SEQUIM — The city has developed plans to construct additional parking to service the Albert Haller Playfields at Carrie Blake Park.
City staff, at the direction of the City Council, has been working with Sequim Family Advocates to develop options for adding parking places at the site since August.
The local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization exists to unify youth athletic leagues and nonprofit groups that promote children and families in Sequim and East Clallam County.
Plan development came after months of public comments saying the parking areas now servicing the playfields are unsafe and disorganized during public events.
“We went back and met with staff collectively and charted a course for us to move forward,” Joe Irvin, assistant to the city manager, told the City Council on Monday.
“What we looked at was first identifying what the problem is,” he said.
The city’s task is to locate, design and construct additional parking and access infrastructure to accommodate parking on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays “during these peak times when the area off of Rhodefer [Road] and south of Albert Haller Playfields is really busy with cars going in and out,” Irvin said.
City staff identified four potential parking lot sites within Carrie Blake Park that “balance the interests of all users at the park,” Irvin said.
Parking areas
The first parking area, referred to as Section B, would include about 72 new parking stalls located to the west of the playing fields.
This potentially includes the construction of a new access point, referred to as Section H, that would connect the playfields west to Blake Avenue.
The second area, referred to as Section C, would include about 37 parking stalls to the southwest of the James Center for the Performing Arts.
The third area, referred to as Section D, would include about 32 parking stalls south of the playfields and directly east of the Guy Cole Convention Center.
The fourth area, referred to as Section E, would include about 107 parking stalls placed over existing gravel parking directly to the south of the playfields.
The city currently is focusing its attention on Sections B and H, with the other potential parking site plans still available, if needed, in future years, Irvin said.
“It is a long-term solution,” he said.
Cost estimates
The city estimates construction of Sections B and H to cost about $318,000, Irvin said.
The city is looking at providing $75,000 for the project in the 2016 city budget and will need community organizations to provide the remainder of the money, he said.
Historically, park development improvements in city limits have taken place through mutual agreements between park enthusiasts and the city.
About $164,000 for the new parking area could potentially come from Sequim Family Advocates, which had raised that amount earlier this year for a failed parking project at the site.
The organization was forced to return the money to donors when their plan was denied by the city because it was not up to code.
Discussed Monday
The project will be discussed more when the Parks and Recreation Board meets at 5 p.m. Monday at the Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St.
The board will be asked to recommend that the City Council approve a motion directing city staffers to work with Sequim Family Advocates collaboratively to design and construct Sections B and H.
If the recommendation is made, the City Council is expected to consider action on it at 5 p.m. Nov. 9.
“We plan to come back before council . . . with a formal recommendation so we can have everything hopefully decided and incorporated in the budget so we can go forth and try to secure additional funds and build this project as soon as possible,” Irvin said.
If the city approves $75,000 in funding for the project and Sequim Family Advocates is able to recoup the $164,000 from community partners, then there will still be a shortfall of $79,000, Irvin said.
“We talked about the need to try to add additional funding,” he said.
“We could potentially do that at the end of the year based on what our sales tax year-end revenues are . . . to make up that $79,000 difference.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
