Issue of Sitting Water at Shane Park
In Summer 2022, the City of Port Angeles completed a project to sleeve an existing sewer line within Shane Park. This work was necessary to prevent ground water from entering the City’s sewer system. However, it has also exacerbated the issue of sitting water at the park during the spring months. While the park’s stormwater system functions as it was designed (a design typical of the 1970s), the accumulating water has nowhere to go once the water table saturates the turf’s surface.
The Parks & Recreation and Public Works & Utilities departments have worked together to explore solutions to better manage the accumulating water. Unfortunately, one potential solution, which would require the City to divert water to Marine Drive, was determined to be costly and ultimately unnecessary, as the park continues to function as it was designed. The City continues to look at other options.
In the meantime, the sitting water may take extra time to naturally dissipate. We anticipate improvements and will continue to monitor the situation as we move into the warmer and drier months.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and ask that park visitors take precaution to avoid the affected area.
Shane Park Playground Tile Installation Scheduled
The Parks & Recreation Department is pleased to share that the playground’s tiles have been scheduled for installation during the week of May 22-28, 2023 (warm and dry weather pending).
This comes after a long and unexpected wait for repairs. In September 2022, the Parks & Recreation Department was required to close the playground at Shane Park for safety purposes. The safety issue involved the playground’s tiles, which were shrinking and creating gaps that had potential to cause injury.
While the City was prepared to expedite the work to replace the tiles, an unexpected glue supply shortage prevented the project from being complete before the fall/winter season. Sustainable weather, including temperatures over 40 degrees and without heavy rain for 1-2 weeks, is required to properly install the tiles.
An additional announcement will be provided once the work is complete and the playground has been reopened. We thank you for your patience and look forward to welcoming back all Shane Park playground visitors soon!