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AN ORDINANCE authorizing the King County executive to sign the recreational trail use agreement with Puget Sound Energy for permission to use portions of PSE property for the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Interurban Trail South.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. In 1977, Puget Sound Energy granted a recreational easement to King County that allowed for the development, maintenance, and operation of a public recreational trail on Puget Sound Energy's fee-owned property.
2. The fourteen-mile-long Interurban Trail was constructed in the 1970's and early 1980's by King County, connecting the cities of Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Algona, and Pacific.
3. In 2002, the 1977 recreational easement for the Interurban Trail expired, and the trail has since fallen into disrepair. King County and Puget Sound Energy began discussions on how to provide for the continued maintenance and operation of the Interurban Trail on the Puget Sound Energy-owned property.
4. On January 19, 2018, Puget Sound Energy filed a Petition for Declaratory Order with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission under Declaratory Order U-180068. The petition requested that the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission allow Puget Sound Energy to grant King County permission to use the property in order to operate, maintain, and improve the Interurban Trail for public recreation purposes. Order 01 was issued by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on March 6, 2018, granting Puget Sound Energy authorization to allow King County use of the property for recreational purposes.
5. King County is authorized to enter into this agreement under chapter 36.89.030 RCW, and Puget Sound Energy is so authorized by and through the authority granted to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
6. Ordinance 18890, enacted May 2, 2019, called for a special election to authorize the King County parks, recreation, trails, and open space levy for 202...
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