories of the West Hylebos Basin. He remembers him and his identical twin brother adventuring on Hylebos Creek.
“I remember how pristine it was,” Ferrell said.
He also remembers, like it was yesterday, him and his brother dragging a salmon up from the creek to their home. They greeted their mother with the large, smelly fish, who was flummoxed, to say the least.
Ferrell said the fish gets bigger and bigger each time he tells the tale.
Preservation of the Hylebos Creek, with the purchase of the Larson-Justice property, and other parcels, will help with implementation of future water-quality and stream-restoration efforts and environmental stewardship opportunities, providing enjoyment of the creek for future generations.
“It’s going to be a great benefit,” Ferrell said.
