Plain Washington Is Finally Getting A Community Park After An 18 Acre Land Deal

The community of Plain will get its first community park.

Chelan County Commissioners have purchased 18 acres of open green space in Plain for $1.2 million from Grahame Watson, a Plain resident and owner of G&B Properties East of Plain.

The county is using a combination of lodging tax dollars ($600,000) and money from a state sales tax credit the county receives ($600,000).

The site is located across from Plain Hardware and along State Haul Road; the formerly private property has been traditionally used for winter recreation. It has a system of ski trails maintained by the nonprofit group Plain Valley Ski Trail and has been home to the Plain Valley Ski Team.

courtesy Chelan County

“We are thrilled to be able to play a role in the Plain community’s dream to have its own park,” said Commissioner Shon Smith, who represents Plain and District 2. “When residents approached us with a vision for this property, we wanted to help them preserve that space. We wish to see this park become a year-round attraction for both locals and visitors.”

Chelan County Natural Resources will work on a maintenance and operations agreement with Plain Valley Ski Trail, which will likely end up managing the property. The group plans to seek residents' input to help shape the design and year-round amenities for the space.

“When we learned of this potential sale by the property owner and were told it was time sensitive, a steering committee was formed to develop a strategy to secure the land,” said Christie Wilder, Plain Valley Ski Trail executive director. “We approached the county to acquire the land to preserve Plain Valley Ski Trail’s winter access for the ski trails and to further develop a year-round community park in Plain. We are so pleased with the immediate support from our commissioners.”

In a press release, Smith said the purchase serves two purposes. "The Plain community is one of a few rural communities in Chelan County that does not have a community park. The recently completed Chelan County Tourism Impact Assessment also points to the need to offer more opportunities for tourism-related activities in areas that are not already heavily saturated by visitors."