The construction on a new Ballard park started today and is to be completed by the end of May. 

Located at 7028 9th Avenue NW, Kirke Park will include a play-area, adventure trail, lawn and open space, picnic area, community gardens, and p-patch gardens. 

The site was purchased with 2000 Pro Parks Levy funds and a Parks and Green Spaces Levy allocated $800,000 for planning, design and construction.

The public process involved three community meetings to guide and inform the design. The community favored a design that includes a community garden at the north end, a sitting wall enclosed space to recall an old building foundation, an open lawn, a "sledding hill" and a small play area at the south end.

The park was named Kirke which means church in Norwegian and pays tribute to both the Norwegian heritage of the neighborhood and the history of the site. This site was home to the Church of Seventh Elect in Spiritual Israel for more than 90 years.

For more information, visit the project website at;  http://seattle.gov/parks/projects/kirke/ .