Cuddy Family Midtown Park Opens in Anchorage

Photo Source: Anchorage Parks Foundation

The Master Plan that PPS proposed for Cuddy Family Midtown Park in Anchorage, Alaska in 2004 has been implemented. The Grand Opening ceremony for the park was held on August 23rd, 2008, and included activities such as live music and theater performances, roller ski races, a kayak paddle for kids, and a ribbon cutting ceremony with Senator Ted Stevens, Mayor Mark Begich and the Cuddy Family. The park features the only long track speed skating oval in Alaska, a new pond, a walking track, and an outdoor amphitheater.

The park was established in the 1980s and in 2004 PPS held a Place Performance Evaluation Workshop, subsequently developing a new Master Plan for making the park a physical and symbolic heart in a part of the Anchorage community. PPS recommended improving access to the park to strengthen the connection between the park and the neighborhood, developing internal paths, creating a series of “places” to ensure a variety of activities, and developing a new management and funding strategy. PPS also provided both short-term and long-term recommendations for specific areas of the park, including entranceways and surrounding buildings. A highlight of the master plan was the proposed skating oval, which is now a major attraction of the park.

The Anchorage Parks Foundation and the Anchorage Parks and Recreation department are responsible for the park, and funding came from both public and private sources, including a large donation from the Cuddy Family.

 Anchorage Parks Foundation