ARLINGTON — Plans for a splash pad at Haller Park gained ground last week when the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians donated half a million dollars for the project.
The proposed splash pad has become the centerpiece of a multi-year overhaul of the riverfront park at the end of West Avenue, which has had problems with flooding from the Stillaguamish River and people loitering and using drugs.
Over the past two years, the Arlington Rotary Club has worked with the city, local businesses and the tribe to raise money and launch projects meant to transform Haller Park. People have noticed the changes and the park is now one of the busiest spots in the city on a sunny day.
“I think it’s one of the nicest parks,” said Lindsay Segers, a mother of two who lives in Arlington. On Tuesday morning, she bounced her 9-month-old baby and watched her 3-year-old son kick off his bright green shoes and start monkeying around on the playground, which was put in by the Rotary Club. He likes the slide and spinning toys. They came for the playground ribbon cutting two years ago and have been coming to the park ever since.
A splash pad would make it the best park Segers has been to with her kids, she said.
“It’ll definitely be something we come here for,” she said. “We used to live in Marysville and they have one there, but it’s far away now. We want one here.”
The Stillaguamish Tribe’s Board of Directors voted last week to donate $500,000 to the Rotary Club. Rotary has been raising money for work at Haller Park since 2013, when planners started talking about a splash pad there. The club raised a record amount of money at last year’s annual Great Stilly Duck Dash on the Fourth of July. They brought in $212,275, more than $100,000 of which was earmarked for the splash pad. Haller Park has been the home of the Duck Dash for 28 years.
The city is applying for a Washington State Recreation grant that could match the Stillaguamish Tribe’s donation, bringing in $1 million total. Officials expect to hear back by October.
The cost estimate for the splash pad is $350,000 to $450,000, but that’s a rough calculation, recreation and communications manager Sarah Lopez said in an email. The pad would be about 75 feet by 100 feet with geysers, sprinklers, water toys and a seating wall around the edge. The Rotary Club has talked about including extra water features if money allows, Lopez said. That would increase the cost.
The goal is to start work on the splash pad in July 2017. It could open for use by summer 2018, Lopez said.
The park’s regulars are ready for more changes.
“A splash pad would be phenomenal,” said Milissa Young, a mother of two who lives in Lake Stevens. “The park is already great, but the splash pad would make the drive even more worth it.”
On Tuesday, she put sunscreen on her 1-year-old daughter, 3-year-old son and her own arms and face before leading a group of moms and kids on a walk from the Haller Park playgrounds over to the adjacent Eagle Trail.
Young is a branch leader for the parents’ Hike It Baby Snohomish County group. She drives to Haller Park from Lake Stevens for walks with the group and family time with her kids. They like it because the park has easy access to the Eagle and Centennial trails and clean, safe playgrounds that are appealing for all ages, she said.
Final plans for the park remodel include a stage, plaza, more outdoor seating and a restroom building with covered seating, a concession stand and a small indoor meeting area.
City workers recently cleared space for the restrooms and put an orange safety fence around the area. However, the city did not receive any construction bids within the $260,000 project budget. Workers plan to remove the fence and put in picnic tables so the area is usable until a contractor is selected and construction starts, Lopez said.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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