Renovated Park Opens in Kent

The city of Kent recently celebrated the grand opening of West Fenwick Park in the West Hill neighborhood at 3808 S Reith Road. After years of planning and a robust public outreach process, the park features a playground called Slides and Climbers based on the board game Chutes and Ladders, a new basketball court, a turf sports field, a futsal court, and natural grass field. Park renovations also added a looped trail, covered picnic shelters and BBQs, new irrigation, and lighting. Berger Partnership led the design of the new park.

The $3.16 million renovation was funded through the city’s capital budget and two King County Youth and Amateur sports grants worth $275,000. The playground has a rainbow-colored path that winds among a synthetic grass playground base that sits upon a hill giving it enough elevation for rolling, running, and resting. A merry-go-round serves as the Slides and Climbers spinner, sending kids throughout the brightly colored play structures finishing at the base of a long, blue tunnel slide. The destination playground is universally accessible and fun for all with a wheelchair ramp that allows kids on wheels to sit 9 feet atop the slide structure. Quiet spaces are tucked within the play structures for those looking for less stimulation or independent play.

According to a City Park, Recreation and Community Services Department statement, “Since the gates came down in June, West Fenwick Park has quickly become the ‘place to be’ – our hope is that this park becomes an iconic feature of our city and a popular destination for both locals and visitors for many years to come.”

The design team includes Berger Partnership as the prime consultant and landscape architect;Terra Dynamics Inc., general contractor; AESI, geotechnical; D.A. Hogan, natural field design; KPFF, civil engineering; Mazzetti, electrical engineering; Design Two Four / Two Six, irrigation.

Originally posted in Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce on September 23, 2021