Park use is perking up in SeaTac as the city marks the major renovation of an outdoor sports complex and the opening of a new neighborhood park

A dedication ceremony for the 14.8 acres of renovations at Valley Ridge Park's sports fields was held Sept. 8. A park was formally opened the previous day at the North SeaTac Community Center.

"We've worked hard throughout the year so it is nice to see the projects come together," Parks Director Kit Ledbetter commented.

Replacement of 256,000 square feet of natural turf with synthetic turf gives SeaTac "the nicest soccer/softball complex in south King County, maybe in all of King County," according to Ledbetter.

"It is something new and unique," he added.

The turf replacement was necessary because drainage problems made fields unusable every year between Thanksgiving and March.

Now, 10 inches of rain can drain off the fields in an hour, Ledbetter said.

The new turf is "many generations past Astroturf" and is similar to what is in place at the Seahawks' Qwest Field, he noted.

The $4.2 million renovation for the park at 4646 S. 188th Street includes lighting three ball fields, adding a half-mile walking path, and repaving tennis and hockey courts.

The new a half-acre park next to the community center at 13735 24th Ave. S. was a smaller project, but it added a neighborhood park in an underserved area, Ledbetter said.

The city's goal is to have a park within a half-mile of every resident's home. School playgrounds are included in the calculation.

The $600,000 project includes playground equipment, a climbing boulder, basketball courts, picnic tables and a sensory garden.

The sensory garden will allow visitors to experience the park though smell, sight, sound and touch.

Rain is caught in a catch basin and trickles down a stream, and a tunnel of vines can be touched. The park is wheelchair accessible.

SeaTac's senior center is housed next to the park in the community center.

The Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden, situated across the parking lot, is also a good extension of the sensory garden, Ledbetter concluded.