By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) has announced that it will open a new park in the Rainier Valley, and name it after late Seattle Councilmember Cheryl Chow.
Chow, who died in 2013, served on the Seattle City Council from 1990–1997, the press release about the park’s opening said. She was a champion of parks, and spearheaded the renovation and building of different recreation centers throughout Seattle. She also created the Seattle Public Schools-Community Centers agreement and extended after-school programs’ recreation hours.
Chow also taught at Hamilton International Middle School and served as principal at Franklin High School, Garfield High School, and Sharples Junior High School, now known as Aki Kurose Middle School. She also served on the Seattle School Board, led the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill team, and coached girls’ basketball for SPR.
In addition to adult exercise equipment, the park—meant to be a multi-generational community gathering space—will have a half-court basketball court, grills, picnic areas, and brightly colored play equipment. There will also be banners that feature community-provided graphics of textile fabrics, representing the many different cultures of the North Rainier neighborhood.
The park’s ribbon cutting ceremony will kick off the park’s opening on April 5 from 12 p.m.–2p.m. The park is located at South Charlestown Street, between 34th Avenue and 35th Avenue South.