The community is invited to an open house for the 132nd Square Master Plan on June 20.
The event will be from 6-8 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 13220 NE 132nd St.
The evening will begin with a brief overview of three potential concepts for the park, designed to reflect feedback and data collected from the community during three previously held community events and through an online survey. Issues such as additional parking, park character and tree maintenance have surfaced, according to a press release. Other priorities include small-scale park improvements such as expanded paths, an improved restroom and the addition of disc golf. Following the presentation, there will be break out stations that will explore topics such as synthetic turf, lighting, parking and stormwater.
“We really appreciate the over 150 community members that have taken the time to provide us with input during this master plan process,” said parks and community services director Lynn Zwaagstra. “We encourage community members to attend the Open House on June 20 to provide important feedback on the draft concept plans so that we can we continue to refine the concepts for 132nd Square Park.”
In 2015, the parks and community services Capital Improvement Program included a playfield renovation project for 132nd Square Park. This project was consistent with priorities in the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan (PROS Plan) and recommended by the city of Kirkland’s park board. Public works simultaneously applied for a state Department of Ecology (DOE) grant for stormwater improvements at 132nd Square Park and was given a contingent grant award of $2.5 million. According to the release, heavy rains and snowmelt can overwhelm the Totem Lake and Juanita Basin drainage system, resulting in flooded streets, sidewalks and homes. The 132nd Square stormwater project aims to reduce the amount of stormwater that flows into Totem Lake and to filter out many of the pollutants that drain with it.
In January 2018, the stormwater grant funding became available and staff began analyzing the opportunity to combine that project with playfield renovation. Combining the projects would create economies of scale and cost savings because the stormwater project requires extensive excavation and restoration of the entire field area, the release states. Since the stormwater project also involves the installation of an underground vault, the impervious surface calculations and vault construction could also meet the stormwater requirements for the synthetic turf. Permitting, bidding, construction and administration could all be combined for a more efficient project while addressing multiple infrastructure needs. The stormwater project is scheduled to begin construction in spring of 2020.
