At a recent meeting, Vashon Park District’s board of commissioners voted to allocate $10,000 to help fund improvements at Paradise Ridge Park.
In recent months, island equestrians have initiated efforts at the former Nike missile site to remove old asphalt and concrete and create more green space. Such a move, they say, will benefit both park users — many of whom are horse enthusiasts — and the environment.
Hannah Knaebel, an equestrian and one of the key organizers of the proposed project, said she is pleased all the board members agreed to support the effort.
“To have a unanimous vote like that was a nice feeling,” she said. “It speaks to the quality of the project.”
Although the military buildings are long gone at the park, former driveways, stairways and sidewalks remain, making a large swath of the park unusable for riders, as it is not safe for horses to cross the hard surfaces. Without those areas as impediments, a large, continuous green space would be opened for equestrians and others who want to use the park, Knaebel said. Creating such a space would provide opportunities for equestrians who cannot use the park now, including several who drive carts. Horse jumpers would also have a much larger space to practice.
The cost estimate for the plan is $36,000, with $10,000 coming from the park district and the rest from a fundraising effort.
Equestrian Shelby Edwards is helping spearhead that effort, which she said will launch within a few weeks, noting that organizers are looking at a variety of funding options, including money from individuals and grants.
Those involved with the project want to begin work this spring and summer.
“If we can do it all soon, we can get all the plantings done and the grass growing as soon as possible,” Knaebel said.
While the group is moving ahead with its plans, Knaebel noted that release of the park district funds is contingent on the park district’s levy passing next month. Even if the equestrians could raise the full $36,000, she said, the district may decide to close the park or cut down on its accessibility if it loses levy funds.
Undeterred by that prospect, Edwards said details of their fundraising plan will be released soon.
While the project has not even begun, she said, the entrance to the park is already much improved. At the end of February, a group of 50 people, including AmeriCorps volunteers and high school students, spent the day at the park, clearing it of debris and invasive plants, including rows of blackberries.
That was a good start, she said, but the planned improvements will be welcome.
“It is a Cold War remnant,” she said, referring to the impervious surfaces slated for removal. “It will be good to get it out of there.”
