PRESS RELEASE- City Awarded RCO Grant For Golf Park Playground

The state-funded parks grant is the first the City has received in 20 years.

PORT TOWNSEND – The City of Port Townsend has been awarded $350,000 from the State of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) for a new, inclusive playground and picnic shelter at the Port Townsend Municipal Golf Park (Golf Park). The City has committed a 30% match for the $500,000 project, which includes all planning and construction costs. The last time the City received funds from RCO was in 2005.

The Golf Park is a 59-acre City-owned park in the heart of Port Townsend. The park is managed under a 22-year lease by the Friends of the Golf Park (Friends), a non-profit group who, over the last two years, have added a restaurant, 18-hole disc-golf course, and family-focused activities, like summer camps and monthly Sundays in the Park events. The vision to make the municipal golf course land more inclusive and broaden its use comes from a year-long community process that identified the needs and desires of people of all ages and engaged thousands of people. Ideas like foot golf, mini-golf, affordable housing, trails, and an outdoor amphitheater emerged in the process. Adding an inclusive playground rose to the top from the community input received.

While the Friends continue the work of implementing plans for broadening use of this multi-purpose open space, applying to RCO for a grant to fund a new playground and picnic shelter was part of the commitment of the City. The playground concept is supported by long range planning in the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan (PROS), the recently adopted Golf Park Master Plan, and Active Transportation Plan.

The new playground is being modeled after the highly successful JUMP! Playground at H.J. Carroll Park in Chimacum. This playground is the first fully-accessible playground in Jefferson County and has been popular for families throughout the region. Similarly, the new Golf Park playground will feature universal play equipment designed for people of all abilities and will be able to utilize a large parking lot and public restrooms. The playground will also be easily accessible via bike trails and footpaths and is situated along a public transit route ensuring access for families across the community. The Golf Park is also located near the Mountain View campus, which includes a community pool, pickle ball courts, and a dog park.

“I think it's important to highlight the significance of this grant, as it's the first RCO-awarded grant since 2005. There have been many attempts over the years that fell short, but this one felt right. It truly reflected what the community wanted, as shown in the survey results from the robust engagement efforts around the future of the Golf Park. This will be our first-ever playground built of this caliber. As a Parks Manager, these are the wins and joyful moments we work toward every day. I believe it's important to thank all the stakeholders and community members who contributed to this success and took the time to engage throughout the process,” said Parks and Facilities Manager, Michael Todd.
The City anticipates the construction of the playground in spring/summer 2026 with an opening in fall 2026.

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Explore the project details on the RCO Project Snapshot page: RCO Project
 

More information about the Golf Park:PT Golf Park