PHASE TWO TO START THIS SUMMER
The weather was warn and sunny for a change, and hundreds of people showed up on April 30 for a celebration marking the official opening of 1.6 acres of a new 12-acre park on the south shores of Lake Union.Putting a park in the area is not a new idea; the Olmsted brothers proposed building one on the same spot more than a century ago, noted Karen Daubert at opening ceremonies. "Well, I'm here to say, better late than never," said the executive director of the Seattle Parks Foundation. The foundation raised $20 million for the $29.6 million project, and funding for the new park includes $5.3 million from the Pro Parks Levy and $4.3 million from the city.The first phase of the project saw the completion of a rebuilt seawall, terraced steps to the water, a pedestrian bridge over a waterway, a cedar plank boardwalk, boat-shaped planters full of native plants and paths connecting the Historic Ships Wharf, the Center for Wooden Boats, the Naval Reserve Building and a future trail around the lake just north of downtown. It took six years of planning, design and construction to get that far, Daubert said. But efforts began even earlier, noted Mayor Greg Nickels. The city started buying land for the park 20 years ago, he said, linking the park's creation to development of the South Lake Union area. "We have created really a new neighborhood here, with 7,000 new jobs and 2,000 housing units," the mayor said.Seattle Parks Foundation president John Nesholm noted that the Olmsted brothers' plans for a park were blocked in the early 1900s because of existing industrial uses on the site. They included a sawmill, a Ford Motor plant and Boeing's first airplane factory, all of which will be noted on displays along an interactive history trail as part of the second phase of the park project. "Yes, we have all the money, and phase two will start this summer," Nesholm said.Phase two will include sculpted land forms, a tree grove with tables and benches, a restored shoreline, a model-boat pond, a 300-foot-long fountain visitors can run through and a hand-carried boat launching beach.When complete in 2011, it will be the largest public park campaign ever undertaken in the city's history, Nesholm said. Vulcan Inc. kicked in $10 million for the park project, and Lynn Tangent from the Paul Allen company noted that it replaces a weedy patch that looked like it was reserved for Canada Geese. "All of us at Vulcan are very proud to be partners with you in this great endeavor," she said.Also on tap for the future are plans by The Center For Wooden Boats, the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and the Museum of History and Industry to add new facilities to the park, according to the Parks Foundation.[[In-content Ad]]
