Rotary Park

2022 PEACE PLAZA & PICKLE BALL COURTS

CELEBRATION OCTOBER 13, 2023.

Mayor Kuntz joined several Rotarians and friends for an informal recognition ceremony to thank the individuals, businesses, and other organizations that helped create Wenatchee Rotary Park over the course of the last 21 years, including the original planning for the Park, as well as to recognize recent donors to the Peace Plaza and Pickleball Courts.

SOME HISTORY.

Rotary Park in Wenatchee is the most used park in the city and was created over 17 years ago by members of the three Rotary Clubs, with support from the City Parks Department, local businesses and dedicated volunteers.   Read that history below.

In 2022 we partnered with the City Parks Department to create a Peace Plaza and to build two pickleball courts near the Plaza. Much of the Peace Plaza was completed this summer, however there is more work planned in the Peace Plaza for the spring of 2023. The two pickleball courts will also be completed in 2023. We need your financial support to complete both projects!

You can simply make a general donation to the Wenatchee Rotary Foundation which will be used exclusively to fund both projects. Make your check payable to the Wenatchee Rotary Foundation (WRF) Please write on the check’s memo space: Wenatchee Rotary Park account.   Please mail the check to: Wenatchee Rotary Foundation, PO Box 1723, Wenatchee WA 98807-1723 If you have questions, please e-mail them to: [email protected]

Your donation, by completing the form, writing a check and mailing both to Wenatchee Rotary Foundation, PO Box 1723, Wenatchee, WA 9880-7-1723, will be recognized on a donor plaque for donating as follows:

Migrating Salmon embedded in the three paths and circular walkway around the colonnades- $1,000

Basalt Colonnades engraved in four languages stating “May Peace Prevail on Earth”

• 4 foot- $2,000
• 6 foot- $3,000 
• 7 foot- $3,500

Finally, you can donate for an engraved 4.25 inch square tile or an 8.5 inch square tile that will be placed in a donor wall in the flag plaza of Rotary Park.

• 4.25 inch tile- $150
• 8.50 inch tile- $600

The engraving is limited to the space available on the tiles. Most tiles have the names of donors and family members or the name of a business and their logo.

If you have questions about a donation, please e-mail: 

[email protected]

PARK HISTORY 2002 - 2020

Rotary Park was a mammoth project undertaken by all 3 Wenatchee Rotary clubs over a period of many years beginning in 2002.

View PowerPoint showing the early planning stages:  CLICK HERE  

View PowerPoint showing a review of the project history as of 2004:  CLICK HERE  

Grand opening took place on July 7, 2005.  Read Wenatchee World story of July 8, 2005.

Other news stories:

  April 8, 2005    

  May 24, 2005

  May 25, 2005

Photo of final step with the official opening of the final picnic shelter, August 7, 2019.  Below, read remarks made by PP Rich Peters at that event.

In 2017, a major donation was received from Sue Berry, widow of Lloyd Berry, who passed away recently.  Lloyd had 37 years perfect attendance and was very involved in the development of the park.  This made it possible to complete the park in August 2019 with completion of the final picnic shelter.  Sue's hand-written notes are seen below.

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Rotary Park final structure dedication, August 7, 2019

A presentation by Past President Rich Peters, Wenatchee Rotary, (2001-2003)

“This heat reminds me of some of the work parties we had in 2004-2005. But we did not have trees or shelters for shade. Our breaks were crowding around a motor home Randy Z parked up here for shade.

2002-2003 PETS message was RI PRES Bhichai Rattakul wanted each club to consider a big project for 2005 RI 100 year anniversary. His theme was  ‘sow the seeds of love’.    My vison was to have all 4 area Rotary clubs working  together on a project. East Wenatchee had committed to a little project of building Miss Viedol.

March 2002-Rotary Club of Wenatchee, Wenatchee Sunrise and Wenatchee North club presidents (Rich Peters, Julie Brunner, Brian Campbell) meet with Mayor Johnson to discuss building a Baseball complex. Mayor Johnson said they had a piece of land that was bought for a future park.  We looked at this 7 acre site and found it to be too small for 6 ball fields shaped in a rotary wheel design.  From this review came the direction of let’s build a park.

The members of the three 3 clubs were all on board as long as we could call it Rotary Park.  We had many information meetings.   District governor Ken Davis visited us in the orchard that was on this property.  He bought into the idea and was supportive of direction.

WSU landscape architecture class had 10 teams visit the site and later presented their ideas of what this Rotary Park should look like.  We fully expected to take the best ideas of the teams and put those into the final design.  That was not necessary as Carie Berg and John Fergan nailed the design of the park. Park plan had the features;   Lit walking paths, Restroom, Picnic shelter(s) in later phases, Horseshoes(eagle scout project), Water feature, Playground, Amphitheater, Basketball court, Playing fields, Rotary Plaza, Parking lot, 9-hole disk golf course, tables and benches.

September 23, 2003 City approved design of Rotary Park

Many many hours of work went into preparation and now it is show time!

Ground Breaking May 24th 2004.

City does cleanup of site (Orchard). Unique Idea of burning top soils saved $200000. DOE credit for voluntary remediation.

• Worked with Eric Wulf on designing irrigation systems
• We had lead volunteers for the building of each of the structures and all of the details that went into each of these
• Make-a-difference day,  October 23^rd 2004   The tree planting day where 200 trees are put in the ground in a little less than two hours.   214 people signed up to Plant trees.  THIS IS YOUR PARK!
• The volunteers that came out and ran the conduit and pulled the wires for the lighting and to our structures, THIS IS YOUR PARK!
• All the hand work on backfilling the irrigation lines prepping the areas for hydro-seeding and the nurturing of the grass and trees at the very beginning. THIS IS YOUR PARK!

Fundraising-Ford Barrett and team;

People donated by buying a park bench or a picnic table or a flagpole or the ceramic recognition tiles over in Rotary Plaza, Contributed to the Auctions, bought or sold raffle tickets, wrote a check in support…This is Your Park !

The multiple Rotarians were out here every weekend doing things with hands-on- work or bringing snacks and refreshments to refuel tanks of those who were working endless hours getting this done.  Carmen Bosenbrock took photographs of it all along the way.  As a reference point our club had nearly 18,000 hours (100 hours per member) in volunteer work that first year.  Other clubs and community members had similar hours towards the project. THIS IS YOUR PARK!

The members who served on the park committee over the years (John McDarment, Phil Rasmussen, Earl Tilley, club presidents, Western Heights HOA-Linda Devine, Tim Marker, Bill Webber and others). They were there providing the guidance of the park direction every step of the way. THIS IS YOUR PARK!

Randy Zielinski and Steve King were the rocks out here every weekend. This whole thing would not have happened as smoothly as it did without the involvement of both Randy and Steve. 

Today as we dedicate this last portion of the project,  I want to thank all of you for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful contribution to our community. I want to express my sincere appreciation for all of you who stepped up to make this dream come true. Thank you and please enjoy your park.

Grand Opening was July 7,  2005

Major donors:

• Star Rentals (Equipment Rental)
• WA. State DNR – Forestry Grant
• Marson and Marson 
• Valley Tractor (Landscaping Equipment)
• Design Electric (Lighting)
• United Pipe and Supply (Irrigation)
• S&W Irrigation (Irrigation)
• Whitebird Construction (Restroom Construction)
• Eric Wulf Landscaping (Irrigation)
• City of Wenatchee (Cleanup, Building Permit, Parks Crew)
• Chelan Co PUD (Landscaping and Power)
• J&K Earthworks (Grading)
• Platt Electric Supply (Lighting)
• Wenatchee Sand and Gravel (Concrete)
• Western Materials (Restroom Blocks)
• Mike’s Construction (Concrete Forms)
• Basin Asphalt (Paths)
• Mountain View Irrigation (Hydroseeding)
• Wenatchee Petroleum (Fuel for Equipment)
• WSU Landscape Architecture Students and Professor
• Munson Engineers (Park Design, grading plan)
• Wilbur Ellis (Tree Planting Supplies)
• Western Heights Neighborhood (Trees and Volunteers)
• LDS Church (Tree Planting)
• Apple Valley Pumping (Portable Restroom)
• Numerous Individual Contributions-

<div>Wenatchee Rotary Park History</div>

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