Groundbreaking for Old Milltown Courtyard Is Friday

The beginning of a new meeting place for Edmonds residents and visitors will officially begin Friday during a construction groundbreaking ceremony for the courtyard of Old Milltown Plaza.

The ceremony, at 1 p.m., will be at the Old Milltown site and Fifth Avenue South and Maple Street.

The city purchased the site in 2008 with the intent of preserving the central downtown open space for community use. According to Carrie Hite, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services director, the courtyard is   a key community gathering space and a gateway to the downtown from the south.

"The value of developing small gathering spaces in the downtown has been emphasized in both the parks and open space plan and the Community Cultural Plan as part of the city’s planning efforts," she said.

The Floretum Garden Club has been integral to the development of the Old Milltown site, said Hite. Members assisted in the design process, along with several other community members.

The final design, adopted by City Council, includes gardens with educational signs, a hardscape area that lends a circular flow, seating areas, a small stag, and a water feature.

“If you look around downtown, we don’t have a lot of gathering places where people can just sit,” . “Starbucks draws a lot of people because they have tables and chairs outside. But if people are shopping and mingling and going to art galleries, there’s really no place to rest your feet unless you go into a business and find a table and have a drink.”

The gardens will be designed as a .

The artistic elements will incorporate pieces of Milltown's history.