Wenatchee Skate Park To Upgrade + BMX

Wenatchee Skate Park To Upgrade + BMX

Plans Are Aplenty For Pioneer Park.


Photo - Lucus Schley, 13, of Wenatchee rides his skateboard at
Pioneer Park while a meeting goes on Tuesday at Pioneer Middle
School on possible improvements to the Pioneer Park complex.
Schley and his friends Jose Maravilla, 15, and Evan Eichler, 14,
would like to see the skate park expanded, adding stairs and
smaller ramps for people who aren't very good skateboarders.
They would also like the size increased so bikers could use the area.

Wenatchee, Washington -- 03/05/2008
Nine-year-old Kasey Young knows exactly what she wants the
in-the-works master plan for the Pioneer Park complex to include:
slides with curves and new playground equipment.

"I like the slides that have curves. I want those," said Young,
who lives near the Russell Street portion of the complex and
goes to the playground regularly.

Young and her father, Mark, were two of the more than 40 people
who suggested improvements to the park complex, which is on city
and school district property, during a meeting at Pioneer Middle
School on Tuesday night.

Consultants hired by the city to create a master plan listened to what
citizens like about the 20-acre complex and what improvements they
would like to see. The complex consists of the Pioneer Park picnic area,
the city pool, Triangle Park, the skate park, Recreation Park and the
Apple Bowl.

"We know we can't solve all the issues, and that's not what we're
trying to do. ... We want to generate your input and focus on the
enhancements to the park that you want," said consultant Tom
Pratt of the Spokane-based landscape architect firm Sherry Pratt
Van Voorhis.

Last year Mayor Dennis Johnson included $30,000 in his 2008
budget to pay for a study on how to improve the Pioneer Park
complex and how much it would cost. Originally another $100,000
was set aside to pay for the actual work, but that money was
absorbed back into the city's general fund.

Johnson told the City Council the money was needed elsewhere
when his proposed budget was presented to the council. Dave Erickson,
the city's parks director, said the city is applying for grants that would
help fund the renovation of the complex and will know in November if
the grants were approved.

One of the challenges will be bringing connectivity to the entire complex,
which is split up by Pioneer Middle School, Pratt said. He also said coming
up with a plan for the complex that incorporates enhancements to its
various uses could be difficult.

"There are so many different user groups for this park. We want to
provide something that will hopefully work for everyone," he said.

Upgrading the skate park was one of the
main points of discussion throughout the night.

"The skate park is so dilapidated ... it just needs to be renovated or
just completely replaced," Desiree Knemeyer said. "One of the reasons
why it is so important is because it's a safe place for kids to go when
they don't have a place to go. It gives them a place to go burn off some
energy and hopefully go home and do some homework."

Joseph Branstrom, a 16-year-old junior at Wenatchee High School,
uses the skate park daily. He said exposed rebar and a lack of metal
rails make it difficult to use.

"I think the skate park should be moved away from the playground area,
and it definitely needs to be expanded on and added to," Branstrom said.

"It's an important part of the park, and there are lots of dedicated people
who skate that use it. It just needs to be made better because more and
more kids are going to be using it, and the shape it's in right now makes
it tough to do that."

Other suggestions ranged from adding bathrooms and upgrading the
backstops for the baseball fields at Triangle Park to adding lighting
and increasing the amount of parking near the complex.

Sherry Pratt Van Voorhis will create two possible master plans for
the park. The plans will be presented for public feedback in May.

Suggested improvements to the Pioneer Park complex made by citizens:

* Add recycling containers.
* Install a stage behind the wading pool for concerts and events.
* Increase the number of picnic shelters and fire pits.
* Add a center lane to Russell Street to mitigate traffic.
* Upgrade facilities at Apple Bowl, add locker rooms, bathrooms parking.
* Increase size of skate park relocate it farther from playground.
* Add BMX, options to the skate park upgrade the skate features.
* Create a seating area for spectators at the skate park.
* Install volleyball, basketball and tennis courts.

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*** Wenatchee Plans Pioneer Park BMX Track ***

Wenatchee, Washington -- 05/22/2008
The Pioneer Park complex could be receiving a massive facelift,
depending on what a conceptual drawing from a consultant hired
to create the facility's master plan looks like.

The complex is a combination of city and Wenatchee School District
property, consisting of Pioneer Park, Recreation Park, Apple Bowl
and Triangle Park.

Both the city and Wenatchee School District chipped in to pay $30,000
for consulting firm Sherry Pratt Van Voorhis to create possibilities for
a master plan. The initial results, which were unveiled last week, ranged
from minimal improvements to overhauling several major components
of the complex.

"The proposals really range in cost and options from making a whole
lot of changes and costing a lot to making only a few changes and not
being as expensive," said Parks Director Dave Erickson about three
conceptual plans created by Sherry Pratt Van Voorhis.

The three plans were created with feedback provided to the firm by
user groups of the complex during public meetings earlier this year.


( Click On A Photo-Concept Plan 01, 02, 03, To See Full Size )

All three plans include improved amenities such as additional water
fountains, picnic shelters, bathrooms, basketball courts and a pathway
that cuts through the complex along the north side of the Apple Bowl.
Some of the main differences between the three plans include:

* One design involves flipping the direction of the baseball field
at Recreation Park to where the backstop is facing north. This would
be done to provide additional parking near the city pool.

Another design includes improvements to the skate park, such as
a BMX track that goes around the outside of the skate bowl, and
an improved wading pool at the city pool.

The third - and most complex - design involves swapping the field
uses for Triangle and Recreation parks. Recreation Park would feature
two softball fields and a soccer field, while Triangle Park would have
a baseball field.

Sherry Pratt Van Voorhis gathered public feedback on what features of
all three designs were favored compared to others at a public meeting
last week. The feedback will be used to create one master plan for the
park that combines the most popular aspects of each design. The final
plan should be ready in August.

Erickson said cost estimates for each design were not provided.
He added that the final cost for the project will be determined by
what the end result turns out to be. The city has applied for grants
to fund changes to the park.

"Basically we're going to get some direction of where to go from the
consultant and from there we will have a cost estimate and phasing plans.
It all depends on how far we go with these concepts," said Erickson.

Erickson said it is possible that some improvements for Pioneer Park,
which would involve installing new playground equipment, could happen
in October. However, if the city is approved for grant funding, then
the improvements would be pushed back to later this year, he said.

The city will find out whether it received the grant money in the fall.

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Gene`s BMX News Quote -- 05/22/2008
Re: Wenatchee Plans Pioneer Park BMX Track

We have herd Wenatchee is going to get a BMX track for years.
It seems that every time BMX is thought of in Wenatchee it turns
out to be a big flop. We hope that something BMX works out with
this new idea, but we are not going to get are hopes up to much
as the history does show BMX has flopped out time after time, So
this may turn out to be a flop one more time for BMX in Wenatchee.
But - only time will tell....

* Wenatchee BMX History Information Sources:
+ http://www.genesbmx.com/WenatcheeBikingInfo.html
+ http://www.genesbmx.com/WenatcheeValleyBMX.html
+ http://www.genesbmx.com/Wenatchee-BMX-DirtPark.html
+ http://www.genesbmx.com/WenatcheeSkatePark.html
___________________________________________________________________

Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
***** Gene`s BMX *****
All Things Northwest in BMX!
http://www.genesbmx.com