Category Overview
Local Parks grants help protect these symbols of vibrant communities, providing places for families to gather and play and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle in an era when people spend increasing amounts of their time inside. The WWRP is the largest source of local parks funding in Washington, helping communities fund the acquisition, development, and renovation of vital recreation areas and green spaces.
Project Highlights
Snohomish County used this grant to construct a memorial park on the site of the deadly Oso landslide along Highway 530 at Steelhead Drive, 16 miles east of the City of Arlington. Development included a community gathering plaza and shelter, parking and stormwater infrastructure, and circulating pathways that take visitors through the memorial. The park included interpretive signage and art exhibits that explained the geological, cultural, and historical conditions of the site when the landslide occurred. A portion of the memorial paid tribute to the responders who assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts, told stories from those that were rescued, acknowledged the community that was wiped out in the landslide, and memorialized the 43 people that lost their lives. Additionally, the project included benches, bollards, landscaping, retaining walls and other small structures. This memorial is an educational and passive recreational experience, intended for people to gather, learn and remember this historic event.