(emailed on August 30, 2022)
Hello supporters of the Chelan Butte,
I just wanted to provide a quick update of where we’re at in the process of trying to preserve the Chelan Butte. The Chelan Basin Conservancy (CBC) has completed nearly a dozen meetings with key individuals, including: Chelan city councilpersons, representatives from the Trust for Public Land and the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, the Chelan mayor and city administrator, and Chelan city staff.
We have received strong support from everyone on the goal of preserving the Butte. Now we move to the more difficult stage of garnering commitments from the city of Chelan to partially fund the project and to actively participate in the process of acquiring the 900 acres of land being targeted. The land trusts have indicated a strong willingness to help make this happen, but only if the city of Chelan shows a tangible commitment to the process.
We believe that City councilpersons, the mayor, and city staff now have a good idea of what would be involved, but we desire to present this in a cohesive summary to ensure that everyone has a common understanding of what it will take. To that end, CBC will be providing a presentation to the city at the City Council Workshop on Tuesday September 6th at 4:00PM at the City Hall public meeting room (135 E Johnson Ave in Chelan). Interested members of the public are welcome to attend (although no public comments will be taken and a couple of other presentations are scheduled, auspiciously related to funding mechanisms available to the City).
We are hopeful that everyone who has signed the petition to preserve the Chelan Butte will remain engaged throughout the process, as your willingness to continue to voice your support for this project will be key to its success. If you know others who are willing to sign the petition and are interested in participating in this process, please direct them to our website!
Thank you!
Brian Patterson – CBC President