During an Oct. 21 meeting of Port Townsend’s Parks, Recreation, Trails and Trees Advisory Board, Carrie Hite, the city’s director of parks and recreation strategy, …
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During an Oct. 21 meeting of Port Townsend’s Parks, Recreation, Trails and Trees Advisory Board, Carrie Hite, the city’s director of parks and recreation strategy, updated members on efforts to install lights at the Seamus Sims Skate Park.
Four 60-foot, solar-powered light poles — set to arrive on Nov. 12 — are expected to be installed in January or February, pending the acquisition of a building permit as well as permits from the Historic Preservation Committee and the Shoreline Management Program, Hite said.
“There will be an actuator built in, so the lights won’t be just on an empty skate park,” she said. “When kids show up, and they want to skate, they can punch the actuator. That way, it’s more environmentally safe, and we save a lot of money.”
Michael Todd, the city’s facilities and parks manager, said the LED lights meet the city’s dark skies initiative and will be equipped with shields to reduce light pollution.
The project is taking shape due in part to Samantha Stromberg, a 2023 Port Townsend High School graduate, who recognized the need for better lighting at the park and organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the cause.
“The fall and winter months can get quite dreary and dark. It becomes a challenge to use the skatepark, especially for those in school or with 9-5 jobs,” Stromberg wrote on her GoFundMe page. “Unlike in the summer where you can skate till 8-9, it’s dark as early as 4. Speaking from personal experience, it’s very frustrating and can take a mental toll not being able to practice the sport you love for half of the year. The solution I thought of was seeking lighting for the skatepark.”
Stromberg raked in $8,296 in online donations, plus $10,000 from the Jefferson Community Foundation and a local couple, which she gifted to the city in August.
The city council authorized $40,000 in it’s general fund for the project, bringing the total budget to $58,296.
“I just wanted to thank Samantha for stepping up on this because that kind of enthusiasm and figuring out how to solve a problem really makes my heart glad,” council member Libby Wennstrom said in August. “Thank you for doing this.”
The project is in the design review phase, Todd said. It was set to be presented to the Historic Preservation Committee on Nov. 3 for it’s approval.
