Benches at the park, still under construction atop the Myrtle Reservoir have the names of places around the city that can be seen from that vantage point.
If it seems as if the progress at the Myrtle Reservoir has hit a snag, the truth is that the Seattle Parks Department has been confronted with some challenges in getting the work completed so the park being built on the reservoir can open. The West Seattle Herald spoke with Virginia Hassinger, Project Manager who has been on the site frequently in the last few days. She shared this update:
We are making steady progress towards completion of the new park at Myrtle Reservoir in fall of 2010. We are eager to open this site to the public as soon as possible. The final concrete pour was completed on Sept 30. The critical work for the next two weeks will be completion of the irrigation system, followed by importing and spreading of topsoil, and finally hydro-seeding. Other remaining work includes installation of landscape plantings, handrails, installation of bike racks, a variety of finish detailing, and site cleanup.
The Myrtle site has presented us with a variety of challenges in the last two months. We encountered differences in the grade between our plan and the final reservoir site. We also found existing underground
utilities at elevations or locations that conflicted with our planned improvements. The designer (Nakano and Associates) and construction team (Ohno Construction) have been able to make field adjustments without compromising the design intent. We have added time to the contract to allow for these changes; our current contract completion date is November 12, 2010.
Parks is planning on a soft opening soon after the work is substantially complete. We want to get the lawn areas seeded as soon as possible. Actual germination and growth will be somewhat weather dependent.
Protection of the new lawn is a concern and we are working on a plan that will allow us to protect the lawn while opening the play area and viewpoint to the public. An official public opening celebration, yet to be scheduled, will follow the soft opening.
Thank you for your patience.
Virginia Hassinger, Project Manager
Seattle Parks & Recreation
206-233-7936
virginia.hassinger@seattle.gov
