Project Overview
Cuddy Family Midtown Park is a 15.4-acre park located at 201 W. 40th Avenue. The park has been steadily developed since its initial purchase in 1984 and currently boasts walking trails, a speed skating loop, and a playground. It is also adjacent to our city's main library.
Two projects under the umbrella of watershed health will be installed over the next two years.
The first project, scheduled for installation in 2023, involves the collaborative efforts of Friends of Fish Creek and an Anchorage Park Foundation Challenge Grant. Together with local artist and videographer Max Romey, Friends of Fish Creek will create an interpretive panel at Cuddy Park to promote outreach and education about the history of Fish Creek. In 2022, voters approved a feasibility study to explore restoration options for the once-thriving watershed.
The artistic display will showcase a natural, flowing Fish Creek on the main map, with "scene bubbles" depicting various recreational activities such as trail hiking, family picnics, and the return of coho salmon. This vision is supported by a coalition of advocates working towards the revitalization of this watershed, which was diverted underground in the 1950s to facilitate midtown development.
The second improvement involves designing and constructing a rain garden within Cuddy Midtown Park. This rain garden will treat stormwater runoff before it reaches Cuddy Pond and Fish Creek. Currently, Fish Creek is categorized as an impaired waterbody due to fecal coliform bacteria, and Cuddy Pond has experienced water quality issues related to waterfowl, erosion, and stormwater runoff in the past. Constructing this rain garden, funded by an Alaska Clean Water Action (ACWA) Grant in collaboration with the MOA Watershed Department, will directly improve the water quality of Fish Creek by reducing the amount of untreated stormwater flowing into Cuddy Pond.
Timeline
Challenge grants occur on a two year cycle. The following describes the general timeline of the project:
- 2022:
- Awarded Challenge Grant from Anchorage Park Foundtion. Work with Parks and Recreation to confirm location and design of interpretive areas.
- 2023:
- Spring 2023 - Midtown CC to introduce project and recieve letter of support for singage portion of project
- Summer 2023 - fabrication and installation of sign.
- Fall 2023 - Midtown CC for raingarden letter of support
- Winter 2023 - Parks and Recreation Commission update and resolution of support
- 2024:
- Summer 2024 - Constructon of raingarden utuilizing Youth Employment in Parks
Funding
Funding for this project has been done complete through the Anchorage Park Foundation Challenge Grant process
- Challenge Grant Awarded: $15,835
- Community Match: $15,835
- Total Funding for Challenge Grant: $31,670
- ACWA Grant: 169,767
Total Funding: $201,437