Fairwood community and King County recommit to ‘splash pad’ at Petrovitsky Park

December 19, 2024

King County and community partners on Wednesday formally announced and celebrated 2024 Participatory Budgeting grants, which included an additional $754,000 in funding for a ‘splash pad’ at Petrovitsky Park in Fairwood. This latest round of funding brings the total for the project to nearly $3.1 million, including a 2022 Participatory Budgeting grant of $720,000 and a new additional appropriation of $1.6 million sponsored by King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn.

“These actions represent a recommitment by community and King County to fund the long awaited splashpad at Petrovitsky Park,” Dunn said. “Clearly, the community has shown continued support for this project, and when we as King County make commitments, it is incumbent upon the county to continue to work for a viable path forward. I was glad to have the support of my colleagues at the council to keep this project going.”

Originally conceived through the 2022 Participatory Budget Process, the splash pad and cooling center project at Petrovitsky Park was approved by the Fairwood community to use their allocation of funding.  When the initial investment was deemed insufficient to fully fund the project, additional funds were sought through the 2024 Participatory Budget process for a phased approach to the project. The scaled back project received overwhelming support from the community through a ranked choice voting process, where it received 62% of the initial round of votes and had a final point score that was double any other project.  

Dunn, with the support of the full King County Council, recently approved an additional $1.6 million appropriation for the project. The council also requested to further the development of a plan by King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, in collaboration with the Department of Local Services, to finalize remaining funding needed for this project. A plan will be transmitted to the King County Council by June 1, 2025.

“As a mom and a proud member of the Fairwood community, I was overjoyed to learn about the additional funding Councilmember Dunn was able to secure to help bring this project into fruition,” said Amanda Heins, a Fairwood resident involved with the initial Participatory Budgeting grant program. “This splashpad will be a wonderful addition to Petrovitsky Park, providing a fun place for kids to cool off and stay active during the hot summer months, while families come together and connect.”

“Participatory Budgeting is successful because of the dedication and determination of our community members and staff.,” said Department of Local Services Director Leon Richardson. “We have remarkable outcomes when local government and the communities we serve work together in true collaboration.”

In this 2024 Participatory Budgeting cycle, the County allocated $11.75 million to five urban unincorporated communities. Community members gathered ideas, created proposals, put the proposals to a vote, and then tallied the winners. All selected projects are chosen by community with funding going to organizations within the community.