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The City of Bremerton Parks and Recreation Department is requesting proposals for design services for Blueberry Park and Urban Gardens. The project is partially funded through a State of Washington Department of Ecology Low Impact Development (LID) Stormwater Management grant.
This 7-acre undeveloped parcel was purchased in 1979 with federal Land & Water Conservation Funds for neighborhood park purposes. The park is adjacent to the Armin Jahr Elementary School and has remained largely underused though the existing community gardens play a significant role in the lives of many individual gardeners who care for these plots. In 1995, the City began a community-based design process to improve Blueberry Park and to facilitate more intensive use. The City will revisit that plan and start to develop the park with some of the same characteristics of that original plan to integrate Blueberry Park’s existing features and the sites farming history.
The project will be developed with a combination of vegetative restoration and carefully located active features. Interpretive elements, permeable paved parking, restrooms with exterior vertical gardens, children’s play area, a picnic shelter with a green roof, rain gardens, a variety of grasses, ground covers, shrub/tree plantings, and a large open grassy meadow are planned. The 2,300 foot meandering pervious concrete walking trail will be perhaps the most significant feature as it will link these features together providing ADA access along the perimeter of the park, an exercise opportunity and the option of taking a leisurely stroll through the shade tree grove, past the existing community gardens and to visit the interpretative signs located near the remnant blueberry fields at the west corner of the Park.
Passive recreation opportunities combined with the existing community gardens will create an educational and recreational focal point for families and children in East Bremerton. Children will have an opportunity to use Blueberry Park to exercise, discover their community’s farm heritage, now lost to dense residential and commercial development, or to use the farm themed playground to view gardeners as they prepare soil, plant and grow vegetables.
The project will teach a variety of LID techniques, reduce stormwater runoff through use of pervious pavements as compared to impervious products, and has an important role in conveying environmental values as outreach and education activities on LID will be open to city staff, developers, industry professionals, builders, neighbors, visitors, community groups, and adjacent Elementary School.
The most qualified firms or individuals will have experience with design and construction of Low Impact Developments, the ability to work with diverse interest groups in a public design process, experience designing neighborhood parks and public spaces that are both interesting and functional.
Call (360) 473-5305 to receive a RFP packet. |
