Saint Edward State Park

Saint Edward State Park is a convert|316|acre|km2-park in Kenmore, Washington and is part of the Washington State Park System. Before becoming a Catholic seminary and later a state park, the area was logged in the 19th century and again in the 1920s. A series of trails runs through the park for bicyclists and hikers. The forest canopy is primarily made up of the Coast Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar, Bigleaf Maple, Pacific Madrone and Western Hemlock. Its dense carpet includes many varieties of fern (mainly Western Sword Fern), shrub and moss. It is flanked on the west by an undeveloped beach on Lake Washington. The park surrounds the Saint Thomas Center, which houses Bastyr University.

Facilities

The park's most singular feature is the St. Edward Seminary, listed on the Washington State Heritage Register since 1997"Your guide to Saint Edward State Park", Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission; document P&R 45-87000-1 (12/02)] and added in April 2007 to the National Register of Historic Places. This large, historic building has fallen into disrepair in recent years. It is not currently accessible to the public except by special arrangement, e.g. renting the refectory for special events. Other facilities include the indoor Carole Ann Wald swimming pool [http://nwcenter.org/Ent-PoolsLocs.asp] , gymnasium, an outdoor stone sanctuary ("the Grotto"), a baseball field and a soccer field. It also boasts the largest children's playground in the state, built primarily by local volunteers in 2003. The park is day-use only, and no camping is permitted.

Dogs are allowed at Saint Edward State Park but state law requires that they be on a physical leash (8 feet or less) at all times.

A local citizens group, [http://web.wfse.org/savestedward/ Friends of St. Edward State Park] , assists the Park Department in scheduling park usage, but is barred by contract from advocacy.

Renovation

In 2005, Washington State Parks began a land use planning project for the park. [cite web|url=http://www.parks.wa.gov/plans/sted/ |title=Saint Edward State Park planning|publisher=Washington State Parks] Also known as "Classification and Management Planning (CAMP)", the project addresses overall visitor experiences, natural and cultural resources, use of the park’s buildings, recreation fields and trails, and other topics of interest to the community and customers.

Because the "Friends" group is barred from advocacy, another citizens group, [http://www.c4sep.org/ Citizens for Saint Edward State Park] , C4SEP, has developed to contribute public comment and ideas.

One proposal is to develop the main building into [http://seelc.org Saint Edward Environmental Learning Center] .

A proposal by McMenamins to develop the main building into a hotel, restaurant, and conference center was withdrawn in spring of 2007.

With elevated attention from C4SEP the State Legislature allocated $500,000 to evaluate the declining condition of the seminary building, and $500,000 toward much needed and previously deferred maintenance.

With the newly available injection of funding, State Parks began an RFQ process with architectural firms Spring 2007, moving forward toward a timely evaluation, creating an opportunity for a wider array of prospective uses. [cite news|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/302827_stedwards08.html|title=Neighbors oppose McMenamins' plan for hotel at St. Edward State Park|date=February 8, 2007|publisher=Seattle Post Intelligencer|accessdate=2007-11-24|author=Casey McNerthney]

Ranger/Park Manager Mo reports (April 2008) that an additional $1.7mm is being funded for Phase 1 (repair/replace foundation and field drainage, and repair foundation), and to begin Phase 2 (Exterior repairs).

History

From the 1920s until 1977, the land on which Saint Edward State Park sits was owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. From 1931, it was developed and used for a seminary by the Sulpician Order. The St. Edward Seminary was constructed in 1931, followed in 1958 by the Saint Thomas Seminary. Due to declining enrollments, the seminaries closed in 1977. Most of the land was sold to State of Washington, with the support of then-governor Dixy Lee Ray.

The remainder of the land, which includes the Saint Thomas Seminary (now Saint Thomas Center) continued under the ownership of the archdiocese until November 2005, when its tenant, Bastyr University, completed their purchase of the property.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Saint+Edward&pageno=1 Saint Edward State Park] , Washington State Parks
* [http://www.ci.kenmore.wa.us/dept/parks/Parks/stedward/stedward.html City of Kenmore Parks and Recreation]
* [http://www.seelc.org Saint Edward Environment Learning Center (SEELC)]
* [http://www.seattlearch.org/ArchdioceseWorking/ArchivesandRecords/History/stedward.htm Archdiocese of Seattle]
* [http://www.bastyr.edu/tour/about/default.asp Bastyr University]
* [http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/10743876 Seattle Citysearch review]
* [http://www.c4sep.org Citizens for St. Edwards State Park]
* [http://web.wfse.org/savestedward/ Friends of St. Edward State Park]
* [http://schoolcenter.nsd.org/education/sportszone/sportszone.php?sectionid=2019 Inglemoor High School Men's Swim Team practice facility at Carole Ann Wald Pool]
* [http://schoolcenter.nsd.org/education/sportszone/sportszone.php?sectionid=2623 Inglemoor High School Women's Swim Team practice facility at Carole Ann Wald Pool]
* [http://www.seattlesynchro.com/ Seattle Synchro (1984 & 2008 Olympics connected) home pool is Carole Ann Wald]
* [http://nwcenter.org/Ent-PoolsLocs.asp NW Center's role as pool and gym manager at Carole Ann Wald, Saint Edward]