Water Spray Park at Angle Lake

After years of planning, the City of SeaTac is considering a move forward on the second phase of the Angle Lake Park Improvements Master Plan.  Included in this plan is the placement of a Water Spray Park in the Northwest corner of Angle Lake Park. 

The spray equipment cost is ~$275,000. Construction and installation are included with other major park enhancements under a separate contract bid not to exceed ~$1.8 million and annual maintenance of the spray facility is still to be determined. No grants are available to defray any portion of these costs. 

The Council is scheduled to vote on these two items, Agenda Bills 3480 and 3481 at the next Regular Council Meeting on Tuesday, February 12th.  

Your Opinion Counts

Do you consider a Water Spray Park to be something that would be appropriate at Angle Lake Park or should other alternatives be considered? We’re interested receiving your feedback on this matter. A brief survey has been created to gather your preferences and opinions on this item. 

Click here to take survey

While the survey only represents a small, unofficial sampling of the community, the results collected will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration.  If you’d rather, you are encouraged to write, phone or visit Council Members to ensure that your opinions and preferences are acknowledged prior to the next scheduled Regular Council Meeting.

Proposed Angle Lake Enhancements

Three separate agenda bills were discussed at the January 22nd SeaTac Council Study Session which would impact the public park at Angle Lake.  These initiatives will be moved to the February 12th Regular Council Meeting as Action Items for additional dialog prior to being voted on.  The agenda bills are as follows:

1. Agenda Bill #3480 – A Motion authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with the low bidder for Angle Lake Park Phase II construction.  
2. Agenda Bill #3481 – A Motion authorizing the City Manager to approve the purchase of the water spray area equipment for the Angle Lake Park project from Waterplay Solutions Corporation 
3. Agenda Bill #3489 – A Motion authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement with Angle Lake Hotel, LLC for a proposed access easement at Angle Lake Park

Agenda Bill #3480 

The Angle Lake Park Phase I project was completed in 1996. The plan  is  to  start  Phase  II  construction  as  early  as  possible  in  2013  and  finish  the  project  before  the International Festival and 4th of July. Phase II park improvements will include two new rentable picnic shelters, a water spray area, regrading  the area  south  of the  performing  stage,  removing  the  old  roadway located on the northwest corner of the park,  installing  a  new  pathway  system,  and installation of new irrigation throughout the park.  Due to budget constraints, items that will remain undelivered as part of the overall Master Plan for Angle Lake Park is a new dock, lifeguard building and boat launch improvements. 

The Parks & Recreation Department has a total of $1,775,226 for construction included in the 2013 Capital Budget for the Angle Lake Park Phase II project. This amount includes installation but not purchase of the water spray equipment which is being addressed separately. The total cost of the project will be discovered on January 29th after all submitted bids are opened and the lowest bid is revealed.

City Staff anticipates the lack of construction jobs due to the down economy will generate a highly competitive rate and therefore is recommending the proposed work be approved and initiated as soon as possible. 

Agenda Bill #3481

The City advertised for bid proposals of Water Spray equipment in late August with proposals due September 12 and three companies responded.  On September 19, Parks & Recreation Director Kit Ledbetter, Roger Chouinard, and Landscape Architect Ed MacLeod interviewed representatives from all three submittals. A point system was used to rate the companies and Waterplay Solutions Corp. was unanimously selected. 

The cost for all equipment is $249,999 and tax is $23,749.91 for a total request not to exceed of $273,749. A request has been made to the City Council authorizing the City Manager to execute a Contract with Waterplay Solutions Corp. for direct purchase of the water spray equipment that will not exceed $273,749.

City Staff indicate purchasing the equipment directly from Waterplay will allow the City of SeaTac to avoid having to pay the usual contractors' markup of 15 to 20% or a total realized savings of about $40,000.

Agenda Bill #3489 

On April 21, 2009, the City executed an agreement granting an access easement from Angle Lake Park to a proposed hotel known at the time as the "Residence Inn".  Building permits were never issued for the proposed project due to economic factors and as a result, the agreement expired on March 31, 2011.  The developer,  Ariel  Development,  seeks  a  new  access  easement  for  a  new  hotel,  Hyatt  Place,  in  the  same location.

As  before,  granting  an  access  easement  to  the  Developer,  would  allow  the  use  of the  current signalized access  road  (S.  195th Street)  located  at  the  southern  portion  of Angle  Lake  Park,  which  will  include  a driveway to  the hotel  and fire  access  from  Angle Lake Park to  the eastern portion of the proposed hotel. 

The  City  also  agrees  to  allow  fire  hydrants  to  be located  in  the  adjoining  park  landscaping  and  for  the construction of a "fire access only' driveway from  the access  easement through the  adjoining landscaping to the hotel property. 

In  exchange,  the Developer agrees  to  grant  an  easement for  the City to  design,  construct  and maintain  a pedestrian path not  greater than ten feet  in width from  the  north  edge to  the south  edge  of said property. The path will be parallel to the lake bank at a distance from the waterline to be determined.  The Developer also agrees to pay the City $32,000, which will be used by the City at Angle Lake Park.  The Developer also agrees to provide special traffic control measures during high impact events such as the International Festival and Independence Day, and pay a portion of the cost of maintenance for the access easement based on use load. 

The  proposed  hotel  development  will  provide  approximately  150  rooms  and  will  result  in  needed redevelopment of a parcel along Angle Lake and International Boulevard.  In  addition, it is  estimated that the  hotel  will  employ  between  60-70  fulltime  employees,  as  well  as  additional  part-time  employment. 

Finally, the City will benefit as the Developer has committed to provide funds for future improvements to Angle Lake Park.

A Decade's Old Dream

The article that follows was written by Benjamin Minnick and first appeared in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. The story describes an initiative that has been a decade and a half in the making and may finally be realized by early summer and was forwarded to the Angle Lake Shore Club Blog with a request to share it with the community at large. The community should note that major portions of the park will require to be closed off from the public throughout the Spring months to complete the project.

AFTER 16 YEARS, SEATAC READY TO COMPLETE ANGLE LAKE PARK.

Not every project takes 16 years to finish, just Kit Ledbetter's. 

Ledbetter is parks and recreation director for the city of SeaTac, and has been working since 1997 to make Angle Lake Park into something special for area residents.  “I have three years before I retire, so I'm so happy to do this project,” he said.

The master plan for the 10-acre park off International Boulevard, one mile south of the airport, was developed in 1997 and the first phase of improvements was finished a year later. The $1.5 million final phase of the master plan is finally ready to go, with the city advertising for a general contractor on Wednesday.

“With its beautiful 1930's (Works Progress Administration) design theme, craftsman woodwork structures and scenic lake views of Mount Rainier, this park has truly become the jewel of the city of SeaTac's park system,” said Ledbetter in a release. “We couldn't be more excited for this final phase of construction, and thanks to an outstanding design team, our community will continue to enjoy Angle Lake for years to come. We just need an outstanding contractor team to finish the puzzle.”

The city will open construction bids Jan. 29 for improvements to 3.5 acres of the park, including the addition of a water spray park as the focal piece.

Ledbetter said he visited about 20 regional spray parks to get ideas, and as a result he said the Angle Lake spray park will have more water — 300 gallons per minute — than any other in the area. It also will have a “mega-soaker,” which is a 55-gallon drum that dumps water on not-so-unsuspecting kids below.

To save water, the new spray park will have a recirculation system similar to those used in pools. Ledbetter said it will use about 90,000 gallons of water per year instead of 1 million gallons in a non-recirculation system. Waterplay Solutions is working with the city on the spray park.

Two more picnic shelters will be built in phase two, and a mechanical addition to the restroom building. Other improvements will be earth work and erosion control, a timber arbor, picnic pads, more parking, concrete curbs and walls, stairs, metal fence gates, steel handrails, irrigation, and extensive mechanical and electrical changes.

The $2 million first phase added a performance stage, restrooms, picnic shelter, play areas and an arbor. It also removed an old caretaker quarters and beach house. It was built by Precision Earthworks and designed by MacLeod Reckord, with Arai Jackson (now Arai Jackson Ellison Murakami) designing the restrooms and picnic shelter.

MacLeod Reckord also designed the second phase, with Arai Jackson Ellison Murakami designing the new picnic shelters to complement the wood craftsman look of the existing shelters. New structures will also have stone masonry finishes on the lower portions.

“It is very gratifying to see a 16-year-old master plan come to fruition,” said MacLeod Reckord principal Ed MacLeod in the release. “This second phase of improvements will better accommodate the heavy use that this popular park enjoys, while providing an exciting new water play area located in the underutilized west lawn.”

Work on phase two is expected to start next month and finish by the end of June, in time for the city's annual International Festival.

Ledbetter said the park dates back to the 1930s, when it had a dance hall and giant waterslide that flowed into the lake. It was run by King County until SeaTac became a city in 1990 and took over.

Ledbetter said another $500,000 will be needed for future work involving upgrades to the lifeguard building, boat dock and fishing pier.

He hopes that won't take another 16 years.

So Long Levitz Hill?

The iconic furniture store was the leading retailer of furniture, bedding, and home furnishings for years until it closed its doors to business in 2008.  The familiar landmark metal sign has been removed from the wooded hill above the previous Tukwila store location and I-5. And now it appears that the road that many long time locals refer to as ‘Levitz Hill’ will also soon be a thing of the past, as well.

The City of Tukwila’s 2004 Comprehensive Plan text and land use map amendments defined an  infrastructure phase that would extend and expand Southcenter Parkway to S 200th Street. Included in the plan is realignment and reconstruction of S 178th Street west of Southcenter Parkway. These revisions would be part of the city’s Tukwila South Development project expected to provide up to 25,000 jobs, 1,700 housing units and 10 million square feet of office and retail space. The Segale family owns most of the property along the new street and plans to develop the area, which will have much-improved access to Interstate 5 with the new roadway. 

In July 2010, Southcenter Parkway and Frager Road were closed to through traffic between South 180th Street and South 200th Street. Construction of the new road that aligned with the base of the western hillside was completed and opened to traffic on November 21, 2012. 

The next phase of the plan realigning S 178th St to intersect with Segale Dr C at Southcenter Parkway will require an ordinance vacating right of way.  The ordinance will apply to the portion of So. 178th Street running east of the I-5 overpass and the existing Southcenter Parkway intersection at 180th Street.  The intent is to resolve the steep grade and is a prerequisite to building a new fire station in the area.  

As part of the original agreement the Segale family is prepared to donate a three-acre site along the new road for a future city fire station. The location is still to be determined and the station would only be constructed if the Street Vacation Ordinance is passed by City Council and all conditions of the Ordinance are met.  At this time it is not known if the existing roadway will remain open until completion of the replacement route or if So. 178th Street will require closure and traffic detour for any part of the construction period.

The Tukwila City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, January 7th at 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers at Tukwila City Hall, 6200 Southcenter Blvd to consider the proposed ordinance.  All interested persons are invited to be present to voice approval, disapproval, or opinions on this issue.  For those unable to attend in person, you may submit written testimony to the City Clerk’s Office before 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting.