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