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Rocky Hill takes shape
10/1/2008 11:07:26 AM
By Hope Brumbach
Splash Editor
LIBERTY LAKE - Even though Rocky Hill Park still looks like a field of dirt, the city's newest recreation spot is taking shape.
The basketball court has been poured. The parking lot, minus the stripes, is in place. And this week, a landscaping crew is finalizing the irrigation system and gearing up to plant a host of trees.
The first 7-acre phase of the park, located on the east side of town, is expected to wrap up by the end of the month with a sports court, 20-spot parking lot and roughly 5 acres of turf.
"It will be a lot better once it's done," City Engineer Andrew Staples said last week while touring the site, still dotted with rocks and churned-up dirt. The city isn't encouraging much use of the park until spring, when the grass has taken root.
With the first phase of Rocky Hill Park nearing completion, the city recently announced that funding for the second phase has been nearly secured. Advertisement
Splash photo by Hope Brumbach
City Engineer Andrew Staples reviews plans on a recent afternoon for the first phase of Rocky Hill Park. |
A competitive state grant likely will net the city more than $500,000 to finish the second half of the park, including two tennis courts, a picnic area, an informal amphitheater, community garden and a playground, officials said last week.
This fall, Liberty Lake scored ninth out of 76 applicants for a Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office grant for local parks, according to a state news release last week.
The Governor's Office and Legislature must approve the funding list for the grant to be a certainty. The city will be notified sometime this spring, city officials said.
"This is the biggest hurdle. … At this point, we're pretty confident," said Jessica Platt, the city's administrative services manager. "It's so exciting - I can't tell you."
With that ranking, the city is almost guaranteed the funding, said Susan Zemek, communications manager for the Recreation and Conservation Office.
"You're well within range," she said last week. "With that score, they should do really well."
The park, located at Mission Avenue and Winrock Street, will be a prominent feature on the southeast side of the 220-acre Rocky Hill development, now home to about 120 residences.
The long-awaited park moved forward this summer after years of planning and discussion. The City Council agreed in June to a plan with developer Greenstone Homes and property owners Bill and Judi Williams, who donated 7 acres of the land for the city to begin the first phase of the planned 14-acre project.
The agreement stipulates that the additional 7 acres will be donated when the city finds money within five years for its development.
The total price tag for the first phase rings in at nearly $440,000, according to city officials. The second phase could cost around $850,000, which would include about $346,000 from city coffers. City staff are requesting that amount in the upcoming 2009 budget, said Doug Smith, planning and community development director.
At this point, contrary to past plans for a kids' fort, the city isn't planning any development of the park's rocky crag, its signature feature said Staples, the engineer.
"It's going to remain natural," he said. "There's too many critters, and besides, it's mostly rock. There's no reason to disturb it."
The city's plans for transforming an historic barn and pump house on the property also will be on hold. The state grant doesn't apply to the historic features, Platt said, but the city could develop it in the future.
Platt said the city may have scored well for the grant because of a high need for parks, especially with the overcrowding of Pavillion Park.
"It's a huge deal," she said. "We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed."
If you go
The city will celebrate Arbor Day and the completion of phase one of Rocky Hill Park at 4 p.m. Oct. 10 at the park, located at Mission Avenue and Winrock Street.
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