Department News and Updates

Department Newsletters

Browse through our monthly department newsletters for Parks and Recreation news and information.

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Trombley Park

On June 28th, 2022, Council approved the name recommendation of 'Trombley Park' for the North Hill Area Park. As an agreed-upon written term within both the executed Letter of Intent to purchase the property, and executed Purchase and Sale Agreement (Section 29. PARK USE AND NAME), the City of Monroe has agreed to honor the Sellers' proposed name (Trombley Park) for the park in accordance with any applicable City of Monroe Policy and/or standards for naming park and recreational facilities. Parks maintenance crew members have recently began initial maintenance at the park. Parks staff have also been applying for grants and funding to begin the development of the property.

North Hill Area Park Design Workshop

The City of Monroe welcomed all residents to participate in the design workshop for the North Hill Area Neighborhood Park located at the southwest corner of 134th St SE and 191st Ave SE. This collaborative, online event on January 26th, 2022 included an overview of the existing site conditions and help the City determine what amenities and features to include in the park design.

The City of Monroe purchased the five acres of land last year to develop a park to serve the surrounding neighborhoods. The land was formerly owned by the Trombley family. Isadore and Grace Trombley moved to Monroe from Michigan and homesteaded the North Hill area in 1910. Portions of the original homestead were sold off over the years. However, descendants of Isadore and Grace Trombley envisioned this area as a city park. They approached the City with idea and in 2021 the City purchased the land. For more information, view the North Hill Neighborhood Park story.

Boat Launch Wayfinding

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife – Lewis Street Boat Launch
The City received a $20,000 grant from Forterra for regulatory and wayfinding signage to be installed at Lewis Street Boat Launch and Overlook. Forterra, Land for Good is a land conservancy which acts to protect, enhance, and steward Washington State land. In addition to the Forterra grant, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission donated $5,000 to the signage project to support State Park’s goals to promote river stewardship, safety, and sustainable recreation.

The signage project will initiate implementation of the Skykomish-Snohomish Rivers Recreation Concept Plan (PDF). City of Monroe staff actively participated in developing the concept plan. This signage project is needed to promote the Plan’s goals to promote river stewardship, safety, and sustainable recreation.

Staff is expecting to complete this project by December 2022. For more information, email Mike Farrell.

City Gateway, Wayfinding, Park Sign Design

In 2017 the city formed an ad hoc Economic Development Advisory Board charged with developing a set of recommendations and 5-year investment strategy to support business recruitment, retention, and expansion.

One of the recommendations was to replace the city’s aging gateway signs and develop a gateway and wayfinding sign program to greet visitors and residents with an attractive sign design that makes a good first impression; helps people navigate through the community; and promotes economic development by highlighting key destinations and attractions.

Lake Tye All Weather Field Project

On August 5, 2021, we celebrated the grand opening of the Lake Tye All-Weather Lighted Fields! The new fields offer all-synthetic, LED lighted, multipurpose fields, permitting year-round extended competitive play and practice for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, football, and rugby. The new, synthetic fields improve the capacity, diversity of use, and accessibility of two fields at our signature community park.

This community high-priority parks capital project consisted of renovating two natural grass, single sport-use, unlighted fields, originally built in 1996, to all-synthetic, LED lighted multipurpose fields, permitting year-round extended competitive play and practice for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, football and rugby. The new, synthetic fields will improve the capacity, diversity of use and accessibility of two fields at our signature community park.

The project, at a total cost of approximately $3.9 million, was funded in part with $1,305,000 in awarded state and county grants and a local community donation. In 2018, the City of Monroe applied for, and received a State Department of Commerce $800,000 Appropriation, and a $350,000 State Recreation & Conservation Office (RCO) Youth Athletic Facility Grant. Also in 2018, Monroe’s Sky Valley Little League donated $10,000 cash toward the project. In 2019, the City of Monroe applied for and received a $150,000 Snohomish County Community Partnership CIP Grant. The remaining funding for this project was budgeted from the City’s Park Capital Fund

We have made access available to the public as much as is practical and that protects our community’s $4 million investment. Appropriate drop-in incidental uses are allowed on the fields, as long as such use does not interfere with any scheduled uses, field maintenance, field closures, or negatively affects the integrity of the new facility. Incidental use would be defined as, but not limited to, walking along pathways adjacent to the fields, non-organized, non-league use such as playing catch with balls or frisbee’s, kite flying, or informal pick-up games of soccer, football, and softball among friends. As with other athletic fields, pets will not be allowed on the fields, as well as specific restrictions unique to protecting the function of the synthetic turf surface such as no food or drink, spiked shoes, bicycles, etc. Please observe all posted rules at the site.

We will monitor the activity and use at the new fields and may recommend changes to our policy as necessary, to protect our community investment.

Lake Tye Park all weather fields design:

Watch videos of the project progress here:

For more information, email Mike Farrell.