State Awards Grants to Help Communities Plan for Recreation

OLYMPIA–The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) today announced the award of more than $4.7 million in grants to help communities plan for outdoor recreation facilities.

The grants were awarded to organizations in 19 counties and ranged from $12,927 to $250,000.

“These grants support community efforts to invest in recreation by helping them take the first step and begin planning,” said Megan Duffy, RCO director. “We know that spending time outside provides so many benefits, such as improved health, less stress and better social skills. We think that everyone should be able to spend time in a park or on a trail and get those benefits. These grants will assist communities in getting started to provide those valuable outdoor amenities.”

Many of the grants will help smaller communities write parks and recreation plans, which then can be used to apply for construction grants, and some will help larger communities plan specific projects in areas that lack public parks.

The Legislature first funded the Planning for Recreation Access grant program in 2021 as a way to fund planning projects in communities that lack adequate access to outdoor recreation opportunities. The first round of grants were announced in February and the second round was funded by the Legislature in its session that ended in April.

Projects were funded in the counties below:

Project Descriptions

Adams County

Othello – Grant Awarded: $195,000

Designing a Spray Park at Kiwanis Park

The City of Othello will use this grant to conduct outreach and design construction-ready plans for a spray park in Kiwanis Park, one of only two active parks in the community. The spray park will be designed primarily for children twelve and younger and will be a welcome cooling oasis during Othello’s hot summers. This project furthers residents’ strong interest in free, safe, healthy, youth-centric activities for this underserved community, where youth under eighteen are 39 percent of the population and the poverty rate is 27 percent. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2496)

Benton County

Prosser – Grant Awarded: $162,708

Developing a Parks Plan

The City of Prosser will use this grant to develop a long-range parks, recreation, and open space plan. Historically, Prosser has relied on a single data collection method–a survey posted on the city’s website–for updating its plan. This method is not robust enough to fully explore Presser’s diverse recreation needs, nor does it enable city leaders to identify and eliminate access barriers for underserved populations. To solve this problem, Prosser will create a plan using multiple data collection methods, including multilingual online surveys, canvassing, focus groups, and public meetings, to ensure optimum public input. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2486)

Chelan County

Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group – Grant Awarded: $107,007

Designing a Salmon Lifecycle Landscape

The Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group will use this grant to plan an interpretive trail that will take visitors through a lifelike landscape that salmon travel through from headwater streams to the Pacific Ocean. Funds will be used to hire a landscape architect to convene stakeholders, finalize the trail design, and develop construction cost estimates. Once built, visitors walking the trail will be able to interact with the challenges salmon face during their journey while observing local wildlife and geology and regional Indigenous culture. The trail will be built at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Hatchery in Leavenworth. Outdoor recreation in the region is not widely accessible because the rugged nature of the landscape can discourage or exclude people who lack the experience, confidence, or resources needed to participate. This project will provide a gateway to outdoor exploration beyond traditional parks. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2528)

Chelan County – Grant Awarded: $35,000

Planning a Peshastin Community Park

Chelan County, in partnership with the Peshastin Community Council, will use this grant to engage the community, evaluate outdoor recreation alternatives, and develop a preferred alternative for development of the Peshastin Mill site. The sixty-five-acre site is the former home of the Peshastin Mill. Peshastin is a rural community in the Wenatchee River valley near Dryden and midway between Leavenworth and Cashmere. A majority of its residents are low to moderate income. The community generally lacks access to parks and outdoor recreation and must drive to enjoy these opportunities. There is high community interest in evaluating alternatives for use of the land for outdoor recreation, and the landowner is supportive of these efforts. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2499)

Manson Parks and Recreation District – Grant Awarded: $150,000

Planning for Better Access and Better Use at Two Parks

The Manson Parks and Recreation District will use this grant to conduct a planning effort at Singleton Park and Willow Point Park to improve access and use of the parks. This effort will identify the shortfall in facilities and recreational opportunities, define access limitations, complete preliminary permitting and environmental and engineering services, and develop a collaborative action plan to secure funding for improvements. This planning effort will address outdoor recreation opportunities and access gaps at the two parks. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2510)

See an additional project funded under “Multiple Counties” at the end of this list.

Cowlitz County

Longview – Grant Awarded: $250,000

Planning for an Inclusive Playground in Cloney Park

The Longview Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to complete a plan for the redevelopment of Cloney Park. This project will result in architectural designs, construction blueprints, engineering, and permits for a future fully inclusive playground and park improvements including restrooms, parking lot enhancements, and lighting. Cloney Park is in an underserved area with a high percentage of low- to moderate-income households, and the aging playground and skatepark are past their estimated lifespan. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2456)

Douglas County

Orondo School District – Grant Awarded: $20,000

Planning a Playground and Learning Center

The Orondo School District will use this grant to pay for plans and permits for the construction of a playground and learning center for students in preschool through high school. The playground equipment and center would capitalize on the growth and development of gross motor skills and physical fitness, and provide sensory activities and access for all students, especially those with disabilities. Having recreational activities and team-building activities and structures in the district’s after-school program and throughout its school campus would allow students to build skills and resiliency. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2434)

Wenatchee Valley TREAD – Grant Awarded: $145,460

Developing the First Douglas County Recreation Plan

Wenatchee Valley TREAD (Trails Recreation Education Advocacy and Development) will use this grant to create the first county-wide recreation plan. Work will include identifying existing outdoor recreational amenities, gathering community feedback on those amenities, identifying future outdoor recreational opportunities, mapping those new opportunities and connections to existing amenities, and recommending next steps. The plan will enable the County and its partners to apply for future funding for specific projects. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2521)

See an additional project funded under “Multiple Counties” at the end of this list.

Grant County

Quincy – Grant Awarded: $12,927

Designing Field in Lauzier Park

The City of Quincy will use the grant to design thirty acres of sports fields next to Lauzier Park, the largest and most active park in the southwest section of the city. The new sports fields will replace softball and baseball fields in other parks for one designated and well-developed four-plex with restrooms, lights, and support facilities. The new park design also will include turning a large grass area into lighted soccer fields of different sizes. Soccer is played in Quincy nearly all year between youth and adult teams and leagues and more fields of different sizes will provide more access for these activities. The new park will have multiple parking lots, one of which will be next to the established park to help alleviate congestion. Putting similar fields together will open space in other parks for upgrades. The City was awarded $236,663 in the first round of grant awards, partially funding its request. This grant will fully fund its request. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2509)

Warden – Grant Awarded: $89,650

Writing a Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Plan

The City of Warden will use this grant to develop a comprehensive parks and recreation plan for use in planning for capital projects and applications for funding. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2441)

Grays Harbor County

Elma – Grant Awarded: $70,000

Developing a Long-Range Recreation Plan

The City of Elma will use this grant to hire a consultant to develop a long-range, comprehensive plan for parks, recreation facilities, and other open spaces. In addition, the City will hire a civil engineer and landscape architect to plan for a public pickleball/basketball court at the Summit Pacific Medical Center. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2463)

Jefferson County

Jefferson County Fairgrounds Association – Grant Awarded: $60,700

Designing the GoGo Pump Track

The Jefferson County Fairgrounds Association, in partnership with the organization GoGoJeffCo, will use this grant to complete construction design and plans for a pump track on the thirty-two-acre fairgrounds in the North Beach neighborhood of Port Townsend. The track will have a series of asphalt trails, bumps, and banks that can be used by people riding bikes, scooters, skateboards, and other nonmotorized wheeled options year-round for exercise and recreation. The plans will include grading, bank buildups, stormwater and landscape architecture design, surveying, and mapping. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2466)

King County

Alliance for Pioneer Square – Grant Awarded: $245,000

Engaging the Pioneer Park Community to Improve the Park

The Alliance for Pioneer Square will use this grant to pay for engineering, design, and public engagement for projects to improve Pioneer Park. The work includes engaging the historically underserved community throughout Pioneer Square, hiring a community facilitator and landscape architect to work with the community, and developing a design for the park that serves the recreational and social needs of the community. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2527)

Black Diamond – Grant Awarded: $164,540

Designing the Ginder Creek Open Space Park

The City of Black Diamond will use this grant to design the Ginder Creek Open Space as an open space park with trails. The goal is create a park that preserves the city’s natural resources and provides access for the public to enjoy those places. The City will plan, design, and permit a trail system, playground, and amenities such as parking, restrooms, benches, and signs. The City also will update the 2017 Critical Areas Report for the site to verify wetland and stream boundaries, enhance sensitive area buffers, and provide for fencing and protection. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2475)

Covington – Grant Awarded: $245,000

Planning and Designing Jenkins Creek Trail

The City of Covington will use this grant to plan and design the three-mile Jenkins Creek Trail that will run through the heart of the city alongside Jenkins Creek with connections to the King County trail network at either end. This multiuse recreational trail will connect neighborhoods, schools, healthcare facilities, parks, and commercial areas. This trail will be an important outdoor recreation space for residents, including those in nearby high-density and low-income housing. This project will include a trail feasibility study; acquisition planning; development of trail design standards; development of plans, specifications, and estimates for constructing the first phase of the trail; and outreach and public engagement. Building a trail through the heart of Covington is an opportunity that could be lost to development in the near future if not properly planned now. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2482)

Kubota Garden Foundation – Grant Awarded: $225,000

Preparing for a Gathering Plaza and Parking Lot at Kubota Garden

The Kubota Garden Foundation will use this grant to help finish engineering, design, and permitting for a gathering plaza and expanded parking lot at Kubota Garden in Seattle. Kubota Garden is a free, Japanese garden in Rainier Beach, a diverse neighborhood in southeast Seattle where 75 percent of the residents are people of color, 42 percent speak languages other than English at home, 31 percent are immigrants, and 25 percent live in poverty. Garden attendance has more than doubled to 126,352 since 2014 with 95 percent of visitors arriving by car. The garden entry is difficult to identify, the space is inadequate for programming, the Japanese garden elements are overshadowed, and the thirty-five-car parking is insufficient. The improvements, which will include an Ishigaki wall (Japanese dry-laid stone retaining wall), will provide critical access to trails and cultural features in the twenty-acre garden. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2464)

RAVE Foundation – Grant Awarded: $70,000

Planning for MLK Jr Elementary Mini Pitch

The RAVE Foundation will use this grant to prepare for building a soccer mini pitch at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Seattle. Mini pitch is a fast-paced, scaled-down soccer game played on a hard surface with dimensions similar to a basketball court. The RAVE Foundation, the official charitable partner of the Seattle Sounders FC, will hire contractors to conduct a land survey, drainage assessment, and apply for permits. The grant also will fund the artwork design for the pitch. Once constructed, the mini pitch would be used by students for free play and for free programs provided by RAVE, such as soccer skills training sessions for children ages five to twelve and physical literacy programs for preschoolers. During non-school hours, the facility would be available to the community. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2484)

Seattle – Grant Awarded: $248,129

Planning Upgrades to a Garfield Super Block Park

The City of Seattle will use this grant to plan an upgrade to a park in an area known as the Garfield Super Block. The park includes the Garfield Community Center, Medgar Evers Pool, a restroom, play fields, tennis courts, and play areas. The city, in partnership with the Garfield Super Block Coalition, seeks to fulfill a seventeen-year-old promise to the surrounding historically black community to upgrade the park against a backdrop of aggressive gentrification that is erasing the rich cultural diversity in Seattle’s Central District. The grant will be used for geotechnical surveys, a cultural resource survey, community outreach, and permitting for new public art and site furnishings, an improved entrance and walking paths, inclusive play equipment including the first parkour installation in Seattle, safety upgrades, and new restrooms. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2469)

Seattle Parks Foundation – Grant Awarded: $248,000

Getting Ideas for a Henderson Street Project in Rainier Beach

The Seattle Parks Foundation will partner with the Rainier Beach Link2Lake Committee and use this grant to plan for recreational opportunities along the Henderson Street Corridor. The grant will pay for a community engagement process to include robust involvement of youth, a feasibility study, cultural resource study, and site design. As housing opportunities are expanded in the Rainier Beach neighborhood, it becomes increasingly important to improve recreational spaces and to install new opportunities to connect people to nature. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2507)

Seattle Public Schools – Grant Awarded: $220,000

Designing Elementary School Play Structures

Seattle Public Schools will use this grant to hire a landscape architect to plan and design replacements for play structures at twelve elementary schools. The schools are Bailey Gatzert, Broadview Thomson, Coe, Highland Park, Interagency/Columbia, Lafayette, McDonald, Pathfinder, Rising Star, Thurgood Marshall, and Tops. A joint-use agreement between Seattle Public School and Seattle Parks and Recreation Department ensures that school sites are open to public use outside of regular school hours. In many neighborhoods, schools serve as the area of play for students and community on weekends and evenings. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2470)

Seattle Public Schools – Grant Awarded: $200,000

Designing Upgrades to Seattle School Playfields

Seattle Public Schools will use this grant to pay for landscape architect services to design, estimate costs, and permit the conversion of grass play areas into synthetic turf, which will make the play areas usable year-round. The natural grass play areas are very small, heavily used, and unable to meet current needs. Designs will be done at four elementary schools: Dunlap, Graham Hill, Greenwood, and Leschi, each of which are open to the community after school, on weekends, and in the summer. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2460)

Tukwila – Grant Awarded: $197,300

Developing a Playbook for Inclusive Park Design

The Tukwila Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to engage the community in developing a playbook for inclusive park design that reflects the diverse ethnic, racial, religious, and cultural dimensions of city residents. The toolkit will provide guiding principles and actionable tactics for planning, designing, and developing parks, trails, and open spaces so they are more welcoming and foster belonging. The playbook will provide tangible examples of landscape designs, treatments, furnishings, and functionality that are most desired by residents. Once developed, the playbook will guide design of improvements and new investments across the park system. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2506)

Kittitas County

Kittitas – Grant Awarded: $88,150

Developing a Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan

The City of Kittitas will use this grant to develop a comprehensive parks, recreation, and open space plan for use in planning projects and applying for construction funding. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2485)

Klickitat County

Goldendale – Grant Awarded: $85,000

Planning Upgrades to Ekone Park

The City of Goldendale will use this grant to hire a landscape architect and a cultural resources consultant in preparation for upgrading Ekone Park. The cultural resources consultant will conduct a cultural resources survey of the site to ensure that no historical items are impacted. Then the landscape architect will draft different options for park upgrades to present to the public for their input. Once a consensus has been reached, the plans will be finalized and used to seek construction funding. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2495)

Lincoln County

Reardan-Edwall School District – Grant Awarded: $98,500

Developing a Comprehensive Plan for Parkland

The Reardan-Edwall School District will use this grant to develop a comprehensive plan for eighty-three acres it owns outside of the town of Reardan. Currently, the land has one baseball field and one softball field. The desire is to have the planning align with the comprehensive parks plan that the Town is writing. The school district and town have been partnering on several projects over the past couple of years, including town halls and a recreational needs assessment. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2512)

Okanogan County

North Central Washington Sports Rink and Event Center – Grant Awarded: $250,000

Planning an Ice Rink                                                                     

The North Central Washington Sports Rink and Event Center will use this grant to plan for an outdoor ice rink and supporting facilities that when built would provide opportunities for ice skating, hockey, and figure skating in the winter and pickle ball, roller hockey, and roller skating in the summer. The grant will be used to develop site assessments and construction plans, conduct surveys and support community engagement. The rink site is on Pateros School District land along the Columbia River. North central Washington has little or no outdoor opportunities for youth from November to March. The rink will offer affordable rentals, tickets and scholarships, free skating for fourth graders, field trips, discount pricing for groups, and season passes. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2450)

Pierce County

Carbonado – Grant Awarded: $39,075

Creating a New Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan

The Town of Carbonado will use this grant to create a new parks, recreation, and open space plan. The plan will include an assessment of park facilities and gaps in levels of service, identification of locations for new recreation and open space opportunities, and a list of projects. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2473)

Eatonville – Grant Awarded: $213,000

Developing a Parks, Recreation, and Trails Plan

The Town of Eatonville will use this grant to develop a comprehensive parks, recreation, and trails plan and to do preliminary design work for two conceptual trails in the area. Eatonville has few resources to do this type of planning. Developing more recreation opportunities, especially those that allow people to visit beautiful natural areas such as the Mashel River, would contribute to the local health and economy. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2524)

Skamania County

Stevenson – Grant Awarded: $100,000

Developing a Stevenson Community Active Parks Plan

The City of Stevenson will use this grant to hire a consultant to create a citywide, long-range, comprehensive recreation plan, which will consist of a community engagement process, determination of feasibility, and initial construction cost estimates. The plan would cover land owned or managed by the City of Stevenson, Stevenson-Carson School District, Port of Skamania, Skamania County, and the Stevenson Community Pool District. Despite being in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, forty miles east of Vancouver, the community has few recreation opportunities in the city limits. The community began creating a downtown park plaza with amenities for people to gather and recreate in 2015 and wants to move that project forward. It needs a comprehensive park plan to apply for grants. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2504)

Thurston County

Tenino – Grant Awarded: $118,511

Planning Upgrades to Tenino City Park

The City of Tenino will use this grant to design upgrades to the south end of Tenino City Park, which hosts the Quarry House Community Center, the Tenino Memorial (quarry) Pool, the Tenino Depot Museum Complex, the end of the Yelm-Tenino Trail, and the start of the parks’ new Accessibility Trail. The City will complete surveying, landscape architecture and engineering plans for the grounds surrounding the quarry house and museum complex. The plans will include parking access to the south end of the park, a festival area plan, walking trail integration throughout, and electrical and water plans for access and safety. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2479)

Tenino School District – Grant Awarded: $69,969

Planning Regional Practice Facilities

The Tenino School District will use this grant to complete preliminary site planning, the land-use approval process, and final construction and bid documents for athletic fields. The district plans to add athletic and recreational fields that include youth football and soccer for use by school and community teams. In addition, the district is planning walking, and potentially biking, trails that would connect the high school and middle school campuses and allow access around the proposed athletic fields. The work will allow the district to have a “shovel ready” project to bid in the spring of 2024. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2519)

Whatcom County

Lummi Island Community Association – Grant Awarded: $103,450

Planning a Public Dock on Lummi Island

The Lummi Island Community Association will use this grant to conduct public involvement and develop preliminary site plans, conceptual designs, and initial cost estimates for construction of a public pier and dock on Lummi Island. Currently, there is no public recreational dock on the island. The pier, gangway, and floating dock would be built at Whatcom County‘s Lummi Island Beach Access site. The improvements would give users safer access to the water for fishing, crabbing, boating, and nature viewing. This project is a high priority for the community because it will provide public waterfront access, especially for those challenged by limited mobility. The dock also will provide an option for people traveling by boat to the mainland during ferry outages. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22‑2489)

Whitman County

Lamont School District – Grant Awarded: $122,500

Designing Lamont Community Park

The Lamont School District will use this grant to design a community park in this small, rural eastern Washington community. The district will do community engagement and hire consultants to conduct a cultural resources review and develop schematic design drawings and construction documents. Residents have few options for recreational activities there. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2483)

Yakima County

Zillah – Grant Awarded: $109,700

Designing a Splash Park

The City of Zillah will use this grant to design and plan for a community splash park. The project will consist of a cultural resources review, development of engineering documents, and permitting. Once constructed, the splash park will be a place for active outdoor recreation and a gathering space for the community and visitors. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2428)

Multiple Counties

Chelan and Douglas Counties

Chelan-Douglas Land Trust – Grant Awarded: $60,000

Designing Access to the Wenatchee Foothills

The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust will use this grant to develop a public access plan including conceptual designs for three trailheads in the Wenatchee Foothills. The land trust will conduct community outreach, hire contractors to advise on location selection, develop schematic designs and construction documents, and ensure access to the sites is broadly inclusive. The plan is expected to provide opportunities for visitors to experience habitat along waterways and provide access north of the urban growth area of Wenatchee. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information about this project. (22-2439)