It’s Finally Happening – Jeanne Hansen Park to Open Soon
It’s been over 6 months since the City of Snoqualmie held a Grand Opening Celebration for Jeanne Hansen Park, a 16-acre park and athletic complex in the Eagle Pointe neighborhood of Snoqualmie Ridge. Since that party, the newest crown jewel of the Snoqualmie Parks system has sat waiting – fenced off and closed.
Why? Issues outside of their control according to the city. Per the mitigation agreement for Snoqualmie Ridge Division II, the developer of the housing area surrounding the park is responsible for building it. (In this case, Pulte Homes.)
The city will not take ownership of parks with any code or structural issues because the minute they do, they are financially responsible for any costs to fix those issues.
In the case of Jeanne Hansen Park, those punch list items took a LONG time to address, including grading issues around the sports fields and a big one – the ADA sidewalk ramps were not built to code.
Snoqualmie Parks Director Dan Marcinko said the delays and waiting were extremely frustrating for the city, but after all these months it appears Jeanne Hansen Park is within DAYS of finally opening.
Marcinko stated this week that Jeanne Hansen Park will open on April 1, 2015.
Will Snoqualmie Valley Trail Bridge Stairs be Rebuilt after 2014 Fire?
It was May 27, 2014, when a suspected arson fire destroyed the stairs accessing the Snoqualmie Valley Trail that runs along the Reinig Road trestle bridge over the Snoqualmie River. The charred stairs were removed about one month after the fire, presumably to keep people from using the dangerous remnants.
So when will the stairs to the trail trestle return? The answer is – there seems to be no answer at this time.
The trail is owned by King County Parks, which hasn’t responded to our email asking when the stairs will be rebuilt.
According to Snoqualmie Parks Director Dan Marcinko, KC Parks has also not responded to his email or phone inquiries about the issue.
According to the King County Parks website describing the 31-mile Snoqualmie Valley Trail, “Former railroad trestles have been decked and hand railed from Duvall to Rattle Snake Lake with one on-road detour in the City of Snoqualmie.”
The trestle bridge is also referred to as “Ronette’s Bridge” by Twin Peaks fans. The bridge was featured in the pilot of the cult TV series in the early 1990’s and has Twin Peaks references written all over it. The location is even a stop on The Twin Peaks Bus Tour.
So it seems for the time being, trail users will have to continue using the detour when they get to the Reinig Road trestle.
Comments
Amazing news about the park. Only 9 months late! Now the park can be filled with all of the soccer teams that paid the city for the fake turf field. Can’t wait to see the traffic, crowds and noise. When will the large light poles go up and ruin the night sky like in Preston.
I’d heard the city got two turf fields in exchange for the planned three sod fields – so the various sports leagues around the Valley who are very limited on practice space due to population growth helped get the one sod field installed…. but I could have it totally wrong. I do know currently there are no plans to light these fields bc of the light pollution issues – due to the park’s location at the high point of the Ridge. Better late than never… as the saying goes:)
Sno-Joe, I hear what you’re saying and can understand the frustration of crowds. Perhaps you could volunteer a small portion of your spirited energy to the youth of our community? Or even come watch a game? The glimmer of hope in a world of inconveniences very well may lie in the faces of those we created this opportunity for. The sharing of your lot in life is appreciated.
I called King County Parks this week and got a phone call back saying that they would have the bridge stairs repaired by the end of June. The staff person said they had just worked through several bridge projects that were ahead of it. Let’s hope no other projects get in the way and cause delays.
Thanks for letting us know Linda! Good news.
[…] Valley Trail that runs along the Reinig Road trestle bridge over the Snoqualmie River. According to LivingSnoqualmie.com, the charred stairs were “removed about one month after the fire, presumably to keep people […]