Island County commissioners unanimously approved a $127,510 consultant contract Monday with Otak, Inc. for design, engineering and permitting work on the Freeland Trail.

The Freeland Trail will be a 10-foot-wide paved path that stretches along the west side of Highway 525 from Bush Point Road to Fish Road/East Main Street. The project also includes a viewing platform with educational panels at one spot on the trail.

Under the agreement with the county, Otak will hold two community meetings on the project, evaluate and develop one trail alignment, and conduct a geotechnical investigation of the route.

Otak, located in Lake Oswego, Ore., is expected to use two subcontractors on the project; Cultural Resources Consultants, Inc. for cultural resources and historical preservation work, and GeoEngineers, Inc. for geotechnical engineering.

Grant funding will pay for the trail, and county commissioners appropriated the money for the project in February.