The city of Buckley has received funds to tackle developing Miller Park.

Elected officials approved of a grant agreement between Buckley and the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office to the tune of $495,000 to fund the first phase of Miller Park construction.

If you’re not familiar with the 3.5 acre plot of land on the corner of Rose Place and Bevlo Street, that’s because it’s still underdeveloped, even though plans to turn these two parcels into the city’s largest park have been in the works for more than five years.

But with this new RCO funding, and $23,350 in matching funds from the city, the city is moving forward with designing and constructing a tennis court (with lines for four pickleball courts), a grass volleyball court, lighting, and a public restroom.

According to city documents, the grant agreement stipulates that the city should have the project by February of next year, and construction completed by August 2027.

This is only a part of what the city hopes Miller Park will eventually look like.

Based on public input, the park could also have picnic tables with shade structures, multi-age playgrounds, an open lawn, loop path. (A previous version of the park plan included a dog park, but one was recently constructed off River Avenue behind the armory.)

But those are likely not the most exciting item that could be installed.

POTENTIAL SPLASH PAD

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a splash pad was ranked important or most important by more than 50% of participants in a 2023 parks amenity survey conducted by the city.

But where a splash pad could go is still up in the air — let alone how the city would fund and maintain one.

One of the options presented in Buckley’s 2024 Park, Recreation, and Trails Plan is Miller Park, at least in part because the goal is to make it the city’s destination park.

A downside, though, is that Miller Park is less visible than if it was built off state Route 410 for the purpose of drawing people into the downtown corridor.