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Community invited to celebrate the new Gemenskap Park Oct. 27

Join us at the Fall Festival!

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and the East Ballard Community Association invite the community to celebrate the new Gemenskap Park on Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This new community-initiated park provides much needed green space for the east Ballard neighborhood and is located on 14th Ave. NW between NW 59th and 61st streets. The event kicks off with a Halloween costume parade for all ages followed by an official ribbon cutting ceremony. The morning will be filled with fun activities, donuts, beverages and more.

Gemenskap (Yuh-MEN-skawp), Swedish for ‘community’, is a 2-block linear park named for the area’s Swedish history and influence. The former trolley street is a 52-foot wide park that provides valuable open space, incorporates safety improvements for pedestrians, green stormwater infrastructure, a multiuse path for biking, and neighborhood greenway connections.

The design firm Mithun worked with the community, SPR and Seattle Department of Transportation on the design of the park. In January 2018, SPR awarded the construction contract to Jansen, Inc. The Parks and Green Spaces Levy Acquisition Fund provided $24 million for the acquisition of neighborhood parks in up to 20 identified areas throughout the city. The Ballard Residential Urban Village was included in that list and the community prioritized this development project in lieu of acquiring additional property.

 Thank you to the Nordic Museum for participating and thank you to the sponsors of the Fall Festival, Ballard Market, Mithun, Top Pot, and Tripod Coffee.

For more information about the project and event please visit and https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/gemenskap-park-development or contact Karen O’Connor at karen.o’connor@seattle.gov or 206-233-7929. 

To get involved in the stewardship of the park visit https://eastballard.wordpress.com/about/get-involved/ or email eastballard@gmail.com.