Recently, the city of Kenmore came into possession of the park south of State Route 522 to the river.
After careful analysis after the master-plan meeting on Jan. 21, my husband Terry and I came to many conclusions regarding Phase One of the New Swamp Creek Park and would like to share them with you. We have owned our house at 7801 N.E. 175th St. since 1991, which is located on the edge of the new park.
We believe the interior trail idea should be abandoned in favor of a perimeter trail.
Flooding of the interior swamp would result in a very high trail. During floods, the standing water on the interior swamp is 3 feet deep. For clearance above the floodwater, the bottom of the trail would need to be 4 feet high, which would put the top railing at 7 feet above the ground. If a kid fell off, he or she could break his or her neck or land in … raw sewage. The trunk line is right behind our house, and during flooding, the 2-foot-high manhole seeps raw sewage into the swamp. This happened in 1996 and 2007.
Invasive blackberries protect deer, otters, raccoons and beavers from marauding neighborhood dogs during the daytime. Do we want to waste tax dollars to capture and relocate all these wild animals? My neighbor, Mabel, says the blackberries were there when she moved in seven decades ago. What about the goldfinches and other birds that have nested in those blackberries for seven decades? Won’t removing the brambles disrupt their nesting grounds?
We propose the new trail to be a perimeter trail because:
The existing trail to the Sammamish River that begins on 175th, just across from the new 80th street crosswalk across highway 522, is on higher ground than any trail that is on the drawing board in the wet part of the swamp behind our house. Because of the higher, dryer terrain, it would be cheap and easy to send in a few weed-whackers and loads of gravel to connect citizens to the enjoyment of the Sammamish River.
This trail construction could be done in stages each year until completed.
The dredging of the river a few decades ago left a high-ground river-front meadow that we used to enjoy before all the bridges washed out. Imagine having a nice picnic by the river, watching the river otters frolic and bald eagles swooping around.
We need a place to launch canoes, kayaks and other small boats that is safe and user friendly for the citizens of Kenmore. Bothell Landing Park has a canoe launch below its playground that would make a perfect outing destination for families and there is ample parking adjacent to the bike trail for families on both ends.
The Kenmore Historical Society could have a field day making more great interpretive signs along the river front. Steam-paddle boats and mini-hydroplane races are part of the river’s history. We found a rotted-out mini-hydro in the swamp and salvaged the dashboard that would be a cool display with old photos. The existing trail below 80th next to the little bridge on 175th was one of the access routes for Kenmore Citizens to view the mini-hydroplane races.
There is no more beautiful place than the river on a foggy morning. I can’t tell you how wonderful it would be for all of us to be able to take a morning walk down there.
Gretchen L. Nixon
