On Monday the Council approved the purchase of the over 100 acres owned by the University of Washington at Wellington Hills. The purchase price was $9.7 million.

"This is a great chance to provide more recreational opportunities in Southwest County," said Councilmember Dave Gossett. "It's not easy to find a property this size that is properly zoned and easily developable for park purposes."

The Wellington Hills property is located south of Highway 522 near Maltby. It includes the Wellington Hills golf course.

"When King County decided to build the Brightwater plant in Snohomish County to handle future sewage they were required to provide $70 million for community mitigation," noted Gossett. "As part of the county's negotiating team I pushed hard for a commitment to parks and over $30 million of the settlement was dedicated to parks projects."

Three other parks have been funded with Brightwater mitigation funds. They include:

• Tambark Creek Community Park on 35^th Avenue near 180th. The 38 acre park is under construction and expected to open later this year. It will include one large multi-use synthetic turf soccer/baseball field, two restrooms, parking areas, trails, an off-leash area, and a picnic shelter.
• Miner's Corner Community Park at 228^th St SE and 45^th Ave SE near Bothell. The 13 acre park is expected to start construction this fall and open in 2013. Plans include trails, a picnic shelter, an open field for pick-up games, parking, and restrooms.
• Paradise Valley Conservation Area near Highway 522 east of Wellington Hills. Another 127 acres were purchased to add to the over 600 acres the county already owned. The area includes more than 13 miles of trails and the county's first mountain bike skills park.

Brightwater park mitigation money legally must be used for the purchase and development of parks within four miles of the Brightwater plant. Other Brightwater mitigation funds are dedicated to public safety construction projects ($25.9 million), habitat improvements ($10.8 million), and a community center ($3 million).

"The county will now start work on a master plan for the new park," said Gossett. "Initial thoughts are that this property will make a great ballfield complex, but we will have to see what the community wants."

Brightwater dollars are available to develop the new park at Wellington Hills.

If you are interested in taking part in the master planning process contact Dave Gossett at 425-388-3494 or dave.gossett@co.snohomish.wa.us.

Thanks to County Employees During Bad Weather

Snohomish County citizens were well served by county employees during last week's severe snow and ice storm.

"Our Public Works staff worked around the clock to keep roadways as open and drivable as possible given the extreme weather," said Councilmember Dave Gossett. "They plowed over 15,000 miles of roadway and put over 4,000 tons of salt down to clear ice and snow."

When the snow started to melt road crews started working to clear drainage outlets to prevent local flooding. They also worked to remove fallen trees and other debris from the side of roads.

Sheriff's deputies were also called upon to help citizens deal with the weather. Deputies responded to at least 112 traffic accidents and 320 traffic hazards associated with the storm. At the same time they continued to provide emergency response even in the dangerous conditions.

"We owe all county and other public employees who helped us cope with this storm our thanks," said Gossett. "Road crews, deputies, fire fighters, emergency management personnel, and many others worked hard to keep us safe."

The storm also reminds everyone to be prepared for future winter storms. For information on preparedness go to the following link http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/NR/exeres/E90BF649-FE9A-4959-8F2D-8FFF7C8521CB,frameless.htm?NRMODE=Published