Photos by Jason Sperling A new 60-foot-long bridge crossing Swamp Creek ha installed at the park. April 13, 2023 Public park reopens in Kenmore with upgrades, new name By JOURNAL STAFF April 7 marked the official reopening of Tl' awh-ah-dees Park (formerly Squire's Landing Park) at 7515 N.E. 175th St. in Kenmore. The 65-acre city- owned green space has a new name, new facilities, expanded water access and environmental protection improvements. The new name honors the Coast Salish People who originally inhabited the area and the many Indigenous Peoples who still reside there. Tl' awh-ah-dees is the name of a Lushootseed village previously located in or near present- day downtown Kenmore and translates to “a place where something is grown or sprouts.” Renovations and upgrades have been made to 11-acres of the park. New amenities for public access and recreation include pedestrian bridges and viewing decks, accessible pathways, a watercraft wash-down station, elevated boardwalks, nature paths, a community gathering plaza and picnic shelter, kayak storage, launching facilities for hand carry watercraft, a public restroom and parking lot. Environmental upgrades include improvements that renovate riparian and salmon habitat along the Swamp Creek shoreline, create new wetland, and increase native vegetation. Over Copyright 2023 Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce New public artworks include “BirdBlinds” by Jennifer Di four acres of invasive plant species have been removed and over 15,000 new native plants and 5,000 new native trees have been planted throughout the project area. New interpretive signs and native plant markers will also be placed throughout the park, in collaboration with project partners the Kenmore Heritage Society and the Burke Museum. will allow parkgoers to identify plants and read native plant names in both Lushootseed an common naming. Ground was broken on the renovation project in December 2021. Strider Construction was general contractor and worked in collaboration with Boulder Creek Landscape Constructio project design team includes Osborn Consultant Inc.; KBA Inc.; Mott MacDonald LLC; J.A Brennan Associates PLLC; Confluence Environmental Inc.; Tree Solutions Inc.; Landau As Inc.; and Davido Consulting Group. The renovated park also has new public artworks. These include “BirdBlinds” by local artis Jennifer Dixon, a series of decorative viewpoints along the new elevated boardwalk that ca artistic shadows across the park, and a painted mural and aluminum spiral whorl by Tulali Salish artist Ty Juvinel. Total construction costs for the project are an estimated $6.7 million. $5.1 million came for voter approved Walkways and Waterways Bond funds. Additional funding was provided by Washington State Department of Commerce, the Washington State Recreation and Conser Funding Board, King Conservation District, and King County. The park is now open to the public but a formal ribbon cutting ceremony will be held May 6 a.m. to celebrate the completion of the project and to commemorate the park's official nam change. The Kenmore Waterfront Activities Center is another project partner. KWAC will provide a of programming and activities that support access to the water at the park. KWAC will prov opportunities for hand-powered water sports including canoeing, kayaking, dragon boating outrigger canoeing and will also provide scholarships for†̄those wishing to participate. K will be hosting a Waterfront Activities Fair following the ribbon cutting ceremony.