Federal Way parks committee advances housing allocation, pool repairs and several parks grants; public urges enforcement of 2% public-art rule

The Parks, Recreation, Human Services & Public Safety Committee of Federal Way on Feb. 3 (committee date in record: items forwarded to the Feb. 17 consent agenda) advanced a suite of routine and policy items, including authorizing staff to solicit bids for the Federal Way Community Center pool repairs, forwarding an interlocal agreement with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) for respite funding, and endorsing city participation in a pooled South King County housing capital fund to support a 20-unit affordable project in Federal Way.

At the start of public comment, resident Karen Brigado urged the city to apply Ordinance 94-217 — the city's 2% for public art requirement — to applicable capital projects and requested a checklist to ensure past and future projects include the mandated art allocation. "This amount funds the arts in public places fund for public art," Brigado said, and she specifically cited the Federal Way Community Center renovation as an example where the 2% allocation should have applied.

Paul Ishii, president of the local arts foundation (AFFW), told the committee the foundation won a $200,000 grant to support school-district programming and that the award will expand student access to arts programming over the next two years.

SCIP housing recommendation and Steel Lake project

City staff and Claire Goodwin, executive manager of the South King Housing and Homelessness Partners (SCIP), presented SCIP's 2025 housing capital fund recommendations. Goodwin highlighted a project located in Federal Way — the Mental Health Housing Foundation's Steel Lake Affordable Housing — described in the presentation as a 20-unit new-construction rental project for people with severe and persistent mental illness at roughly 30–50% area median income. The SCIP executive board recommended $922,000 to the project in this funding round; the portion the city was asked to authorize was $121,813. Goodwin said the project's total development cost is approximately $11,800,000 and listed other committed sources including the Department of Commerce ($6,300,000), a Federal Home Loan Bank contribution ($1,700,000), King County funding (about $2,400,000), sponsor predevelopment grants and state CHIP funds of roughly $400,000. The project site addresses were identified as 29020 and 29026 Military Road, and Goodwin said construction is anticipated to begin in early 2027.

Council members asked about referrals and operations. Goodwin said behavioral-health partners such as Sound Behavioral Health, Navos and Valley Cities would help refer residents; she also confirmed the Mental Health Housing Foundation would operate the property, and she said the units would not include on-site services (the project is not permanent supportive housing).

Community Center pool repairs

Claribel Oriana of the parks department asked the committee to authorize staff to solicit bids for plastering and improvements to the lap pool at the Federal Way Community Center. Funding for the pool and other aquatics facility repairs is provided by a King County aquatics grant of $1,525,000. Oriana said the work — which could include replastering the pool, replacing accessories such as lighting and drain grates, and optional hot‑tub tile and replaster work — could close the pool for an estimated 2–6 weeks and that the preferred start would be after the summer season, beginning in September.

Council member Susan Honda noted the city's public-art ordinance language that appears to apply to repairs or renovations above $25,000; city legal staff said they would check whether grant restrictions or the ordinance's definition of "substantial remodel" allow applying the 2% art requirement to this solicitation.

DSHS interlocal for respite services

Sabrina Bates, adaptive and inclusive recreation coordinator, asked the committee to approve the interlocal agreement that lets city recreation programs receive DSHS waiver reimbursements for eligible participants. Bates said the agreement generated estimated reimbursements of $70,000–$85,000 annually (the city received $76,453 in 2025) and that about 120 individuals with disabilities currently use the services. The committee moved the interlocal agreement to the consent agenda.

Other consent items and facilities work

The committee also advanced the 2026 Parks and Recreation Commission work plan (with fundraising added), authorized a $45,907.97 allocation from the PEG restricted capital account to replace a mini-split HVAC unit in the city broadcast room to protect AV equipment, and accepted a 4Culture equipment-for-organizations grant to purchase a towable festival stage (estimated $25,000–$30,000) that staff said will be used weekly at the Farmer's Market and for other events. Autumn Gressett, parks contract administrator, said the stage will be stored at a secure park facility or the maintenance yard and that staff would manage deployments and rentals.

Downtown civic plaza update (TC3 property)

Staff (Autumn Gressett and Meredith Neal) presented concept plans and imagery for a temporary/semi-permanent downtown civic and community space on the TC3 property, funded with an $850,000 congressional award (the original request was $3 million). The concept includes a civic lawn, an approximately 10,000-square-foot event structure (described as an "orangery"), a food-truck alley, vendor container pop-ups with artist-painted murals, and a flexible event floor. Staff said the grant funds must be used by November and that the site's development agreement anticipates 1Trent purchasing the property and beginning permitting in early 2027; 1Trent indicated they expect phased permitting and construction and are open to the temporary activation staying in place until development proceeds.

Votes at a glance

- Agenda amendment to table items h, i and j and retain k: motion carried (unanimous). - Forward SCIP 2025 Housing Capital Fund recommendation (authorization to allocate $121,813 from Federal Way to the Steel Lake project) to the 02/17/2026 consent agenda: motion carried. - Authorize solicitation for bids for Federal Way Community Center pool plastering and improvements: motion carried. - Forward interlocal agreement with DSHS (respite services) to consent agenda: motion carried. - Approve 2026 Parks Commission work plan (forward to consent agenda): motion carried. - Allocate $45,907.97 from PEG restricted capital account for TV broadcast room HVAC and authorize contract: motion carried. - Accept 4Culture equipment-for-organizations grant and authorize contract execution: motion carried.

What the committee requested next

City legal staff agreed to confirm whether King County grant terms or the ordinance definition of "substantial remodel" allow using grant funds for public art on the Community Center pool project; SCIP staff offered to follow up with the Mental Health Housing Foundation about length-of-stay and other tenant-selection details. Several items were forwarded to the Feb. 17 consent agenda for final council action.

Quotes

"This amount funds the arts in public places fund for public art," Karen Brigado said, urging the city to review past capital projects to ensure the 2% allocation was applied.

"We were just awarded a $200,000 grant," Paul Ishii said, describing the arts foundation's new funding to expand programming with the school district.

"The project is the first of two phases," Claire Goodwin said of the Steel Lake Affordable Housing development, describing the site, financing partners and the city contribution requested.

Ending

Committee chair Les Sessoms adjourned the meeting after forwarding the listed items to the Feb. 17 consent agenda; councilmembers and staff said follow-up information requested at the meeting would be provided ahead of final council action.