A chain link fence surrounds Clark Park on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A chain link fence surrounds Clark Park on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Dog park goes up, historic gazebo comes down at Everett’s Clark Park

Construction began on an off-leash dog park at the north Everett park. The 103-year-old gazebo there is being removed.

EVERETT — The city of Everett has started construction on a new off-leash dog park at Clark Park, while dismantling and storing the park’s 103-year-old gazebo.

Construction is expected to take about six months, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said in an email. The dog park, in the works since 2019, is set to open next summer.

During construction, the east half of the north Everett park will be closed, but the tennis courts will remain open.

The project will cost $360,000. Everett received a $10,000 grant from Snohomish County for the project, and the city will spend $350,000 via the Capital Improvement Program fund. Money from the capital fund is a part of the city’s general fund, but is not included in the general government operations budget. Those dollars are separately designated for capital improvement projects and are spent via construction fund ordinances.

New amenities will include the off-leash dog park, dog waste pick up stations and new signage. The lighting at the park will also be improved, Tarver said.

In June, the City Council voted to disassemble the gazebo after months of debate. Nonprofit group Historic Everett spoke out against the gazebo’s removal earlier this year and called on the city to preserve the historic structure. The city and neighborhood associations saw the gazebo as a hub for criminal activity and argued for its removal.

“I really think this is a big mistake,” local historian Jack O’Donnell said Wednesday. “When you take the most character-defining feature of the oldest park in town, and remove it … I think that makes our city look silly.”

In 1993, Clark Park was added to the Everett Historic Register, a list of buildings, structures, sites and objects that are at least 50 years old and considered historically significant. Sites can meet a number of criteria to be added to the register, including unique architecture, archaeological importance or simply being associated with significant national, state or local history.

In April, Patrick Hall, the chair of the Everett Historical Commission, wrote in a letter to the City Council that the gazebo “is the only remaining structure within Clark Park that offers any sense of architectural significance. Its demolition would rob the park of a major reason why it was put on the register in the first place.”

Options to save the gazebo — like upgrades to make it accessible, create a shuttering system to close it when not in use or moving the gazebo to a different location — would have been too costly for the city, Tarver said. She added the only portions of the gazebo believed to be original were the base and the design. The rest, at one point or another, had been replaced.

“Parks should be spaces that are welcoming for all and right now, many members of our community would not feel welcome or safe spending time at Clark Park,” Tarver said in an email. “Removing the gazebo and the addition of the new dog park will be steps in the right direction toward reactivating that park.”

The city installed a fence around the gazebo for nearly two decades in an attempt to prevent vandalism and drug use. In 2017, a number of drug arrests were made close by. In 2021, the fence was removed and in 2022, a woman was stabbed near it.

The park lies within a “no sit, no lie,” buffer zone, which makes sitting or lying down on city property like sidewalks and streets a misdemeanor. Buffer zones don’t apply to parks, however, and it means Clark Park is one of the only places in the zone where people without homes can find shelter without facing fines or jail time.

The city purchased Clark Park in 1894, and built the gazebo in 1921. It is the city’s oldest park.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Firefighters respond to a 911 call on July 16, 2024, in Mill Creek. Firefighters from South County Fire, Tulalip Bay Fire Department and Camano Island Fire and Rescue left Wednesday to help fight the LA fires. (Photo provided by South County Fire)
Help is on the way: Snohomish County firefighters en route to LA fires

The Los Angeles wildfires have caused at least 180,000 evacuations. The crews expect to arrive Friday.

x
Edmonds police shooting investigation includes possibility of gang violence

The 18-year-old victim remains in critical condition as of Friday morning.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River. Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council approves water, sewer rate increases

The 43% rise in combined water and sewer rates will pay for large infrastructure projects.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

Rocky Mountain House is looking to see if any local groups want to run a warming centre for the homeless during cold snaps. (Advocate file image)
Snohomish County to remain in the deep freeze most of the week

A high pressure system is keeping Snohomish County bundled up

Alex McCracken, a paramedic with Kitsap Fire & Rescue, speaks about “clearing your filter” for behavioral health calls during South County Fire’s behavioral health training on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Firefighters attend state’s first behavioral health training

South County Fire has seen a 50% increase in behavioral health calls in the past couple of years.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.