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
Creating two regulation soccer fields in Omak’s East Side Park is the most urgent priority identified after a year-long planning process for the popular 76.6 acre park. The Omak Area population includes three distinct groups that are finding common ground and intercultural harmony through soccer. Organized soccer began with parents organizing a league for just a few dozen children. In only twenty years, that developed to 700 in youth soccer, including teams from nearby Pascal Sherman Indian School; Hispanic adult leagues whose Sunday games are a popular social event drawing family crowds; and high school varsity soccer. The skill of volunteer coaches and leaders has even led to college soccer scholarships for Omak players. Yet the sport has no field to call its own. Soccer is played on a field shared with the annual Colville Indian Encampment, held during Omak Stampede. Encampment activities inevitably damage the field for soccer. New, regulation fields – for soccer only – will be located in an undeveloped part of the park, turning a dust bowl into greenery. East Side Park, with ball fields, swimming pool, RV camping areas, rodeo arena, and other recreation facilities serve a wide region beyond the city limits. Park playfields are used by the Omak School District in lieu of developing its own fields. The City has enlisted volunteer and in-kind contributions for building soccer fields, including the support of Colville Confederated Tribes.