ARLINGTON — The multi-year transformation of Haller Park is nearing completion.
Workers plan to start clearing space this month to make way for a new seasonal water play area called a splash pad.
The splash pad was proposed several years ago, a centerpiece of plans for the revamped park. The Arlington Rotary Club has been raising money for it, largely through the annual Duck Dash, a rubber duck race down a stretch of the Stillaguamish River.
Volunteers, city officials and park-goers decided years ago that they wanted to reclaim the park from drug users who gravitated toward some of the low-lying, hard-to-see areas and from flood damage when the Stilly rises. Parts of the park, including the old restroom, were within reach of the river.
In 2014, an expansive new playground donated by Rotary opened and a camera was installed that provides a live view of the park. A new boat ramp was built in 2015, replacing one that had been considered unusable for two decades. Also that year, the city had a new parking lot put in. Work on a new restroom facility began last year.
The restroom is nearly finished and is expected to open in the next few weeks. It’s located on higher ground than the previous building. The structure includes a concessions area. The city hopes to build a picnic shelter nearby.
The old restrooms and an asphalt lot that divides the park are to be removed. Demolition is set to start Monday, and the park will remain open during the work, said Sarah Lopez, the city’s recreation and communications manager. Workers aim to finish before July because the park is the hub of many Fourth of July activities.
“When it’s sunny, the park is super busy,” Lopez said. “People just love the new playground. It’s a popular place.”
Work on the splash pad should start sometime after the Fourth, she said. Preliminary work would be done this summer and the water features could be under construction this fall and finished as soon as next summer. The Rotary has raised more than $660,000 for the project, including a $550,000 contribution from the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, club spokeswoman A.J. Chase said.
“The park looks so different already from where it was five years ago, six years ago,” Chase said. “It’s just great to see people using the park. Rotary has a long history with it because we’ve done Duck Dash there for (more than 25) years. We have a special connection there. It’s just a beautiful place.”
She hopes the splash pad can offer a safe way for young children to enjoy the water without swimming in the river when it is running fast and high. The club still is fundraising for the project and invites people to sponsor pieces of equipment. Updates are shared via the “Friends of the Splash Pad at Haller Park” Facebook page.
Upgrades at the park also have been funded by grants and city and county dollars. City officials are awaiting formal notice of whether they won a $500,000 state grant that would allow for building a larger splash pad. If the grant doesn’t come through, the pad still is set to be built this year, Lopez said, but it would start with fewer features and be expanded later.
As for addressing concerns about drug use and flood damage, the efforts seem to be helping.
“All the family use has created an environment where people feel safe going to the park,” Lopez said. “And the flooding should be taken care of now that everything’s on higher ground.”
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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