Information

Type: Deliberation

Department: BOCC - Board of County Commissioners

Directors' Update: Jan. 18, 2023

Business Meeting: Jan. 24, 2023

Summary:

Request Washington State Transportation Commission to rename the Riffe Lake Overlook the Gary Stamper Memorial Overlook at Riffe Lake

Publications:

Cover Letter To:

Additional Copies To:

Resolution

WHEREAS, the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) allows for the naming or renaming of state transportation facilities – including state highways, bridges, rest areas and roadside facilities, such as viewpoints – as per RCW 47.01.420; and

WHEREAS, state and local governmental entities, citizen organizations, and any person may initiate the process to name or rename a state transportation facility; and

WHEREAS, the Riffe Lake Overlook, located in a pull-out on the south side of Highway 12 approximately 0.4 miles east of Mossyrock Dam, provides views of Riffe Lake, which was formed after the 1968 construction of the dam flooded the site of two pioneering communities, Riffe and Kosmos; and

WHEREAS, before his untimely death in 2021, Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper helped spearhead efforts to remove trees that were blocking the views from the overlook, which is located in Commissioner District 3, the district Commissioner Stamper represented; and

WHEREAS, Commissioner Stamper’s community involvement extended far beyond the Riffe Lake Overlook; and

WHEREAS, timber and transportation were two of Commissioner Stamper’s greatest passions during his years in office (2015-2021), and he worked tirelessly with state legislators and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) on several state and federal projects within Lewis County – such as efforts to widen Interstate 5 through Lewis County; efforts to relieve congestion at the Napavine interchange; the Chamber Way overpass repair project; countless fish passage / bridge projects; and the Highway 603, Borst Avenue and Silverbrook Road improvement projects; and

WHEREAS, Commissioner Stamper established solid relationships with Lewis County’s nine incorporated cities as well as the area’s other governmental entities -- such as the Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD), Twin Transit, the tribes and the county’s two ports – to develop infrastructure plans for the future while also working alongside private employers and other business leaders to identify transportation needs and develop solutions; and

WHEREAS, in addition to serving on the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), Commissioner Stamper also represented the county on the Lewis County Transportation Strategy Committee (TSC), the Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) and the Washington State County Road Administration Board (CRAB); and

WHEREAS, the BOCC would like to honor Commissioner Stamper’s many contributions to Lewis County; and

WHEREAS, the BOCC would like the WSTC to rename the Riffe Lake Overlook the Gary Stamper Memorial Overlook at Riffe Lake in Commissioner Stamper’s honor.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the BOCC hereby requests that the WSTC rename the Riffe Lake Overlook the Gary Stamper Memorial Overlook at Riffe Lake in Commissioner Stamper’s honor.

DONE IN OPEN SESSION this 24th day of January, 2023.