University Place children (and their parents) are celebrating the re-opening of one of the City’s most popular parks, Sunset Terrace at 1902 Seaview St. W. The park was closed last year when it became clear that the tot lot and associated wooden play structures that were installed in 1999 had reached their useful life expectancy. Maintenance and repairs on the equipment were no longer cost efficient.
The Sunset Terrace Park improvement project was included in the 2018 Parks Capital Improvement Budget, with half of the total cost of $272,459 coming from Park Impact Fees and half from the Real Estate Excise Tax. Among the improvements made to the park were the installation of new and safer ADA-compliant tot lot amenities as well as a rubberized safety matting surface. The park also includes a covered park pavilion, youth soccer and little league/tee-ball fields.
On the day the fencing came down, it was only a matter of minutes before kids from the neighborhood ran over to “christen” the new equipment, including the new 100-foot zip line. “Although Sunset Terrace Park is the oldest park in our University Place Parks system, it remains a popular destination,” said Gary Cooper, the City’s Director of Public Works, Parks & Facilities. “We know the kids in the neighborhood have been waiting patiently to be able to enjoy it again. Based on the feedback we’ve gotten so far, it appears the wait was worth it.”