About 100 neighbors in Whittier Heights gathered in Kirke Park on 9th Ave. NW and 70th St. last night to snack on popcorn and watch the movie “Up.” They also perused the final landscape design for the property.
The design (below) features a p-patch, a secret garden (those concrete walls will be lowered to 3-feet high), a small orchard, a narrow “skatedot” for skateboarders, a play area for the kids, and an adventure trail with small climbing boulders along the back fence. The biggest change from the previous design is the gathering area in middle, which now mirrors the layout of a home, from a “front porch” entrance to a “back porch” area with picnic tables.
(Click the image to see full screen).
Representatives from SiteWorkshop, the landscape design firm, answered questions from neighbors and provided a timeline for what happens next: construction plans in November, then the project goes out to bid, and construction will begin in February. “The new park as you see on the board there will be ready for next year’s movie night, sometime in the early summer,” said Clayton Beaudoin, a landscape designer.
There have been three community meetings leading up to the design, which is “pretty final,” we’re told — although the designers said they’re still entertaining ideas and feedback from the community. You can contact Friends of 9th Ave Park at ninthavenwpark@gmail.com.