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2019-10-15 Outdoor RecreationOutdoor Recreation Leadership in Lewis County October 15, 2019 9:15 a.m. Present: Commissioner Fund, Commission Jackson via phone, Tamara Hayes, Mary Kay Nelson, Steve Walton, Doug Carey, Bethany Montgomery (intern), and Trent Richardson Recorder: Candace Hallom Commissioner Fund stated Mary Kay Nelson, who sent an email to the BOCC, initiated this meeting. Mary Kay explained her research on campsites on the byway. The White Pass Scenic Byway is looking closer at outdoor recreation. The Byway had a summit one year ago to discuss outdoor recreation further. A steering committee was created and the committee met monthly. The meetings discontinued in July because of time and the committee was not getting anywhere. Mary Kay feels the issue is a countywide issue and needs addressed by all. Trent stated one goal for the summit was to see if there was interest. There was a lot of interest, but they did not find a group of individuals who want to take on the project of outdoor recreation. Today’s meeting is to ascertain the level of interest of the County. This will help determine if it is worth moving forward with a recreation plan. Tamara Hayes stated a recreation plan is good for Lewis County due to opportunities for grant funding. Commissioner Jackson stated the information is good and something we need to discuss further. Commissioner Fund stated recreation drives our lodging tax dollars and she believes we can do more. She would like to see us expand. She asked if an LTAC application was submitted. Mary Kay stated they do not have a project for an LTAC application at this time. The first step is getting commitments to work on projects. Tamara asked if an outdoor recreation commission needs formed. Steve Walton stated it would be worthwhile to look into this further. Commissioner Fund stated she would like the group to come to the Legislative Roundtable on November 1st. Trent stated they just wanted to make sure that Lewis County wants to be a part of this. The Commissioners agreed that they are interested. Meeting ended at 9:45 a.m.