The King County Council unanimously approved a $1.8 million 30-year plan to partner with Kirkland Youth Lacrosse (KYL) to upgrade a popular lacrosse/soccer field in Big Finn Hill Park in Kirkland’s Juanita neighborhood Monday. The upgrades will include a new drainage system, a synthetic field, the installation of bleachers, a perimeter fence and new lighting. A small field house would also be built to be used for storage. Under the plan Kirkland Lacrosse would get priority use of the field and pay for all of the upgrades.
“This is all coming from private donations and the county will not be putting any money,” said KYL president Steve Lytle, noting that construction will begin in June.
Although the park is located in Kirkland, it is run by King County. The project is a part of the King County Parks’ Community Partnerships program. Kirkland Lacrosse plans to pay for the upgrades through donations, rental fees the county will allow the group to charge for a limited number of hours and grants related to the partnership program. The group has already secured $150,000 from the state, secured by Sen. Andy Hill, for upgrades. The field will be primarily used for lacrosse during its season from February to May. The improvements will also make the field more accessible for soccer teams.
The project’s cost has grown $300,000 since the original proposal last year. The extra money comes from a drainage revision and work to be done on the retaining wall.
King County Parks Director Kevin Brown told the Reporter in June, 2011 that the field is notorious for having cancelations due to field conditions. But those are problems that the KYL deals with all the time.
“We just don’t have adequate facilities to offer a good experience for the kids,” said Lytle. “More than half (of the fields) have been in four inches of mud (this season). We can’t continue to grow without more field space.”
Lytle said they’ve worked with the Lake Washington School District and Kirkland Parks, but because there simply aren’t many fields in the area, it’s hard to get time and space. Many of the teams have to use partial fields when other teams are practicing, like sharing half a soccer field, or working on the edges of baseball fields, but Lytle said that it just doesn’t work as a long-term solution. The issue has become so bad that the teams are forced to practice in area that aren’t even fields, like the grassy area behind the bleachers at Juanita High School.
Lacrosse has grown in popularity on the Eastside and around Washington State during the past decade and advocates say that field access is not keeping up with the demand for the sport.
Two years ago when the club started there were 34 players. Last season 182 turned out, and this year that number grew to about 225. The KYL has received a lot of support from King County Council members.
“As the representative for the Finn Hill neighborhood, I am pleased this public-private partnership to improve Big Finn Hill Park is moving forward,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson, co-sponsor of the legislation, who represents the area on the council. “As the father of young twins, I know how important parks and playfields are to fostering vibrant communities.”
Former council representative Jane Hague was a primary sponsor for the proposal.
“This initiative will make a huge contribution to our livability in both recreation and quality of life,” said Hague, who used to live on Finn Hill. “All involved have worked very hard to balance the needs of our student athletes while respecting the needs of neighbors that live near Big Finn Hill.”
But not all Kirkland residents are happy with the plan. The project has drawn objections from neighbors of the park due to the use of light standards, increased noise and traffic.
Lytle said that the objections that came from about 20 surrounding neighbors have dropped to about six or eight.
“We’re not interested in having an abrasive relationship with the neighbors,” said Lytle. “They all have my email and they can contact me if they have more concerns.”
