Beginning the week of Jan. 3, the Western 10 acres of ƛ’ a Xw a d i s, pronounced Tl’ awh-ah-dees, Park, formerly Squire’s Landing Park, will be closed to the public for approximately two years as construction begins on the voter-approved Walkways and Waterways Bond Project.

The goal of the project is improving environmental protection and enhancing public access to the Sammamish River.

The Western 10 acres of the park will be closed to the public through the Winter of 2023 including the gravel parking lot, community boat storage, pedestrian trails, floating dock in the man-made lagoon, and the float in the Sammamish River. Minimal path clearing and survey work will begin onsite the week of Dec. 20, 2021.

Beginning in January, typical construction hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 am – 6 pm, with vehicles and heavy machinery in the area. Construction fencing will be installed to isolate the work area for the duration of construction. The other 30 acres of the park will remain open with access to informal pedestrian trails at the northeast corner of the park. No recreation programming will occur in the park during construction.

Environmental stewardship, including restoration of wildlife habitat, is a top priority of this project. Environmental restoration will include wetland and wetland buffer creation and enhancement; maintenance of existing stream bank stabilization; lagoon shoreline restoration; upland, and riparian habitat vegetation, including planting 5,048 new native trees; in-water habitat benches along Swamp Creek; aquatic weed removal; and retention of 209 of the existing 271 existing trees within the 7.3-acre project area. These improvements are intended to enhance over 4.5 acres of wildlife habitat, including salmon refuge.

The public access improvements will include an Americans with Disabilities Act accessible parking lot, pedestrian paths, elevated boardwalks, viewing decks and bridges, restroom, picnic shelter and seating, watercraft wash-down station, and public artworks at the viewing decks.

The project also includes water dependent recreation facilities including floats, gangways and hand-carry boat access as well as widening the lagoon entrance to create sufficient access to the confluence of Swamp Creek and the Sammamish River.

Walkways & Waterways is a voter-approved bond measure that passed in 2016 and encompasses five projects aimed to provide safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists and connect residents with the city’s public open space and waterfront. This project was also made possible in partnership with the State of Washington Department of Commerce, State of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, King Conservation District, and the King County WaterWorks Council Allocated Fund.

In April of 2021, Kenmore City Council passed a motion to change the name of Squire’s Landing Park to ƛ’ a Xw a d i s, pronounced Tl’awh-ah-dees, the name of the Lushotseed village previously located near present-day Kenmore. The new name of the park will be formally recognized upon completion of the project.