Work underway on green space around Troll

Dozens of volunteers, city officials and the mayor attended a “Clean and Green” event at the Troll this morning, and neighbors caught their first glimpse of preliminary plans to revitalize the green space surrounding the Fremont icon.

The two strips of land on either side of the Troll at the base of the Aurora Bridge have been overgrown with brush and littered with trash for years. Two weeks ago, SDOT crews cleared out the heavy brush and grass, and today volunteers picked up trash and spread mulch.

Mayor Greg Nickels toured the property with neighbor Kimberly Scrivner, who has spearheaded the project. “I think it’s a great opportunity,” the mayor said, complimenting neighbors for rolling up their sleeves and tackling the project. “Here’s a publicly-owned space that is clearly under-utilized.”

The preliminary designs (see here) include a community garden, pathways, new trees, planters and log benches. “I’m very excited, and I think the time is right,” Scrivner said (above). “Getting the state on board, getting the city on board, now getting our designs together, and finally we get can get the community to vet the designs.” The Fremont Chamber of Commerce, Department of Neighborhoods, SDOT and WSDOT have all been involved in the project.

Scrivner says they’ll apply for a neighborhood matching fund grant on August 31st, and they plan to present the proposed designs to the Fremont Neighborhood Council. A community meeting will follow to hear more input from the neighborhood. “Everyone in Fremont always looks up to this bridge and says, this is our place,” said longtime resident Suzie Burke. “We’re happy that the little piece of ground that is around it is available to take an interest in.”

To help fund the work, neighbors signed petitions pledging time and money, which would be matched by the city’s neighborhood grant.

Volunteers also voted, by paying a dollar, on proposed names for the green space: The Troll Knoll, Troll Knoll and Billy Goat’s Bluff. We’ll keep you updated on upcoming meetings and developments…

July 15: Neighbors plan improvements around the Troll