With the cooler weather and rain reappearing in our sky, you may feel like cuddling up in front of a cozy fire with a good book – and as a book lover myself, I would definitely encourage that – but maybe get outside first and enjoy some of the great local parks and trails in South King County. Thanks to $30 million in recent grant funding from the voter-approved Parks Levy, local residents will see new and improved parks and pools in South King County in the near future. 

In South King County, we’ll see some great new projects including:

• $904,440 to complete critical capital improvements at the Henry Moses Aquatic Center in Renton, including renovation of the leisure activity pool.
• $800,000 for the development of East Hill North Community Park in Kent – a new community park with open space, restrooms, shelters, and a community gathering area to expand and improve recreation opportunities for underserved areas of Kent and surrounding communities.
• $456,000 for improvements at Midway Park in Des Moines including landscape design work, expanded community garden plots, and walkable pathways which will increase opportunities for physical activity and community gatherings.
• $400,000 for a new open space pocket park in Normandy Park which will provide public access for viewing salmon in the watershed.
• $258,196 to add lighting for the racing surface and perimeter of the North SeaTac Park BMX track and facility to extend operating hours and host races later into the day.
• $200,000 for a feasibility study focused on restoring salmon habitat, reducing flood risk and enhancing recreation at Boeing Rock Park in Kent.
• $115,000 for the Somali Health Board for their Hoops for Hope program, providing linguistically appropriate recreation, mentoring, tutoring, and cultural activities for East African and Muslim American immigrant youth.
• $80,788 to improve the fencing at Grandview Off-Leash Dog Park in SeaTac which will improve usage and safety for both pets and humans.

We know that getting outdoors in nature and being active is good for our physical and mental health so when we make significant investments such as these, we create a more liveable and active South King County community.

Protecting our iconic salmon has long been a priority of mine and we know that for our salmon to survive – and thrive – we need to act now to protect and improve their habitat.  In 2020, when I became chair of the King County Flood Control District, I moved to double the amount of funding for a grant program run by our local watershed inventory areas that focused on salmon recovery efforts. The increase in funding ensured an additional $50 million would be available for habitat restoration projects over the next decade.   

This year, over $12 million in grants will be directed to projects in the Snoqualmie, Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish, Green/Duwamish and Puyallup-White watersheds.

Three of our South King County cities will receive funding to acquire land or undertake rehabilitation projects that will benefit local salmon.