Wright Park Improvements

Thank you for your comments regarding the Wright Park improvements. 

The selected contractor has initially fenced off the entire park to perform clearing and grubbing of the site and will then build the southern portion of the park improvements in order to open that up for use when feasible. It is best practice to close the park for the safety of residents and park crews during construction. 

 The first phase of park improvements will take approximately two months to complete.

 We hope for good weather and a smooth construction process in order to provide residents access to this exciting new amenity as soon as possible. 

Hi there,

The dog park at Wright Park will be small, a neighborhood level park, that would not typically have separate use areas based on size in order to maximize the space in the park. Separate use areas are best practice for larger, community dog parks and will be considered as Lakewood continues to develop dog parks as a community priority. 

That said, I will share your comment with the project contractor for consideration. 

You are correct in that we do plan to place a concrete loop trail around Wright Park.  We typically design park loop trails this way to assure accessibility to park guests of all abilities and so we can plow them in the winter so they can be enjoyed all year.  That said, we have received your request and are discussing soft surface parallel trail options.

 You will be seeing more construction activity on the park very soon.  We’re excited to bring this to your neighborhood!

Hi there,

Thank you for your important questions about the Wright Park construction. The project team has responded below: 

These Wright St. park improvements are unnecessary and will destroy wildlife habitat in the area-

• Environmental studies were included in the park design and development to assure that natural resources and wildlife were not negatively impacted as a result of park upgrades.   Also, 70% of the park will remain as native grass and trees (existing and proposed). There are 211 trees to be added through the park development!

Is there no way to stop this process?-

• Correct, the park redevelopment was funded and approved by City Council during the 2024-2025 budget cycle following an extensive community engagement effort that occurred in 2022 and is outlined on this project page including surveys and public meetings at the park. In addition, the play space is due for replacement on the City's replacement schedule. 

Natural grasses are vital to this area and the "ditch" area constantly floods which will just ruin your construction-

• The design and engineering of stormwater and the water quality pond are required with park redevelopment and were accounted for in the design including additional storage of  stormwater runoff.  70% of the site will be landscaped with natural grasses.

Please let us know of any additional questions!

Hi there,

I can understand your frustration. The good news is that mobilization for the contractor to start construction at Wright Park is set for May 17! We are finding that review, permitting, environmental studies, and grant requirements (Wright has received a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant) are taking approximately 3 years from the close of public engagement with the neighborhood to construction commencing. The City is actively working on new procedures to expedite park projects. I'll also share your concerns regarding the existing equipment with the Parks Manager so that a playground safety inspector can visit the site to assess. 

Kind regards,

Amber Thill

Operations Manager

Hi there,

Outdoor exercise equipment was not selected by the neighborhood through the public engagement process. That said, we have other parks in Lakewood where this equipment is available. Please let us know if you would like additional information. 

We are excited, too! The delay for the project was due to the award of a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to support the project resulting in revised regulatory requirements. That said, the project team is currently reviewing contractor bids received and anticipates the project will break ground in the next month, weather dependent. 

Thank you for your patience, we are anxious to get this project started! We are hoping construction can commence this fall. The permitting review took much longer than expected, and grant funds were awarded for the project, causing some delay with regards to Buy America requirements. We have finalized all of these changes and hope to have dates to share soon. To follow updates on the project, see the Project Timeline on the right hand side of the page.  

Thank you, we have found the error and updated to 2024. We are hoping construction can commence later this summer or early fall. The permitting review took some time, and grant funds were awarded for the project, causing some delay. We are as anxious as the neighborhood to get started! To follow updates on the project, see the Project Timeline on the right hand side of the page. 

Hi there,

This project will include a small neighborhood dog park to give those pups room to run in an enclosed space. Great suggestion!