Stanwood teens inspire park’s rebirth

Published 11:14 pm Tuesday, September 16, 2008

STANWOOD — Danika Mogensen and Brianna Gillett didn’t like the looks of their neighborhood park on the hill in Stanwood.

Lions Park was filled with trash, marred by graffiti and overgrown with weeds. It featured a basketball hoop without a net, a beat-up slide and swing, and a broken teeter-totter.

“The park was really bad,” Danika said. “It was an awful, useless place and no one was having any fun at all.”

The property had been given to the city in 1962 by the school district, and the Stanwood Lions Club originally had plans to build a swimming pool there, city spokeswoman Devin Tokizawa said. Because of lack of money, the pool was never built.

A couple years ago the girls, who have been best friends since fourth grade, started picking up the garbage and knocking down some of the weeds, Brianna said.

The Stanwood City Council was alerted to their efforts, and the city included the renovation of Lions Park in its master plan for city parks. The girls were invited by the city to offer ideas for the park.

Now freshmen at Stanwood High School, the girls, both 14, then raised nearly $400 to help with renovation costs.

They sold candy bars and sponsored pizza parties for the neighborhood.

“All the kids in the neighborhood helped out,” Brianna said.

The city received nearly $51,000 in donations to help fund the $339,000 park renovation, said Andy Bullington of the city public works department. Construction began in March and the neighborhood kids played in the street all summer while watching the park’s transformation, Danika said.

Now the park features a huge playground set, a full basketball court, a new lawn big enough for a touch football game, a covered picnic area, numerous benches, landscaping and a parking lot. A stand of Douglas fir and cedar trees shade the park in midday and it’s easy to enjoy the view west to Camano Island.

A big crowd turned out Friday for the official dedication of the park and Mayor Dianne White recognized the girls, Danika said.

On a plaque at the park’s entrance, Danika’s and Brianna’s names top the list of contributors and volunteers.

“If I ever have grandchildren, I’m going to bring them here and show them the plaque,” Danika said.

“It shows that one little idea can start something like this,” Brianna said.

On Sunday afternoon, the park was filled with kids on the playground, teenagers playing basketball and adults watching all the action.

“Now Lions Park is the nicest and newest park in the city,” Brianna said as she looked out across the park. “It really feels good.”

Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.