And the winner is… Squire’s Landing.
That’s the new name for the 42 acres of untouched Kenmore park land formally known as Swamp Creek Park.
At a City Council meeting Sept. 13, Kenmore Mayor David Baker said the city had received some 55 comments or votes from residents regarding renaming the park.
From among four final choices, Squire’s Landing received more than 30 mentions.
When the finalists were announced this spring, Councilwoman Laurie Sperry said the Squire’s Landing name was intended to honor Watson Squire, an early Kenmore developer who had visions for a local waterfront park in the early 1900s.
Selected by city officials from among 30 potential names submitted by residents, the other contenders included Meanderer Park, Nature Trails Park and Trail Walk Park.
The newly dubbed Squire’s Landing sits just south of Northeast 175th Street, between the Burke-Gilman Trail and the Sammamish River, essentially behind the Trail Walk condominium complex. Kenmore took control of the property from King County in November 2009. Local leaders wanted to rename the park to avoid confusion with the existing Wallace Swamp Creek Park.
At the recent council meeting, Baker said the city solicited comments on the park name through ads in the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter, in the city’s newsletter and on Kenmore’s Web site.
For now, the park remains undeveloped. In the past, Baker has said consultant plans put the price tag for improving the park at roughly $12 million. He added Kenmore simply doesn’t have the money at this point in time.
When the city first took control of the new park, Kenmore Parks Manager Bill Evans said the land primarily will be used for passive recreation.
According to the city’s Web site, the park master plans calls for trails, interpretive signs, wildlife habitats, limited water access, viewing areas and some support facilities such as restrooms and parking.
More active recreation amenities such as ballfields or picnic areas are not mentioned in plans for the park and apparently not in the works for the property, which Evans said consists of about 75 percent wetlands. According to Evans, King County officials purchased the property in the early 1990s largely with the goal of preserving those wetlands.
