There’s now a plan for the City of Sequim’s flagship park, Carrie Blake Park, but with it come a lot of variables.

Sequim city councilors approved the Carrie Blake Community Park Master Plan on Monday, Feb. 22, which includes development plans for Carrie Blake Park’s 22.42-acre parcel and the Water Reuse Demonstration Site’s 28.85-acre parcel.

Projects range from restructuring the entrance to Carrie Blake Park and constructing new roads to redesigning/constructing a new skate park to installing a playground by the holding pond in the Water Reuse site.

Sequim Parks Manager Joe Irvin said the plan doesn’t propose allocating funds or set a specific timeline, but proposes a hierarchy for projects and what should be constructed together to save costs.

Among the top priorities for the city to accomplish in Carrie Blake Park include widening and laying down new asphalt for the Olympic Discovery Trail, continuing maintenance on the Albert Haller Playfields, installing new vegetation buffers and improving intersections with striped sidewalks and curbed ramps.

City Councilor Bob Lake said the plan provides a structure for the city and doesn’t say it will agree to pay for everything.

“If we have a tennis group who wants to build a court, then we know where to put it,” he said. “If we get more pickleball money or skate park money, then we have a spot to put it. Everything integrates now. Also, if you have a plan, you can get grants.”

Traditionally, the city spends about $100,000 annually on parks so city leaders say they’ll look for more partnerships.

The new master plan lists all of the existing and proposed projects in the park that would cost an estimated $32.4 million today, but Irvin said proposed projects come to about $19.8 million.

“Historically, the City of Sequim has partnered with various groups,” said City Manager Charlie Bush.

“Included within that $19 million is grant funding that we seek, community dollars that are raised and some city funds along with some other governmental funds, depending on what happens in the future.”

City Councilor Ted Miller showed concern about funding parks’ projects saying a majority of city parks’ users come from Clallam County.

“We need to work hard to get some county funding for some of this effort,” he said.

Irvin said, “There are resources out there that we need to bring together a practical solution.”

Plan details

Elements of the plan incorporated input from two community open houses in November and December 2015 and consultant interviews with park stakeholders such as skatepark/BMX park users, Shiso Sister City Association and the Peninsula Trails Coalition.

The plan coincides with the 2015 approved Parks and Recreation Master Plan which already proposes new pickleball courts, renovating the skate park and Guy Cole Mini-Convention Center and many other projects.

Inside the Carrie Blake Master Plan, it shares a laundry list of projects accompanied by probable costs for construction. Possibly the biggest change for users will be shifting entrance points to the parks.

A long-talked about south entrance between the skate park and Trinity United Methodist Church would connect to North Rhodefer Road with a roundabout in the middle to prevent speeding. The roundabout also would direct traffic toward the Guy Cole Center. The new road would result in closing off the existing main entrance that runs between the playgrounds.

Consultants wrote in the plan that relocating this entrance allows for unrestricted flow in Bell Creek, eliminates flooding and reduces traffic issues west of the park.

Consultants wrote the plan to incorporate multiple master plans from stakeholders like the Olympic Peninsula Demonstration Garden, Sequim City Band and Sequim Picklers.

It also continues efforts by the city and Sequim Family Advocates to create 60-plus parking spots to remedy safety concerns by the Albert Haller Playfields and James Center for Performing Arts.

And more …

Some of the other items listed in the Carrie Blake Community Park Master Plan include:

• Striping parking spots around Guy Cole Mini-Convention Center

• Creating four tennis courts north of the skate park

• Redesigning the skate park for better use while limiting the park’s footprint and creating a vegetation buffer between it and the pickleball courts to its east

• Creating tiered seating around the James Center for Performing Arts

Not in the works

Through the evaluation of the parks, space wasn’t found in the parks to include a BMX track, basketball courts, bocce ball and a climbing wall.

Consultants wrote that the city should consider partnering with Clallam County on securing a location for a BMX park and look to partner with Sequim Schools about offering basketball courts once pickleballers have new courts. As for bocce ball, they suggested installing them in smaller neighborhood parks and installing smaller climbing wall panels at the Guy Cole Center or skate park with safety surfacing.

The plan also points out issues with bicycle accessibility and ADA compliance throughout the parks.

Following this plan, Irvin said he plans to look at creating plans for the city’s Gerhardt Park and Keeler Park, too.

Read the the Carrie Blake Community Park Master Plan at http://tinyurl.com/zh6mpr2 or visit www.sequimwa.gov and look under “city government,” “city council,” “agendas,” and “February 22, 2016.”