Buckley cuts ribbons on new city hall, trailhead

Buckley celebrated its history and future last week with the official openings of its updated city hall and Foothills Trail “Doc Tait” trailhead.

Mayor Beau Burkett led the ribbon cutting of the new city hall building on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

“This building isn’t just an administrative center—it’s a symbol of what we value as a community: connection, accessibility, and a strong sense of place. It was built to serve you, and it was designed to feel like Buckley—welcoming, warm, and grounded in our history,” he said. “… It was once the site of Buckley’s very first library, and later served as offices for the White River School District. It’s long been a place where community happens—and now, it will continue that tradition as the home of your city government.”

The city hall renovation was a long-time coming, as the Buckley City Council deliberated on the design and cost over two years.

“This was truly a team effort—and I want to start by thanking the Buckley City Council. Their thoughtful leadership and careful stewardship guided this project every step of the way,” Burkett said, also giving thanks to Dom Miller and Gray & Osborne for their engineering consulting; Trent Hart and Tovani Hart Architects for the design; Lincoln Construction for construction; Roland Miller his work milling old-growth Douglas Fir wood for the front and siding of the building; Johansen Construction for donating a front loader to relocate a historic tree; Joanne Campbell and Stick It Vinyl Sign & Banner for creating the base logo design; Brock, Ryan, and the team at Van Dam Welding for creating the base logo; and the Foothills Historical Society, “whose continued documentation reminded us just how meaningful this building—and this site—has been to Buckley’s story.”

Photo by Ray Miller-Still Mayor Beau Burkett showing off the metal saw artwork that will soon be on display outside city hall, as well as the wood of a tree that had to be cut down for construction. Instead of throwing it away, it will be turned into a conference table.

The new renovations adds nearly 2,000 square feet of new office area (for a total of just over 3,800 square feet) to accommodate 18 employees, plus a conference room, multi-use front counter, and a revised entryway, a new roof and other inside repairs.

This all means Buckley’s city hall is a “one-stop-shop” for all administration operations like finance, HR, planning and building, passport processing, and utility payments. These services start this week.

Additionally, there will be a unique feature inside — a conference table made of a tree that, despite the city’s best efforts, had to be removed for the project; Burkett said he was glad that even though it was chopped down that the city can still honor its history.

NEW TRAILHEAD

City residents and trail-lovers alike gathered at the new Doc Tait pavilion on Thursday, Aug. 7, to celebrate “the father of the Foothills Trail” and the capstone for the decades of work it took to build the trail through Buckley and connect it with Enumclaw over the White River.

Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition Executive Director Breanna Fokes also called it “the first true home” of her organization, who has been working for decades to turn the old railway into a trail.

“It’s clear: this pavilion truly reflects the heart of a community,” she said. “It is more than a trailhead. It’s a space to gather, learn, and connect—with each other, and with the stories that define this place.”

The covered pavilion is located on the corner of state Route 410 and Wheeler Avenue between the Buckley Youth Activity Center and the Veterans Monument. There are numerous panels around the pavilion that have information about the creation of the Foothills Trail (fun fact — the first mile was built in Buckley), historical Buckley, nature around the trail, and — of course — about the life of Tait.

Members of the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition and other supporters of the Foothills Trail cutting the ribbon on Aug. 7. Each person got to keep a piece of the ribbon as memorabilia. Photo by Ray Miller-Still

Tait was, as his moniker suggests, a Buckley doctor who started his practice in 1960 and cared for his community for three decades, and did everything from delivering babies to treating jail inmates and victims of logging accidents. He also trained the city’s first EMTs.

Tait was also a staunch supporter of the outdoors and was one of the founding members of the Rails to Trails Coalition.

“Our dad was just so lovely every day with his wishes and his goals, and the one big goal was to get this [trail] to completion. And he was tireless… getting that done,” Maura Choppla, Tait’s daughter, said after the ceremony. “… I know he’s watching from above, and he’s so proud, and we’re so proud of him.”

He died in 2003.

While the pavilion is complete, work on the trail is not, and the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition wants the public’s input on how to formalize the stretch of trail between Wikleson and Carbonado; at this time, it’s a dirt trail that often gets muddy in the winter.

To take the 14-question online survey, to go tinyurl.com/foothills-survey.

Photo by Ray Miller-Still Boy Scout Troop 577 raised the flag at Buckley’s new City Hall during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

There are numerous educational panels at the new Doc Tait Pavilion in Buckley, covering topics such as city history, nature, the Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition, and Doc Tait himself. Photo by Ray Miller-Still