-Good morning, everybody.
Hello. Hello.
How thankful are you that it's not raining right now?
[ Cheers and applause ] Yes!
It is wonderful to see all of your smiling faces.
If you're planning on taking a seat,
please do so right now
'cause we're gonna get this program started.
Let's get this party going.
I'm Monique Ming Laven from KIRO 7,
and it is such a pleasure,
such an honor to be out here today,
to share this moment with you,
a piece of our history and a piece of our future, as well.
I mean, look at this new doorway to the city.
What curb appeal we have now, right?
[ Applause ] Yes, absolutely.
You know, I was out here January 11th of 2019,
the last day for the viaduct.
People were gnashing their teeth.
There were a few tears shed.
And I don't discount that people had
wonderful memories tied to the viaduct,
but I wish they could have seen
what we're in the middle of right now, right?
The viaduct, I think, is kind of like
your unrequited high school love that meant so much.
Your world revolved around it.
And now that you have a wonderful life,
you can't even remember their name.
[ Laughter ]
'Cause we are in the middle of this.
This is the much more beautiful, talented, intelligent mate
that we were meant to have, right?
We have this beautiful park.
It's connecting the Waterfront to Downtown.
It's allowing us to all come together.
This is what this region deserves.
It's what these families deserve.
And we get to show off.
I mean, the Seahawks home opener is tomorrow.
Can you imagine the shots they're going to show?
People are going to ooh and ahh, but we are going to be so lucky
because it's not for the visitors.
Well, it's partly -- They're welcome, right?
But this is for us.
This is for us and this is of us.
And we get to celebrate that today,
including the first person I have the honor of introducing --
Chairperson Jaison Elkins of the Muckleshoot Indian tribe.
This is his fourth term on the Tribal Council.
He values the responsibilities of being a hunter, a fisherman,
promoting respect for tribal sovereignty,
and protecting tribal interests.
He also prioritizes family values.
And we get to see what he's talking about right now.
His wife, Lindsay, is here.
Thank you for being here --
and for bringing his beautiful daughters,
Skuya and Waniya.
Wave to the crowd.
Thank you so much for being here,
especially 'cause we know you have a big softball game
to get to later today, so appreciate it.
And, Chairperson Elkins, please come on up.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Thank you, Monique, for that wonderful introduction.
My daughter -- Shout-out to my daughter.
She plays for the Seattle Fastpitch Club.
And I see someone else out there.
I see a teammate out there with you, Skuya.
But, uh, Jaison Elkins...
[ Speaks a global language ]
Good morning, everybody. My name is Jaison Elkins.
I'm the chairman of the Muckleshoot tribe.
I want to welcome everybody here to the ancestral homelands
of the Muckleshoot and the Suquamish peoples.
We have treaty rights.
Oh, sorry. [ Laughter ]
So, the Muckleshoot tribe and the Suquamish tribe,
we have Point Elliott treaty rights,
and we're actually gonna be fishing in Elliott Bay tomorrow.
We're gonna be fishing for salmon.
[ Whooping ] [ Laughs ]
It's gonna be a good year.
If you look out there, sometimes you see the fish jumping.
I seen them, so I'm gonna try to get out there early.
But back to the treaty rights.
Our tribe -- you know, we have Point Elliott treaty rights
and Medicine Creek treaty rights,
and we reserve those rights to hunt, fish, and gather
on our usual and accustomed lands and waterways.
So I just wanted to let you guys know
that we honor those treaty rights
and those agreements between governments, between nations.
They're nation-to-nation agreements.
And I just want to thank the city of Seattle
for working with us early on and engaging the Muckleshoot tribe.
It is my understanding
it's been over two decades in the works,
and here we are.
[ Horn blares ] [ Laughs ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Gotta love that. Everybody's excited for this.
And that must be my three minutes.
[ Laughter ]
But, yeah, I just --
I'm really grateful.
I am very grateful to be here.
The way we show our gratitude to you all
is we're gonna have our Muckleshoot canoe family --
they're gonna sing and they're gonna dance.
And we're gonna sing and dance together.
And we're gonna show you all
that we still have our culture, our language,
and we're still here.
We're still here. We're thriving.
And we thank the city of Seattle
for all of your good work.
And we look forward to working together.
So, thank you all. My hands go up to you all.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you so much for those words
and for obeying your cue there.
That's terrific. [ Laughter ]
And now we get to hear from Chairman Leonard Forsman
from the Suquamish Tribe.
He has served as Tribal Chairman since 2005.
He's been on the Tribal Council for 35 years.
He's worked as a professional archaeologist
and is the former director of the Suquamish Museum.
This man knows history. [ Chuckles ]
Chairman Forsman has been a partner to the city
for many years and in the planning and design
of this Waterfront.
He advocated for tribal leadership and representation
in the design and the planning.
Thank you so much for being here.
Chairman Forsman.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-[Speaks a global language] everybody.
It's been a great journey. I'm Leonard Forsman.
I'm chairman of the Suquamish Tribe.
And I'm just really grateful to be here to represent my people.
And we are the people of Chief Seattle
for who the city was named.
And we're very proud of that fact,
and we carry his beliefs and his lessons
that he laid out for us in a speech
he gave not far from here in Pioneer Square in 1854,
before we signed the Treaty of Point Elliott,
which established the Port Madison Reservation
for the Suquamish and Duwamish and other tribes
in his domain in the central Puget Sound.
I'd like to introduce our Vice Chairman right here,
Josh Bagley. Thanks, Josh, for being here.
[ Applause ]
I'd like to thank Jiason for his great words
and also recognize the fact that all the people
that have worked so hard, you're all --
a lot of you are here.
Some have gone on to the other side,
but their spirit is here still with us.
And just the collaboration that has occurred
as is being presented here today
and through all the planning and the designs
that made it and the designs that didn't
and the ideas that made it and the ideas that didn't --
We all had an open mind,
and we went through this struggle together.
But the citizens and the donors and all those people
that have done so much hard work over the years,
it's been great.
I'm on the Friends of Waterfront Seattle board,
and it's been a great opportunity
to meet a lot of great people who are all here.
And I'd just like to thank
the current mayor and the past mayors
and all the people that work for them
in getting this done.
Chief Seattle --
when he gave his speech, he talked about
all this land being sacred to the people
and every piece of land and the rocks
and everything had a soul.
And that's kind of what we're doing today,
is we want to make sure that Jaison
and our other fishermen from the Suquamish and Muckleshoot
can continue fishing. So, we're all here.
When we come down to the water, remember that,
that we all have a responsibility
to preserve the waters and the lands of this area
for future generations.
And we, as fishermen pre-contact and after contact,
came over here to harvest smelt in the Duwamish River
or harvest salmon. We harvest cattails.
Chief Seattle had a village here.
And we really have a strong presence here
as a Suquamish people.
And just to end, I think that part of Chief Seattle's speech,
towards the end, he was really concerned
about the future of his people
and if these two cultures could get along.
If you read the speech, he has a lot of despair in there.
And one of the things he says is that we may be brothers --
and I'll add sisters -- after all.
And I think we're going in the right direction.
So, on behalf of the Suquamish people, congratulations,
and enjoy this park. [ Speaks a global language ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you so much for that deep and meaningful perspective.
That was fantastic.
Now we are going to hear from Mayor Bruce Harrell.
As Mayor Bruce Harrell pledges a commitment to innovation,
also to bold thinking and acting big,
he recognizes the importance also of collaboration.
And he pushed for partnership across city departments
to bring this transformation of our Waterfront
to this finish line.
He looks at this as a reflection of his vision
for One Seattle, to turn our city's pioneering spirit
into progress and create a Downtown that is safe,
welcoming, and a neighborhood for all.
Please welcome Mayor Harrell.
[ Applause ] -Thank you.
Monique demanded
that we keep our speeches down to three minutes.
I saw Jaison and Leonard come up with no notes,
and here Harold comes with this big binder.
I thought she said 23 minutes. [ Laughter ]
I missed out on the early briefing.
And I'm gonna use a few minutes.
I have to recognize some great people there.
Greg, you do not stand up when I ask you to do this.
If you served on the city council
or you're serving on the city council,
please stand up and be recognized.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you!
They're the ones that deserve the thanks.
If you have served on the state le--
You guys sit down now, council. [ Laughter ]
If you have served on the state legislature
or you are serving, please stand up.
We want to recognize you!
[ Applause ] Jamie. Oh, there we go!
Yes!
If you have served on the King County Council
or are serving on the King County Council,
please stand up and be recognized.
Yes! [ Cheers and applause ]
I got something special for you, Greg.
You stay down. [ Laughter ]
This is Seattle at its best.
We have to recognize that,
just as the Space Needle and the Pike Place Market
are global symbols of Seattle,
this new Waterfront, where we are standing on,
on September 6th -- let's say where we were on this day --
is a new symbol of Seattle,
a place where Seattleites and Washingtonians
can take pride in and the world will come to know.
It broke my heart and angered me at the same time
when I saw the son of our president
call Seattle a craphole.
-Boo! -A place where I was born,
a place where you committed to.
Look at this!
[ Cheers and applause ]
A city of innovation, a city of love,
a welcoming city,
a city where we take pride in our LGBTQ communities,
our immigrant refugees.
We welcome everyone here because Seattle is very, very special.
That's why we stand here on the 6th of September.
Now, none of this happened overnight.
None of it happened alone.
This has been decades in the making.
So, I have many cabinet members here.
I'm not gonna ask you to stand 'cause I've been seeing you
work so diligently in the last few years.
But I have to give --
now, Greg, this is where you can stand --
a special shout-out to Greg, Mayor Nickels,
for your vision, my friend. [ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you.
And I want to recognize and honor --
I'm gonna look up -- former Mayor Charlie Royer,
affectionately known as "Charlie" by many of us
for his contributions to this effort.
[ Applause ]
And my law school classmate and friend, Jenny Durkan --
I want to thank her and, again,
many of the former and current city council members
that put skin in this game.
I'll close by saying this.
It takes three things to accomplish
something like this as a region.
First, the vision, born out of the Nisqually earthquake.
Well, what are we gonna do next?
Secondly, the stated commission --
commitment to people.
"We will do this. Yes, we will do this."
But thirdly, the action, the implementation.
And generally, having worked with a lot of groups in my life,
it starts to go down from the vision
to the stated commitment to the work,
but not here.
Those that had the vision,
those that stated their commitment,
and those who put in the work made this fruition.
And you know who you are,
and you didn't necessarily do this for thanks.
I saw those politicians were quick to stand up.
[ Laughter ] That's what we do.
But there are those that did not stand up that are here,
and I just want you to know that we see you
and we thank you.
The philanthropic community.
Gov, I know we're gonna hear from you.
I thank you for your commitment to this state and to this city.
So, thank you.
And I close with Jaison and Leonard.
We don't give here, from our administration and from others,
token appreciation.
We recognize you. We see you. We hope we've honored you.
Thank you very much.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Mayor, not bad, a little over three minutes, but...
-Okay. I had 23 minutes! -Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay. Good edits.
Well, as Washington governor from 2005 to 2013,
Chris Gregoire led the state
in historical investments in infrastructure.
That includes the transformation of our Waterfront.
She led the state at a time during which
there were a lot of ideas, a lot of options,
a lot of opinions considered for the Alaskan Way Viaduct
and the Waterfront.
And she encouraged collaboration
between the various governing agencies to reach a decision.
And without her leadership,
the people of Seattle would not be here today
to celebrate the completion of Waterfront Park.
Chris Gregoire. -Yeah.
[ Applause ] -Thank you.
Well, good morning, everybody. Are we ready to celebrate?
-Yeah! -It only took us two decades!
[ Laughter ]
For just a brief moment, can I ask you all
to turn your heads around and look back there
and just imagine it's still there.
[ Laughter ]
For a moment, just imagine
that thing casting all its shadows over everything,
disconnecting the city from the sea,
and making sure that you and I couldn't hear each other
if we screamed at each other two inches apart!
So, and then,
the thing that moved, I think, all of us the most --
the threat of another Nisqually earthquake
that within just very few seconds
would have taken the whole thing down
and everybody on it and around it.
That was nearly our future.
It really was nearly our future.
And instead, together we chose a transformational vision.
We tore down that barrier,
and we reconnected our great city to the sea.
Today, playgrounds and paths
and sweeping overlooks stand where that gray concrete was.
Families together gathering, businesses thriving.
Visitors experience the best of who we are.
It was just a little over a week ago
I brought two grandsons down to the Waterfront.
We went, of course, over to the aquarium.
We went, of course, to Wings over Washington.
They were screaming happiness.
I was like, "Oh, God, I think I'm sick."
[ Laughter ]
We went to dinner out on the wharf.
And throughout that visit,
I heard all these foreign languages.
And I would engage with people.
Not that I could speak the language,
but we would engage, and I'd say,
"Isn't it great? Isn't it wonderful?"
I actually think they thought I was paid
to be a marketer for the city.
[ Laughter ]
I believe that's the kind of legacy
that we must leave to generations,
and they deserve it.
And I'm so proud.
My daughter and my youngest little grandson, Hayden,
are here today.
This is our legacy to you, you two.
[ Cheers and applause ]
As we celebrate today, let us remember it took everyone.
And it took decades for this moment to happen.
And many of us know along the way it wasn't very easy.
The project was tested again and again and again.
Changes in leadership, unforeseen hurdles.
You name it, we saw it, and we weathered through it.
It took shared responsibility,
elected officials, government agencies,
city planners, engineers, skilled trades,
community champions, all pulling together
to make the impossible actually possible
in the great city of Seattle.
I'd like to pause for a moment, like the mayor did.
And thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Mayor,
and those who couldn't be here.
I want to pause for a moment and say a big thank-you
to governors who stood the test of time.
You transfer leadership, it could be killed.
It wasn't. Thank you, Gary Locke.
Thank you, Governor Inslee.
Thank you, Governor Ferguson.
Together, we stood tall. We stood together.
We did not let it get canceled.
-Yeah!
[ Applause ]
-It took tremendous leadership from the legislature.
We've got two champions right here with us today.
Thank you, Judy. Thank you, Jamie.
You guys were steadfast and made it possible.
Thank you. [ Applause ]
The WashDOT team was amazing.
They did what --
I'll put them up against anybody around the country.
I think Julie's here today. She was a major force in it.
Amy's here today. She was a major consultant.
You know, everybody at WashDOT
were determined to make it happen,
and they did a fantastic job.
And the port made sure that it kept functioning
throughout those years of construction.
Many more to thank.
Thank you all for your leadership.
You did a fantastic job.
But I also want to say thank you to the great people of Seattle,
from neighbors to workers to businesses who spoke up,
who made their voices heard at the ballot box,
who endured years of construction.
They held the vision that the Waterfront was for everyone.
And to the people of this great city,
thank you and congratulations.
[ Applause ]
You know, Washington has never been afraid to be bold.
We created the iconic Space Needle.
We built the world's largest floating bridge, the 520.
We carved, at the time,
the longest tunnel right below us.
And now we've opened the Waterfront
to reconnect our city to the horizon.
And like the Space Needle, I agree it will become
Seattle's icon, with its views, with its activities,
with every opportunity for us to congregate here.
It's not just a piece of infrastructure.
It is not just a road.
It's proof of what's possible
when we lead with vision and determination.
We didn't just remove some concrete.
We uncovered a horizon,
a horizon of water and mountains and endless possibility
from those who brought us to this day.
And we made sure that every possibility we would take.
That is the city we are.
That is the state we are.
Congratulations, all. [ Horn blares ]
And let's celebrate My three minutes are up.
[ Laughter, applause ]
-Good job. -Ah, that was perfect.
-And can we have a hand for whoever's in charge of that?
They're keeping us on schedule. Fantastic.
Governor, they say hindsight is 20/20.
We are so grateful your foresight was 20/20, as well.
Talk about somebody having a vision also.
Joy Shigaki, the president and CEO
of Friends of Waterfront Park.
You know, Joy is a proud fourth-generation Seattleite.
She's also a national leader
in shaping major civic projects in public spaces.
Since 2022, she's led Friends of Waterfront Park,
the nonprofit's steward, ensuring the park remains
welcoming, safe, and vibrant for generations to come.
Now, among her career accomplishments --
leading campaigns for the Presidio Tunnel Tops
in San Francisco,
also the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City,
and here in Seattle, creating the first permanent home
for the Wing Luke Museum.
Joy brings deep roots and a lifelong commitment to equity
and making Waterfront Park
a true gathering place for everyone.
Please welcome Joy Shigaki.
[ Cheers and applause ] -Thank you.
-Good morning. -Good morning.
We stand today on the traditional lands and waters
of the Coast Salish peoples who have cared for the shoreline
since time immemorial and whose presence continues to guide us.
And we will continue to do that extraordinary work.
I want to thank Mayor Harrell,
Angela Brady of the Office of --
[ Horn blares ] Exactly.
Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects
and Sound Transit, Marshall Foster and our partners
with Seattle Center,
our tribal chairman with the Suquamish and the Muckleshoot,
and every community member
who believed in a vision that was audacious
as this extraordinary Waterfront Park project.
Today, we mark a milestone in a decades-long vision --
some of you have been on this project
for nearly 15 to 20 years --
that transformed what was a beloved viaduct
that took us north and south
into something that is a world-class
public space for everyone
and at a time where we need public space,
connection, culture, and community more than ever.
Friends of Waterfront Park was formed in this vision,
knowing you needed a dynamic, not-for-profit
who accompanied the strength of our public partners
with the state of Washington, King County,
the City of Seattle, and the talent of the staff
and elected officials to be able to deliver on this project
through advocacy, community engagement,
and leading a comprehensive campaign
to fund a $170-million project
for the campaign for Waterfront Park,
which we are very close, but we still need some support.
But that wouldn't have happened without partnership.
What you've heard today
is how this work happens is through deep collaboration,
trust, a little blood, sweat, and tears,
and a belief that in the end, the longer view and the vision
of a project as transformative as Waterfront Park is worth it.
That's what makes for extraordinary cities,
and that's what actually builds the DNA of a city
in a region like ours.
We're honored to serve as a nonprofit steward.
Some people have said, "What are you doing when the park opens?"
as if I was gonna lose my job.
But the truth is, the work is just beginning.
We are turning a page to mark today's party,
hopefully the one of the biggest ones in Seattle,
to welcome the community back.
How we use this space,
how we continue to welcome and engage people year round
into this extraordinary, world-class space
will be up to all of us.
It will evolve.
We will continue to grow and honor
and tell the story of this place.
And we should because we're a world-class city.
And so we're excited to be in partnership with all of you,
with the Seattle Center and the city,
with community partners and all of the dozens of organizations,
creatives, artists, businesses who are here today
who care so deeply about this place
and make this place so unique.
We are really thrilled to bring cultural programming,
community festivals, amenities, cleanliness, joy, and welcome
because public spaces need that more than ever.
And that is our obligation --
to serve every visitor who comes.
And then the millions of visitors who come to Seattle
and say, "Something's extraordinary about this town,
and I'm gonna keep coming back."
The work again of partnership is critical to our work.
Waterfront businesses, Downtown stakeholders,
community organizations, artists, and all of you.
Friends needs friends,
and so that is the invitation to all of you
to continue to connect with us in our work
and to be the ambassadors
of this beautiful place in our region.
I want to specifically thank the Friends Board of Directors.
If you can please stand, current and past.
Please stand, Board of Directors.
[ Applause ]
And a specific shout-out to Maggie Walker,
who's maybe gained maybe one white hair or two
through this arc of this work.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Audacious civic leadership takes all of us working together
and even through the tough times as sometimes
a passive-aggressive city.
But that's what we needed to get here.
To our many friends, donors, and supporters
who have supported the campaign
for Waterfront Park to this point,
we have raised $165 million because we care about the city.
If you can stand or raise your hand,
unless you don't want to be recognized.
I understand.
To realize this public space,
and we would not be standing here at this stage,
but we are inviting you to help us close this gap
at the end of this month, to get to the $170 million.
And to the Friends of Waterfront Park staff,
will you please raise your hands?
With the pink shirts. [ Cheers and applause ]
They are an extraordinary team.
I am so proud to be your colleagues,
to be working with all of you,
to bring this party for 50,000 to 60,000 people today,
but every day to make sure
we center local community and culture in this place.
You are extraordinary.
I'm so honored to be working alongside of you.
And I want to give a shout-out
to our amazing grand opening season sponsors.
You have helped bring this moment,
this historic moment of this big party today,
and making sure we extended a warm welcome
to everyone coming down here.
So I'd like to thank the Gates Foundation,
Amazon, Microsoft, the Port of Seattle,
KIRO 7, KEXP,
The Seattle Times, and Converge Media.
[ Applause ]
Special thanks to the Allen Family Philanthropies
and 4Culture for their further
sustaining programming support this year.
I'd also like to thank some of our key city project partners
who have helped bring this park and vision to reality
and have supported this grand opening year of sponsors,
Jacobs, Field Operations, Hoffman, and WSP.
[ Applause ]
And lastly, I'd like to thank the incredible sponsors
who have made today's grand opening celebration possible
and some who have activations
throughout this 20-acre party today.
So be sure to check out their booths,
chat with them, thank them,
because this is the generosity of spirit of this place.
Our top pier sponsors -- Starbucks, AF Gilmore,
Pier 54, and Delta,
our park anchor sponsors Alaska Airlines,
Holland America, Martin Smith Inc., and WeWork,
and our beacon builder sponsors Norwegian Cruise Line.
-This park -- -[ Applause ]
-Thank you.
[ Applause continues ]
This park is now yours.
All of ours.
It's a place of joy, of rest,
of reconnection and connection to nature and one another.
Our goal is to create the kind of magic every day
that makes people say, meet me at Waterfront Park.
Let's celebrate today and every day.
Thank you and enjoy the party.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-For those of you who have
heard Joy's enthusiasm in speaking
about Waterfront Park for the last several years,
you've heard her say, or use the words audacity
and audacious a lot,
and I just want to bring it to everyone's attention.
She even used that in trying to get people excited
about public restrooms, and she delivered.
It's a miracle.
Next up we have Angela Brady, director of
the Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects, & Sound Transit.
Angela has been with the City of Seattle for over 20 years,
the last 13 with the Office of the Waterfront.
She's the executive directly responsible
for overseeing the design and construction
of the Waterfront Seattle program.
She's led a large team of city staff
across multiple departments,
collaborating with consultants and interagency partners.
And they have successfully delivered
what we're celebrating today, Angela Brady.
[ Applause ]
-Oh, wow. Oh my gosh.
Okay. Um.
It is an incredible honor to stand here today
to celebrate the completed 20 acres of our new
and gorgeous Seattle Waterfront.
Not only have we created
beautiful gathering spaces and parks,
we've built an all new top-of-the-line
multi-modal transportation system
to include replacement of all the underground utilities.
I know it's not so sexy to talk about,
but there's been a lot of work
that's happened out here over the years.
And this 15 year transformation
who have witnessed has been an enormous undertaking
with so many challenges overcome to get here.
You've heard a few of those today,
and it warms my heart to be leading the charge
in closing out this successful program.
You've heard some thank yous.
I have a long list of thank yous, so buckle up.
[ Laughter ]
Thank you all so much.
On behalf of the Office of the Waterfront,
I want to thank Seattleites who have been at the table
sharing their ideas for this monumental transformation
of our Waterfront from the very beginning.
The businesses and the neighbors along Alaskan Way
who have been very patient, understanding,
and wonderful to work with
despite withstanding 15 full years, you guys, of construction
at your front doors.
And I see you back there, Bob Donegan.
He's been a champion of this program for a very long time.
Thank you.
The design team at New York City-based
landscape architecture firm, Field Operations, Jim Corner,
sitting here in front of us.
Thank you for their vision.
They developed the vision for this transformation
of Seattle's Waterfront in partnership with the city.
The people of Seattle,
through a deep community engagement process
and many civic and community leaders over the years,
we talked about the original
Central Waterfront Executive Committee members
for their unwavering leadership, stewardship,
and support of the Waterfront Seattle program.
Maggie Walker and the late, great Mayor Charlie Royer,
who were co-chairs and leaders of the Executive Committee.
Maggie has been an incredible leader
and has stuck with us over all these years.
She's such a force. Thank you so much.
I'm going to -- I want to say a few names
of some of the other members of that original, the OG,
as we call them, the Central Waterfront Executive Committee.
Jerry Johnson, I see you here.
John Nesholm, Patrick Gordon, Mark Reddington,
Carol Binder, Bob Davidson, David Freiboth, and Ed Madero.
Thank you so much.
[ Applause ]
Thank you to every person
who has contributed their skills to the creation
of Waterfront Park,
to the people who have spent countless hours planning,
designing, engineering, permitting,
financing, and constructing this beautiful new park
to the artists who developed unique artworks
that reflect the environmental
and cultural aspects of our Waterfront.
Your commitment to the Waterfront Seattle program
has made it possible for Seattle,
and visitors from near and far to enjoy it today,
and well into the future.
Thank you to the funding partners,
including City of Seattle Departments,
Washington State Department of Transportation,
the Port of Seattle,
Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium,
the Waterfront Local Improvement District Ratepayers,
King County, and all the philanthropic donors organized
by Friends of Waterfront Park.
Thank you to the many design and construction
management consultant firms and all of our contractors,
construction workers. and laborers,
without whom none of this could be possible.
[ Applause ]
And of course, my entire team at the Office of Waterfront,
both former and current team members,
many of whom are here today to help celebrate.
You will forever hold a special place in my heart
and I am tremendously proud of you and the Waterfront
we spent 15 years creating for Seattle.
I cannot name everyone
who played important roles on this program,
or I'd literally be up here all day long.
Needless to say,
it's taken a small village of incredible partnerships
to get this done.
And lastly, I'd like to ask Marshall Foster and Joy Shigaki
to join me up here.
The work of my city Office of the Waterfront team
is pretty much complete, and we are happy
to hand over the keys to Waterfront Park
to their more than capable teams.
But thank you, Marshall. This guy.
Come up here, Marshall. I want you to come up here.
[ Cheers and applause ]
This guy has been with this program from day one
since 2010, when it began.
He's put his blood, his sweat, his tears into this moment.
You are the best, best partner anyone could ever ask for here.
Let's see. What else do I need to say?
I'm going to thank Marshall
and his entire Seattle Center Waterfront Park team
for taking care of this beautiful park
by ensuring it's well maintained and safe.
-Woo!
-Great job, you guys.
Thank you, Joy and the entire Friends of Waterfront Park
for activating and ensuring this space feels inviting to all.
You've done an incredible job to date,
including the many cultural and artistic events on both piers
and on the promenade.
I'm confident the park will continue to be a welcoming place
for community to come together and make lasting memories.
Thanks again, everybody.
This will be a place locals and visitors
will be able to enjoy for generations to come.
I hope you're able to stick around,
enjoy all the festivities
spanning the park today until 9 p.m.
Oh my gosh. Okay.
Excellent. [ Clapping ]
[ Applause ]
Come over this way.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Hard work, vision, collaboration for decades.
But maybe the biggest accomplishment.
We're on schedule today, folks.
How about that? So now the moment
we have been waiting for the Waterfront Park
grand opening celebration all day long.
We're going to have performances, family activities,
food, community gatherings, all of that.
And today, together, we mark this historic
new chapter for Seattle at Waterfront Park.
So I'd like to invite all of the folks up on the stage
to please come in front.
And also some special guests -- Greg Nichols,
Jim Corner, Maggie Walker,
Steve Metruck, and Julie Meredith.
If you could please come to the front here
and we will have our official ribbon cutting.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
Down here?
-It's the blue tape we're going to cut.
After all the red tape that you folks worked through.
So thank you so much.
[ Lively chatter ]
-Keep going down.
-Are we ready?
-No, wait. We're not ready. We gotta milk this moment.
We gotta milk it a little bit.
-Should we wait for the foghorn again?
I don't know if it's going to come.
-The audience is going to count us down, okay?
We're going to say three, two, one. Ready?
We're not ready. Not ready.
[ Lively chatter ]
-Slack, give him some slack.
-Okay, audience, you're gonna do
three, two, one. Are you ready?
Go!
-Three, two, one!
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Congratulations, Seattle.
Have a wonderful, wonderful day.