Summary

King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove announced today that the city of Des Moines will receive a $675,900 grant to expand Midway Park in the Pacific Ridge neighborhood.

Story

King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove announced today that the city of Des Moines will receive a $675,900 grant to expand Midway Park in the Pacific Ridge neighborhood.

The city will use the money to purchase two lots on the west side of Midway Park, which serves the diverse and low income neighborhood of Pacific Ridge.

Des Moines already provides several community-focused programs for the surrounding community at the park such as afterschool programs, a community garden, and more. The grant will enable the city to continue expansion of such programs and provide people with more recreational open space. 

The grant is funded by King County’s Conservation Futures program, which is dedicated to purchasing open space lands and conservation easements across the county. 

In contrast to previous years, some organizations and cities applying for King County Conservation Futures funding this year were not required to provide local matching funds. Due to a policy change sponsored by Upthegrove, King County now can waive the matching fund requirement for projects that provide open spaces in the most underserved areas of King County.

“By not requiring matching funds in low-income communities, King County is ensuring that low-income and underserved areas across the county — including Pacific Ridge — are more likely to get county funding for new parks and open spaces,” Councilmember Upthegrove said.
For a full list of funded projects, visit this link.