Geary Park in autumn
Basketball courts, soccer fields, a walking path and possibly Ferndale’s eagerly anticipated new skatepark could be coming to Geary Park as the city eyes making improvements to its centrally located green space starting next spring.
Parks officials held an open house last week at the Geary picnic shelter to show off two conceptual drawings, prepared by Hamilton Anderson Associates. Both show, in different arrangements, new trees, U-12 soccer fields, basketball courts, new paved playground areas and picnic and gathering spaces. Parks & Recreation Director LaReina Wheeler says the intention is to gather feedback from residents about what they like and dislike about the two concepts and fuse them into a final plan to present to City Council for an anticipated final vote Nov. 8.
“I would not say it’s an either or, we want to hear what people think about the different approaches we’ve taken and then we’ll combined them into one,” said Meghan Diecchio, landscape architect with Hamilton Anderson. “So we’re not asking people to choose, but more just tell us what they think ago the pros and cons of both.”
Wheeler and Diecchio said the two finalist plans reflect feedback gathered from residents to date and include plans for an ADA-accessible paved walking path similar to the one installed last year at Harding Park. It will also likely include age-appropriate playgrounds in closer proximity than they currently are, so that parents with children of different ages can more easily keep an eye on them simultaneously.
Geary is also one of three finalist sites for Ferndale’s forthcoming skatepark, along with Martin Road and Wilson Parks.
“We have been getting a lot of feedback from residents at Geary Park about having a skatepark in this park. It seems that they like it,” Wheeler said.
The city has set aside $2 million for parks improvements from a $45 million roads and parks bond measure approved by voters in 2015. It’s also seeking state grants to make up for the shortfall in its revenues dedicated to parks and recreation programming.
If approved, the first phase of construction would likely begin next spring, Wheeler said. After that, the city will likely turn its attentions toward plans to upgrade Martin Road Park, she said.
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