Category Overview
Washington is famous for its gorgeous and abundant waterways, from the Salish Sea to the Nisqually River, but many communities lack open public beaches and waterfronts where everyone can enjoy picnicking, swimming, paddling, boating, and angling. Water Access projects fund public shoreline access, boat launches, and fishing docks to create more opportunities for water recreation.
Project Highlights
Kirkland used this grant to improve Juanita Beach Park on Lake Washington. Poor water quality in the swimming beach area resulted in periodical closure of the beach in the past. Work included creating a new path along the shoreline, restoring a portion of Juanita Creek within the park, creating marshes to filter water before contaminants reach the lake, building a raised boardwalk over the creek and created marsh, and enhancing trail access points from the surrounding neighborhoods. Redevelopment of Juanita Beach Park provided citizens with a safe and scenic place to enjoy outdoor recreation activities. However, this project experienced significant delays due to issues with, and subsequent dismissal of, the primary contractor that was awarded the bid to complete this project. The project was subsequently completed, but largely at the city’s expense due to timing issues with work completed and grant agreement deadlines. The scope of this grant was amended to match work completed with RCO grant funding.