City aims for passive, ‘green’ site

By Meghan Erkkinen

The city of Fife is finalizing the design for its first passive-use park. Brookville Gardens, located off of Valley Avenue adjacent to the new FedEx site, will total 15 acres and include paved pathways, large and manicured lawns, picnic shelters and picturesque views of Mt. Rainier.

The Fife City Council reviewed and discussed the preliminary site plan drawings by HDR Architecture at a recent meeting and by and large supported the elements in the design.

The site, which is currently a raspberry field, is bordered by Valley Avenue on the north, and on the south it is bordered by the railroad. To the east of the parcel is the FedEx development and to the west are residences. Wapato Creek runs along the northern edge of the parcel. Parking would be accessible from Valley Avenue and the park would be accessible by three culverts across the creek.

A figure-eight trail system would loop two open, irrigated lawn areas that could be used for various recreation or civic activities. The plan also features a large picnic shelter, which could accommodate 40-60 people, and some smaller picnic shelters. The site design also features a playground, restrooms and a parks maintenance facility.

The city’s goal through the design and development of the park is to keep it as “green” as possible, and the preliminary site plan reflects this goal in several ways.

To begin, the design includes a buffer around Wapato Creek and its accompanying wetlands. The city is also considering ways to include fish-rearing ponds in the design to promote the return of wildlife to the creek. One of the city’s main goals with the site is to continue the restoration of the creek.

The paths in the park will be permeable, allowing stormwater to soak through the pavement and into the ground. Throughout the design, the city has pledged to investigate low-impact, sustainable options.

Even the park’s play area will be more natural in its design. The design team is considering ways to incorporate a playground that would blend with the nature of the park, perhaps by including a small climbing rock or logs to play on.

The city is also looking at ways to address stormwater runoff and green building practices for the structures on the site.

In regard to the park’s “green” design, Parks and Recreation Director Kurt Reuter said the city would “try to bring as many of those things into the process that we can.”

Another goal the city has in developing the park is to embrace Fife’s agricultural history. The city has considered a number of ways to do this, whether by planting fruit trees along the park’s perimeter or in some other way memorializing the history.

Fife is also hoping to, in the future, make a trial that connects the western edge of the site with the bordering residential area, a goal that is outlined in the park master plan. This would require building another culvert or bridge to cross Wapato Creek.

The city council expressed support for the design and were eager to begin the project.

“I’m quite satisfied with it,” said Councilmember Dick Godwin “The sooner we get with it the better.”

Councilmember Nancy de Booy agreed.

“Our desire was to have a passive park, a beautiful park,” she said. “I’m very pleased.”

The city will work to finalize the design in April and will begin the permitting process. Construction is scheduled to begin in September or October 2008. The park construction will be completed in summer 2009 and in-stream work will continue into the fall. The city hopes to dedicate the park in fall 2009.

Also at the meeting, the council voted to keep the name for the site as Brookville Gardens, after the city solicited ideas from the citizens for renaming the park. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the name, which is a reflection both of the agricultural history of the site and of the Japanese heritage in the area.

In light of the significance of the site, Councilmember Glenn Hull suggested the city consider memorializing the site through a Japanese garden or some other tribute to Fife’s Japanese heritage. The city said it will move forward with the idea and consider ways to incorporate this theme.

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