Sequim Prairie Garden Club receives $142,000 from state

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 27, 2025

The Sequim Prairie Garden Club has received $142,000 in grant funds from the state for its Pioneer Park Pathway Project, which will create a five-foot-wide concrete pathway that will meander around the outer areas of Pioneer Park, 387 E. Washington St., allowing visitors of all abilities better access to the entire park.

The state grant represents approximately half of the total anticipated cost of the project.

Currently, the only hard surface to accommodate visitors with limited mobility, or visitors who simply don’t want to walk on wet grass or uneven ground, is the roadway through the middle of the park. The new pathway will create access to many more areas, including the colorful garden beds, the Remembrance Garden with historic headstones from the days when the park was Sequim’s first cemetery, a newly created Sundial Rose Garden, several park benches, and the cherry and Garry oak trees that contribute to the Arboretum certification granted to the park in 2024.

In addition to the grant, the garden club has so far received over $10,000 in donations from individuals and local businesses. All donations are welcome, and donors who give $250 or more will have the option to create an engraved brick that will be part of a memorial area along the pathway.

With the funds already collected, the garden club has begun the pathway building process beginning with a survey of the park and an engineering design plan. According to a press release, they hope to break ground next year to complete Phase I of the project, and possibly the entire project, depending on how quickly grants and donations are received.

The Sequim Prairie Garden Club will provide regular updates on the progress of the project. Visitors to the park can also follow progress by checking the fundraising chart outside the clubhouse.

The Pioneer Park Pathway Project is just the latest improvement in the 74-year history of the Sequim Prairie Garden Club’s maintenance of the 4-acre park. Since 1951 when the club was granted a 99-year lease on the property, club members have maintained and improved the park, beginning with the clearing of overgrown brambles and weeds by the original club members, to the present state of the park that features scenic trees, plantings, garden beds, a clubhouse, and picnic areas.

For information about the Sequim Prairie Garden Club, or to donate to the Pathway Project, go to sequimprairiegardenclub.org.