Tidy up Centennial Trail with the Boy Scouts

Published 10:48 pm Tuesday, April 7, 2009

MARYSVILLE — Close to 600 Boy Scouts from throughout the region plan to spend May 2 cleaning up the well-used Centennial Trail.

Members of the Centennial Trail Coalition of Snohomish County are looking for adult volunteers to help direct the Scouts and their parents. People familiar with the portion of trail that runs from 152nd Street NE south to Snohomish are especially encouraged to volunteer, coalition chairwoman Bea Randall said.

These adult volunteers will need to sign a release form with Snohomish County Parks and Recreation and undergo a simple screening through the Washington State Patrol. This takes a little time, so people are being asked to volunteer now, Randall said.

The Scouts plan to perform cleanup and maintenance duties, work that the county and the trail coalition greatly appreciate, she said.

The Centennial Trail got its start in the late 1980s, when a six-mile segment was established north of Snohomish. It opened in 1989, the state’s centennial year, and primarily follows an old railroad route from the 1800s.

The link north to the Skagit County line is in the works, and Arlington has established trail paths there.

County officials are cautiously optimistic that the gap in the trail from 152nd to 172nd Street NE may be finished, Randall said.

For more information about volunteering for the trail cleanup day or about volunteering with the trail coalition, call Randall at 360-435-3892.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427, gfiege@heraldnet.com.