Franklin Park

Location
1201 S Puget Sound Ave. / S 12th St. at S Puget Sound Ave.

What's Planned for Your Park
Schematic Development Plan Creation to guide future development of the park to meet the needs of the Central Neighborhood community.
- Phase One (Completed) - inventory of exisiting site and facilities as well as identification and summarization of desired community facilities. Work included focused interviews with participating organizations, site and document reviews, community meetings, and meetings with project Steering Committee.
- Phase Two (Current Phase) - development of alternative concepts for development of the park. A range of development intensity will be explored from active recreation facilities to a more passive open space approach. Physical, regulatory, economic and management constraints will also be evaluated at this time. The work should conclude with the identification of a preferred alternative development concept for Franklin Park.
- Phase Three - preparation of final Schematic Development Plan that describes the size, location and type of facilities that are proposed. The work will include an analysis of the development strategy and financial considerations, and will generally describe any potential opportunities for participating partners. The completed Schematic Development Plan will serve as an overall master plan for park development and include a description for project phasing. The first phase of development will focus on the improvements to be undertaken with funding provided thru the 2005 Park Improvement Bond.
- The completed Schematic Development Plan will be presented to the Park Board and adopted as a master plan to guide future development at Franklin Park.
to be followed by
Schematic Development Plan implementation - replace playground equipment, new site furnishings, field improvements and utility upgrades, replace wading pool with sprayground (small playground with water features), landscaping enhancements and new picnic shelter.

Budget
The Parks Improvement Bond Measure, approved by the citizens of Tacoma in November of 2005, provides $1,100,000 for this project.

Project Status
Current Project - Schematic Development Plan Creation:
06/14/10 The Board approved phasing bond improvement work, so staff can begin working to replace outdated playground equipment ahead of the scheduled construction work for the remainder of the park.
05/20/10 An application to RCO for additional funding will be submitted. Replacement of the playground will proceed this summer under a State contract. Selection of appropriate play equipment has been made with the assistance of the Steering Committee and Central Neighborhood Council.
05/14/10 Proposals were solicited several weeks ago thru available public bid pools. The proposal by Kompan appears to be the one favored by both groups. The preferred equipment will be similar to that installed at McKinley Park. A 'Storymaker' element for small children was very popular with community groups and will be part of the design. The playground work will include a sidewalk and other concrete work that will become part of the larger Sprayground design in the future. The contract will be taken to the Park Board at their first meeting in June. We expect the installation to require approx. an 8 to 10 week delivery time. Construction time is expected to be about 30 days.
04/23/10 A public meeting was held on 03/10/10 to develop phasing plans and priorities for Bond funded improvements. An application to RCO for additional funding will be prepared. We won't know for certain that we were successful with our RCO grant until June 2011. Construction won't be likely until 2012.In the mean time, replacement of the playground will proceed this summer under a State contract.
01/20/10 A public meeting is being held on Wednesday, February 10 at 5:30 pm in the Metro Parks' HQ Boardroom (4702 S 19th St.) to review alternatives for Phase I implementation of the Franklin Park Master Plan. View meeting notice.
12/11/09 A first reading master plan presentation to the Park Board occurred on Nov. 23. The second reading is scheduled for Dec. 14.
11/23/09 Draft Master Plan Report See images from this report in the right hand column.
Highlighted features of the plan call for expansion of the park's community garden, the addition of a skate park, sprayground and a beginer's level BMX bike trail, preservation of the park's field space, expansion of walking paths and creation of a prominent entry point into the park off of South 12th Street. The master plan will serve as the long-term vision for the park's development, as well as the foundation for Design Development of improvements to be made through the 2005 Park Improvement Bond. Early next year, planners will begin the next phase of work with the community to prioritize the improvements that will be made within the park's availalbe bond appropriation.
10/16/09 A loop walk will be provided around Area B - access to the school will be provided. A loop walk should also be provided in Area F. The Steering Committee has recommended that the tennis courts be removed and that skate park elements be provided in its place. It was also suggested that the picnic shelter be relocated.
10/09/09 The third public meeting was held Wednesday and the community responded very positively to the proposed master plan. One change that resulted from the community meeting is the elimination of the tennis court in favor of developing more specific improvements for skating and youth activities. There are four courts at Jefferson that don't appear to be over utilized. CIC will review the plan at their meeting next week and then forward it to the Board for their final acceptance by the end of the year. There will be another public meeting after the first of the year to review and discuss phasing and priority options.
10/01/09 Current Draft Master Plan, One Mile Radius of Park, and Feature Images.
09/18/09 The project was reviewed by the CIC and the executive cabinet this week. In two weeks the project will be reviewed by Tacoma School District. A final public meeting will be on Oct. 7 at which a preferred master plan will be presented.
09/16/09 The next Public Meeting is planned for Wednesday, October 7 from 6-8 pm at Metro Parks' HQ Boardroom, 4702 S 19th St. Come review & comment on the Proposed Master Plan for Franklin Park. View flyer.
09/11/09 Forty people attended the Sept. 9 public meeting and reviewed alternative site plans. The neighborhood group continues to express concern regarding use of the site by Life Christian. The project proposes to provide a restroom, sprayground and playground. There is a suggestion to reduce to a single tennis court. The east hillside between the school and park is overgrown and has a crime problem. Some suggestions for clearing portions of it include managed BMX trails and/or a Frisbee Golf course. The existing community gardens are popular and could be expanded onto a terraced hillside to the east. One concept suggested a community orchard as well. Site Workshop will create a feature like a bog area to help with drainage. This park is the site of the old Hoodlum Lake and has sections that are still very swampy. Part of the plan will be to establish a low/wetland area that can serve for surface water detention and infiltration. The existing fields are heavily used as practice fields by groups other than MPT including Life Christian and Nortac Soccer. One obvious site for a future sprayground is the existing wading pool. There is strong support for a skate park as well as BMX at this site. One option calls for putting in a dog park in the lower corner of the park but there is only limited support fo rthe idea snd the site is a little small to support a successful off-leash area. The next public meeting is scheduled for Oct. 7 - at that time, the range of alternatives will be reduced.
09/03/09 View Three Alternative Plans and Presentation (pages 1-7, pages 8-15) to be shown at the Sept. 9 public meeting.
   

08/14/09 The second public meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9 where three alternatives will be presented. View meeting notice.
08/05/09 The first Public Meeting was held. Presentation / Handout / Aerial Board / Site Areas Board / View Meeting Flyer 
07/17/09 The first Steering Committee meeting was held on 07/14/09 and the first public meeting is scheduled for 08/05/09.
06/05/09 Contract for master planning services is being completed with Site Workshop. Steering Committee and public meetings are being scheduled for June.
05/08/09 Interviews are scheduled for May 14.
04/10/09 13 RFQ's were received on April 2. A selection committee will short list these for interviews in early May.
03/06/09 An RFQ for consulting services was posted March 2 and is due April 2.
01/23/09 The Scope Definition was amended 01/23/09 and the project has started. MPT staff will form a Steering Committee and issue an RFQ for consulting services in the first quarter of 2009.
01/16/09 Staff is starting on a Schematic Development Plan to guide redevelopment of the park to meet the needs of the Central Neighborhood community. This process is expected to take the better part of 2009. Design of improvements wouldn't start until fall 2009 and would run into early 2010. Bidding would occur in early 2010 and construction is likely to run into the spring of 2011. Issues to consider include traffic (Life Christian) and soils (site was an old swamp/pond). Life Christian will want to continue to use the field. We plan to establish a Project Steering Committee with representatives from Life Christian, Central Neighborhood and local residents.
12/12/08 An RFQ for consulting services is being prepared and will be advertised in the first quarter of 2009.
11/16/07 The Board has taken Franklin off the list of potential North/West/Central pool sites.
09/14/07 Staff has meet with the Central Neighborhood Council and come to an agreement to move back Franklin Park improvements by at least three months to make room for the McCarver Park/Zina Linnik Memorial project to go forward.
06/08/07 We will not proceed until we know what will happen with the swimming pool site selection.
02/27/07 A Project Scope Definition and RFQ for Landscape Architectural Services is being prepared.
Wading Pool Repairs:
06/12/09 Wading pool drain work is complete and health department inspections are pending.
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).

Schedule
• Approval of Scope - January 2007 (no action taken) / new scope 01/23/09
• Hiring of Architect/Planner - June 2009
  Site Workshop
• Formation of Steering Committee - February 2009
• Phase One Site and Program Inventory - complete by April 2009
• Phase Two Development and Presentation of Design Alternatives - complete by June 2009
• Phase Three Presentation of Proposed Final Plan - complete by August 2009
• Approval of Master Plan by Park Board - October 2009
• Phase Four Design Development Process - complete by December 2009
• Construction Documents - 03/15/10
• Construction - 06/01/10 to spring 2011
• Substantial Completion - 06/01/11

Green Construction/Sustainability Considerations
Anticipated applications include recycling of demolition materials, utilization of rain-gardens and pervious pavements to control surface water run-off, installation of Calsense controls for irrigation, and use of recycled materials in paving design and site furnishings. Continued discussions will be needed to address the design considerations for the potential sprayground.

Community & Board Participation

Last Updated: Jun 21, 2010 10:12 AM