Dawson Playfield's is a popular neighborhood park located on the corner of 90th St. and Portland Avenue in Tacoma. Current amenities at Dawson Playfield include a covered picnic shelter lighted softball field (non-regulation), outdoor basketball and tennis courts, playground equipment, restrooms, uncovered picnic tables, and a walking track
In 2017, we asked you to tell us how to improve Dawson Playfield. “Should we rebuild the tennis courts for $150,000 or should we build something else?” The tennis courts at Dawson Playfields are past their useful lifecycle and need to be replaced. Drainage issues and a high groundwater level have contributed to the condition of the courts caused wide cracks on the playing surface.
Together with the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department, we worked to gather community input on how best to spend $150,000 to improve Dawson Plafield. Two meetings were conducted in the park, the first on July 29, 2017 to obtain ideas from the park users and the second on August 12, 2017 to vote on the proposed ideas. The options and the result of the community vote are shown in the table below.
Dawson Playfield 2017 Voting Results
| Rank | Options | Vote Total
(237) | % of
Total | Estimated
Cost | Estimated Timeline
from 1/1/18 |
| 1 | Spray Park | 95 | 40% | $500,000 | 36-60 months |
| 2 | Futsal Court | 52 | 22% | $150,00 | 12 months |
| 3 | Junior Basketball Court | 33 | 14% | $100,00 | 12 months |
| 4 | Big Kid Playground | 31 | 13% | $80,000-$120,000 | 12-18 months |
| 5 | Exercise Station | 12 | 5% | $75,000-$100,000 | 12 months |
| 6 | Paved Walking Path | 9 | 4% | $100,000 | 12-18 months |
| 7 | Tennis Courts | 5 | 2% | $150,000 | 12 months |
In April of 2019, Johnson & Sutherland Landscaping Architecture was hired to complete design of the park improvements.
What's Next?
- Pierce County Parks and Recreation has conducted a study of the top three options and will share cost estimates and conceptual designs this summer (2019).
- The first of 2-3 public meetings to continue the conversation on the designs will be on August 4, 2019 from 12 noon-2 p.m. in the picnic shelter. The goal of these meetings will be to choose a project plan for new improvements. The preferred concept will be presented at an Open House in the fall of 2019. Construction is anticipated to start Summer 2020.