Dozens of community members gathered Nov. 20 to officially open the new entrance to Carrie Blake Community Park.

Representatives with the City of Sequim, Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce and Sequim Picklers gathered around Sequim Mayor Dennis Smith who cut the ribbon.

It’s been nearly a month since the road opened on Oct. 30 between the Sequim Skate Park and Trinity Unity Methodist Church south of the former entrance.

“(The park) is the gem of the county as far as I’m concerned,” Smith said.

The new entrance includes a pedestrian path and vehicle access to the Guy Cole Convention Center, Sequim Dog Park, and other park amenities.

It’s part of the city’s Carrie Blake Community Park Master Plan, which includes projects such as extending the new access road to North Rhodefer Road with a roundabout.

Sequim’s assistant city manager Joe Irvin said the park officially became Carrie Blake Community Park when city councilors approved its plan earlier this year to incorporate all areas of the park including the Albert Haller Playfields and Water Reuse Demonstration Site.

City staff and councilors said they’ve received a lot of positive comments about closing the old road to vehicle traffic, which improves safety between the playgrounds.

Smith told the crowd that the project came in 15 percent under budget (about $75,600 in savings) and finished two weeks early. Northern Land Development of Kingston started the project in August, which included extending a water main and constructing an earthen pad for eight pickleball courts near the new road.

Irvin said bids for the courts open Dec. 1, and construction could be finished as soon as April 1.

The nearby convention center’s second phase of remodeling the kitchen should be complete by the end of January too, he said.

For more information on the new entrance, call the city’s Public Works Department at 360-683-4908.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.