information from Seattle Parks and Recreation

Seattle Parks and Recreation will begin construction of the Duwamish Waterway Park Improvements at 7900 10th Ave S in South Park in October 2020. SPR purchased the1.3-acre site from King County after a community-led process to make the property a permanent neighborhood riverfront park. Working with the Seattle Parks Foundation, the Friends of Duwamish Waterway Park raised over $1 million for park improvements and catalyzed the renovation effort.

The community vision provides significant improvements to the park to make it a healthy and welcoming space for families, young people, and seniors. The final design provides more welcoming park entries and includes:

• an improved perimeter pathway with a series of interpretive artwork boulders that enhance the river view with messages relating to the community and area history;  
• an all-ages accessible playground including a climbing structure and zip line as well as boulders, logs, and benches; and
• new park furnishings with accessible picnic tables, barbecues, drinking fountain and foot wash, additional benches, and bike racks. 

The park has been carefully laid out to maximize open space for recreation and festivals and to preserve river access for launching hand-carried boats. Vegetation management will improve sightlines throughout the park and will include new riparian plantings that control erosion and supplement the native shoreline plantings installed by Seattle Parks and Recreation over the years.

During the purchase of the property, SPR was made aware that the soil beneath the grass next to the river in the northeastern portion of the property contained elevated levels of arsenic contamination. In preparation for construction, SPR submitted a cleanup plan to the Washington Department of Ecology and is finalizing the plan for the property with Ecology. 

SPR will begin soil remediation work prior to construction. The soil in the northeastern portion of the park site will be removed and replaced with clean fill.  After consulting with SPR arborists and in order to preserve the large trees at the park, SPR will use air spading to remove soil around critical root zones of trees. SPR arborists will oversee this work to minimize impact to the trees and to see that clean soil is correctly placed around them. We anticipate removal of approximately 80 cubic yards of soil or more in this initial action. Most of the cleanup work will be completed before the park renovation begins; any remaining cleanup on SPR property will be coordinated during the construction of park improvements. Cleanup on non-Seattle Parks and Recreation property is not included in this project.

We anticipate awarding the construction contract for park improvements in late September 2020, with construction starting in late October 2020 and completed in summer 2021. 

For more information please contact Jessica Michalak, Capital Projects Coordinator, Seattle Parks and Recreation, atJessica.michalak@seattle.gov or 206-470-9147 or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/duwamish-waterway-park-activation.