Council committee moves Cottonwood and Hoff playground replacements to full council

Project Manager Dylan Gamble presented the Parks and Public Works proposal to replace two aging playgrounds — Cottonwood and Hoff — on Snoqualmie Ridge and asked the committee to forward agenda bill B26006 to the full council for approval.

Gamble told the committee the city worked with a vendor the department has used at other sites and emphasized the vendor’s warranty and parts-repair approach: “we use it for Centennial…they have a really great warranty timeline,” which staff said reduces the need to abandon or permanently replace components. He said the replacements respond to equipment age and condition and were refined with input from the Parks & Events Commission and the CIP budget.

Councillors pressed staff on what would happen with removed equipment. Gamble said metal components will generally be recycled and that many plastic pieces are damaged beyond useful repurposing; the vendor will handle demolition and recycling once a contract is signed. When asked about accessibility, Gamble said the plan retains an existing ramp and bark-chip surfacing at Cottonwood, noting that bark chips “won’t be as accessible as some of our other all-inclusive playground designs,” but staff chose to keep the ramp so future surface changes could improve access.

Staff also proposed removing play equipment from two nearby pocket parks (Thompson and Silent Creek) — converting them to open space, trailhead or forest — to avoid redundant playgrounds within a short walk of the new, larger sites and to reduce long-term maintenance costs.

Council Member Cotton proposed advancing the agenda bill to the full council, and members indicated it could be placed on the consent calendar for council approval. No formal vote tally was recorded in the committee minutes.

The committee’s next step is to place agenda bill B26006 on the full council agenda for consideration and formal action.