Schools

Cedar River Academy Students Lay Out Goals in Mahler Park Project

Having completed an inventory project to assess what exists in the undeveloped city park, Cedar River Academy students returned to meet the Park Board Thursday for the second part of their project: identifying goals.

When Cedar River Academy's five middle school students last met with the Enumclaw Park Board in March, they detailed their findings from an extensive inventory project of the largely undeveloped Mahler Park as part of a three-step process toward drawing up a development plan for the city property. ()

They made their second visit to the board Thursday and this time laid out their goals for the park. Jose Garcia provided an overview:

  • Amenities including a parking lot, picnic/barbeque areas, outhouse, play structures, garbage/recycling cans and maps
  • Viewing platforms near Neuwaukum Creek
  • Informational signs/plaques
  • Interactive trail guide
  • A trail system that includes boardwalks over muddy areas, a bridge over the creek and steps for steeper sections
  • A Muckleshoot Tribe Welcome Center

The development project, according to teacher Marie Riley, originated from conversations with Enumclaw Mayor Liz Reynolds and community development director Erika Shook when school administrators approached the city seeking a long-term project for its students.

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As Shook reviewed the environmental studies material the students had already mastered, she suggested they propose concepts for the development of Mahler Park. (.)

Shelby Porter clarified the viewing platforms would be elevated to protect the natural habitat from human interference while allowing learning and observation opportunities for visitors. To create the trail, work would need to be done to remove a lot of debris that currently exists, she said.

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Clint Larrea explained that some of the informational signs would detail the research the students have done into water quality of the creek including pH, dissolved oxygen levels, temperature and stream flow.

Clara Gerken gave an example of an interactive trail guide as one that would be compatible with smart phones and a user would scan a bar code to be taken to a website that provided more information, including multimedia, about a specific location, wildlife or plant growth in the park.

Atticus Chous said the Muckleshoot Center would take the form of a tribal log house and include information and photos detailing the history and influence the tribe had over the area's natural resources. Pulling from the group's research about the park's wildlife, Atticus also reiterated the desire to add wood pieces to the creek to support the aquatic life, remove invasive plant species, encourage the growth of native species and place bat/bird boxes in the park.

Board Feedback

Board chairman Tom Hassenhauer acknowledged the students did a great job. "You've got a great and robust plan in front of you," he said.

Board member Joan Lewis agreed. "I think this is just a wonderful proposal," she said. As the students were seeking input and suggestions before consolidating into a final development plan -- with estimated budget -- during the meeting, Lewis gave them plenty to think about, including what cost-efficient materials might be used for trail sections and the play structure, how money might be raised to begin the project and what regulations the students might encounter before placing the wood lattices in the creek water to support the wildlife.

Similarly, board member Tim Smith asked the students if they'd measured the length of trail they would like to have built in order to start estimating costs -- they hadn't yet. Smith told the students there is new technology for building boardwalk structures over mud and that one thing to keep in mind even while coming up with an initial budget is "life cycle costing," or money needed to upkeep the various components of the project.

Hassenhauer elaborated, "think about trying to keep it as sustainable as you possibly can."

Hassenhauer also cautioned the students about the trends of vandalism that go on in public parks, about needing handicap access and possibly also studying the turbidity of the water as its related to development going on upstream from the park.

Board member Tony Rosenthal suggested the students, because of the tribute they want to include to the Muckleshoot Tribe, consider applying for an up to $5,000 grant the Tribe offers to get started. Riley responded she was already on top of that.

Rosenthal also reminded the students that not everyone has a smart phone so the informational signs themselves are important.

In the interest of accuracy, Clara Gerken mentioned to the Board that an existing sign in the park about the salmon actually had pictures mixed up.

Next Steps

The students now move into Phase 3 of this project in which they will create individual site designs for the park that each has a corresponding budget estimate. On May 17, they'll return to the Board a third time to solicit feedback and input and after that will combine their designs into a master plan with a more accurate budget that they'll bring back to the Board in June.

The students have some experience with this model of collaboration having planned the school's new playground (). For this project, according to Kristin McSwan, head of school, the students in the last month visited a variety of parks including Carkeek Park, West Hylebos State Park and Seward Park to see if their ideas for Mahler Park are doable and something that people are using in other parks around our area.

"The kids are quite excited as this is the portion of the presentation where
their ideas will hopefully be closer to coming to fruition," McSwan wrote in an email to Patch.

Indeed, with her second appearance between the Park Board, Shelby Porter said she could feel herself being less nervous than the last time. "I"m actually really excited to get to work on this," she said after the meeting.


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