First Legacy Plan Open House Next Thursday

LAKEWOOD, WA — The first of three scheduled open houses to garner community feedback on the city's Legacy Plan, also known as the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, will be held at city hall next Thursday.

Allowing residents, community members, and stakeholders to share comments regarding their visions of the future for Lakewood's Parks and Recreation Department, the first in-person open house will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. June 27 at 6000 Main St. S.W.

Subsequent open houses will be held July 25 at the Lakewood Library, 6300 Wildaire Rd. S.W., and again at city hall on Aug. 1.

According to city officials, the current Legacy Plan — adopted in 2014 — is due for an update to remain timely and reflective of the community's needs and desires, as well as to remain competitive for grants.

The current Legacy Plan is available on the city's website

At each of the three upcoming open houses, Parks and Rec representatives will share an exhibit showing what's been done in Lakewood since the 2014 Legacy Plan's adoption.

One excellent example, according to Parks, Recreation & Community Services Director Mary Dodsworth, is what's been done with Springbrook Park in the city's southeast, near McChord AFB.

Since the city invested roughly $1 million toward improving the park area, Springbrook Park now boasts a vibrant community gathering place, complete with soccer fields, a volunteer-built playground, two rentable picnic shelters, and improved pedestrian access.

Perhaps most noteworthy, however, is the park's community garden, for which area residents had considerable input and continue to maintain to this day, Dodsworth said.

Other noteworthy projects completed since the previous Legacy Plan's adoption include improvements at Fort Steilacoom Park, the paved 1-mile trail at Waughop Lake, and the addition of more than 10 new way-finding identifiers notifying residents and visitors when they've entered the city of Lakewood, Dodsworth added.

For those who can't make any of the open houses, there are a handful of other options for providing input to the city, such as an online survey, offered in English, Spanish, and Korean (links redirect to language-specific city surveys); an online forum; and a variety of community events scheduled throughout the summer, which include:

• SummerFEST: July 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fort Steilacoom Park, 8714 87th Ave. S.W. in Lakewood;
• Farmer’s Market: July 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6000 Main St. S.W. in Lakewood;
• Summer Concert Series: August 22 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Fort Steilacoom Park; and
• Fort Steilacoom Dog Park: August 2019 (more information coming soon).