Dave Mackie repairs advance

Repairs at Dave Mackie Park on Maxwelton Road are nearly complete, according to Island County officials.

Repairs at Dave Mackie Park on Maxwelton Road are nearly complete, according to Island County officials.

Bill Oakes, director of Public Works, said the $30,000 project is about 90 percent complete and expects the grandstand to be reopened to the public sometime before the end of September.

Work on the park’s facilities began earlier this summer. The backstop was replaced and repairs were made to the grandstand and bleachers, which had been deemed unsafe and roped off to prevent public access.

“We found even more as we took it apart,” Oakes said.

The project included the replacement of rotten support posts and the concrete slab in front of the bleachers, bringing the structure up to code by strengthening roof rafters, and installing handrails near stairs and wood blocking between bleacher supports to make the facility safer.

All that remains is the installation of a metal roof. Oakes said he is still working on hammering out the details for the labor but said the work should move quickly once that’s settled.

He thanked the South Whidbey Rotary Club for their assistance with the project.