Governor Gregoire Endorses Tour
The Evergreen Tour is proud to announce that it has received a letter of endorsement from the Governor. Evergreen Tour is aligned with Governor Gregoire's Next Washington economic plan to generate growth in the economy.
"I support the [Evergreen Tour] and encourage business and community leaders to join together in helping ensure its success. This unique experience invitees tourists to share in the endless discoveries of Washington - and we have much to gain from this exciting global event." - Christine Gregoire, Governor
Not-for-profit foundation established.
The Evergreen Tour Committee is a subcommittee of the non-profit Washington State Bicycle Association. Evergreen Tour Foundation, a Washington Not for Profit Corporation, has been formed for the race operations. Donations to the foundation are recorded under UBI 602-808-706.
Washington State Police get involved.
Under a grant from the WSBA, Evergreen Tour provided training for the Washington State Police at the 2008 Amgen Tour of California. Captain Steve Sutton (Bremerton) and Captain Shawn Berry (Yakima) attended the first three days of the Tour of California. They were able to experience first hand police management of the race caravan and rolling closure. While Tour of California is on a much grander scale than regional races for amateurs, the training they received may be applied to regional race management for events such as Tour of Walla Walla.
Captain Sutton said the training will help them develop a plan and budget for Evergreen Tour's closure, enabling the use of major state highways for the race. The budget will be presented to Governor Gregoire as a request for special appropriation of funds.
