The City of Des Moines recently announced a $600,000 grant funded investment to expand Midway Park in the Pacific Ridge Neighborhood through the acquisition of two properties adjacent to the park.
In addition to the expansion, the city has partnered with the RAVE Foundation, the charitable arm of the Seattle Sounders, as well as the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, to improve the park.
Here’s more info from the city:
At the Jan. 23, 2020 City Council meeting, the Council voted 7-0 to approve an agreement with the RAVE Foundation to renovate and expand the current hard surface area of the park into a “mini-pitch” that will support both soccer and basketball activities. RAVE, the Seattle Storm and Symetra Insurance are providing full funding for the project.
During the planning and construction process, the RAVE Foundation will work with our youngest community members at Midway Elementary to create artwork which will then be incorporated into the park, creating a sense of ownership and contribution from our youth.
In addition to the renovation, both the Seattle Storm and Seattle Sounders have committed to providing on-going free programs, ball giveaways, and clinics or camps at the park for youth in the community.
The RAVE Foundation, the official charitable arm of the Seattle Sounders, is a 501c-3 public charity which was founded in 2013 to serve the greater Puget Sound community. Its mission is to build small fields for free play and invest in programs that use soccer as a vehicle to inspire youth and strengthen communities.
The RAVE Foundation has three core strategies: first, to use soccer as a vehicle to empower and inspire; second, to remove barriers to participation on and off the field; and third, to support, catalyze and strengthen communities. By building small fields, the RAVE Foundation provides a place for kids to play freely, be physically active and safe, and to be inclusive stakeholders in their communities.
Construction is set to begin in the spring of 2020.
