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Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in our recent community engagement activities. Your input, ideas, and perspectives are incredibly valuable and play a critical role in shaping the future of this park! Below is a brief summary of our touchpoints with the community for the first round of outreach:
- April 5: Leap for Green – project booth
- April 21 to May 23: Online survey live on Let’s Talk
- April 26: MIPA Circus – project booth
- May 3: Open House at Island Park Elementary
- May 12 to May 22: Parks Capital team visited 54 classes across four elementary schools—Lakeridge, West Mercer, Island Park, and Northwood
- More than 1,200 students from kindergarten through fifth grade shared their ideas for the new playground, including voting for play equipment and themes to complement the park’s iconic Kenton’s Dragon. Students also participated in an optional design activity, where they created their own park layouts and highlighted their favorite features.
Design concepts will be shared with the community in July for feedback. Stay tuned for more updates!
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Big thank you to everyone who came out to the Deane’s Children’s Park Open House last weekend – you brought great ideas and let them ! Couldn’t make it? No problem! Our online survey is now open through May 23 – share your thoughts to help us re-imagine the park. Survey is available here.
The feedback collected through the survey and open house will directly inform the development of site plan design concepts, which will be presented to the community for review and input in July. The City looks forward to hearing from the community as it works to re-imagine Deane’s Children’s Park as an inclusive and welcoming space for all.
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The public engagement phase for the Deane’s Children’s Park Site Plan is now underway! Community input will play a key role in shaping the future of the park and we want to hear from you. The community is invited to participate in two upcoming opportunities to share their ideas and priorities:
Attend the open house – a family-friendly open house will be held on Saturday, May 3, from 10:00am – 12:00pm at Island Park Elementary. Attendees can learn more about the project and share their thoughts in person.
The feedback collected through the survey and open house will directly inform the development of site plan design concepts, which will be presented to the community for review and input in July. The City looks forward to hearing from the community as it works to re-imagine Deane’s Children’s Park as an inclusive and welcoming space for all.
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On Tuesday, March 18, City Council approved the scope of work and community engagement plan for Deane’s Children’s Park Site Plan. Over the next month, the project team will be working to share the first community survey. This survey will be published prior to the first open house, which will occur in early May. Stay tuned to Let’s Talk to learn more about when the survey is published and for details about the open house.
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In 1962, the Mercer Island Preschool Association(External link) (MIPA) proposed a children’s park at Island Crest Park, which was owned and operated by King County. After the plan was approved, MIPA solicited support from local organizations to purchase equipment and enlisted community volunteers to build the children’s play area. The City acquired Island Crest Park in 1968 and renamed the play area(External link) Deane’s Children’s Park in 1985, in honor of Lola and Phil Deane, Mercer Island residents who were instrumental in the park’s creation. MIPA has continued to partner with the City to improve Deane’s, including a major park renovation completed in 2005.
Park Amenities
Play opportunities at Deane’s include two platform structures, a climbing wall and boulder, swings, and free-standing play opportunities such as a spinner and puzzles, as well as Kenton’s Dragon, a concrete dragon sculpture/play structure. Equipment is disbursed throughout a forested play area and connected by both dirt and paved trails. The park also includes a rentable picnic shelter, one all-gender restroom, a City storage shed, picnic tables and benches, and a small parking lot.
In 2023, the City added the Bike Skills Area (BSA)(External link), a skills-building course designed for riders of all ages. The BSA features two jump lines, a bicycle playground, and is fully fenced with two new trail entrances, along with an ADA accessible entrance via the existing paved path.
Existing Conditions & Site Opportunities
A preliminary assessment of existing conditions was completed in preparation for a sitewide redesign of Deane’s Children’s Park. The City engaged the Berger Partnership(External link) to assess the site from 2023-2024. Berger identified the following key takeaways from their findings:
Play Equipment – Aging play equipment needs to be replaced, and existing play elements are not truly accessible. Additionally, the park's play equipment lacks diverse and inclusive play opportunities for all users.
Existing Amenities – The park includes several amenities that require replacement. The picnic shelter is at the end of its useful life, and the park restroom is not centrally located or easily accessible. Site furniture, like picnic tables and benches, do not meet accessibility standards, and many are in disrepair.
Site Circulation – The park lacks clear wayfinding to the different play areas, which are spread out, making overall site navigation unclear. The existing trails and pathways should be clearly defined to distinguish accessible versus non-accessible routes. Lastly, accessible parking spaces need to be upgraded to meet accessibility standards.
These findings present many opportunities for upgrading trails and pathways, introducing new, nature-based and inclusive play equipment and experience, and designing a central amenity area that serves both the BSA and playground users.
Next Steps for the Park
In 2025, Berger will facilitate the planning effort with the community to develop a Site Plan for the park that integrates park features, improves navigation, and introduces diverse play experiences to the City’s playground system.
Deane’s was identified for playground replacement in the 2022 Parks Levy. However, Levy funding does not include resources for broader site improvements. A fundraising strategy and phased construction plan will also be developed to ensure broader site improvements can be successfully implemented as additional resources become available. The scope of the first phase of improvements will be determined through the site planning process and will include replacement of one or more playground structures.
