SEQUIM—The Albert Haller Foundation has approved a $140,294 grant which will allow the City of Sequim to complete a new parking lot and driveway access through the Water Reuse Site, north of Carrie Blake Park, to improve safety conditions and access to the Albert Haller Playfields.
“The Albert Haller Foundation is very excited with their partnership between the City of Sequim and Sequim Family Advocates (SFA) to expand the parking and vehicle access to the Albert Haller Playfields and the James Center for the Performing Arts. This type of cooperation between private and public organizations is something that Albert Haller would have been very proud of,” said Dave Blake a member of the Haller Foundation Board of Directors.
The project, which is included in the City’s newly adopted Carrie Blake Park Master Plan, adds 55 new parking spots and creates one-way vehicle access from Blake Avenue to Rhodefer Road through the park.
Construction of the project is expected to begin June 1, 2016 and to be completed by July 31, 2016 in time for SFA’s Dungeness Cup Youth Soccer Tournament to be held August 5 – 7, 2016.
The grant monies will be combined with $140,000 from the City of Sequim park fund, $30,000 in-kind City services in engineering and project management, $20,000 from the Sequim Family Advocates, $10,000 from Sequim Junior Soccer, $2,000 from Storm King Soccer Club, and $2,000 from Sequim FC Adult League to fully fund the project.
“The existing parking lot, which was built by SFA as a part of Phase 1 of the playfields, is unable to accommodate the high volume of the playfield users during routine use, let alone tournaments or events,” said Joe Irvin, Assistant to the City Manager/Parks Manager for the City of Sequim.
“As a result, when the existing lot is full, vehicles are parked on any available grass near the playfields and along both shoulders of Rhodefer Road, which is not safe. This grant allows the City to move forward with much needed improvements to one of the most used features in our City Parks,” Irvin added.
The City of Sequim has been working with the Sequim Family Advocates to find a workable solution to parking problems around the playfields for more than a year.
“Sequim Family Advocates is delighted to be partnering with the City of Sequim, the Haller Foundation, Sequim Junior Soccer, Storm King Soccer Club, and Sequim FC to make these urgently needed safety and parking improvements,” said Sequim Family Advocates President Dave Shreffler. “These improvements will benefit the whole community, and the project is a testament to partnerships and perseverance!”