Approximately 50 people, including the Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park, a few city council members and park enthusiasts came out Sept. 12 for the official unveiling of the new boardwalk at the park, which guides walkers to the mouth of Issaquah Creek.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, perhaps one of the last of the summer season.

The project was funded by nine Recreation and Conservation Office grants, totaling $1.3 million, from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. Bill Chapman, the chairman of the RCO said 46 years ago the office helped purchase 126-acres of the park. He is also the chair of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, which was also represented at the ribbon cutting.

Chapman acknowledged the hard work by the Friends group and 5th District Senator Mark Mullet who was instrumental in securing $3.5 million for improvements to the park in the 2013 legislative session.

Don Hoch, director of Washington State Parks and Recreation, said Lake Sammamish was near and dear to his heart.

“This is a premiere project,” Hoch said. “The energy is here, we’ve got the Friends group and community supporters.”

It took Cypress Construction four weeks to build the boardwalk, said builder Greg Whiteside. The general contractor was Dave Horton with Santana Construction.

The boardwalk is made from Trex, an eco-friendly product made of plastic and wood fibers from reclaimed or recycled resources, including sawdust and used pallets from woodworking operations, and recycled plastic grocery bags from all over the country. It lasts forever Whiteside said.

Once Hoch officially cut the ribbon, the crowd walked toward the lake, admiring the project. Afterward, refreshments were served in the Park’s rotunda.

Chris Kovacs, the president of Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park, addresses the crowd at the ribbon cutting for the new boardwalk.

The boardwalk leads walkers out to where Issaquah Creek flows into Lake Sammamish.