Meeting to gather input on new east Minnehaha park

Vancouver, WA – Clark County Public Works and Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation will present information about the Douglas Carter Fisher Neighborhood Park development project at the East Minnehaha Neighborhood Association meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Walnut Grove Elementary School Media Room, 6103 NE 72nd Ave., Vancouver.

Douglas Carter Fisher Neighborhood Park is located at the end of Northeast 54th Street, east of NE 49th Avenue in the east Minnehaha neighborhood. The 2.4-acre property is currently undeveloped and features an open field, wetlands and drainage ditches. Preliminary planning and design work began this spring. Construction is expected to begin in 2010 if funding is available. The park is named for the late son of the previous property owners, which was a condition of the property sale agreement.

Public input at this stage is very important, and all interested neighbors are encouraged to attend. At the public meeting, project staff will present several concept proposals for review, discussion and input by neighbors. Comments gathered at the meeting will help staff prepare a proposed concept plan based on funding, site requirements and neighborhood priorities.

Neighbors unable to attend the public meeting may still participate in the process. All the presentation materials will be posted on the project Web page along with an electronic comment form starting the afternoon of Oct. 1. All comments must be received by Oct. 15. The project Web page address is: www.clarkparks.org/projects/dcfisher.htm.

Design and construction is funded by park impact fees, which are paid whenever new homes are built, and by the real estate excise tax, which is paid whenever property is sold. The Greater Clark Parks District, a special district approved and funded by voters in the unincorporated urban area of Clark County in 2005, will fund maintenance of the park.

For more information about this project, please contact Don Andrews at (360) 397-6118 ext. 4362, or by e-mail at Don.Andrews@clark.wa.gov.