As we approach Fall in the Yakima Valley I end my first six months as Executive Director of the Yakima Greenway. I have a history with the YGF, most notably as a foundation board member from 2019 through 2023. In that time, I discovered not only the extensive and accomplished history of the YGF through community collaboration, passion and vision but was also present for many of our modern successes that keep me excited for the future.

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With growth and success has always come challenges for the YGF. Several of our challenges today remain unchanged throughout our organization's fifty years, however with success and growth we have uncovered many new challenges. These challenges are where I see an opportunity for us to come together once again and build the community we all desire, a community that is healthy and vibrant, a community that collaborates and values our natural spaces, a community that inspires each other to raise the bar.

 

You will begin to notice many changes at the Yakima Greenway. This spring through a series of Yakima Herald Op-Eds our community was vocal about security and a sense of safety while using our paths and parks. We take this seriously and over the summer have identified exactly what safety means on our Greenway. There is a good chance during your next visit to the Greenway you might run into Phoenix Protective. Phoenix is now providing intermittent patrols throughout the Greenway, day and night, they have received great reception from Greenway users for their friendliness and service. What we have learned is safety on the Greenway is more than patrols and have begun implenting many safety programs. Our crew has worked to reduce excess fire fuels from parks, parking lots and near infrastructure, reducing the risk and danger of fires. We have also inventoried and marked dangerous areas of the pathway and begun repainting and placing new reflective tape on all bollards along the path. You can look forward to new signage along the Greenway including our Parking lots and Gateways. With new signage, we plan to incorporate an emergency marker system, allowing faster emergency response by identifying locations with these designated markers. Pavement resurfacing, parking lot lighting and new restrooms are other major infrastructure improvements that you can anticipate in the next 12 to 24 months. We know safety and security is a system and we will continue to identify all ways we can contribute to better experiences on the Greenway.

 

What I ask of you, our Greenway community, is for your advocacy. I need you to join the conversation with our community leaders and elected officials, it is time to be vocal about the importance of safe public recreational facilities and the importance of conserving urban green space. I believe in the Greenway, I believe in what it can do for individuals, families, and children, we are and will continue to be a space of belonging, exploration, learning, solitude, and community gathering. More than ever, we are dedicated to the YGF mission of “Preservation and enhancement of the Yakima River, its tributaries and surrounding landscapes for conservation, recreation and education.”

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Thank you, see you on the Greenway

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Konner Hopkins

Executive Director