BREMERTON — The killer whales will be back in September, and this time they’re here to stay.
Kids at Lions Park in East Bremerton will be able to play on stone sculptures offering views similar to those locals had in 1997, when 19 members of the L-pod of orcas visited Dyes Inlet and stayed for a month.
The sculptures will be among the final elements to be installed as part of the park’s renovation.
Will Robinson of Elandan Gardens is in the middle of crafting the stone whales at the gardens using a large wire saw visible from Highway 16 in incorporated Bremerton south of Gorst. The work should be ready for installation at the park by the end of the month.
The new park officially reopens Sept. 9, though walkers, softball players and beachcombers have been using it for weeks.
The whales are part of a “nature adventure” playground as Wyn Birkenthal, Bremerton Parks and Recreation director, describes it.
Birkenthal said going with a unique kind of playground was a conscious choice to differentiate Lions Park from virtually every other park and schoolyard playground in the city. “We’re trying something different. It’s not the commonly accepted playground template and there is some form of measured risk there,” he said.
Birkenthal said the Lions Park whales were inspired by those that captivated the region in 1997.
The L-Pod orcas made their way through Port Washington Narrows and stayed around Dyes Inlet for 30 days. Lions Park was one of the places the killer whales could be spotted during their stay.
Having a playground that draws inspiration from the surroundings fits with what else has happened at the park. Much of the work was designed to stop the flow of stormwater and the accompanying pollutants into the sound.
Parking was moved from the park’s waterfront back near the Lebo Boulevard park entrances and the 0.68-mile trail that loops the park is made of pervious pavement.
The 1,900-foot shoreline was restored to a more natural state. Four softball fields were reduced to two and the former playground was removed in favor of the sculptures and other more natural elements.
Kids will also be able to have a seat and take a 60-foot trip via a zip line.
Robinson said seeing children playing on and around the sculptures will his favorite part of the entire artistic process. He also said he appreciates the emphasis Bremerton has played overall on installing art, including his sculptures in the Harborside Fountain Park downtown.
Funding for the park renovation started with a $50,000 grant from the Lions Club, $300,000 from the city and $1.5 million in grants from the state.
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