Westside Park (Chehalis, Washington): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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Line 69: | facilities = None }} '''Westside Park''' is located in [[Chehalis, Washington]] in the city's Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District The {{cvt|1|acre|ha|adj=mid}} park contains basketball courts, a playground, and picnic areas.<ref name="CCCA"/> It is known locally for its blossoming cherry trees, first planted in 1932,<ref>{{cite news |title=Tree Planted On School Grounds |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-daily-chronicle/1932/02-23/page-2/ |access-date=13 December 2021 |work=The Centralia Daily Chronicle |date=February 23, 1932 |page=2}}</ref> and towering [[Conifer|conifers]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mittge |first1=Brian |title=If the Unthinkable Happens, How Will You Go? |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/brian-mittge-commentary-if-the-unthinkable-happens-how-will-you-go,262484? |access-date=13 December 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=April 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Henderer |first1=John |title=Chehalins joining forces to upgrade park |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-chronicle/1996/07-09/page-3/ |access-date=13 December 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=July 9, 1996 |page=A3}}</ref> ==History== The park began in 1894<ref name="CNRTG">{{cite news |last1=Stanton |first1=Carrina |title=Chehalis Neighbors Rally to Give Historic Park a Facelift |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-neighbors-rally-to-give-historic-park-a-facelift,298926 |access-date=July 3, 2023 |work=The Chronicle |date=August 28, 2022}}</ref>{{efn|Early reporting in the area spells the name of the school as West Side, and mentions the year of construction as 1907.<ref>{{cite news |title=Park Board Is At Work |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/chehalis/chehalis-bee-nugget/1907/10-11/page-2/ |access-date=13 December 2021 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nugget |issue=16 |date=October 11, 1907 |volume=25 |page=2}}</ref>}} and the area became a playground and recreation area for the West Side School.<ref>{{cite news |title=Old West Side PTA Sparks Issue |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-daily-chronicle/1962/02-27/page-5/ |access-date=13 December 2021 |work=The Daily Chronicle |date=February 27, 1962 |page=5}}</ref> An initial motion to beautify the park and keep the area kept as a playground for the school were begun in 1905,<ref>{{cite news |title=Beautify The City |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GEVUAAAAIBAJ |access-date=January 30, 2024 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nugget |date=May 26, 1905 |page=1}}</ref> and upgrades were begun in 1906;<ref>{{cite news |title=West Side Park |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ckhUAAAAIBAJ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nugget |date=July 6, 1906 |page=1}}</ref> preparations to regrade the grounds took place in 1908.<ref>{{cite news |title=The John Dobson Park Deeded To Chehalis Monday Night |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IEZUAAAAIBAJ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nugget |date=March 6, 1908 |page=1}}</ref> Due to extensive damages A memorial bench in the park was dedicated in 2007 to Gavin Crandell, a sixteen year-old who died the prior year after being struck by a train at a crossing {{convert|0.5|mi}} away. Westside Park was a popular gathering spot for the teenager.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Haines |first1=Amanda |title=Memorial Dedicated to Chehalis Teen |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/memorial-dedicatedto-chehalis-teen,212895? |access-date=September 27, 2023 |work=The Chronicle |date=March 27, 2007}}</ref> In 2021, a volunteer neighborhood group, the Friends of Westside Park, organized to oversee improvements to the park.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mittge |first1=Brian |title=If the Unthinkable Happens, How Will You Go? |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/brian-mittge-commentary-if-the-unthinkable-happens-how-will-you-go,262484? |access-date=25 November 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=April 9, 2021}}</ref> That same year, the group, in collaboration with the Chehalis Foundation, were able to receive a $20,000 earmark for the park from the Chehalis City Council as a beginning funding effort for future renovations.<ref name="CCCA">{{cite news |last1=Rosane |first1=Eric |title=Chehalis City Council Approves $40,000 for Westside and Lintott-Alexander Park Improvement Groups |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-city-council-approves-40000-for-westside-and-lintott-alexander-park-improvement-groups,266974 |access-date=25 November 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=May 31, 2021}}</ref>▼ [[File:Westside Park, Chehalis, Washington 2023.jpg|thumb|left|Westside Park, 2023]] ▲In 2021, a volunteer neighborhood group, the Friends of Westside Park, organized as a non-profit [[501(c)(3)]]<ref name="CNRTG"/> and began to oversee improvements to the park.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mittge |first1=Brian |title=If the Unthinkable Happens, How Will You Go? |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/brian-mittge-commentary-if-the-unthinkable-happens-how-will-you-go,262484? |access-date=25 November 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=April 9, 2021}}</ref> That same year, the group, in collaboration with the Chehalis Foundation, were able to receive a $20,000 earmark for the park from the Chehalis City Council as a beginning funding effort for future renovations.<ref name="CCCA">{{cite news |last1=Rosane |first1=Eric |title=Chehalis City Council Approves $40,000 for Westside and Lintott-Alexander Park Improvement Groups |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-city-council-approves-40000-for-westside-and-lintott-alexander-park-improvement-groups,266974 |access-date=25 November 2021 |work=The Chronicle |date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> An additional $95,000 in capital was added in 2023. Considered the first of potentially three phases of renovations, the $115,000 total funding is to aid in the purchase of new playground equipment, the construction of a perimeter fence, and to upgrade the sidewalks and parking areas to be in compliance with the [[Americans with Disabilities Act]] (ADA).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sexton |first1=Owen |title=Chehalis City Council Approves Funding for Fencing, Playground and Parking at Westside Park |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-city-council-approves-funding-for-fencing-playground-and-parking-at-westside-park,307063 |access-date=July 3, 2023 |work=The Chronicle |date=January 11, 2023}}</ref> The welcome sign to the neighborhood, located in a [[Traffic calming|traffic calming roundabout]] directly east of the park at the intersection of West and Pennsylvania, was destroyed in a hit-and-run incident in December 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Chad |title=In focus: Welcome to Chehalis sign destroyed by hit-and-run driver |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/in-focus-welcome-to-chehalis-sign-destroyed-by-hit-and-run-driver,331687 |access-date=February 5, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=December 27, 2023}}</ref> Westside Park is unable to qualify for listing with the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP) due to a loss of records during a 1910 fire at the defunct West Side School.<ref name="CNRTG"/> ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==See also== Line 83 ⟶ 94: {{reflist}} [[Category:Parks in Chehalis, Washington]] [[Category:Parks in Lewis County, Washington]] [[Category: [[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Lewis County, Washington]]
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