Revitalized Paine Field Community Park ready
Published 10:35 pm Thursday, April 16, 2009
EVERETT — A new park near Paine Field has undergone a major facelift, and Snohomish County officials hope it will sparkle like a diamond. Three diamonds, actually: two for baseball and a third for softball.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for the renovated Paine Field Community Park at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“The community’s been asking for upgrades to the park for years,” county parks director Tom Teigen said.
The county purchased the 14-acre facility from Paine Field Airport in 2002. At 11928 Beverly Park Road, it sits in an area dominated by parks of a different kind — business parks.
The official opening is a formality, because the park’s popularity is well-established.
Mukilteo Little Leaguers have used it heavily for years. Last week, the fields and parking lot were packed for youth baseball games.
Sluggers aren’t the only athletes who should feel at home.
The park also has a new high school-dimension soccer field and a half-court basketball area.
The recently completed $1.65 million improvement project added bleachers and dugouts to the baseball fields, restrooms plus parking spaces for more than 150 vehicles. Playground equipment and lighting are new as well.
A 16-foot diameter flying saucer by artist Peter Reiquam decorates the grounds. A county program that required 1 percent of the bidding price be set aside for the arts paid for the structure.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465 or nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
