Washington State Parks News Releases

News Release 11-024

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
1111 Israel Road S.W., P.O. Box 42650, Olympia, WA 98504-2650, (360) 902-8500
Don Hoch, Director

Kelly Punteney appointed to serve on Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

OLYMPIA – Jun. 10, 2011 – Gov. Christine O. Gregoire has appointed L. Kelly Punteney, a well-known Vancouver-area trail advocate and park development professional, to serve on the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, beginning immediately.

Punteney, 63, has more than 40 years of experience in urban and landscape planning and design and served the City of Vancouver for 36 years in parks and recreation, cultural program management and managing the city’s trails and greenways department. For six years, he also served as Assistant to the Vancouver City Manager. He currently works in the private sector as a consultant, developer and project manager.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission sets policy for the Washington State Parks and Recreation agency, which manages a diverse system of 118 parks, including long-distance land and water trails and statewide programs such as winter recreation and boating safety. The Commission is comprised of seven citizen volunteers. They hire a director to oversee the agency's operating and capital programs. The Commission has public meetings six times a year at predetermined locations around the state.

Punteney is well-known for his part in developing popular recreational trails around the Vancouver-Clark County area. He also is a familiar face in statewide recreational trail circles. In 2007, he was awarded the Portland Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s Alice B. Toeclips Award for his work connecting Vancouver and Portland trails. His accomplishments include development of the Discovery Loop Trail (2.3 miles), Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway and Trail (8 miles) and Frenchman’s Bar Trail (2.5 miles) and the award-winning 12-mile Waterfront Renaissance Trail connecting downtown Vancouver to the Columbia River waterfront. He has served for the past two years on the Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission and has been construction manager on a number of large community park development projects.

"Over the years, Southwest Washington has been under-represented on the State Parks Commission, so it’s an honor to be appointed to represent this part of the state, guided by new director Don Hoch, for whom I have great respect," said Punteney. "Washington has one of the most diverse and beautiful state park systems in the country, with a wealth of natural, cultural and historic resources that are well deserving of the public’s support, especially as we prepare for the 2013 State Parks Centennial."

Punteney replaces outgoing Commissioner Cecilia Vogt of Yakima, who served on the Commission for 12 years. The next regular meeting of the commission is scheduled for Aug. 11, in Wenatchee.

For more information about Washington State Parks, visit the website www.parks.wa.gov.

Washington State Parks is now on Twitter at WaStatePks_NEWS and YouTube at WashingtonStateParks.

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