Rededication of Kanemoto Park Scheduled for August 8
Rededication of Kanemoto Park Scheduled for August 8
After 5 years of planning and restoration, Kanemoto Park begins a new chapter as the social and recreational hub for the Southmoor Park neighborhood.
The Longmont community is invited to a rededication ceremony at the park, located at 1151 South Pratt Parkway, at 10 am on August 8, 2016.
Kanemoto Park was ravaged during the flood that ripped through the Longmont community in 2013. The 100-year storm swept away Kanemoto pool, destroyed the playground and ruined the grass in the park. And Left Hand Creek, which flows through the park, was severely damaged again in 2015, damaging creek beds and leaving behind piles of sediment.
“Kanemoto Park and the Southmoor Park neighborhood were hit hard during the floods,” Longmont Mayor Dennis Coombs said. “The formal reopening of the park is symbolic of the progress we have made as a city and as a community in the past few years.”
The Southmoor Park neighborhood has been in a state of construction since October 2011. It started with the Left Hand Creek Flood Control Project that was completed in 2013 – just a few weeks before the flood. This project prevented many properties from being damaged.
Among the improvements at Kanemoto Park:
• The grass throughout the park was replaced.
• The Kanemoto Pool was rebuilt and opened on June 3, just in time for the 2016 swim season. The heated outdoor pool is geared to children 10 years old and younger and has a zero depth entry, fun water slide and a 4-foot deep end that’s great for jumping and swimming.
• A new playground was designed and completed in February 2016. The playground includes old favorites such as slides, spinners, climbers, swings and a sand play area, plus some new features like the Expression Swing, which allows an adult to swing with their toddler. The playground also incorporates the Japanese influences of Kanemoto Park with natural stepping stones and seating boulders, plus a koi pond designed into the playground safety surfacing.
• Damage to Left Hand Creek was repaired after the 2013 flooding. Additional damage to the banks from heavy spring runoff in 2015 will be repaired this fall through the Left Hand Creek Sediment Project.
• A restoration of the park’s Tower of Compassion, a structure built in the style of a traditional Japanese temple, was completed earlier this year. The Tower of Compassion was donated to the people of Longmont by the Kanemoto family as an expression of gratitude. The family in 1966 also donated the land on which the park sits.
The program includes pre-event music from local Djembe drummers. Speakers will include City of Longmont officials, as well as representatives from Longmont Sister Cities Association, the Chino delegation, and the Kanemoto family will also speak. The event will close with a rededication blessing from the Longmont Buddhist Temple.
The Longmont community is invited to a rededication ceremony at the park, located at 1151 South Pratt Parkway, at 10 am on August 8, 2016.
Kanemoto Park was ravaged during the flood that ripped through the Longmont community in 2013. The 100-year storm swept away Kanemoto pool, destroyed the playground and ruined the grass in the park. And Left Hand Creek, which flows through the park, was severely damaged again in 2015, damaging creek beds and leaving behind piles of sediment.
“Kanemoto Park and the Southmoor Park neighborhood were hit hard during the floods,” Longmont Mayor Dennis Coombs said. “The formal reopening of the park is symbolic of the progress we have made as a city and as a community in the past few years.”
The Southmoor Park neighborhood has been in a state of construction since October 2011. It started with the Left Hand Creek Flood Control Project that was completed in 2013 – just a few weeks before the flood. This project prevented many properties from being damaged.
Among the improvements at Kanemoto Park:
• The grass throughout the park was replaced.
• The Kanemoto Pool was rebuilt and opened on June 3, just in time for the 2016 swim season. The heated outdoor pool is geared to children 10 years old and younger and has a zero depth entry, fun water slide and a 4-foot deep end that’s great for jumping and swimming.
• A new playground was designed and completed in February 2016. The playground includes old favorites such as slides, spinners, climbers, swings and a sand play area, plus some new features like the Expression Swing, which allows an adult to swing with their toddler. The playground also incorporates the Japanese influences of Kanemoto Park with natural stepping stones and seating boulders, plus a koi pond designed into the playground safety surfacing.
• Damage to Left Hand Creek was repaired after the 2013 flooding. Additional damage to the banks from heavy spring runoff in 2015 will be repaired this fall through the Left Hand Creek Sediment Project.
• A restoration of the park’s Tower of Compassion, a structure built in the style of a traditional Japanese temple, was completed earlier this year. The Tower of Compassion was donated to the people of Longmont by the Kanemoto family as an expression of gratitude. The family in 1966 also donated the land on which the park sits.
The program includes pre-event music from local Djembe drummers. Speakers will include City of Longmont officials, as well as representatives from Longmont Sister Cities Association, the Chino delegation, and the Kanemoto family will also speak. The event will close with a rededication blessing from the Longmont Buddhist Temple.
