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Mountlake Terrace highlights Hall Creek restoration, Veterans Memorial upgrades and expanded community programs
Summary
City leaders showcased completed and ongoing park projects — including the Hall Creek restoration and Veterans Memorial improvements — and described growing community engagement programs and event attendance.
City Manager Jeff Knighton and Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright used the State of the City to highlight recent park and community projects and programs that city officials said strengthen local connections.
Knighton described the Ballinger Park and Hall Creek Restoration Project as a multiagency effort with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state partners; construction took place in 2023 and 2024, and the project included bank restoration, invasive-plant removal, native plantings, a new pedestrian bridge and a boardwalk. "This new channel for Hall Creek slows the water flow, which creates refuge for the wildlife that enjoy the park as much as we do," Knighton said.
Mayor Matsumoto Wright summarized Veterans Memorial Upper Plateau work — funded in part with American Rescue Plan Act dollars — that will add a natural playground, a veterans memorial, an accessible entrance, restrooms and a lighted 12-foot-wide trail connecting to the transit center. She said that phase should be mostly completed by November.
The city also noted playground work at Terrace Ridge, a Ballinger viewing platform and trails project (a partnership with Edmonds and state Recreation and Conservation Office funding), and Trees for Parks tree plantings (176 trees planned across two parks using mitigation funds from Sound Transit).
Officials highlighted expanded community programming: the third-of-July family celebration drew about 10,000 people last year; the city increased the number of community events from five in 2023 to 13 in 2024 and plans 16 events for 2025. Knighton described the Mountlake Terrace Community Academy (a six-week program for residents 16 and older) and the Community Conversations program as efforts to build ongoing relationships with residents.
City leaders did not announce new park bond measures or council votes at the event; they provided timelines and said several projects are under construction or scheduled for completion later this year.
