Titlow Park

Location
8425 6th Ave.

What's Planned for Your Park
Develop a Master Plan and begin implementation with sprayground/playground, new restroom facilities, Lodge improvements, expanded irrigation systems, lagoon restoration, landscape enhancements, new fencing, new picnic facilities and trails, improved site lighting, repaving parking and roadways, or other improvements to be determined. Link to history of Titlow Park Physical Development.

The Lodge: The last major renovation work on the Lodge building was done in 1992 and included structural, mechanical and electrical upgrades. A report prepared by Design Northwest in August 2004 identified a series of desired improvements with an estimated construction cost of $175,000. The work was primarily architectural in nature and included the addition of a new outdoor deck to the west side of the building as well as some site amenities immediately around the building. A report prepared by Tres West Engineers dated October 26, 2004 identified a range of architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical improvements to the building with an estimated construction cost of $551,800. Included in this estimate was $360,000 for a build-out of the basement area.

The Pool: The existing Titlow Pool will remain in place while MPT works with the aquatics community to develop a strategy for replacement. A $125,000 capital project is being carried out to address the worst code and leaking problems allowing operation in the 2009 season. It is likely the pool will be needed to provide aquatic programs in 2010 and perhaps 2011 and beyond but MPT's ultimate objective is to remove the pool. Handout on why no pool is being planned at Titlow. (09/15/09)

Budget
The Parks Improvement Bond Measure, approved by the citizens of Tacoma in November of 2005, provides $3,000,000 for this project.

In addition, the governor signed a budget bill on April 1, 2008 which included $51,860 in the 2008 for Titlow Beach Pocket Estuary Restoration. The funding is included in the Puget Sound Initiative for Nearshore Salmon Restoration.  Titlow is considered a significant site for salmon habitat recovery.

Project Status
10/23/09 Staff has prepared a draft application for funding assistance to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission/BNSF Railroad to install a fence along the south access on BNSF land to protect the public from the active rail line. WUTC can provide up to $20K for rail safety improvements. The shoreline permit will take up to a year to obtain. The master plan is going to the Board next month. David Boe is under contract and has begun looking at existing conditions at Titlow Lodge. Our current budget (around $371K) is probably not boing to be enough. A Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17. We are currently planning to present the Titlow Park master plan to the CIC on Nov. 11 and the Park Board on Nov. 23.
10/16/09 In general, the public at the 10/13/09 public meeting seemed satisfied with the direction the plan is taking. There are remaining issues with setting priorities for use of current capital funds.
Proposed improvements are shown in three areas - South ActivityZone, Central & North Forest and West Forest & Beach. In general, improvements would focus on development in the area of the Lodge and the new Sprayground. The Lodge area could include upgrades to the building as well as a new deck on the west side and redevelopment of parking and access. We would like to see the large poplars removed and new plantings established along the south boundary at 6th. The Sprayground/Playground would be moved to an area north of the existing pool. We are looking at utilizing the small addition on the north end of the pool building as the restroom and mechanical space for the sprayground. Additional work would emphasize trails and access, picnic area improvements and possibly restoration of the tennis and basketball courts. Some work might occur west of the railroad tracks - north road improved with better, more visible parking and an electronic gate to allow better police and emergency access; development of the desired pathway and shore improvements providing access to the North Beach; demolition of structures in the Hidden Beach forest; demolition of Kay's House and conversion of that area to public day use; and police patrols of North Beach. parks will require some type of storage garage. The Salmon Enhancement group has concluded that a railroad bridge with the lagoon outlet under is is the best approach to re-connecting the lagoon for fish. The proposed bridge would allow people to walk under the railroad to the beach. Lagoon enhancements could allow recreation programming in the lagoon. Lagoon improvements wold trigger demolition of the pool, changing the parking and possibly providing fill to raise the grade of the play field. The replacement of the south restroomwould also be necessary. There are also several wildlife habitat management issues - eagle and woodpecker habitat in forest areas has been identified; piling in the intertidal area needs to be addressed because of the presence of the purple Marlins; and location of active play areas in the turf areas north of the bathhouse which is used by Widgeons.
10/04/09 The next public meeting is from 6-8 pm on Tuesday, October 13 at Titlow Lodge. You will be able to meet the MPT staff and design consultants who are working on this project and review a draft of the master plan that is being prepared for presentation and adoption by the Park Board this fall. View Flyer.
10/02/09 Continued Day Camp use of the site will require adequate restroom facilities as well as picnic and play areas near the Lodge. An alternative location for storage of outdoor adventure equiment will need to be identified if the small garage near the Lodge is to be removed. There are questions about the adequacy of parking at the park. It's most likely that our preferred master plan will include provisions for a continued relationship with TOA. There appears to be suitable conditions at the TOA site for the launching of kayaks and rowing boats - there should bemore exploration of those opportunities. Elimination of Kay's House will ressult in an increased need for maintenance equipment storage. The SPSSEG has a proposal to open the lagoon with a bridge rather than a pipe. While more expensive and technically difficult given railroad operations, a bridge would allow for possible low-tide access under the railroad by pedestrians.
09/24/09 Wetland deliniation mapping was submitted to COT for verification on 09/21/09. A steering committee meeting is scheduled for 09/29/09.
09/18/09 Wetland buffers, stream corridors, and marine buffers all impose constraints on future development. The three alternative concept plans were reviewed with citizens at a Sept. 15 general public meeting. The alternative concepts don't represent specific choices but a way of describing the many options in four major site areas labeled A through D.

Following the public meeting and comments received there are several important factors for CPG to consider at this time.
- There does not appear to be a significant public mandate to replace TOA with another park function.
- We don't have the report from our engineers on the existing bridge, but it will require some repair and more frequent inspection and maintenance. Eventually it will need to be replaced.
- There is some nterest in upgrading and improving the central meadow area for more active park use. The opposing view is that is should be left to naturalize into an early successional forest.
- The general sense is that the sunny slope north of the existing pool house would be a better location for the new sprayground than the locations suggested near the Lodge.
- Several ideas are suggested for changes to the parking following removal of the pool - presumably there would be less demand for parking once the pool is gone.
- It's looking like we would leave the tennis and basketball courts where they are.
- Significant changes are suggested to create a better 'front door' setting for the Lodge and surrounding area.
- We've been considering using Kay's House for an environmental tenant or care taker residence since the last Master Plan in 1993 with no tangible results - should it be removed.
- There's a strong possibility that the access drive to Kay's House will have to be removed - particularly when we propose the salmon enhancement work. Both a pedestrian overpass and a promenade pier have been suggested as replacements.
- Based on comments received at the public meeting, we're thinking that a better 'loop road' into the park should be constructed to allow police patrols and a better MPT presence west of the railroad.

The South Puget Sound is doing a wetland salmon enhancement project which is separate from our project. Plans call for relocating the picnic shelter away from the Lodge to avoid conflicts with their events. A 'Draft Master Plan' will be reviewed with the Steering Committee on Sept. 29, the CIC on Sept. 30 and in a public meeting on Oct. 13.

09/16/09 Take the Titlow Park survey
09/15/09 Master Plan Handout from Public Meeting # 2 on 08/15/09. pgs 1-15; pgs 16-29 / Handout on why no pool is being planned at Titlow.
08/14/09 The planning team is preparing concept alternatives for presentation to the steering committee meeting on Sept. 1 at 5:30 pm and at a public meeting on Sept. 15 from 6-8 pm. View Brochure / View Poster . An A&E contract is being negotiated for preliminary studies fo the Lodge building.
07/31/09 Approximately 60 people attended the first public meeting on July 28 including people associated with Tacoma Outboard Association and People for Puget Sound. The South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group has hired Parametrics to be the engineer to study habitat enhancements to the lagoon and their relationship to BNSF railroad. Handouts at the meeting provided contact info and a comment card. No comments have been received either by email, phone or written comment sheets. There were comments at the meeting about police, shoreline access, crime and no open restrooms. The existing bridge has structural limits and will constrain future development west of the railroad tracks. During the master plan we are asking for an engineering evaluation of the bridge and a generalized estimate of the cost to replace it with a larger, better, more suitable one. A second public meeting is scheduled for Sept. 15 - alternative development concepts will be reviewed.
07/28/09 Master Plan Handout from Public Meeting # 1 on 07/28/09. Background and Analysis
07/17/09 A professional services agreement has been completed with SiteWorkshop for master planning services only. The first Public Meeting is scheduled for 07/28/09.
05/08/09 A project Scope Definition was approved on 05/01/09. A Steering Committee has been assembled and had their first meeting on 05/05/09.
05/01/09 The architect for the Lodge should be a separate design professional and not necessarily a sub-consultant to the park designer. The contractor for the Lodge will require specialized skills related to restoration/renovation of historic wood frame structures and should be a separate firm from the contractor we use for park improvements. The master planning will be carried out thru the summer of 2009. By fall 2009 we should have a good idea what the scope, location, cost, etc. of improvements should be for both the site and the Lodge. Lodge construction should begin fall 2010 and run into 2011. We will allow time for public input on ideas for future use of the Lodge. Park design will run thru 2010, with construction beginning in 2011. The work could take most of the year to complete. The first meeting of the steering committee is 05/05/09. The master plan may have to include a discussion of Burlington Northern Railroad. Changes to the lagoon proposed for salmon recovery as well as public access to Hidden Beach need to be considered.
04/24/09 It will be June before a consultant selection can be finalized. By October we should have defined the scope of park improvements and reviewed larger master plan questions adequately so we can move the project into the design development phase. Design development for the park will be in the fall of 2010. Construction could start in the spring of 2011 depending on permitting. The work will include updating the park master plan (without a swimming pool). This will be an update to the park plan developed in 1993. The Lodge construction cost allocation is $250,000 with a total project cost of $371,000. The Park development is budget for the remaining $2,628,303 with an estimated MACC of $1,760,000. Part of our planning should include a habitat management plan for the forest areas. The professional design services we require will not include salmon habitat biologists. We're assuming the parallel work being carried out by the State of Washington, Pierce County, the South Sound Salmon Enhancement Project and People for Puget Sound will provide that help. We have enough money to build a restroom. An ADA audit has already been done for Titlow Park and Titlow Lodge - we are off compliance in the door frames and the corridors. The Lodge is not on the historic registry but it is eligible because the two stories that were taken out and the new roof installed in 1938.
04/17/09 The "Issues Report" has been shared with representatives of the West End Neighborhood Council as well as Tacoma Outboard Association and others. We plan to use the results of this info as a basis for a Scope Definition. The Board wants us to do our master planning with the assumption that the pool will eventually be removed, but that we intend to operate it in the near term as MPT and others continue to research a longer range strategy for developing a replacement 50 meter pool somewhere in the South Sound area. We need to take into account the work that WENC has already done on assessing Titlow Lodge. The TOA bridge exists on a permit and MPT does not have an easement or right of way over the railroad. The condition of the bridge and its capacity have not been reviewed for some time. TOA's existing 5 year lease term is up in December 2009. MPT will begin negotiations with TOA on a new lease in June. Kays House is no longer a residence and is completely controlled by MPT. Access to Kays House along the BNSF right of way is a revocable permit with the railroad. There is concurrent effort to study modifications to the lagoon to make it more of a tidal estuary and better as salmon habitat. That study is likely to identify significant costs and railroad coordination issues that are beyond the scope of our current bond program project. This project should also address the recommendations of the Revenue Task Force developed in 2008. These include the potential to use the existing Lodge as a revenue-generating restaurant, and the conversion of the TOA property to higher revenue uses such as a possible restaurant/hotel. We will recruit a member of the BAC on our project steering committee to insure that the original BAC/RTF intentions are considered. We anticipate advertising for consultant services sometime in May. 
04/10/09 There is a lot of interest from environmental groups in the area in making this into an environmental learning site similar to Luhr Beach on the Nisqually Delta. Kay's house has questionable access from Burlington Northern Railroad and so should be taken off of our plans, even though it is a convenient maintenance shop. Use of Titlow Lodge has been limited to day camps and occasional rentals for weddings. A suggested use is as a scuba dive center. Last year staff helped Bellarmine students put together an RCO grant to provide enhancements to the Titlow dive site with construction of an artificial reef.
03/06/09 A scope definition will be prepared following initial meetings with staff and stakeholders.
11/10/08 The Board of Park Commissioners directed staff to begin the Master Planning processes for Titlow Park without a pool and for Kandle Park with an Aquatics Facility. Click here to read the entire pool resolution. 
10/17/08 New grates will be required to reduce water velocity and eliminate any potential suction hazards. Every pool in the U.S. needs to be fixed by Dec. 19. We will need to fix Norpoint, Eastside, Titlow, Stewart Heights and all of the wading pools (Franklin, Wright, Portland Ave., Jane Clark and Manitou).

Completed Projects:
City of Tacoma funded Project - Tacoma City Council approved more than $985,000 to upgrade the storm sewer system to alleviate flooding on Titlow Road and Highway 16. At the same time, the 230-foot creek was 'daylighted' (exposed instead of running in an underground tube or pipe) and transformed into a little meandering creek with a rocky bottom after it crosses under Sixth Avenue. It now curves around the east side of the tennis courts and flows into Titlow lagoon. Landscaping  and a footbridge were added. With the addition of the above ground creek, Titlow Park lost an estimated 17 parking stalls. Construction started after Labor Day 2006 and extended into the first part of October 2006.

Schedule
Park
• Planning - 05/01/09
• Initiation of a Professional Services Agreement - June 2009
SiteWorkshop
• Presentation of Master Plan update and Schematic Design Phase - Oct. 2009
• Presentation of Design Development Phase - March 2010
• Completion of Construction and Bidding Documents -Sept. 2010
• Estimated Date for securing of all permits - Oct. 2010
• Estimated Bid Opening - Dec. 2010
• Construction Notice to Proceed - Jan. 2011
• Completion Substantially Complete by - Oct. 2011

Lodge
• Planning - 05/01/09
• Select architect - June 2009
• Verify building assessment - August 2009
• Verify scope of building improvements - Oct. 2009
• Complete design documents and apply for permits - May 2010
• Complete construction documents and submit for bids - August 2010
• Begin Construction - Oct. 2010
• Construction substantially completed - March 2011

Community & Board Participation

Last Updated: Nov 4, 2009 9:59 AM