Controlled burn of old house provides fire training, clears way for new King County ball fields in Preston

A dilapidated and abandoned house sitting on King County land that is the future home of a new ball fields and community park complex in Preston will be burned down this weekend, providing valuable training to firefighters.

King County Parks is coordinating with Eastside Fire and Rescue in the controlled burning of a long-abandoned farmhouse. Firefighters are expected to begin the operation Saturday at 9 a.m. Volunteer firefighters and career staff will train on fire-suppression techniques until about 4 p.m.

The house sits on a 14.2-acre parcel at Southeast 87th Place 308th Avenue Southeast in Preston where King County, the Preston Community Club, Eastside Football Club and Issaquah Little League are working together to build two synthetic surface soccer fields, one natural grass soccer field, one youth baseball field, and community park features. The new facilities are expected to be ready for use later this year.

The development is made possible through King County's Community Partnerships and Grant (CPG) Program. The CPG Program is a public private partnership initiative whereby community-based organizations are empowered to design, develop, construct, operate, program, and maintain new and enhanced public recreation facilities on King County Parks land in a manner that does not result in new publicly funded operations and maintenance costs. 

King County Parks contributes long-term use of land and awards capital improvement grants up to $100,000 to successful proposals. More information on the CPG Program is available at www.metrokc.gov/parks/cpg.

King County Parks - Your Big Backyard - offers more than 25,000 acres of parks and natural lands, including such regional treasures as Marymoor Park and Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, 175 miles of regional trails, plus pools and a world-class aquatic center. By cultivating strong relationships with non-profit, corporate and community partners, King County Parks enhances park amenities while reducing costs. Learn more at http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/.