2026 Central Recreation District Master Plan

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough is seeking the services of a professional Design Team to create a Central Recreation District Plan. The framework would include improvements to areas from Ketchikan Creek and Schoenbar Creek, branching out through neighborhoods connecting parks, fields, beaches, the recreation and aquatic facilities, the Heritage center and into the downtown area. This project will provide a unified vision of public recreation assets within the area through wayfinding, historical and interpretive signage, landscaping, and other improvements to increase appeal and attract users.

Considerations in this project include an evaluation of usage patterns, pedestrian routes, commercial and domestic vehicle routes and coordination with other governmental and private entities. The design would facilitate a variety of recreational activities and serve diverse interests and needs regardless of age or economic status.

Since the 1920s, the Ketchikan Creek and Schoenbar Creek confluence has been a location of recreational and cultural significance. The locations are linked through sidewalks along city streets and sparsely lit-up, historically unattractive and unsafe pathways to the separate destinations. Locations and features in this neighborhood include the Schoenbar Trail, Ketchikan creek beachfront near Freeman Street, Skate Park, City Park, Deer Mountain Hatchery, Totem Heritage Center, Triangle (Totem Heritage) Tot Lot, Gateway Recreation and Aquatic Center, Valley Park (Tom Friesen) Field, and Norman Walker Field, and portions of the downtown Salmon Walk traverse the neighborhood.

This area promotes active recreation due to the centralization of high value sites, in addition to its proximity to both Downtown (less than one-half mile) and to no fewer than five high density residential developments (Glacier Park Apartments, AHFC Housing, Woodside Village, West Sesame Townhomes, 2122 Apartments) and surrounding neighborhoods in the Deermount and Bear Valley area. The area also houses two elementary schools (Tongass School of Arts and Sciences and the Ketchikan Charter School) and Schoenbar Middle School.

Projects in these areas that are funded and underway include:

Ralph Peters Building has been approved for demolition and is adjacent to Walker Field. The Walker Field is replacing lights around the ball field. City Park has a list of improvements including bridge replacement, repairing and replacing the perimeter rock retaining walls, raising the grade to cover exposed roots, improvements to the walking paths around the remainder of the wading ponds and creating ADA access to picnic tables. The Schoenbar Trail is part of the designated Salmon Walk with the Kichxcaan-Heeni Canoe Sculpture recently installed as a destination to increase the value of this trail. Skate Park improvements with the continuation of paved paths along the shoreline at Schoenbar Creek. The route is the continuation of the salmon walk towards city park, hatchery and the Totem Heritage center. The route along the creek is a highlight for wildlife viewing as it is an active salmon run.

Borough-owned recreation assets and opportunities include:

• Ketchikan Creek Parcels: These parcels contain the Schoenbar Trail, which provides access from Schoenbar Road to Grant Street and the Harris Street Bridge, and is also a segment of the Salmon Walk. They also partially overlap Ketchikan Creek, with the Freeman Street waterfront being a Borough-owned property.
• Skate Park: The Park was renovated in spring 2026. The parcels lying above the Schoenbar Creek, where Ketchikan Creek joins the water way, along the Salmon Walk.
• Norman Walker Field: First constructed circa-1927 and thoroughly renovated in 2024. This baseball field is along the southerly intersection of Park Avenue and Schoenbar Road also contains a Quonset Hut batting cage operated by Ketchikan Little League and a Dog Park.
• Schoenbar Middle School: Schoenbar Creek is an open channel in front of this school, with a continuous flow down from the Gateway Recreation Center.
• Gateway Recreation & Aquatic Center: The Recreation Center houses a 1/12-mile running track, two wood-surfaced courts for basketball, soccer or roller skating, a weights room, three racquetball courts, and an outdoor playground; and the Aquatic Center contains a competition pool, recreation pool, diving boards, waterslides and a sauna.
• Valley Park Field/Ketchikan Charter School and Tongass School of Arts and Sciences: This single property contains a minors baseball size baseball field with scoreboard and outdoor school-age playground in proximity to the schools, as well as a completely covered playground (normally locked)
• City Park: Developed circa-1930, this urban park is well lit-up and contains a fountain, streams, lawns, walking paths, and contains a footbridge that provides a rapid pedestrian route across Ketchikan Creek to the Totem Heritage Center and Deermount Ave.
• Triangle Park: Located near the Totem Heritage Center and containing a distinctive humpback whale climbing feature, this tot lot has direct access from Woodland Avenue and is directly off the parking lot serving the Totem Heritage Center.

The City of Ketchikan also has the Totem Heritage Center as a component of its Museum Department, lying across Ketchikan Creek from City Park; and South ern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association operates the Deer Mountain Hatchery. The City-designed Salmon Walk traverses these parcels, providing connection down Deermount Street to Stedman Street, and to the Married Man's Trail and Creek Street.