Community partnership agreement benefits Four Creeks community, King County

Improvements would soon come to a community park and a wetland that also helps control stormwater in the Four Creeks area of unincorporated King County under a new agreement announced by Executive Ron Sims.

The “Four Creeks Agreement” would create a partnership between King County, the Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council and two community groups – the Community Alliance to Reach out and Engage, and Stewardship of Wetland Areas by Neighbors.

The area covered by the agreement is located east of Renton in unincorporated King County.

“Forging community partnerships is one of the best ways to ensure that neighborhood priorities are reflected in the county’s work, and that communities are getting the kinds of services they need to prosper,” Sims said.

The agreement:

• Allows community stewardship of Cemetery Pond, a stormwater management facility that is also a tributary to salmon-bearing May Creek;
• Develops long-term solutions to the chronic illegal dumping and littering that is plaguing the area, while providing for immediate clean-up of existing refuse;
• Creates a partnership vision for the 20-acre Coalfield Park, at Southeast 123rd Street and 164th Avenue Southeast; and
• Addresses chronic drainage problems in the area.

“The community benefits from this agreement through a cleaner environment and a more enjoyable park,” Sims said. “King County as a whole benefits because of the community’s extraordinary energy and passion for their neighborhood.”

The agreement was signed by the four parties at a recent planting event at Cemetery Pond.

The Cemetery Pond stormwater management facility has been affected by a family of beaver that have taken up residence there, and by sediment build-up downstream. The county will work with wildlife experts and with the community to find a long-term solution that will improve the wetland’s function while protecting wildlife.

Additionally, county experts will work with the community to improve the wetland by planting native vegetation, controlling non-native vegetation and identifying adjacent property owners who would be interested in making habitat improvements on their land.

Illegal dumping has also been a significant issue for the community, and the agreement would put in place the resources necessary to get specific areas cleaned up.

The community groups intend to participate in the Adopt-a-Road program along 164th Avenue Southeast, work with private property owners to facilitate clean-up on private lands; and work with other government agencies and entities to facilitate clean-up on public lands.

Coalfield Park currently contains sports fields and playfields, picnic areas, play equipment and restroom facilities. The  partnership agreement commits the parties to develop a “community vision” that will guide future development of the park.

Efforts are also continuing to identify a possible route for a trail that would connect Coalfield Park with King County’s Cedar River Trail.

To improve stormwater drainage, the King County Department of Transportation has removed downstream sediment build-up, and worked with the community on a replanting project along existing culverts in the area.

Related Information

Rural Services

King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks