Designer selected for Sequim park revamp

Published 1:30 am Monday, June 29, 2026

SEQUIM — The city of Sequim continues to make progress toward a renovation of Margaret Kirner Park at the corner of West Pine Street and South Fourth Avenue.

Sequim City Council members approved an Inclusive Playground Design contract with RRM Design Group worth just more than $286,000 on June 8.

RRM provided one of three responses to a Request for Qualifications submitted earlier this year. It contracted with the city in 2023 to survey the community on park playground redesigns for Margaret Kirner, Carrie Blake Community Park and Dr. Standard Little League Park.

For Margaret Kirner Park, about 57.4 percent of surveyors, or 566 respondents, chose a Chutes & Ladders design featuring several ladders and slides. If used, its cost was estimated to be about $1.3 million at the time.

Hannah Merrill, Sequim’s parks and events manager, wrote in an email that selecting RRM puts the city in the second and final phase of design for Margaret Kirner Park’s playground.

“This phase is focused on bringing the project to a construction-ready stage so we can move toward construction next year,” she said.

RRM will submit a 60 percent design by November and seek permits by January 2027 and then prepare bid documents and advertise for construction in March 2027, according to city documents.

The contracts will be separate for a contractor for park construction, city documents stated.

RRM’s documents state that tentative construction dates will be from June to November in 2027.

RRM staff said their design will include the following:

• An expanded play area with accessible play surfacing for children 2-12.

• New play equipment.

• New Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant park circulation paths.

• New restroom facility and a new shade structure at the picnic area, to be determined in discussions with city staff.

• New furnishings such as benches and picnic tables.

• New park entry gate and signage.

• New asphalt parking area, including an ADA-compliant parking stall.

• New ADA-compliant sidewalk.

• New trees and shrubs.

• New irrigation system.

• New sewer and domestic water service.

Merrill said the design work is fully funded and construction is included in the city’s 2027 Capital Improvement Plan with funding allocated for that phase.

“Depending on the final design and construction costs, including inflation impacts, the construction budget may need to be adjusted,” she said.

Last July, the city received a $500,000 grant from the state’s Recreation and Conservation Funding Board for design and construction for an inclusive playground.

Margaret Kirner Park was deeded to the city in February 1968 and now includes play structures and swings, trees and lawn, a picnic table and shade structure, a drinking fountain, a portable toilet, a fully fenced area and an irrigation system.

The playground project will “create an inclusive play environment that offers physical, sensory, and cognitive play opportunities and incorporates accessible play surfacing,” according to city documents.

RRM will lead the design effort and its subconsultant, Wilson Engineering, will provide civil engineering services to jointly prepare design and construction documents, including plans, technical specifications, a cost estimate to support the public bid process for the park renovation and a geotechnical study, city documents state.

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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.