The time is finally here, Summit Parks and Ballfields has an opening day set.

The 22.75 acre Summit Park and Ballfields will have its grand opening on July 18 at 3 p.m.

In 2010, Maple Valley City Council adopted a master plan for the property. The park is located right next to the new Tahoma High School, right off Highway 169. The entrance to the park is located at the roundabout leading into the high school.

The park includes two multipurpose turf fields, a turf softball field, a playground, a skatepark and now a dog park and sport court.

The dog park and sports court were not allocated for the original plan at first and were intended to be placed in the park at a later time. The city ended up using none of its contingency funds, giving it enough money to incorporate both features into the Summit Park later this summer, after the grand opening.

“It’s anticipated that the sport court and dog park will be completed sometime around the end of August,” Parks and Recreation Director Dave Johnson said.

There is a parking lot located at the park, but the city has an agreement with the district to use the high school’s parking lot as overflow parking.

The city hosted a public meeting on June 12 to talk to community members about updates and the rules of the park.

During the meeting, Johnson said the turf baseball field is done and the multipurpose fields will be done soon.

He explained the multipurpose fields are lined for soccer, softball and lacrosse. The fields will officially be open on July 22, four days after the park’s official opening.

Hours for the park are from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday. The fields will be open at 9 a.m. for those who have reserved a field.

Reserving a field at Summit Park involves submitting an application and awaiting the city to approve it.

Johnson said the field usage will be based on a trimester system with the first trimester being fall, September to December; winter, January to April; and spring/summer, May to August.

With the park opening in the middle of summer, scheduling is a little off at the moment, according to Johnson.

For this year, field usage applications are due on June 28 and the parks department will respond to those who applied by July 9. Users are then expected to confirm by July 12 and this will determine the field’s first six weeks of use. After that, it’s a first come, first serve basis.

Rates to rent the field are $50 an hour and then $25 an hour for lights. It will be $25 an hour for youth organizations.

Turf field rules include, but not limited to no gum, no metal cleats, no dogs on the fields, no creams/oils and no flavored drinks. Park rules in general include, but are not limited to no smoking (that includes no vaping), no fireworks, no firearms and no extremely loud noises.

Johnson said for more information about the park and its ballfields, community members should call the Parks and Recreation department at 425-432-9953.

The first event to be hosted at the park is the “Be the Hope Walk,” which takes place on July 20. For more information about the walk, go to valleygirlsandguys.org/about/be-the-hope-walk-2019/.

A Maple Valley Parks Department employee shows where on the map certain elements will be placed in Summit Park. Photo courtesy of the City of Maple Valley.