Kiwanis Tot Lot #1, located on the corner of First Avenue and West Crow Street, is one of the sites of Kent Parks’ summer playground program. A nice surprise awaits participating children this season – a brand new playground – and they will get to cut the ribbon when Mayor Suzette Cooke officially dedicates the playground at 1:00 PM on Thursday, July 2.

The City of Kent originally acquired the park property in 1949.  In 1965, the Kiwanis Club helped develop the park by purchasing and installing some play equipment.  Additional play structures were installed in 1977 and replacement play equipment in 1995, which is fairly typical of a playground’s “life cycle.”

Kent Parks served as the host of a WRPA (Washington Recreation & Park Association)- sponsored class that gave parks staff from other cities the opportunity to participate in a two-day playground installation.  Funded by a Community Development Block Grant, this project also includes the renovation of the basketball court, installation of a plaza area for the summer playground program and fencing.

The Washington Recreation & Park Association (WRPA) has selected Town Square Plaza as Best Park in its class (population 35,000+). The award will be presented at the Association’s annual awards banquet, Thursday, April 30, at the Spokane Conference Center.
 
WRPA plays a vital role in promoting public support for parks and recreation and increasing awareness of the necessity to preserve, enhance, and utilize resources for a balanced lifestyle. The Association established seven awards to recognize organizations and individuals, both volunteers and professionals, for their contributions to the park and recreation field. 
 
Open since June 2008, Town Square Plaza’s 35,000-square-foot site was designed to link Kent’s historic downtown with Kent Station.  Its interactive water features, stage for performances, Farmers’ Market and multi-age appeal attract users from dawn to late evening during the summer months.  During the holidays it is the site of the Morford Family Carousel.
 
Kent Parks, Recreation & Community Services’ Director Jeff Watling congratulated staff involved, saying, “Town Square Plaza was originally designed as the third phase of a development to include a hotel, condos and a parking garage.  Several months before work was set to begin on our plaza, the developer for the rest of the project went bankrupt, leaving the project with a half-constructed parking garage.  The City of Kent forged ahead and followed through on our commitments.  This award is particularly gratifying in light of the issues we overcame.”