Issaquah to pilot maintenance, scheduling of northern Lake Sammamish State Park fields; agreement pending

Issaquah Parks & Community Services on May 20 outlined a staff proposal to pilot maintenance and scheduling for roughly seven acres of athletic fields at Lake Sammamish State Park after the long‑standing maintenance agreement with the Issaquah Soccer Club ended.

Jeff Watling, director of parks and community services, told the committee that Washington State Parks approached the city earlier this year about taking over management after the soccer club terminated its agreement. Watling said the city is proposing to assume responsibility for the northern portion of the large field complex — about 7 acres rather than the full roughly 14‑acre complex — and to operate it as multipurpose rectangular fields available to soccer, cricket, lacrosse and other sports rather than as exclusive single‑sport fields.

“We would position these to be managed and maintained in a way that could support additional sports that really haven't had access to those fields before,” Watling said.

Why it matters: the athletic field study and the 2024 park system plan identified constrained field capacity in Issaquah. Losing the complex from public scheduling would reduce available play space; staff told the committee State Parks indicated it is not positioned to continue maintenance and fields could return to a more natural condition absent another maintainer.

Short‑term pilot: staff proposed a short‑term agreement with State Parks through the remainder of the current biennial budget (December 2026) to pilot maintenance and scheduling and to allow State Parks to complete its own management plan update. Parks staff said the pilot would aim to be cost neutral: the city would add a part‑time, non‑benefited maintenance worker, use existing equipment, and offset costs with scheduling revenues and program fees. Administration support and unanimous park board support were reported.

Community input and equity: community speakers from the Seattle Youth Cricket League and local business owners urged the city to open the site to cricket; one speaker described a youth cricket program serving roughly 500 children in the greater Seattle area and said the league could help identify funding or donations for improvements. Committee members noted access, parking and long‑term expectations would need to be clear to avoid future pressure for expensive upgrades such as turf installation.

Access and infrastructure: Watling said existing parking and access infrastructure exists for the northern footprint but staff will work with State Parks to address parking‑lot condition and other operational details as part of any short‑term agreement. A committee member asked whether State Parks would consider deeding the property to the city; Watling said that is a long‑term idea to explore but would be a separate State Parks decision.

Legal and risk considerations: staff said sports field use is covered by Washington statutory recreation immunity and that the city would coordinate with the city attorney when negotiating the agreement to ensure liability is addressed in the final language.

Timeline and next steps: staff will finalize negotiations with State Parks, return a proposed agreement to council (anticipated in July for council review), and could begin scheduling use as early as August–September if an interim agreement is executed. A longer‑term agreement, if both agencies agree, would be considered in 2026 alongside the 2027–28 budget process.

What was not decided: No final agreement was approved at the May 20 meeting; the committee provided direction to pursue an interim, cost‑neutral pilot and asked staff to return with a negotiated agreement and budget details.