Wallingford Playfield Expanding

For those of you watching the reconstruction of the Hamilton Middle School (just South of the Wallingford playfield), you’ll be interested to note that some additional park space is being created for the community, as well. The designs indicate an expanded “sunken garden” area (now the narrow strip between the Wallingford Playfied and the school’s playground area) that will include a 50 – 60 person amphitheater area for school and community use. It’s all funded by the $73 million Hamilton School Project, which in turn is part of the 6-year, $490 million Building Excellence III (IBEX III) bond program approved by voters in 2007.

From the Seattle Parks Department press release:

The design adds approximately 5,625 sq. ft. to the existing Sunken Garden area. It also includes a new amphitheater for school and community use, suitable for use by groups up to 50 to 60 people in size, wheelchair access between Woodlawn and Densmore avenues across the interface area and ADA access between the school yard and Wallingford playfield, increasing visibility between the school and the playfield. In addition, the new gym that will be developed as part of the Hamilton renovation will add 8,334 sq. ft. of indoor community recreation space. Completion of the new playfield is scheduled for September 2010.

Also in the same press release is more information about the Hamilton International Middle School Project, which will allow students from the John Stanford International School’s language immersion program (all students take classes in either Spanish or Japanese in addition to English) to continue their immersion program when they finish JSIS’s 5th grade:

A unique feature of Hamilton is the small learning communities concept: students spend their day in smaller groups, thus creating stronger bonds between students and teachers, and helps students make the transition from elementary school classrooms to a school day with multiple instructors.

The amphitheater looks great. Perhaps it will be used to add public, outdoor theater productions to Wallingford evenings.