Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Commission members on Sept. 4 endorsed refining a ‘Woodsy Wonders’ design for Dean’s Children’s Park and asked staff to resolve details for access, materials and how the park’s dragon feature might be incorporated. The commission heard that about $1.3 million is allocated for the project’s first phase, covering design, engineering and construction.

Commissioners said the Woodsy Wonders concept — a forest- and treehouse-focused design — best matched community feedback and school curricula emphasizing environmental stewardship. Shelby Perrault, capital parks manager, led a site tour and presentation and summarized community outreach and next steps. "We will have about 1.3 for this first phase, and that will be inclusive of design, engineering, and construction," Perrault told commissioners.

Why it matters: Dean’s Children's Park is a long-standing neighborhood play area; the commission’s direction will shape the site plan that designers will carry into engineering and phased construction. Commissioners emphasized that the preferred concept should serve multiple ages, keep activity levels high, and preserve or reuse natural materials where feasible.

Commissioners said the outreach was broad and included local elementary students and PTA involvement, and noted near-unanimous support for the Woodsy Wonders direction. They asked staff to study specific issues before the next design iteration: the relationship and circulation between the proposed bike-skills area and play zones, restroom and picnic-shelter siting, material longevity and recyclability, fall-surface heights and accessibility for users of varying abilities. Commissioners also requested that staff map unstructured play areas and clarify age-targeting for play equipment.

Perrault said the project team will identify phasing that allows replacement of at least one playground structure in the first phase and pursue community engagement during design. Commissioners requested that elements popular with the public — including a zip line and more integrated placement of the park’s dragon motif — be considered for inclusion or carried between concepts.

The commission plans to reconvene on the refined design in November. Perrault said staff will return with a single recommended site plan that incorporates the commission’s clarifications and community feedback. "The comments that you have, I'm really excited to see how they transform into the next iteration when we come back to you in November," she said.

Less urgent details: Commissioners and staff discussed how the project relates to the adopted capital-improvement planning and noted the project had been split into line items across years in the Parks, Recreation and Open Space plan; staff confirmed the 2025–26 CIP includes funding to support the site-plan effort and the first construction phase.