Redmond starts work on Centennial Park expansion

The $1.9 million expansion of Redmond’s Centennial Park is underway, city officials said Wednesday.

The focus of the initial work by Kirby Nagelhout Construction will be asbestos abatement and demolition of the former Printing Post building, undergrounding utilities and removal of trees that have been deemed unhealthy by the city arborist.

“This park expansion project is one of the many ways our Urban Renewal investments have moved downtown forward,” stated Mayor George Endicott. “Connecting our pedestrian-friendly downtown to a civic plaza and community gathering place has been part of the city’s vision since 2008.”

The project is funded through Redmond’s Downtown Urban Renewal District, which identified a critical shortage of parks and open space throughout the downtown area.

While the 2010 opening of Centennial Park provided a much-needed park and public plaza in the downtown core, the need for more parks and open space remains, officials said. The finished park is expected to catalyze investment in the downtown and draw people to Redmond’s commercial core.

Centennial Park’s expansion was designed by SZABO Landscape Architecture in partnership with a nine-member citizen task force, following ten months of community outreach efforts. Public involvement led to park amenities such as open space, a civic plaza and gathering area, a small stage area for events, benches, tables, a children’s reading nook, a history walk and plenty of shade trees.

Temporary sidewalk closures along Eighth Street and Evergreen Avenue will occur during construction, and motorists traveling in the area should drive with caution. For more information about the Centennial Park Expansion project, please contact the Project Manager, Annie McVay at 541-504-2003 or email annie.mcvay@ci.redmond.or.us.

Park construction is estimated to be completed in the fall of 2019.

The community can follow the park’s progress online at www.ci.redmond.or.us/centennialparkexpansion.