In a unique joint endeavor, the Maple Valley Rotary Club worked collaboratively with King County to transform a largely overgrown area near the Cedar River. Together, this private and public partnership resulted in the creation of a park that the entire community enjoys.
After years of planning, the permit was issued and funds were in place to construct a 1,140 SF (38’ x 30’) open-sided park shelter with a living, green roof.
The project become one of the first “Adopt a Park” programs in King County. A Community Partnership Grant of $115,000 was issued. The project began with funds originating from both parties and the labor contributions were provided by Rotary.
As the volunteer project manager, I handled the bidding and construction management for the entire project. However, there were many individuals within the county and the Maple Valley community who did the heavy lifting to bring this project to fruition.
The structure was completed in 2015. A unique component of the project was its Green Roof or Vegetative Roof System. This roof was at the forefront of sustainable roofing design, but has since become a growing trend in the business. The final product looks akin to an interconnected succulent garden, but it actually consists of hundreds of interlocking trays that are hand placed one by one. The 515 modules used for this project were grown offsite at a nursery and then delivered directly to the job site once they were fully vegetated.
This not only exemplifies how a successful public-private joint venture might work, but highlights how such collaborative work benefits multiple stakeholders simultaneously!
