Kathryn Albertson Park (KAP) is a 41-acre, award-winning urban park conceived as a restored riparian (wetland) habitat located in Boise, Idaho. The park currently contains walking paths, scenic lagoons and dense undergrowth, specimen trees and shrubs, passive recreation areas, gazebos, shelters, and interpretive signage. There have been no major site improvements since original construction in 1989. KAP is on the Boise River Greenbelt and serves as one of the “Ribbon of Jewels” that links these precious park properties given to the city in honor of some of Boise’s finest female civic leaders and their commitment to their community. The KAP improvement project will provide a much-needed polish to this popular park destination by repairing existing facilities and improving key park features.
The project will be completed in two phases. Phase I began in early 2019 and was completed in spring 2020. This phase included removing invasive trees and trimming areas of overgrowth to enhance views, resetting memorial benches that have shifted, repairing existing pathways, conducting maintenance on three pedestrian bridges, and repairing the Rookery stone floor and Eyrie brick paver walkways. Additional upgrades included design and construction of overlooks and boardwalks, park entryway improvements, new informal paths, interpretive signage enhancements, other site furnishings (new park benches, trash receptacles, and dog waste stations), and planting native trees, shrubs, and meadows.
The project is currently in the early stage of Phase II and focused on improvements at the main entrance to the park. Crews are placing new exposed aggregate sidewalks, picnic parks, bike rack parking, and new plantings of native trees, shrubs, and meadows. The project is being completed with a “zero-waste” methodology, meaning all removed soil has been reused to build the planter areas.
The team has submitted a permit set of drawings to the City of Boise for the demolition of the existing restroom building and construction of a new structure. The new structure construction began in late October and will continue through the end of the year. Most plantings will take place in the early spring of 2021, marking the completion of the project.