LITTLE BOSTON — In an effort rivaling former pro wrestler Andre the Giant bench pressing a pickup truck, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe is working to increase its own fitness within the Little Boston community.
The endeavor has received a spotter from the Washington Health Foundation in the form of a $15,000 grant, the first WHF has awarded to a Kitsap County organization or group, said WHF vice-president of public affairs Jennifer Muhm.
“This grant will be used in conjunction with other moneys to eventually build a walking path from the Gliding Eagle store to the tribal center,” said Tribal Chairman Ron Charles. The path would run from Hansville Road to Little Boston Road in a loop.
“It’s going to be about a mile long loop with an optional half mile shortcut,” said Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe planning director Barrett Schmanska. “It’ll be a place where elders, kids and moms with strollers can come for a quick walk. We’ve been trying to raise money for it, and this is our first grant.”
The fitness loop is the first phase in a four-part trail project tying the tribe’s different neighborhoods together, he said. Health programs will likely spin off from the finished product, including injury recovery and weight loss plans. Schmanska predicted loop construction will begin in 2008, if other grants come through, and take approximately two years to complete. The trail project, as a whole, could take about five year, he said.
“They received the award letter in October 2006,” Muhm said. “This is all part of a campaign to make Washington the healthiest state in the nation. Right now, we are No. 15… This grant fits in with our action goals and our healthy activities to become the healthiest state.”
In 2006, WHF awarded 16 major grants and 21 mini-grants to various groups across the state in the attempt to make Washingtonians healthier citizens. The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe received one of the mini-grants for its loop program, which will provide a safe place to walk while encouraging residents to exercise more regularly, Charles said.
“We have a lot of grants that go to rural areas because they are trying to build more walking areas,” Muhm said. Many areas, like Little Boston, have limited shoulder space alongside roadways, which often discourages residents from walking around their community, she said.
WHF was founded in 1992 to improve the health of Washington state residents, according to the its Web site. The healthiest state is based on 18 health measures and outcomes, and currently Minnesota is ranked No. 1, with Vermont and New Hampshire close behind, Muhm said.
“We’re hoping the trails will be open to the public,” Schmanska said. “We feel this is a good opportunity to get a long stretch of trail into the North Kitsap community.”
