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SPRINKER OUTDOOR IMPROVEMENTS
Located in the heart of the Parkland and Spanaway communities along Military Road just west of Pacific Avenue sits Spanaway Regional Park. This 330-acre complex includes four distinct quadrants: Lake Spanaway Golf Course, Spanaway Park, Bresemann Forest, and Sprinker Recreation Center. Sprinker Recreation Center includes a community center and outdoor recreation areas on 50 acres, located at 14824 South C Street. Outdoor areas currently include ballfields, basketball courts, tennis courts, rock wall and a skate park. With the exception of the skatepark, built with a generous donation from the Lemay family in 2005, most of the facilities are more than 30 years old and ready for a refresh. thereafter in 1976, a 91,794 square foot recreation center, named after long-time commissioner, Harry Sprinker, was built. In order to increase operational efficiencies as well as ensure safe public access, small updates have taken place over the years; however, overall renovation of the site has never been completed. We are excited to announce that BIG changes are just around the corner for this community treasure!
A building and programming study is currently underway to determine the future programming needs for the Sprinker Recreation Center building to ensure it meets community needs and continues its role as a hub for ice and other regional sports.
continued from page 57 In 2017, a master plan for the outdoor areas of Sprinker Recreation Center was adopted, and design of major improvements has been underway since. We expect to break ground on improvements in Summer 2022, with construction lasting up to 18 months. Improvements are focused on increasing daily use of Sprinker by the local and regional communities, featuring:
n A new regional spray park: Kids of all ages will love this huge spray park! This park is designed for kids to splash and play during the warm summer months.
n A new playground for kids of all ages and abilities: This cool new playground will include equipment for children ages 2+ and include special equipment to make sure kids of all abilities can come and play yearround!
n A new Futsal Court: Have you played Futsal, yet? This up-and-coming game is a lot like soccer, but is played on a smaller, paved court, usually in teams of 5. We can’t wait to kick-off this new Pierce County sport!
n Synthetic turf ballfields: The two ballfields closest to C Street South will be renovated with synthetic turf to allow year-round play of baseball, softball, soccer, and lacrosse. This improvement will increase and extend usage of the site by providing safe playing fields in the Fall and Winter to hundreds of youth in the community. Let’s play ball (rain or shine)!
n Parkland Community Trail: The Parkland Community Trail will connect the Parkland community from PLU to Sprinker. With construction beginning in 2022, it will be safer and easier for everyone to walk, skate, scoot, or ride to Sprinker (and schools and parks along the way)! The trail will be built through the west side of Sprinker between athletic fields and Bresemann Forest, providing a safe route for people to access the regional park.
n Basketball Court Upgrades: The basketball courts will be resurfaced and restriped.
n Picnic shelters and events spaces: Sprinker is already home to many fantastic activities throughout the year! It’s about to become even more accessible for small and large events! Three new picnic shelters will be available for private rentals, located near the spray park, playground, and event lawn. The entry plaza will be improved to welcome to community and share even more events in years to come.
n Parking and safety improvements: The parking areas at Sprinker will be replaced and beautified, and improvements to provide better access to people of all abilities will take place across the site, in compliance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The project will also install 8 new public electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot.
Additional improvements identified in the master plan that will be constructed when funds are available include renovation of the remaining ballfields to synthetic turf. Once completed the site will possess 6 full synthetic multi-purpose ball fields.
Funding for this project was made possible by community donations, state recreation grants, and parks capital funding sources, including Real Estate Excise Tax, Park Sales Tax, and Park Impact Fees. Thank you to everyone who chipped in to make this project a
reality! We can’t wait for you to come out and play in our new and improved facilities!
Benjamin Barrett, Project Manager.
