New park to rise on old site of Trails End Horse Arena in Tumwater

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A neighborhood park would soon arise on the former site of the demolished Trails End Horse Arena, according to plans discussed by Tumwater’s Park and Recreation Committee on Wednesday, March 22.

Located on the corner of Trails End Road and 79th Avenue, the lot covers 17 acres, but the park would be built on the southern portion, where the land is mostly flat.

Tumwater has contracted landscape architect Robert Droll to design the master plan of the park; together with his associate Ann Dinthongsai, he presented three alternatives for the park’s design during the meeting.

Dinthongsai said that for all three alternatives, parking would be located on the edge along Trails End. The core of the park, where most of the amenities are found, would be located near the entrance.

There would be space for an open lawn and prairie, while an overlooking area would be constructed by the northwestern portion of the lot, where a kettle or sunken landform has formed. There would be no access to the kettle for the time being.

A bioretention facility would be built on the northern edge, separated from nearby houses by a landscape design acting as a buffer. The existing Gary Oak trees in the lot would also be retained in all alternatives.

The three design alternatives differ by the play area's size, the trail configuration , and other features present in the park.

The first design concept includes a 5,000-square-foot play area, a half-sized basketball court, a community garden, and a 2,000-square-foot splash pad.

The second concept has a 7,000-square-foot play area, a 7,000-square-foot paved pump track, a full-sized basketball court, and a pickleball court designed for people with disabilities. This alternative also features several baskets for disc golf spread around the park and mound formations that would be two to four feet in height.

The last alternative has an 8,000-square-foot player area, three half-sized basketball courts arranged in a circle formation, and a fitness area. Similar to the second alternative, it would also feature a pump track and a pickleball court.

Droll and committee members would present the designs to local residents at a March 29 meeting, where they expect to get feedback and identify which alternative that they prefer.

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  • bonaro

    All I want to know is if the City of Tumwater bought the property for fair market value.

    Or did they condemn it and take it and are now building a park, because that is what keeps the tax cattle compliant.

    Saturday, March 25, 2023 Report this

  • FrostedFlake

    I am astonished there are to be overhead wires adjacent to a park.

    You only have to bury them once, you know. Then they are gone, foerever. Until you bury them, they are RIGHT THERE in the way the entire time. What do you want in a park? Trees ot wires?

    Saturday, March 25, 2023 Report this