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In this special edition of the Metro Parks Today you'll find:
- A look at the successes of 2016, from Shon Sylvia, executive director of Metro Parks Tacoma
- Park Board Notes from commissioner Andrea Smith
- News from around the district
- Upcoming public meetings and events
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2016 was an outstanding year!
This is the time of year when organizations take stock of what they've accomplished and what's next. As the newly appointed
executive director
of Metro Parks Tacoma, I'm excited to say that we have a lot of both.
Last year, we finished several projects that were funded in part by the $198 million bond approved by voters in 2014, and we also broke ground on new projects and started new programs. Many of these are the result of excellent partnerships with other agencies, organizations, and donors.
After you check out these highlights, I’m sure you will agree it was an outstanding year for our community, and that we are poised for even more success:
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Last April, at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park near Eatonville, we opened Kids' Trek, a nature-inspired playground that's free with admission to the park. More than 3,000 people came to see this $1.9 million playground on opening day!
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In September, we welcomed swimmers to the new People's Community Center pool, an $8 million renovation led by the City of Tacoma, spurred on by Hilltop advocates who wanted a place for neighborhood children to learn to swim.
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We opened an all-weather multipurpose field at the SERA campus in South Tacoma that expands our ability to offer outdoor sports year-round.
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Also at the Zoo, Tacoma Public Schools began building the Environmental Learning Center, an educational building to be shared by the Science and Math Institute (SAMI) and Zoo visitors and staff members. It will open this fall.
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We also broke ground on two signature projects that will enhance the already-amazing Point Defiance Park:
- an 11-acre waterfront park,
- a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists that will connect the park with Ruston Way and feature spectacular views of Puget Sound. The bridge also will feature a series of slides that combine for a 59-foot elevation drop!
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We also neared the end of planning and design for a new Eastside Community Center on the campus of First Creek Middle School.
That public-private project, will include a pool, gym, teaching kitchen, recording studio and more.
The project
will break ground this year and open in 2018, thanks to partnerships with the City of Tacoma, the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound, the Tacoma Housing Authority, and others.
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Besides all the construction activity, we launched a bold new program to offer low-cost after-school sports at all 35 of Tacoma's public elementary schools.
To do it, we pooled resources with Tacoma Public Schools, the Boys & Girls Clubs and the YMCA. Basketball is now underway and registration for flag football has opened.
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And, because people make all the difference, I'd like to shine another spotlight on 2016's most high-profile hire: Point Defiance Park's first uniformed ranger and interpretive guide.
Mary Krauszer, a University of Puget Sound graduate, started work in May to coordinate visitor-oriented programs that highlight the park's features as well as keep everyone safe.
As you can see, this is an extraordinary time at Metro Parks. We are grateful for the generous and consistent support from
taxpayers and partners who contribute to our successful efforts to expand opportunities to play, learn and grow. Without these resources and relationships, our list of accomplishments would be a lot shorter.
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So much is going on right now I can't get into all the details; I only hit the highlights of what Metro Parks achieved last year. To keep track of what's happening at Metro Parks, I encourage you to check our
website
and our various social media postings via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Thanks again for your continued support. Don't be afraid to let us know how we can do things better.
Shon Sylvia, Executive Director
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Shon Sylvia, Executive Director
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The social pillar of sustainability is all about people. Besides maximizing the great talent of our employees, we strive to serve the community.
We enjoy close collaboration with the City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Schools, and we also coordinate services with nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound and the YMCA. We survey the community's needs, and we look for gaps in services. One result of this approach is the new Eastside Community Center, which will break ground this year.
We are working with partner agencies to create opportunities for a part of the city that is grossly underserved. That includes services unique to that community center. That's why you find not only a pool and gym in the new community center, but also a teaching kitchen and a recording studio.
Finally, the economic pillar is about more than finances. Good parks, open space and programs contribute to economic development by promoting our health at home and by promoting tourism.
We also strive to use partnerships and grants to enhance taxpayer support. The 2005 capital bond of $84.3 million accomplished $135 million of work to revitalize parks and create the STAR Center in South Tacoma.
Our 2014 capital bond again provides improvements across the district along as well as the new Pacific Seas Aquarium and the peninsula park on the waterfront, due for completion in 2018. The multiplier effect is already underway with the park next to Point Ruston, with outside funding sources greatly augmenting the investment Metro Parks voters made through the 2014 bond.
All the pillars are interrelated and apparent in projects underway throughout the district:
- Metro Parks bonds put people to work enhancing the parks (economic, environmental pillars)
- The Eastside Community Center project includes trails. Its campus atmosphere enhances Tacoma Public School's First Creek Middle School (social, environmental, economic).
- Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium collaborates with Tacoma Public Schools' Science and Math Institute on the new Environmental Learning Center to serve SAMI students and staff, as well as Zoo visitors and staff (social, environmental, economic).
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I'm excited to see the changes in our parks and recreation system during 2017 and continuing our mission of creating healthy opportunities to play, learn and grow.
Andrea Smith was elected to the Board of Park Commissioners in 2011. Her fellow commissioners elected her as Board President on Jan. 9, 2017.
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Andrea Smith, President,
Metro Parks
Tacoma Board
of Commissioners
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- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park sets attendance record with more than a quarter million visitors in 2016 Read more >
- Metro Parks Tacoma wins kudos for accounting excellence Read more >
- Dozens of new trees added to 5 Metro Parks Tacoma sites Read more >
- Park ranger introduces new visitor programs at Point Defiance Park Read more >
- Up to four kids admitted free with each paying adult at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park during Kids 'n' Critters special event Read more >
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Upcoming Events & Public Meetings
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Saturday, January 14
Sunday, January 15
Monday, January 16
Saturday, January 21
Sunday, January 22
Saturday, February 4
Wednesday, February 8
Friday, February 10
Saturday, February 11
Sunday, February 12
Tuesday, February 14
Saturday, February 18
Sunday, February 19
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Board of Park Commissioners Meeting
Capital Improvement Committee
Committee of the Whole
Monday, Jan. 30; 5:30 pm
Read more >
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Metro Parks Tacoma | (253) 305-1000 | metroparkstacoma.org
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