State awards Elma School District Grant of $1.3M creating community athletic fields

Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 25, 2025

The Recreation and Conservation Office today announced the award of more than $67 million in grants for 105 projects across the state to support outdoor recreation and conservation of wildlife habitat.

The projects develop parks, renovate recreational facilities and preserve important wildlife habitats.

“This investment in our communities is critical,” said Megan Duffy, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office. “It provides more spaces for people to enjoy the outdoors and helps protect the natural environments that make our state unique.”

Projects in Grays Harbor County

Elma School District Grant

$1.3 million creating community athletic fields

In a collaborative effort between the Elma School District, Elma McCleary Youth Soccer and the city of Elma, they proposed a development-focused project aimed at transforming current farm pasture owned by the Elma School District into outdoor athletic facilities.

This initiative is dedicated to enhancing the community’s access to high-quality outdoor sports venues, specifically targeting underserved populations. By renovating current fields and developing additional spaces, this project intends to create a vibrant, inclusive environment that promotes physical activity and social engagement through soccer.

The project’s blueprint includes the construction of multiple soccer fields, designed to accommodate a wide range of age groups and competitive levels, from young children in Grays Harbor County to the high school varsity teams. These fields will serve over 600 local athletes, hosting an estimated 238 games per year and directly impacting approximately 3,650 participants.

Their development plan encompasses the installation of advanced sod, comprehensive irrigation systems, and effective drainage solutions, along with the addition of safety measures like backstop fencing to ensure a secure playing environment.

Moreover, the introduction of covered seating and energy-efficient lighting systems aims to extend facility usability, enabling evening activities and increasing overall community participation.

McCleary Grant

$500,000 improving Beerbower Park

The city of McCleary will use this grant to renovate and further develop Beerbower Park, which is in the center of the downtown district, across from City Hall.

The city will replace unsafe playground equipment and expand the playground by 20 feet, adding a rubber tile surface. Other upgrades include restroom plumbing, accessibility improvements, and an electronic sign at the park entrance. Additionally, the city will replace posts and nets for three pickleball courts and a basketball court, add more seating by installing benches and picnic tables, place planters around the park and the pavilion, and replace the drinking fountain with one that includes a bottle fill station.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant:

$236,700 redeveloping the White Bridge boat ramp

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to redevelop the closed boat ramp at its White Bridge Water Access area on the Wynoochee River.

The department will remove the ramp, replace the planks and base concrete armoring, and then reinstall the improved ramp. The new design will reduce the ramp slope, significantly reducing the force of the water and erosion.

The boat launch is important for fishing and floating on the Wynoochee River and Black Creek. Steelhead fishing on the Wynoochee is one of the most popular types of fishing on the Olympic Peninsula.

The grants fund a range of projects including building a boat ramp at Lake Wenatchee’s only public launch, expanding a parking lot for the Chimacum Ridge Community Forest in Jefferson County, preserving an orchard and shrub-steppe habitat on the foothills overlooking Lake Chelan, building a stretch of a multiuse trail in Port Angeles and building a skatepark on the Colville Indian Reservation in Ferry County.

“All of these projects help keep Washington a place where people want to live, tourists want to visit and businesses want to locate,” Duffy said. “And the money they spend recreating supports Washington’s economy and provides jobs.”

The grants are distributed through a competitive process, ensuring that the most impactful projects receive funding, Duffy said.