Carrying on the efforts of a dedicated volunteer who passed away more than a year ago, 200 trees were planted April 10 at the Grandview dog park in SeaTac.

The off-leash dog park is located just off of Military Road South on South 228th Street.

Tim White was an advocate for Off Leash Areas (OLA) in South King County.

"It really began after Tim got his two Australian Shepherds," says his wife, Susan White.

Tim White recognized the public's need for off leash recreation both as a benefit for dogs but also for pet owners. White knew the best way to support OLAs was to become an active volunteer. So, he joined S.O.D.A. (Serve Our Dog Areas) and helped build Grandview Off Leash Dog Park in 2003.

Years later, stewards of Grandview asked him to plan a tree-planting project. His experience as a Restoration Ecologist working at CH2M Hill and his lifelong passion for nature made him well suited to the task.

White's plan included nearly 200 trees consisting of nine varieties of native species. His proposal would complement the stunning views of Mt. Rainier as well as provide further definition to the landscape and much needed shade during hot summer months.

Unfortunately, White passed away before the tree-planting project could be approved.

More than a year after his death S.O.D.A. carried on Tim's efforts to plant trees at Grandview. The group received $10,000 through King County Community Partnerships and Grants (CPG) to complete the project.

The CPG Program is a public/private partnership initiative that empowers user groups, sports associations, recreation clubs, and other non-profit organizations to construct, develop, program, and/or maintain new or enhanced public recreation facilities in a manner that does not result in new publicly funded operations and maintenance costs.

Family, friends, colleagues and S.O.D.A. members rallied and offered additional support to complete this project.
Grandview is located at 3600 S. 228th Street. The park is approximately 37 acres in size. The trees were planted in the park's lower field.

The three primary areas landscaped and planted are an east\west drainage ditch approximately 500 feet in length, a north/south dividing fence line in the middle of the two old soccer fields and an area inside a former building foundation park users call the playground pit.

Upon adopting Grandview, S.O.D.A. was presented with a well manicured park consisting of open fields and paved trails. However, while many of the hillsides have numerous trees and landscaped features, (the hills are mostly off limits to the dogs for erosion prevention) the large fields themselves (used by the dogs) have been left open and consist primarily of grass with a few knolls with little or no shade.

This has posed a problem during summer months in which dogs and park visitors alike have no refuge from the hot sun. The trees, shrubs and adding additional landscaping enhancements will not only help provide shade but will also beautify and delineate the park.

Grandview is a regional off-leash dog park thatserves the south end communities of SeaTac, Renton, Kent, Des Moines, Auburn, Burien, Tukwila and Federal Way.

As the only large off-leash park in the south end of the county, the park provides a location for dog owners to bring their pets and allow them to exercise and socialize with other dogs.

Due to the size of the park many dog owners will drive to Grandview from some distance so as to release their dogs in a safe environment that provides needed "elbow" room for running and playing. The park has two dog water fountains that allow the animals to enjoy the park on warmer days.

The park was a formally operated by King County as a day/night regional soccer facility but was decommissioned in 2001 for budgetary reasons. The park was reopened in 2003 as an off-leash park by S.O.D.A in co-operation with the City of SeaTac Parks and Recreation Department.

The park is operated by S.O.D.A. under a contract/lease from the City of SeaTac. The seven cities the park serves also provide 16 work hours per year to help maintain the park.

Grandview is visited and enjoyed by hundreds of dog owners a day from all over the county and is the second largest dog park in the area. Marymoor near Redmond is slightly larger.

Many visitors from the surrounding neighborhoods,with and without dogs, also enjoy a walk around the park and the magnificent views looking towards the Cascade Mountains and Mt. Rainer.