Parks and recreation in Centralia, Washington is administered by the Centralia Parks and Recreation Department (CPRD). The agency oversees a variety of sites, including natural areas, community recreation facilities, and city parks, classified as either neighborhood or community. The department also oversees several single-purpose sites in the city and partners with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on maintenance and improvements to several areas, including Hayes and Plummer lakes. Centralia hosts privately owned parks and there are some trails under volunteer oversight.
Centralia's first organized park and recreation plan began in 1963 and the agency has long had plans to create a trail corridor system that would link the parks in the community. [1] As of 2024 [update] , the Centralia Parks and Recreation Department had an operating budget of over $2.5 million, and employed 161 people. [1] : 11 [2]
Centralia classifies most parks under 10 acres (4.0 ha), and within residential areas, as a neighborhood park. [1] : 23
Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brick Wagner Park | 1929 | Plummer Lake - 317 Tilley Drive | 0.28 acres (0.11 ha) | A small park, expanded twice in 1934 and 1974, that provides boating and fishing access to Plummer Lake. [3] [4] [2] : 27 | |
Cedar Street Park | 1969 | Centralia College - 310 S. Cedar Street | 0.83 acres (0.34 ha) | Located in a neighborhood next to the college, it contains courts, playgrounds, and open grass areas. The grounds were replanted with shade trees in 2009. [5] The city traded the parcel to the college in 2017 in exchange for tennis courts. As part of the trade, the park must remain unchanged until 2027 and the college will have total control of the grounds in 2037. [6] [1] : 23, 36 | |
Central Park | ![]() | 1970 | Downtown District - 215 North Tower Ave | 0.03 acres (0.012 ha) | Once the site of a condemned office building, it became a city park when it was acquired and the site renovated. [7] The Centralia Downtown Association took over the responsibilities of the area in 2016. [8] [2] : 27–28 |
Gold Street Tennis Courts | 2017 | Downtown District - 270 S Gold Street | 0.69 acres (0.28 ha) | An agreed exchanged with Centralia College for Cedar Park, the area was converted into a mixed-use site, especially for tennis and pickleball. [9] [2] : 28 | |
Logan Park | 1994 | Edison District - 1411 Logan Street | 1.91 acres (0.77 ha) | A neighborhood park, originally known as Logan Community Park, is owned by the school district. It is leased to the city and contains ball courts, a playground, and picnic amenities. [2] : 30 [10] [11] | |
Veteran's Memorial Community Park | 2024 | Downtown District - 505 N Pearl St | 0.91 acres (0.37 ha) | Once the home of the 1950s Veterans Memorial Pearl Street Pool, shuttered in 2011 and filled in 2023, the new park is planned to encompass the existing Pearl Street Memorial Plaza, which includes the Splash Pad, as well as additions for sports and playground areas and other amenities. [12] [13] [1] : 29 | |
Centralia classifies most parks between 10 acres (4.0 ha) and 100 acres (40 ha) as a community park, provided that the area contains a variety of leisure activities, such as sports, hiking, or picnicking. The classification also includes grounds at Centralia Middle School, Centralia High School, and Centralia College, but not elementary school recreation areas. School park areas are not under oversight of the CPRD, but in a cooperative partnership with the education systems to help expand or maintain the land, especially if the school grounds are adjacent to a city park. [1] : 23–24
Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fort Borst Park | 1900 | West District - 2020 Borst Avenue | 121.0 acres (49.0 ha) | The multi-use park contains sports fields, picnic areas, trails, access to water features, and historic buildings. [14] [1] : 24 The grounds also hosts the Borst Park Dog Park. [15] [16] [2] : 31 | |
George Washington Park | ![]() | 1881 | Downtown District - 110 S. Pearl Street | 2.0 acres (0.81 ha) | The park contains several memorials, with a sculpture bench of Centralia's founder, George Washington, plus an honorary plaque near the center of the grounds. The grounds are used for several events, contains a gazebo, and is home to the city library. [17] [2] : 33 The park was created during the original platting of the city. [18] |
Rotary-Riverside Park | 1983 | Shopping District - 313 Lowe Street | 14.05 acres (5.69 ha) | The grounds were once owned and maintained by the local Rotary Club. The park contains ballfields, playground and picnic amenities, and provides access to the Skookumchuck River. It is also home to the Fuller's Twin City Skate Park and a nine-hole disc golf course. [19] [20] [21] [2] : 34 | |
The classification covers areas in a more natural setting, with recreational activities geared toward hiking or exploration. [1] : 25 [lower-alpha 1]
Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agnew Mill Pond (China Creek) Park | 2013 | China Creek - 1001 N Gold Street | 28.22 acres (11.42 ha) (Agnew) 22.48 acres (9.10 ha) (China Creek) | Undeveloped riparian wetlands, the Agnew parcel was donated anonymously to the city. The combined grounds are used as part of a flood control measure in association with the China Creek Flood Project. [22] [23] [2] : 35 | |
Bridge Street Park | Hayes Lake - 123 W. Bridge Street | 2.7 acres (1.1 ha) | An undeveloped waterfront park, visitors can access Hayes Lake. [2] : 36 The area contains various species of ducks and other birds, including bald eagles and cormorants. [24] [25] | ||
Ed S. Mayes Landscape Bed | 1910 | Edison District - 1219 W. 1st Street | 0.03 acres (0.012 ha) | Located at the original gateway to the city near the Skookumchuck River, the landscaped area is planted with rhododendrons. [26] [2] : 37 | |
Gold Street Overpass | 1968 | South Centralia - Gold Street and Kresky Avenue Overpass | 1.23 acres (0.50 ha) | An open space and natural area, with a dog park added in 2023, it surrounds an overpass from the southern entrance from SR 507 into downtown. [27] [2] : 37 | |
Plummer Lake Boat Launch | 1995 | Plummer Lake - 1520 Lewis Street | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) | Situated on state land overseen by the WDFW, the area provides another point of non-motorized boat access to the lake. [28] [2] : 43 | |
Prairie Estates Park | Coffee Creek District - 525 W. Prairie Rose Street | 2.2 acres (0.89 ha) | Undeveloped wetland area. [29] | ||
Seminary Hill Natural Area | 1960s | East Centralia - 902 E. Locust Street | 82.6 acres (33.4 ha) | Once the location of a seminary, the park, consisting of two parcels, contains over 2.0 miles (3.2 km) of trails through mixed forest. [30] [31] [2] : 40 | |
Washington Street Park | Downtown District - Washington Street at Park Street | 0.06 acres (0.024 ha) | An open area believed to be the location of the original home of Centralia's founder, George Washington. [32] [2] : 41 | ||
Wilbur Parkins Park | 1972 | Skookumchuck River at Meridian Avenue | 6.13 acres (2.48 ha) | Expanded in 1990, it was once known as Crescent Park. Used mostly for fishing, the area underwent a 2005 wetland restoration that removed invasive species. [33] [2] : 42 | |
Woodland Park | 3.31 acres (1.34 ha) | Located in a flood zone, the parcel is required to remain as an open space. [2] : 42 |
Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hubbub Pocket Sculpture Park [lower-alpha 1] | 2011 | Downtown District - 501 N Tower Ave | A privately owned space in a parking lot, the park contains sculptures primarily created by local artists. [35] [36] The largest artwork, Shatkona, used to reside at the Monarch Contemporary Art Center and Sculpture Park. [37] | ||
Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bob Peters Field | 2023 | Centralia Community College campus | 4.0 acres (1.6 ha) | Named after a long-serving athletic director at the school, the complex contains fields for baseball, soccer, and softball. [38] | |
Centralia Community Pool | 1970s | West District - 910 Johnson Rd | Indoor facility | Ultimately replacing the Veteran's Memorial Pearl Street Pool, the facility is run under a joint contract between the city, the school district, and a local fitness company. First priority for usage is given to children and school-related activities. [39] | |
Pearl Street Memorial Plaza (Splash Pad) | 2017 | Downtown District - 539 N. Pearl Street | 0.91 acres (0.37 ha) | A spray park built as a remembrance to those who served in the military. [13] | |
Under the CPRD, several buildings or locations are considered a special facility. Classified as a single-purpose location, this includes such sites as the Armory Hills Golf Course, the Centralia Train Depot, the First Street trees, and the Sticklin Greenwood Cemetery and Washington Lawn Cemetery. [1] : 26 The classification also includes historical buildings and sites within Fort Borst Park. [2] : 23, 44–47
Several parks and natural areas contain hiking trails of various surfaces and difficulty. [1] : 25–26,
The largest trail that is not connected to a park is the Discovery Trail, a level 1.5-mile (2.4 km) path that traverses through restored riparian habitat that parallels the Chehalis River. Opened in 2006, it is located north of Centralia in Ford's Prairie. [40] Volunteer efforts that includes local student involvement, have replanted the area since the path's early beginnings, and the repaired ecosystem is home to a variety of wildlife, including beaver, deer, and eagles. [41] The trail is overseen by the city and is part of a habitat conservation easement owned by the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust. [42]
The parks system has long been planned to be linked by a trail corridor, allowing residents and visitors access to a variety of recreation opportunities. [2] : 59–65 [43] Expansion of existing parks, including upgrades, have taken precedence in the 21st century, including emphasis on retaining or reinvigorating historically important concerns with the park system. [1]
Lewis County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 82,149. The county seat is Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia. Lewis County comprises the Centralia, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.
Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a population of 18,183 at the 2020 census. Centralia is twinned with Chehalis, located to the south near the confluence of the Chehalis and Newaukum rivers.
Chehalis is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,439 at the time of the 2020 census.
Fords Prairie is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,234 at the 2020 census.
Morton is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,036 at the 2020 census.
The Chehalis River is a river in Washington in the United States. It originates in several forks in southwestern Washington, flows east, then north, then west, in a large curve, before emptying into Grays Harbor, an estuary of the Pacific Ocean. The river is the largest solely contained drainage basin in the state.
Adna is an unincorporated community located in Lewis County, Washington.
Rainbow Falls State Park is a public recreation area on the Chehalis River. It is situated off Washington State Route 6 and is approximately 1.0-mile (1.6 km) east of the town of Dryad, Washington.
Chehalis–Centralia Airport is a city-owned public use airport located in Chehalis, a city in Lewis County, Washington. The airport lies one mile (1.6 km) west of the town.
Littell is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, Washington, United States, located off Washington State Route 6 between the towns of Adna and Claquato.
Ceres, also known as Ceres Hill, was a former farming and railroad depot community and is a locale in Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The area is located off Washington State Route 6 in a bend of the Chehalis River. The Willapa Hills Trail bisects the former community.
Swofford, also known as Swofford Valley, is an unincorporated community in central Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The town sits on the south shore of Riffe Lake, approximately 4.0 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Mossyrock.
Parks and recreation in Chehalis, Washington is administered by the Chehalis Parks and Recreation Department. Trails that connect Chehalis with locations beyond the city limits are maintained in conjunction with other local jurisdictions, state government agencies, and/or local non-profit groups and volunteers.
The Recreation Park Complex is located in Chehalis, Washington in the city's South Market district near the Green Hill School. The venue, also known as the Chehalis Sports Complex, contains four distinct parks within its borders, providing recreation for athletics, walking, swimming, and playground activities.
Stan Hedwall Park is the largest park in Chehalis, Washington at 204-acres. It is located west of I-5, and southeast of Lintott-Alexander Park and the beginning trailhead for the Willapa Hills Trail.
Millett Field is the oldest, continuously used public park in Chehalis, Washington and is most noted as home to a Chehalis minor-league baseball team in the early 20th century. The ballfield was regularly used as the central hub of Chehalis sporting activity for decades, including hosting games for several Negro League teams in the 1920s. Located in the city's South Market district, one block north of the NRHP-listed O. B. McFadden House, the 3.3-acre (1.3 ha) park began in 1898.
John Dobson and McFadden Parks were once the center of the Chehalis, Washington park system and they were referred to by residents as the "Top-of-the-Hill" parks due to their proximity to one another. They are the two oldest non-athletic parks in Chehalis. Begun as memorials to well respected Chehalis residents, they are located in the Hillside district on Park Hill, above and east of the historic downtown. The parks are connected by the Dobson-McFadden Trail.
The Willapa Hills Trail is a 56.0-mile (90.1 km) intercounty rail trail in the U.S. state of Washington that is part of the Willapa Hills State Park. Following an east–west route alongside State Route 6, the tract links Chehalis and South Bend, traveling through or near several small towns and parks along the way. Overseen by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, local cities and towns often maintain areas of the trail within their jurisdictions. The trail is built upon a decommissioned railroad track.
The Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority is a state government program that oversees the watershed of the Chehalis River in Washington state. The commission focuses on flood control and river health, as well as habitat restoration, with particular attention to native plants, fish, and other aquatic species. It partners with various non-profits, local organizations, Native American communities and tribes, and other state and federal government agencies, often through its program, the Chehalis Basin Strategy.
PDF combined with city board meeting agenda and minutes; scroll down to Park Plan
Photo caption