PORT ANGELES — The city plans to seek bids next month on the next phase of the downtown waterfront face-lift — a new city park — now that officials have secured state and federal grants.
Nathan West, Port Angeles community and economic development director, said the West End Park planned for the stretch of waterfront just west of the downtown esplanade has been completely funded, and construction is expected to begin next year.
“We hope to advertise for the bid in January and hope to begin the project in spring of 2014,” West said.
“I think 18 months would be a safe estimate at this point,” West said, when asked how long West End Park would take to complete.
The estimated $2.48 million project will add two small beaches and three public plazas to the city-owned land along the water just west of North Oak Street.
The improvements also will extend the Waterfront Trail from Dry Creek estuary through the park and connect with the stretch built as part of the city’s $3.9 million esplanade project, West said.
The city has secured $1.6 million in federal and grants, with the city’s contribution coming in at $858,437.
The esplanade and the park are part of larger suite of downtown waterfront improvements, totalling $17 million, that eventually would extend to City Pier to the east, West said.
“I’m quite happy with the pace at which we’re going,” West said.
Some major design elements of the park, such as a circular plaza to be built near a whale vertebra sculpture, were created with input from the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe,West explained.
“The ‘circle up’ area is something that can be used in conjunction with the [annual tribal] canoe journeys,” West said.
“We thought it was an important component to factor in, in hopes of encouraging use of these new beaches.”
The main pathway leading through the park will be adorned with informational placards marking important events in both the Native and non-native histories of the area, West said.
Tribal CEO Sonya Tetnowski said West and the project’s designers got in touch with the tribe early to talk about ways to incorporate tribal elements into the park.
“It’s the city’s project, but the way they encouraged the tribe and reached out to us is a great example of partnership,” Tetnowski said.
More information on the West End Park project can be found at tinyurl.com/PDN-PAPark.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
