See also:

• RG 105 Natural Resources, Department of
• RG 145 Community and Human Services, Department of
• RG 165 Planning and Community Development, Department of
• RG 167 Parks and Cultural Resources, Department of
• RG 168 Development and Environmental Services, Department of

The Department of Parks, Planning and Resources (PPR) was created in 1986 through the adoption of Ordinance 7889. Originally divided into four divisions (Natural Resources and Parks Division, Planning and Community Development Division, Building and Land Development Division, and Cultural Resources Division), PPR continued many of the functions of the former Department of Planning and Community Development, while taking on some extra functions. Among the added functions for the new department was the responsibility for developing and managing programs to protect the county's natural resources. In 1995, Ordinance 11684 reorganized the Department of Parks, Planning and Resources into the Department of Parks, Cultural and Natural Resources. As a part of this same reorganization, the Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES) assumed most of PPR's planning functions. Housing and community development functions, which had been the responsibility of the PPR, were transferred to the newly established Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS). As part of the 1996 consolidation of King County and Metro governments, the Department of Parks, Cultural and Natural Resources became the Department of Parks and Cultural Resources and a separate Department of Natural Resources also was created. The following year, however, the Department of Parks and Cultural Resources was reorganized, with the passage of Ordinance 12441, into the Parks and Recreation Department.

See also:

• RG 080 Office of Cultural Resources

The Cultural Resources Division was formed in 1986 through a merger of programs that had been administered separately by the Arts Commission, the Office of Historic Preservation, and the Landmarks Commission. The Division helped to sponsor and support a broad range of cultural and heritage programs, including the funding of activities designed to promote the creation of public art, to develop educational programs, and to preserve historic structures in King County. In 1995 the Division was shifted to the newly formed Department of Parks, Cultural and Natural Resources (renamed the Department of Parks and Cultural Resources in 1996). Just two years later, in 1997, another reorganization took place. Through the adoption of ordinance 12441, the Department of Parks and Cultural Resources officially became the Parks and Recreation Department. The Cultural Resources Division was renamed the Office of Cultural Resources and placed directly under the administration of the County Executive.

166.06-439       Governmental History Project: oral histories, 1988 – 1989
As both a contribution to the celebration of the Washington Statehood Centennial (1989) and to a proposed ongoing public education project to document the changing role of King County government, the Cultural Resources Division in 1988 undertook an oral history program. Its purpose was to record personal observations about major developments in King County government over the greatest span of time. An advisory committee guided selection of interviewees: two former Commissioners (Scott Wallace, John O'Brien); a state legislator and Commissioner budget aide (Raymond Olsen), a long-time Boeing Field employee (James Dilonardo), a journalist (Forrest Williams) and assistant county road engineer (Howard Wilson). Program files comprise administrative notes and correspondence, interviewer notes, tape indexes, some transcripts, cassette tape recordings of all interviews, and copies (paper and microfilm) of ephemera and clippings collected by some interviewees. The last material includes information about Century 21 (the Seattle World's Fair), the King County fairgrounds at Enumclaw, and the Cedar Hills alcoholism treatment facility.

Volume: 0.5 cu ft

See also:

• RG 165.07 Parks, Planning and Resources, Department of. Building and Land Development Division (BALD)
• RG 166.01 Parks, Planning and Resources, Department of. Building and Land Development Division (BALD)
• RG 168.04 Development and Environmental Services, Department of. Environmental Division

The Environmental Division was created in 1990 in an attempt to streamline the environmental review process in King County. The Division was responsible for conducting environmental reviews of all proposed land use development sites and assisting in the preparation and publication of an environmental impact statement (EIS) when required. In 1993 the Environmental Division was merged with the Building and Land Development Division (BALD) in a reorganization that resulted in the creation of the Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES).

166.07-421       Photograph files: color slide presentations, SEPA section, 1970 – 1989
Color slides from various presentations by former SEPA section (State Environmental Policy Act) of Department of Parks, Planning and Resources-subsequently the Department of Development and Environmental Services. Slides document development near the Snoqualmie River, rural housing, historic sites and recreational areas in rural King County. The slides, many of which predate the establishment of the Environmental Division, may have been used in support and creation of environmental impact statements, reports and studies for Newcastle, May Creek, May Valley, Newport Hills and other locations near the Snoqualmie River. One audiocassette accompanies folder 2..

Volume: 0.2 cu ft

Record Subgroup 166.03
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, PLANNING AND RESOURCES:
PARKS DIVISION

One of four divisions comprising the Department of Parks, Planning and Resources at its establishment in 1986, the Division of Natural Resources and Parks (called the Parks Division beginning in 1989) was charged with protecting King County's natural resources by managing its park system and by overseeing the Farmlands Preservation Program, an open space initiative approved by voters in 1979. The division, continuing a movement away from suburban recreational programs and facilities, began negotiating the transfer of local parks and swimming pools to municipalities. Large regional parks, such as Tolt River - John MacDonald Park, Three Forks Natural Area, and Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park were developed or expanded; large and significant open spaces were acquired to protect resources and to provide recreational opportunities; and a network of regional trails was expanded. In 1993 King County established the Conservation Futures Bond Acquisition Program to purchase additional open space, parks and trails. It also initiated the Waterways 2000 Program to conserve streams and rivers for salmon protection, recreation and education. In 1995, the Parks Division and the Cultural Resources Division merged to become a separate department (Parks, Cultural and Natural Resources). However, during the 1996 reorganization of county government programs that followed King County's merger with the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (METRO), the functions of natural resources management and parks were separated and two different departments were formed: Natural Resources, and Parks and Cultural Resources.

Note: Some of the series descriptions on this page include links to container lists in portable document format; these files are indicated by a (PDF) following the series title. In order to view the PDF container lists, you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader®. Please click here if you need to obtain a free download of the software.

166.03-491       Aerial photographs
This series is composed of aerial photographs taken by the Parks Division, Department of Parks, Planning and Resources. The images, ranging in date from 1977 to 1990, are captured on large sheets of printed Mylar film. The photographs represent various King County Parks specific properties and are arranged at the item level (alphabetically by subject location).

Volume: 14 cu ft