Members of the Mountlake Terrace City Council and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission helped volunteer groups give Veterans Memorial Park, the Civic Campus and Terrace Creek Park a spring makeover on April 20.

Volunteers from the  Ivy League and Cub Scout Pack 76 joined city officials at the Civic Campus and Veterans Memorial Park for the annual Volunteer Spring Cleanup. Some pulled weeds and spread mulch, while others dug holes for decorative plants.

At Terrace Creek Park, Councilmember Rory Paine-Donovan and DEIC Chair William Paige Jr. helped Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission Vice Chair Audrey Meyer and Seattle Disc Golf volunteers Jackson Messner, Eugene Chernov and Forrest Reda.

They worked to remove invasive noxious weeds known as English Ivy or Atlantic Ivy . Further, they used tactics to slow down and possibly prevent ivy from coming  back.

The volunteers use cardboard as a base layer for mulch. This prevents the ivy from growing back and makes preventive maintenance easier if a sprout makes it through the cardboard layer.

Terrace Creek Park, affectionately known as Candy Cane Park for its trademark swings, is also one of the best disc golf courses in the region, according to Seattle Disc Golf volunteers.

Online disc golf groups say the course is challenging and requires a phone app to be followed correctly. However, Seattle Disc Golf and a group of professional players hold clinics for beginners every Tuesday at 5 p.m.

According to Paine-Donovan,  the volunteer spring cleanup event started 20 years ago as a church group activity. It eventually became a popular community event, which he credits largely to Park Services and Property Management Superintendent Ken Courtmanch, who is retiring May 30.

“Ken is responsible for bringing a lot of folks together,” Paine-Donovan said. “He is irreplaceable.”

— Story and photos by Rick Sinnett