Lions give new life to historic waterfront

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, February 1, 2006

POULSBO — A year after completing the renovation of the boardwalk along Liberty Bay, the Poulsbo Noon Lions were at it again Saturday.

This time instead of replacing boards, the Lions were installing new playground equipment as American Legion Park got a much-needed face-lift.

“With the urbanization of ‘The Project,’ this becomes an important amenity to residents in the area,” said Lion Mike Regis, who also serves on the Poulsbo City Council.

The Project, which was a military housing development built during World War II, has given way to Poulsbo Place and Poulsbo Place II, creating an influx of new residents, Regis said.

“This is a historic piece of ground and something needed to be done,” he said.

The park is named in recognition of the American Legion building, which was located at the site during the city’s early years. The building was destroyed in a fire and never rebuilt.

The land was subsequently given to the city in 1974 and named American Legion Park after the American Legion Jerome J. Jameson Post No. 81.

For Poulsbo Parks and Recreation Director Mary McCluskey, Saturday’s effort was another example of the Lions’ dedication to the community.

“They had been asking me for another project they could do for a long time and we finally came up with this one,” McCluskey said as she delivered hot coffee and bottled water to the growing group of volunteers.

City crews dismantled and removed the old playground equipment, marked the site and delivered piles of wood chips for the project earlier in the week.

“The playground equipment was wood and had been here quite awhile,” McCluskey said.

Upgrading the playground equipment at the park had been on the city’s to-do list and it was just a matter of everything coming together to make it happen, she added.

The new equipment is made of plastic and should enhance the use of the park, she said.

For the Lions, it was just another rainy January day as a duck and motorcycle were the first of the new playground pieces to make their new home at one of the city’s oldest facilities.

The Lions’ efforts mark the second time in less than a year that volunteers have come to the city’s aid to improve recreational opportunities at a city park.

Home Depot volunteers installed new playground equipment at Raab Park in July before the store opened this weekend. Several of those volunteers from the Silverdale store now work at the Poulsbo location.

Across town, a neighborhood meeting was held at the Poulsbo Parks and Recreation Center Saturday to discuss the future of Forest Rock Hills Park and what residents in the neighborhood would like the city to add to that facility.

The park located at the north end of 12th Avenue currently has some playground equipment, a picnic area and trails.