Make new park family friendly

(Sent to La Conner Town Council and Mayor Ramon Hayes)

I have been a long time resident (1986) of La Conner, although right now I live outside the town limits. I wish to encourage you in your plans to create a new park and residences on the property where the “ball fields” are presently located on Maple Street.

I have always been impressed with how the residents and business owners of La Conner have managed their diverse and similar concerns over the last 40 years.

There has been the creation of Maple Hall complex, the La Conner Retirement Inn, the waterfront parks and boardwalk, the support for a thriving town library despite no government funding, saving beautiful buildings, planning carefully for large complexes that would change the community, planning for growing up instead of out, sidewalks, and consideration for the residents’ needs when put forth.

We have many lovely parks that are used by tourists, all along the boardwalk, and the new park under Rainbow Bridge is full most afternoons as I walk past. Pioneer Park is an amazing venue for large gatherings as well as performances.

As plans are made for a possible new park on Maple I hope you will consider a park that will attract parents and kids, albeit not in team uniforms, who will walk and ride their bikes over for games of some kind, barbeques, set up for badminton, run the puppies and have trees for shade, a water fountain to fill squirt delivery systems and dog water bowls and lots of room for play.

Please work with the school district to find the times and fields that could possibly be used by the local ball clubs so that those kids and families still have a safe place to play.

I hope that you will consider as much square footage for play as possible. Residences can grow up three stories and still be beautiful, and contained.

Thank you for taking the chance to secure this historically valuable, real-time valuable spot on the La Conner map for families.

Georgia Johnson

La Conner