This 6.76-acre site was purchased to create the long-awaited park facility. This project will develop a picnic shelter, benches, natural paths with interpretive wetland signage, grassy open spaces, forested trails, a playtoy structure, on-site parking, a restroom, water fountain, and a much needed youth dual-purpose, soccer/baseball field to serve Gig Harbor's growing Westside Neighborhood.

It is expected that the area's rapidly increasing population and the 2007 Narrows Bridge toll will overload our already limited recreational playfields by keeping more players from crossing the bridge for team play.

Currently, the only fields available within the city's service area are multi-purpose play-yards that are not well-suited for competitive play. The area's 3 youth organizations (Harbor Soccer Club with 92 teams and over 1,000 players, Gig Harbor Little League with 53 teams and 640 players, and PAA with 162 teams and over 2,400 players) must "pay to play" and fees range from $2-$6/hr, while rates for turf-play run $45/hr ($60/hr lighted play). Local statistics suggest that the number of baseball/soccer players will increase 7-10% each year.

The Westside Neighborhood Park site was identified in 1996 by the Community Visioning Committee and listed in the 2001 Comprehensive Parks Plan. It became a number one priority for the Gig Harbor Parks Commission this year after the last parcel of property was finally purchased in 2005. Support is high and the need for dedicated fields is critical.