LAKEWOOD PARK PLAYGROUND

Seattle, Washington

ROLE: project co-chair, construction project manager

SCOPE OF WORK: community facilitation, fundraising, project management, design facilitation through construction administration

STATUS: completed 2002

CONSTRUCTION COSTS: $275,000

CONSULTANT TEAM: Susan Black and Associates (landscape architect)

CLIENT: Friends of Lakewood Park, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation

This small neighborhood park had ball fields for city-wide league use, but not much to offer the neighborhood families. Friends of Lakewood Park decided to beautify the park, build a play area, and create a gathering place where the people in the community could get to know each other. Challenges for the play area were to squeeze it into the tiny amount of space available and to provide a range of facilities that would address people of all ages. Much of the solution was in prioritizing a playful landscape as well as using play equipment. The finished park includes play hills, a stone and driftwood sandbox, a castle-like toddler climbing wall and community-created art tiles and messages. The formerly flat and bleak area is now a very fun and interesting three-dimensional space.

Friends of Lakewood Park raised $250,000 in cash, volunteer labor and matching grants to build the playground. Mobilizing the community required an enormous outreach and volunteer coordination effort. Neighbors put in hundreds of hours in developing the design and coordinating with the Parks Department as well as digging, raking, hammering, mortaring and planting. The result is a neighborhood that has “bonded” and a beautiful park that is heavily used and enjoyed. Maggi Johnson was one of two volunteer co-chairs for the project and acted as design and construction coordinator and city liaison throughout the project.