The in basket: I happened past the inlet and boat launching area at Olalla a couple of weeks ago and saw what appeared to be dead trees lying laterally along the toe of the parking area, best known as the site of the annual Jan. 1 Polar Bear plunge.
I was in too big a hurry that day to stop, so went back Wednesday to check out what I’d seen. By then a couple of tree root balls protruded from the soil along the edge of the newly paved boat launching ramp. They were enclosed in a planting area of native-looking vegetation that separated the new pavement from the water.
I asked County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido at last week’s ribbon cutting at the new Blackjack Creek pedestrian bridge in Port Orchard what was happening in Olalla and she referred me to the county parks department.
The out basket; Parks director Jim Dunwiddie says the boat launch is the fourth county park property to get pervious pavement that lets storm water pass through rather than running untreated into the salt water. The native plantings constitute a water garden that will filter pollutants out of what runoff gets that far.
“There was some paving breaking off into the water and we had no real way to address the water runoff in that area (before the work),” he said.
The Point No Point, Wildcat Lake and Horseshoe Lake parking areas were done last year, he said.
The boat ramp has been closed since Oct. 5, but may be open again by now. The paving was done Wednesday and cones and tape barricaded it that day. Some future short closures are possible for paint striping.
The project is described on the park’s Web site, www.kitsapgov.com/parks/. It says the next closest boat launches for small craft are in Manchester and Gig Harbor.
Jim said he doesn’t expect the changes to interfere with the Jan. 1 Plunge
I hope the County did a better job than the Bremerton street department did laying the pervious pavement on Pacific. It’s coming apart by the handful.