The Port of Seattle in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened the beach of Jack Block Park to the public. The 15 acre park has been open since 1998, but with EPA investment in a protective sediment cap on the beach area, the public can now enjoy the park and shoreline area year round.

Named for Port Commissioner and West Seattleite Jack Block the park is a source of pride for him and he spoke at the event.

"When I started running for the Seattle Port Commission, and I started talking about trails, viewpoints and parks like this, some of the commissioners at the time said, 'If you do that you have to maintain it.' My argument was, 'Yes you do, for the public good. That's part of this mitigation. They are taking all these shore land away from the public and we have to do something for them. This was a 20 year project. It's amazing what you can do with $100 million dollars.
But that's what it took. I remember when we opened this park I was with an official from the EPA. I was giving a speech in which I said, 'I hope I live long enough to see this project completed. That was 9 years ago, and I made it."

He addressed the most common question he gets about the site. "Why did they name a park for somebody who's still alive? Well, my colleagues thought I was going to die," Block said prompting laughter from the crowd. Block has twice beaten cancer and is today in good health.

He concluded by saying, "I'm really proud of this park. It means a lot to me to have my name on it and to share it with my family and all the public. God bless all of you."

“This is the finishing touch on a great public park,” said Port Commissioner Gael Tarleton. “Our partnership with EPA on this project allows people to enjoy the beach and go in the water just in time for summer.”

"EPA is proud to join the Port of Seattle in this celebration," said Michelle Pirzadeh, EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Seattle. "Cleaned-up properties that include features like this new public beach offer families a chance to become personally connected to Puget Sound in a fun and healthy way.”

The park is located on the site of the former Pacific Sound Resources wood treatment plant, which operated from the early 1900s to 1994. During these years of industrial operations, much of the property and surrounding areas were contaminated. After the plant closed in 1994, the site was added to the Superfund National Priority List, managed by the EPA.

Other features of the clean-up include dredging and removal of 10,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment; installation of a sub-surface barrier to protect the beach from contamination; removal of hundreds of creosote-covered pilings and capping at total of 58 acres of sediment, with five feet of clean sand and gravel on the beach. EPA monitoring of cleanup effectiveness will continue for decades.

The port purchased the Superfund site to meet increasing marine cargo capacity needs at Terminal 5. EPA directed cleanup and remediation at the former plant site, working in partnership with the port’s marine terminal redevelopment project to re-cycle the water-dependent industrial site for use in shipping international cargo and for community use as a new public shoreline and open space area.

The site includes 4000 linear feet of pedestrian and bicycle shoreline pathway, elevated walkways and viewing platforms, restrooms, native shoreline vegetation and habitat enhancement area. The park is named after the longest-serving Seattle Port Commissioner, Jack Block, a longtime member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).

Other features of Jack Block Park include:

 Walking pier
 45 foot high observation tower
 Children's play area
 View of Terminal 5 operations, Seattle skyline, Mt. Rainier
 Benches, restroom and parking
 Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Port of Seattle maintains 24 parks and public access sites. Managed by the Port’s Marine Maintenance Department, they use 100% organic landscaping techniques and plant only native non-invasive species and drought tolerant trees and shrubs. All Port parks have been 100% organic since 1998. For more information on the Port of Seattle’s “hidden gems” along the waterfront, go to: http://www.portseattle.org/community/resources/index.shtml

Check out our centennial web page at: http://www.portseattle100.org/

Over the weekend, the park and the beach are the site for the first Northwest Paddling Festival featuring over 40 vendors from around the world, promoting paddling and kayaking an event sponsored and organized by Greg Whittaker of Alki Kayak and Mountain to Sound Outfitters in partnership with Peter Reik and Sea Kayaker Magazine.