Westside Park (Chehalis, Washington)

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Westside Park
Westside Park, Chehalis.jpg
Westside Park, Chehalis, Washington, 2022
USA Washington location map.svg
Red pog.svg
TypePlayground, picnic area
Coordinates 46°39′59″N122°58′42″W / 46.66639°N 122.97833°W / 46.66639; -122.97833
Area1-acre (0.40 ha)
Establishedapprox. 1949
StatusOpen
TerrainFlat
PlantsCherry trees
ParkingStreet
FacilitiesNone

Westside Park is located in Chehalis, Washington in the city's Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District which was catalogued on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1991. [1]

Contents

The 1-acre (0.40 ha) park contains basketball courts, a playground, and picnic areas. [2] It is known locally for its blossoming cherry trees, first planted in 1932, [3] and towering conifers. [4] [5]

History

The park began in 1894 [6] [lower-alpha 1] and the area became a playground and recreation area for the West Side School. [8] An initial motion to beautify the park and keep the area kept as a playground for the school were begun in 1905, [9] and upgrades were begun in 1906; [10] preparations to regrade the grounds took place in 1908. [11] Due to extensive damages to the school during the 1949 Olympia earthquake, the building was razed and the park became public. [12] [13] [14]

A memorial bench in the park was dedicated in 2007 to Gavin Crandell, a sixteen year-old who died the prior year after being struck by a train at a crossing 0.5 miles (0.80 km) away. Westside Park was a popular gathering spot for the teenager. [15]

Westside Park, 2023 Westside Park, Chehalis, Washington 2023.jpg
Westside Park, 2023

In 2021, a volunteer neighborhood group, the Friends of Westside Park, organized as a non-profit 501(c)(3) [6] and began to oversee improvements to the park. [16] That same year, the group, in collaboration with the Chehalis Foundation, were able to receive a $20,000 earmark for the park from the Chehalis City Council as a beginning funding effort for future renovations. [2] An additional $95,000 in capital was added in 2023. Considered the first of potentially three phases of renovations, the $115,000 total funding is to aid in the purchase of new playground equipment, the construction of a perimeter fence, and to upgrade the sidewalks and parking areas to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). [17]

The welcome sign to the neighborhood, located in a traffic calming roundabout directly east of the park at the intersection of West and Pennsylvania, was destroyed in a hit-and-run incident in December 2023. [18]

Westside Park is unable to qualify for listing with the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) due to a loss of records during a 1910 fire at the defunct West Side School. [6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Early reporting in the area spells the name of the school as West Side, and mentions the year of construction as 1907. [7]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "NPGallery Digital Asset Management System". npgallery.nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Rosane, Eric (May 31, 2021). "Chehalis City Council Approves $40,000 for Westside and Lintott-Alexander Park Improvement Groups". The Chronicle. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Tree Planted On School Grounds". The Centralia Daily Chronicle. February 23, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  4. ↑ Mittge, Brian (April 9, 2021). "If the Unthinkable Happens, How Will You Go?". The Chronicle. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  5. ↑ Henderer, John (July 9, 1996). "Chehalins joining forces to upgrade park". The Chronicle. p. A3. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Stanton, Carrina (August 28, 2022). "Chehalis Neighbors Rally to Give Historic Park a Facelift". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Park Board Is At Work". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. Vol. 25, no. 16. October 11, 1907. p. 2. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "Old West Side PTA Sparks Issue". The Daily Chronicle. February 27, 1962. p. 5. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Beautify The City". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. May 26, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  10. ↑ "West Side Park". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 6, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  11. ↑ "The John Dobson Park Deeded To Chehalis Monday Night". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. March 6, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  12. ↑ McClurg, Dian (July 10, 2004). "Parks Gone Wild". The Chronicle. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "1949 Was Earth-Shaking, Heart-Breaking Time Here". The Chronicle. February 17, 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  14. ↑ Jones, Pat (March 31, 2007). "Florence Kennicott Lived a Colorful Life". The Chronicle. p. A3. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Haines, Amanda (March 27, 2007). "Memorial Dedicated to Chehalis Teen". The Chronicle. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  16. ↑ Mittge, Brian (April 9, 2021). "If the Unthinkable Happens, How Will You Go?". The Chronicle. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Sexton, Owen (January 11, 2023). "Chehalis City Council Approves Funding for Fencing, Playground and Parking at Westside Park". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  18. ↑ Taylor, Chad (December 27, 2023). "In focus: Welcome to Chehalis sign destroyed by hit-and-run driver". The Chronicle. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
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