There’s a lot of excitement coming to Dockton Park these days. Here’s the latest on the much-anticipated moorage renovation and the play area replacement projects!
*This page was last updated on July 1, 2021.*
Moorage Renovation
Starting mid-to-late July, we will enter the next phase of construction on the dock, which includes:
- Removing and replacing creosote-treated piles
- Installing a new pump-out station
- Repairing cross-bracing
- Replacing the access dock, center moorage, and walkway
- Installing a new fire suppression system
- Installing new interior floats
What to expect during construction
The entire moorage facility will be CLOSED during construction, which is anticipated to last through fall 2021.
Boats are NOT permitted to tie up at the dock during construction.
Construction will take place largely from the water and will not affect other areas of the park: the boat ramp, parking lot, and on-land restrooms will remain open during dock construction.
We will announce exact closure dates once we have that information from the contractor. We will use this page, the Dockton e-newsletter, and King County Parks’ social media to inform you of construction updates and timeline.
Project overview
We’ve been completing the moorage renovation in stages. To date, we’ve removed the interior and breakwater finger piers. After this round of construction, the only remaining renovation work includes replacing the breakwater.
The new moorage facility will feature fish habitat-friendly features, such as open grated decking, which allows more light to pass through, and new or wrapped steel piles, which won’t leach pollutants like the old creosote-treated ones. We’ll also add non-skid coating to make the fixed dock much easier to navigate with your sea legs!
Once the current phase of work is complete, we will re-open the moorage facility for public use with space for 30 boats. The breakwater will remain closed until it is replaced, which we anticipate doing in 2023.
We anticipate being able to re-open the facility in fall 2021.
While facilities at Dockton Park are closed, be sure to visit other beautiful parks on Vashon and Maury Islands:
- Jensen Point (8900 S.W. Harbor Dr) – Boat ramp and picnicking
- Point Robinson (3705 S.W. Point Robinson Rd) – Lighthouse trails and beach
- Lisabeula Park (Southwest Lisabuela Rd) – Picnicking and beach
- Ober Park (17130 Vashon Hwy S.W.) – Children’s playground
- Maury Island Marine Park (S.W. 244th St) – Beachcombing
Follow our progress by subscribing to the Dockton Park email newsletter.
Current construction is funded in part by a Boating Facilities Program grant from the state Recreation and Conservation Office and by the 2020-2025 King County Parks, Recreation, Trails, and Open Space Levy. Thank you for your support!
Play Area Renovation
The play area is OPEN! We re-opened the play area on June 18 after replacing the failing surfacing with wood safety fiber and making other repairs. The wood fiber surfacing and existing play equipment have passed the necessary safety inspection, and the play area is safe for use. These temporary measures allow us to re-open the play area while we continue planning for the comprehensive renovation, which has now been delayed until mid-2022.
Back in November 2020, King County Parks took immediate action to close the play area when our staff found that the old safety surfacing did not meet current standards. At that time, we accelerated the timing of a comprehensive play area replacement, bumping it up from 2024 to 2021. Earlier this year, we gathered feedback from park visitors about potential designs and features they’d like to see in a future play area. However, we got a little ahead of ourselves! Unlike all of our other play areas, Dockton’s prime location along the shoreline makes this project more complex, which translates into a longer timeline to construction.
We are now anticipating construction in mid-2022, and the play area will remain open until that time. The future play area will include new play equipment and swings, upgraded rubber safety surfacing, and possibly a larger, more accessible footprint.
Follow our progress by subscribing to the Dockton Park email newsletter.
The play area renovation is funded by the 2020-2025 King County Parks, Recreation, Trails, and Open Space Levy. Thank you for your support!
Questions? Call (206) 477-4527 or email: parksinfo@kingcounty.gov