Row your boat out of a new facility.

King County Parks’ Community Partnerships and Grants Program works the magic yet again, this time with the Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA), which is building a new boathouse along the Sammamish River in Marymoor Park. The official groundbreaking ceremony is Sept. 12 from noon to 3 p.m. at Marymoor Park.

Public benefits of this project go way beyond the SRA’s youth rowing programs – which attract hundreds of kids from throughout the region every year. Part of the boathouse project includes removing some trees plus a whole lot of invasive species from the surrounding area – that’s already taking place. Later on, SRA will plant more than 10,000 native trees and plants in Marymoor Park to make up for the land clearing.

Restoring native vegetation while providing a fantastic, healthy recreational opportunity for the community: That’s King County Parks – your big backyard!