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Sedro-Woolley staff present two options to move Riverfront ball fields; county ILA and parking are key hurdles
Summary
Public Works outlined two relocation choices for Riverfront ball fields — swapping fields with Winnieh Hower soccer or building new diamonds at a county site (NSR). Council and staff flagged funding, an interlocal agreement with the county and parking as pivotal next steps.
Public Works Director Bill Bulock presented two options to relocate Riverfront ball fields, aiming to reduce flood risk and increase recreational capacity. Option one would swap the ball diamonds with soccer fields at Winnieh Hower, a relatively low-cost change because it uses existing groomed fields. Option two would develop ball fields at a county-owned site known as NSR, which would require earthwork, design, and an interlocal agreement (ILA) with the county but would preserve Riverfront acreage for other uses.
Bulock said there is roughly $250,000–$300,000 in leftover parks-eligible funding that could be applied to relocation work and noted a recorded protected critical area plan for the NSR site that already contemplates park-type facilities within a protective berm. He described the NSR site as firm enough for fields in much of the planned footprint and said the city has begun informal conversations with county parks about interest and possible shared responsibilities, including paving or chip sealing parking and striping (city would likely fund construction and relocation costs).
Council members pushed on key details: how many diamonds would fit (Bulock described a four-diamond cluster as the likely starting point), the timeline for construction (sometime next summer if agreements and design proceed), and whether the city would retain existing Riverfront fields in addition to new sites. Several members expressed support for moving quickly to avoid another flood season damaging fields at Riverfront and to create larger contiguous space for events like Logger Rodeo. Bulock said both options appear feasible but carry tradeoffs: the Winnieh Hower swap is quicker and simpler; NSR would require more initial investment and an ILA but yields long-term flexibility and additional parking capacity.
Next steps the council identified were formalizing an ILA with Skagit County if the NSR option advances, pursuing a design and phased parking improvements that could be done sooner, and returning to council with a recommended path and cost estimates for decision.
