The infields at Centennial Fields were swept away, the gravel parking lot at Three Forks dog park went with the current, and the riverfront trail at Sandy Cove Park is somewhere under water now.

The Snoqualmie Parks and Recreation Department is currently repairing $37,000 in damages to city parks caused by the flood, but some places, including Sandy Cove Park, will never be the same.

The downtown city park lost about 10 percent of its land, as roughly 30 feet of the bank fell into the river during the flood. Now, a steep 10-foot cliff hugs the shoreline. A trail and a live cottonwood tree are gone.

Snoqualmie city council members wondered aloud last week whether the name “Sandy Cove” still fits. “Cove Park” might be more appropriate.

Councilman Bryan Holloway expressed doubts about any permanent fix to the park.

“Nature is going to have her way,” Holloway said.

Worst in years

City Parks Director Al Frank echoed statements made Valley-wide that the January flood was the worst in years.

He has worked for the city for half a decade.

Worst-hit was Centennial Fields in downtown Snoqualmie. Flood waters washed silt onto the fields, and swept away the mix of dirt, sand and clay that cover the infields. In the last week, a herd of elk visited the soggy fields and left their own imprints, further beating up the park. A huge log still sits where it was beached near the picnic area.

All the wood chips at Centennial and Riverview parks were ruined, and have since been replaced.

At Three Forks park, the recently created Snoqualmie dog area, the gravel parking lot was washed away. The flood also damaged surveillance equipment at Riverview.

Frank said that most of the parks can be fixed. Work is underway, and all should be back to normal within a few weeks.

All except Sandy Cove Park, that is. Frank said the city doesn’t have many options to replace the bank of land that were washed down the river.