HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/12/2024 - 2024 0312 Park Comm addl docs - OtherNortheast Renton Park Master Plan
Project Update
Renton Parks Commission
March 12, 2024
Project Location
Create a tangible vision and
implementation strategy the City can
use to:
•Develop the property into a
passive-use recreational parkland
consistent with current and future
community needs
•Steward and invest public funds
•Apply for grant funding from local,
state, and federal sources
•Balance developed recreation with
environmental sustainability
Project Goals
Estimated Project Timeline
•Acquire parcels required
for park development
1995 –
Present
•Park Master Plan
Development
2023 –
2024
•Develop grant funding and
budget allocation to design
and construct new park
2024 and
Beyond
•Park Design and Permitting2025 and
Beyond
•Park Construction2026 and
Beyond
Baseline Inventory and Analysis
Basemap
Basemap
Opportunities Analysis
Constraints Analysis
Community Engagement and Outreach
Postcard Mailer - Sent over 4,000 postcards
to all mailing addresses within ½ mile of site
(Feb. 20, 2024)
Display Boards - Posted community
engagement boards on rotation at Renton
Facilities (Feb. 16, 2024 – present)
City Newsletter - Distributed project
information in “This Week in Renton
Newsletter” (Feb. 28, 2024)
Utility Billings - Distributed project
information in monthly utility bill mailings
(Feb. 2024)
Social media - Posted project information on
City social media (Feb. 2024 – present)
Website - Created website to serve as a
central engagement hub to share information
and gather feedback (Feb. 2024)
Next Steps
Touchpoint
Touchpoint
Touchpoint
Renton River Days Festival Survey- 90 respondents
What did you enjoy most about this year’s Renton River Days Festival?
• Parade x5
• The bands/music/live entertainment x5
• Kids activities x4
• Food truck x3
• Back in Liberty Park x3
• Drone show x3
• Feeling of community/support community x3
• Petting zoo
• Museum
• Craft booths
• Volleyball tournament
• Rubber Ducky drop
• Opportunity to gather with friends/family
• Firefighters
• Car show
• Beer garden
• Everything
• Nothing/not much
Rate the following features of the festival:
All-Age Activity Zone Summer Bazaar
Parade Sponsor and Community Booths
Safety Variety of food and quality
Overall festival experience
Attendance
Visited a Renton business, restaurant or lodging establishment over festival
weekend
Age of surveyor Party include children 12 years old or younger
Zip code of attendees
73% are from Renton based zip codes
California (1) Oregon (1) Auburn (3) Yakima (3) Kent (2) Richland (1) Tukwila (1)
Kirkland (1) Lake Tapps (1) SeaTac (1) Federal Way (1)
Languages spoken at home
91% reported English
Bilingual with English (Chinese, Spanish (8), Swahili (2)) Spanish (1) Filipino (1)
Ethnicity breakdown
Suggestions/ Feedback:
• Make it larger, great for the kids but not enough for adults
• Wenatchee Circus is a must. More seating in the kids zone closer to the activities for old people like me
• Bring all of the vendors/booths back. It needs way more variety and activities for kids and adults
• More food
• Make it like it was pre-Covid
• Event T-Shirts and other merchandise PLEASE?!!!
• Bring it back like it used to be lots if vendors, food booths, entertainment
• make it bigger and variety
• Bring back ALL the vendors in the park. Bring BACK ALL THE FOOD VENDORS, POPCORN, ETC... LIKE IT USED TO BE
• Add more booths
• More shade for hot days, seating, Port a Potty’s
• Don’t let people bring cats that are up for adoption stay out in the sun…. Poor babies are panting and do not look okay
• Chalk art area smelled like pee. Please move or clean next year. Bring back the youth circus.
• More music at the parade
• Vendors must be in Liberty Park. I was never given information as to where they were while in Liberty Park so I missed them
entirely.
• More booths at Liberty Park
• Signage pointing to the vendors would have been great and a banner to mark their location. I was hard to spot right
away. Maybe even adding booths along the community center so people knew it was part of the event if they had not
seen the event map.
• Bring back more children's activities. The face painter was not from prior year's. So,not the best. The vendors being closed
to the animals and food made sense. There was zero arrows directing people anywhere.
• More signage would be great. I wondered where all the vendors were this year. Someone posted about a petting zoo on
the “I love Renton” facebook page, but I didn’t see it until the next day.
• More snack/sweet treat food trucks. Vary bands/music more often (were here for 1.5 hours and only heard jazz the whole
time). Bringing in fun local teen bands too (Them, Princess Pulpit, Naked Giants, Enumclaw, etc..) Include boutique vendor
tents (I thought I was going to be able to go “shopping,” but we’re only mostly community tents that really had nothing to
do with me or my family). Need more teen events/tents (skateboarder exhibitions, tie-dyeing, street performers, 3x3
basketball challenges, community interactive activity (like a paint mural), etc…)
• Allow similar food vendors at each location. We walked back to the community center just to get kettle corn before we
left. It would have been convenient for a like vendor to be on the park side.
• More diverse pet zoo. It was nice but missed seeing the cows, horses, etc
• Keep all in the park
• Trekking between 2 venues for food and activities is too much for little kids and tired parents. Only 1 kid friendly food
option on the River days side so the line was an hour long. Horrible.
• Too spread out, don't like half of event at community center. Didn't even know stuff was there, needed signage in main
area. No activities for toddlers- pay activities too big for 2 yr old.
• I loved the food truck rotation. How would I inquire about getting my food truck in river days next year?
• More volleyball tournaments
• More food vendors
• Better variety and more entertainment
• #16) OFFER A SIMPLE 16.9oz ivy cold BOTTLE OF WATER And FIRST AIDE. NEITHER WAS OFFERED FOR MY 67-YEAR-OLD SISTER.
TOMORROW is the last day of the Renton River Days 2023 Festival. WILL THERE BE ICY COLD WATER FOR ALL WHO ATTEND or
NEED, or an ABUNDANCE of MEANESS and NOTHING. IT WAS HOT today/SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2023 at the RENTON RIVER
DAYS. THERE NEEDS TO BE COOLING STATIONS THAT OFFERS COLD WATER, SACK LUNCHES, SNACKS, CRACKERS, and
orange juice/Apple juice for those who are Diabetic and their blood glucose lever is low, under 80.
• Make it entertaining
• Keep it up! It's a great city festival, and after COVID I bet it will continue to grow. Maybe just even more vendors and free
activities for families. But even then, that's a small 'nit pick'
• Better / more variety of food trucks at Liberty Park. Outdoor movie to the same weekend. The circus kids performances
were nice to attend, perhaps have them or a local circus school at the event.
• Have other local merchant vendors for food, clothes, wares.
• More activities for black ppl
• Get rid of the religious sponsors
• More shaded spots for viewing the performances
• More of the same
• Put the crafts vendors back where they were closer to the main stage not across the whole entire river. Not to mention
there's no flip and signs saying that they're across the river at all. Would have went that way before I went to the main
stage if there was a sign but now it's too late by the time I figured it out they're going to be closed by the time I make that
long walk to the other side because I'm disabled. Very very very disappointed
• Definitely keep the child id cards with the Renton police department!
• Can there be some craft booths inside the Piazza during the band/drone show? That would've been fun to do support
local businesses in there while watching the band play.
• Please more craft booths. I didn't see any, even at the community center. I'd love to see and would shop at craft booths,
more like Salmon Days.
• Fewer religious booths.
• More support for downtown businesses to participate on-site, felt too spread out - it was great to have vendors indoors,
but I kind of disliked how it created a big rangy and disorganized space around the fields.
• Encourage downtown businesses to have River Day specials (foods, drinks, merch, etc). Include more floats in the parade
instead of so many un-decorated cars. Include more activities on the river. Maybe a river parade with decorated kayaks,
paddle boards, etc?
• Bring back more Renton businesses, food vendors, community organizations, artists, and quilters.
• Less spread out
• Please locate Art vendors back to Liberty Park. I have been a vendor at River Days for over ten years but as long as
vendors are inside the community center - I will not vend at River Days :(
• more kid activities
• I would like to have it same as prior years all in one place is more easy to go through the small business/crafts, all in one
place will be better
• I felt that having the event so spread out was a draw back. I would have preferred the info booths, vendors, and food
trucks to all be at Liberty Park. You could have put all the kids activities at the Community Center, so that people with kids
could congregate there. The vendor area was not air conditioned. Having two random food vendors there was odd. And
there were not enough food vendors in general. I did like that the road between Liberty Park and the Community Center
was closed for pedestrians. That was an excellent, safe choice. But the walk between activities felt like it would be
inaccessible for people with difficulty walking. I would like to see a more consolidated event next year. I don't even know
what was at the Senior Center, but I wasn't walking down there to find out.
• Would like to see booths focusing on new trends and companies in Renton and STEM exhibits, along with more
multicultural music, more bicycle police presence everywhere!
• Go back to food booths with more choices.
• Just keep growing. The expanded layout left room to grow. More venders, more arts & crafts booths. Friday night was fun
but not enough seating, or things to do. We left before the drone show.
• Drone shows every night or if only one night, Saturday or Sunday. More food trucks and activity at RCC
• Basketball instead of soccer on the basketball courts.
• Get the Fischer scone truck to be there. That is what I wanted most of all.
• More shaded areas in activity zone and beer garden.
• Keep the election stuff out. Everywhere I turned I was asked to sign something! I just want to enjoy the fun, not make
major decisions.
• Much Better Advertising, sad to see good bands and no advertising for them. maybe a map to where things are located.
More for kids.
• Bigger signs at Liberty Park letting people know that the Bazaar was over at the community center?
• More bounce houses/obstacle courses for the kids area, not enough. More shade over there too. Bigger petting zoo
• Free kid zone
• More events near pool
• A few entertainments by the crafters like light music, stings or acoustic
• More activities at Liberty Park.
• Move arts back to the park, it was too far away, more police presence, Fewer people on Friday
• Clear direction for parade route
• More food selections pls
• 1-hour Guided history walks or history-visit bike rides from liberty park to historic points in and around Renton.
• More shades areas and a misting/water station would be very helpful when the weather is expected to be warm. We left
earlier than intended both days due to the heat and not many places to cool of and get a break from the sun.
• Expand the beer garden and include more covered areas be they sitting or standing. It was a very sunny day and it would
have been nice to enjoy my beers out of the sun as a choice. Also, make sure the food truck vendors are aware of the
volume that they will experience and to prepare accordingly. There were vendors that left because they ran out of
product or did not staff for the volume and closed to take a break or get more supplies.
• More activities for all ages , more food vendors including ice cream stand , bakeries etc
• Better quality and more craft booths. Also, they need to be closer to Liberty Park and not at Carco. They also need
more food truck choices. They need more kid oriented activities as they used to have. I felt that the City was just going
through the motions of having a festival but their heart was not in it.They need more food venues with more choices.
• More art in the school section!!
• It would be nice for the parade to have more floats, more groups participating and definitely more music!
• Definitely do the drone show again, way more interactive than fireworks and less impact on our pets.
• Would you consider to organize this event in late June. The weather should be cooler. My family could only stay there for
one hour because the temperature was too high
• Put it all back in the park
• Provide parking suggestions. Advertise with easily accessible info earlier. Mitigate the long lines
• Have food/drinks available in the kid zone. It was hot and tons of lines to wait in with no food options nearby
• More rides for kids
• To sum up 2023 Renton River Days in 2 words: A dud. Likely will not be back unless it is really revamped. Perhaps you need
a new sponsor.
• Nothing there Friday evening 7:00 pm —— not impressed at all
• I have been collecting T-Shirts since RRD started and my collection is no longer complete since you stopped making them.
• this event is no way as exciting or fun as pre covid or other community events like kent or issaquah
• Have an Dick’s Drive-In Fast Food restaurant and an Ivar’s restaurant
• Vendors seemed to get less traffic than previous years. If they’re being charged to be there, they should get adequate
exposure during the event to make sure they want to be there again.
• It being spread out was more exhausting for younger children amd families.
• Loved the pre-pay kid zone. Kids really enjoyed themselves.
• A water booth over by the kid’s activity area would have been great. The wait for food trucks was long, I don’t know how
to ease that burden.
• I just moved to this community and felt very welcome 🤗🤗 Very nice overall, great job!!!
• I’ve been coming for years. Improve entertainment, better food/check out how other cities do it - Renton is missing the
boat
• Renton is not a rich community. Charging for kids activities that have been free for over 30 years excludes so many Renton
families. The price was in affordable for the time an average family would spend in just kidzone. Not enough shaded spots
to sit and cool off. Less activities than years prior, or maybe it was on the other side. No vendors to browse. No treats or
snack vendors. Put it all back in one park. Not a fun experience.
• Put it back the way it was with one area for better access and more toddler events.
• Please consider Just Like Home Jamaican Kitchen food truck next year thank you
• The parade was nice.
• #17) Chairs in shady places, need to be offered for Seniors, and all who need to sit down to rest from the HOT HEAT.
OFFER T.L.C. to all. What happened today was irresponsible, unkind, and disrespectful. At Renton Technical College, they
hosted a Spring Unity Festival in June 2023. It was FANTASTIC. THERE were 6 FOOD TRUCKS and 2 Dessert Trucks. There was
NO FEE OR COST FOR ANY OF THE FOOD. THE EVENTS, Similar vendors, pleasant. The Caricature artist at Renton River Days.
his pictures were NOT that great. My sister and I Didn’t care for his product. We are disappointed. RENTON RIVER DAYS
need to have the gal who was the Caricature Artist at the Renton Technical College Spring Unity Festival in June 2023.
Much happier with her sketches.
• Very boring
• Loved the golf game in the middle! Super fun for our family, those free lawn games were a hit for our family. Also loved the
format of the two sides for Renton river days, vs all on the liberty park side, that was great. It gave us a sense of space, and
some air conditioning respites while visiting vendors and seeing the art gallery. Oh and the beer garden was an awesome
idea! We didn't have time to stay to visit there, but to listen to music and have a cold one sounded awesome.
• For did not allow to put down for multiple days. Attended Friday & Sat & have been at multiple RRD over the decades. I
appreciated having the first responders present at RRD (police & fire).
• Shame u shut down the hoops courts missed opportunity
• If you're going to separate River days which you don't have to cuz there's plenty of room for it in the same spot. Then you
should have signs under the bridge where the river is where people Park. That way they know they could go to the right
first and to the left if they want to or only go to the right to see the crafts among other things that you don't have on the
same side that you used to. It's super super disappointed. I completely feel sorry for all your vendors and craft people
because they're not getting nearly the business they would have if first there was signs second if they were by the main
stage instead. Where they used to be. No chalk art that I could find oh yeah that's across the river as well I think it's very
bad for disabled people as well that you're limiting what they should choose to do. The food was junk and closed very
early on Sunday a lot of places were gone already 10 minutes after 4:00. I know it's hot but if you come here like we did to
have dinner and enjoy some music and there's nowhere to eat that kind of horrible when there's no options left. Not to
mention after we come over here to eat and watch the main stage it would have been nice to know that we didn't have
any crafts for vendors to look at. And I sure in the Hat can't make it back over the river in time for them to close if they're
even open because the fact they didn't get nearly any business like they normally do because you put them across the
river with no signs until you get all the way to the place where the river days always is. And people don't want to walk all
the way to the original River days and then have to go back over the bridge to go to the other vendors so I feel sorry for
your vendors what a waste of money for them and a very disappointment let down for your patrons. We always enjoy
River days except this year it is the worst ever disappointed, and I don't know if I'll come back next year. And I'm not the
only one that feels that way. At least have signage like I said before you get to the river day main stage where it used to
be so that people can make an option whether they want to go there or over to the crap or they can do both. But if you
go all the way to the main stage and then find out that it's no crafts or anything here who wants to walk all the way back
over the river in order to get to the other spot and then come all the way back again to get to the main stage and enjoy
the music. I don't know anyone that wants to do that waste of walking and time. Again I usually spend 300 plus dollars at
the vending stands and they missed out on all that income and I'm sure I'm not the only one. And then you want me to
take this survey when most the stuff your survey is about is stuff that's across the river which I never had a chance to get to
or couldn't get to because of your signage. So how can I answer your survey you should have options underneath itch
question of each area saying other or do you have additional comments so that I could say I never got to see any of it
because you moved it all without any signs thank you
• I was extremely upset that the Jehovah’s witness booth (the one that said "are you going to heaven? Answer one
question" booth repeatedly tried to get my 8-year-old son over to them even though i was literally pulling my son away but
(which they saw), and kept trying to get him there. I have no issue with them being there but trying to lure an 8-year-old
child to their booth to force feed their beliefs is absolutely unacceptable to me. They have zero right to try and force their
beliefs on my child as I am the only one who has the right to educate my child on this topic.
• I truly loved the drone show! I wish the 4th of July celebration next year is with drones ~ no fireworks. Less pollution
(especially in the water for our wildlife), less noise, and more entertaining than watching fireworks. Fireworks are sensitive
to me, a Vet with PTSD & also with pets who run away. Just my suggestion...
• Rather not see all those religious booths, but if you must please have some craft booths
• The "are you going to heaven" booth is really offensive. Not everyone believes the same thing and telling my kids they are
going to he'll for not having the same faith is unacceptable and has no place at a community event.
• Did I miss Renton City concert band performance? High school art contribution was so tiny! Where are other school
contributions and clubs? No Renton school participation in parade or River Days at all. Great music. Loved Taiko
performance and Ringtaro was entertaining! Really missed Allied Arts chalk art contest, having petting zoo at Liberty Park,
quilt show, Wenatchee Youth Circus, Seafair pirates, Sikh community performance, community floats, and especially Blue
Thunder. Hope they come back soon. Where are our big sponsors?? I am happy to see BECU, but couldn’t IKEA and
Boeing sponsor a booth at least? $15 meant no activity for my kid in the slides, etc. it would be great to have a variety of
food and activity price points. $22 for two ice cream cones felt like a lot.
• Keep up the good work! Love attending every year and can't wait until next year!
• Didn't enjoy how does it all the activities, booths and food trucks were. Heard most people didn't know the shopping
booths were by the community center until the last day when they were at the car show. Many people were confused
with the layout and lack of options for food and especially beverages when it's very hot.
• Please contact me if you have more questions Greg@printritual.com
• drone show should be Saturday night
• In 2 days I don’t want to check the community center because I was tired, and I have to look my kids, while they play and
we got to buy food, they don’t want to go at the craft area because is for the old people (bored). All in one place will be
perfect!
• No complaints about signage of RCC activities until you walked over to Rcc. Once over you couldn’t see the side of
building and then signs disappeared. Either add additional signage to direct to side of building or shift food trucks to
freeway side of RCC. Wish there were more toddler friendly and free activities. I knew my littles wouldn’t play enough to
pay with everything for 10-15$ worth but that left them with little to nothing to do.
• Why was there soccer not basketball on the basketball courts? In a big basketball city this was not cool. Also $15 to play
on things at a free festival was disappointing. Couldn’t even get our faces painted without having to pay.
• Why is there no option for Lao or Thai in your ethnic groups?
• All in all it was a lot of fun. I suggest a soap and water wash under the bridge before the rubber duck race. Smelled of
urine. Really enjoyed the beer garden and music. I’d move the garden a little closer or make it part of the covered
viewing area. Shaded seating would have kept me there longer.
• It was amazing how many didn’t know it was even RRD weekend. There’s no advertising for it anymore. Even 5he
pancake breakfast had very poor attendance. Sad how it’s being ran anymore.
• Things seemed spread out and we missed the stuff at community center.
• Didn’t know about drone show. Would’ve love to see it Saturday night and announced more on the local Facebook
pages
• More food trucks
• Have a water station
• The assessable bathrooms at Renton Community Center are too hard to navigate in crowds. I could only use 1 of them
and the line was out the door.one of the stalls had no door leaving a shortage. Not every bathroom can be used by every
person. Thank you to the staff lady that helped me and my children. I love Renton river days thank you. This is my 20 year
loving in Renton
• Excellent to have the shuttle running between the park, and the senior center and the community center. I have
attended Renton River Days many times, but this was the worst. You are stretching yourself too thin. There was no
excitement, nothing going on except the concert, very few food options. No reason to go again. Bring the arts and crats
back to Liberty Park.
• The "art show" was a joke. Why only Renton School District entries? Not inclusive at all. Bring back the wonderful art show
that filled twice the space as this year. Having the arts & crafts at the RCC was not good. Too many people had no idea
where it was, it was too far to walk for many (not inclusive or equitable at all!). The PR for the entire event was awful,
almost non-existent. Much more signage was needed at Liberty Park since it was so spread out and very different from
previous years. The Friday drone show was a nice new feature but should be at Liberty Park where more could see it. And
not on Friday. All that money for about 200 people is not how I want my Renton tax dollars spent! Apparently, there was a
shuttle? No information to be found about it.
• Great family and community event!!
• Better parking two lots was closed off
• More food selections
• Thanks to all who made RRD happen this year!
• The drone show should become a regular thing and ultimately replace 4th of July fireworks as well.
• During the parade it would have been nice to have more audio so we as viewers could hear the participants being
announced. If possible, have satellite or wireless speakers along the parade route so spectators and hear the next
performers that are on deck.
• Make the festival like the Issaquah salmon days.
• Also, it will be great if the event can be organized in two days so all programs and things can be arranged on Sat and Sun
when everyone is free. Most people are required to work on Friday.
• Hated booths at Community Center. First RRD I truly was disappointed in since I started coming in 1989
2024 Renton River
Days Preview
Parks Commission
March 12, 2024
Carrie Nass, Recreation Division Director
Renton River Days Snapshot
Renton River Days has been celebrating community for 39 years
Renton's largest multi-day community festival•Estimated attendance in 2023: Over 27,000
•23,000: Liberty & Cedar River Parks
•4,500: Downtown for Parade
Held the 4th weekend in July
Theme” Where Community Grows” •Celebrating Renton, its residents, history and culture
Renton River Days Brief History
•Renton River Days was established as a 501c4 non-
profit in 1986, with board members being 100%
volunteer.
•On October 5, 2021, approval took place
to dissolve the nonprofit and transition to the city.
•2023 was the first large scale Renton River Days since 2019, after smaller events in years prior due
to COVID pandemic
Renton River Days
Keys to Success
Team Approach:
•Volunteers
•Investors and Sponsors
•Local Non-Profits
•Local Businesses
•City Teams
•City Leadership
•Residents
Thursday, July 25th
•Senior Picnic
•11:00AM-1:00PM
•Renton Community Center
•Ages 50+
•Enjoy games, BBQ lunch, and live music
by Cherry Cherry
Friday, July 26th
7:30 - 9:30PM
Gene Coulon
Memorial Beach Park
Live Entertainment &
Drone Show
•Entertainment, 7:30PM-9:00PM
•SkyElements Drone Show, 9:30PM, View aerial drone show over Renton
Saturday, July 27th
8:00AM-10:00AM
•5K & 10K Fun Walks on the Cedar River Trail & Pancake Breakfast at Don Persson Senior Activity Center
10:00AM-11:00AM
•Parade: Downtown on South 3rd Street
11:00AM-8:00PM
Sunday, July 28th
11:00AM – 5:00PM
Liberty Park, Cedar
River Park, Renton
Community Center
Highlights:
•Summer Bazaar & Youth Art Show
•All-Ages Activity Zone, Petting Zoo, Wenatchee Youth Circus
•Stage Entertainment & Beer/Wine Garden
•Pickleball Tournament
•Community Booths & Food Trucks
•Rubber Ducky Derby, 4:30PM Saturday; Organized
by Rotary Club of Renton
•Boat Show (at Gene Coulon Park)
Saturday, July 27th
Lessons Learned & Community Input From 2023
Renton River Days Survey
93 responses submitted
Make all kids activities free
Keep main activities in park setting (not downtown)
More water/cooling stations needed
Need better wayfinding signage & linkage between Liberty & Cedar River Parks
Highlights:
Music and beer/wine garden
Parade
Drone Show
Family friendly activities
Thank you
Questions, Comments