The majority of Morrill Meadows Park in Kent is closed until December for the final phase of renovations.

City Parks Department staff closed the main parking lot, restrooms, shelter, field and playground on April 3 for construction. Temporary fences will go up before the work starts.

The trails, dog park, sport courts and other park features will remain open. Park users will need to utilize the shared Kent YMCA parking lot to access these amenities. The 21-acre park is at 10600 SE 248th St.

King County awarded a $500,000 grant to the city in 2022 for the work. The competitive grant program is part of the voter-approved 2020-2025 King County Parks Levy and seeks to assist eligible entities with open space acquisition, active recreation, passive recreation and local trails. In 2019, county voters overwhelmingly approved the Parks Levy which provides funding for parks and open space throughout the county.

The Morrill Meadows Park project is considered phase 2 of improvements by the city and includes replacement and expansion of the playground, a new nature play area, ADA accessibility upgrades, a stage for summer concerts and events and enhanced landscaping.

“Once completed, our residents will experience improved lawn space, an expanded playground with improved ADA access and new swings, a new nature play area, updated park furnishings and a permanent stage,” according to a Parks Department statement. “This work completes the final phase of improvements to Morrill Meadows Community Park, creating a top tier park for our residents to gather and play outdoors.”

In 2019, the city celebrated the grand opening of an improved Morrill Meadows Park, which combined with East Hill Park and included the adjoining, redesigned, relocated off-leash dog park.

The conversion of the two parks and dog area – replete with a dedicated parking area – completed a city-funded and grant-assisted endeavor that took years in the making. The park added a multi-sport court, new walking trails and pathways, open space, gathering spaces for picnics and community events and a dog park that features a separate section for small or shy dogs.

The amenities of the reshaped park integrated with the then-new YMCA – a two-story, 50,000-square-foot facility, giving city parks and Y staff the opportunity to work together to provide indoor/outdoor recreational activities and programs.

The city budgeted about $6.5 million to pay for those major improvements and changes at the park as well as for a new 250-spot parking lot, as part of its support for the YMCA coming to town. The city also paid about $2 million for frontage improvements along Southeast 248th Street, which included a three-lane road, new sidewalks and bike lanes and moving the overhead utilities underground.

A map of the closed and open areas of Morrill Meadows Park, 10600 SE 248th St., during renovation work from now until December. COURTESY GRAPHIC, City of Kent

Sports courts will remain open this year at Morrill Meadows Park during renovations at other portions of the park. COURTESY PHOTO, City of Kent