More parking is a go at the Albert Haller Playfields and James Center for the Performing Arts.
Plans were unanimously approved on Nov. 23 by Sequim city councilors who designated $140,000 in the city’s 2016 budget to help add 60-70 parking spots at the Water Reuse Demonstration Site north of Carrie Blake Park while increasing safety.
City staff estimate the project costing about $318,000 to add a one-way road from the Interpretive Center off Blake Avenue traveling east to new angled parking that connects to existing parking toward Rhodefer Road.
The effort to add parking stems from Phase II of the Sequim Family Advocates’ plans around the playfield.
“We’re totally behind this latest proposal,” said Dave Shreffler, president of the Sequim Family Advocates.
“It makes a lot of sense and it’s a better solution than what we had previously been discussing. We’re thrilled the city has some skin in the game this time.”
Shreffler said no dollar amount has been set yet, but he believes contributions from the Albert Haller Foundation, Sequim Family Advocates and other contributors will exceed the city’s contribution.
Plans unfurled
Previously, the advocates returned $128,000 back to the Albert Haller Foundation, which granted the funds. Total, they had about $164,000 raised, including the grant for the project before a series of events led to it be shelved for awhile.
Originally, the advocates’ plan included 64 parking spots west and south of the bandshell. City councilors approved the plans in 2011 along with the playfields but costs for grass pavers that city officials mandated were deemed too expensive.
As an alternative members of the advocacy group spent about $20,000 to pursue creating parking on Rhodefer Road at city staff’s suggestion along with installing an emergency turnaround and a bathroom/storage facility near the playfields. However, the Army Corps of Engineers denied the plans because it was identified in December 2014 as a jurisdictional wetland that can’t be paved over.
Shreffler said his group revisited the original 64 parking spots proposal as a phase project after representatives with the Albert Haller Foundation received numerous complaints about safety at the playfields. He said the advocates didn’t have a problem with the pavers, but wanted to place gravel until the city could contribute toward the bricks.
In a June special meeting of the The City of Sequim Parks and Recreation Board, parks manager Joe Irvin recommended that gravel could not be used without grass pavers because he felt it didn’t meet low-impact development specifications.
However, city councilors heard testimony from the advocates in August and designated city staff to pursue new options.
“They finally heard us loud and clear that we were frustrated with how the city was treating us,” Shreffler said. “They needed to step up.”
In late October, the plans were narrowed down.
Shreffler said he credits much of the progress to new city manager Charlie Bush for “bringing staff along and helping educate city councilors on the issues.”
Going forward
After agreeing to partner on the project, city staff will run the project going forward including the engineering, permitting and contracting.
Irvin said these concepts tie into the proposed Master Site Plan for Carrie Blake Park and the Water Reuse Site and will support the growth of the park in the future.
A final construction date tentatively is set for 2016 if complete funding comes through.
Plans for installing a restroom and storage building by the playfields isn’t off the table either, Shreffler said, but there haven’t been any recent discussions about them.
With the new parking project approved, city staff said they must seek to change the city’s code to allow grass parking during events and place no parking signs on Rhodefer Road.
