Metro Parks Tacoma is inviting neighbors and fans of McKinley Park to a grand-reopening party this Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

The park has been a mainstay of the neighborhood for more than a century and recently got a shot in the arm with $1.7 million in bond improvement funds.

Projects included a sidewalk promenade, a new plaza and restrooms and skateboard features. The district had to remove some of the park's older trees, but planted nearly 100 new ones.

Here's more on the park features, from Anne Winters at the Park District:

Friends of McKinley Park, led by neighbors Patrick O'Neil and Darryl Scroggins, were a key group in that important early design work. During that process, residents identified safety improvements and preservation of the park's naturalized areas among their highest priorities.

To enhance safety by increasing visibility and accessibility of the park’s walkway, the community selected the design plan which included raising the sidewalk to create a street grade promenade. This work required significant regrading work and removal of some of the park's mature trees. Several of them had been previously identified by our urban forester on a watch list as needing replacement. Nearly 90 specimen trees were replanted as part of the of the improvement project, providing future generations with a rich biodiversity of healthy trees to enjoy. The vast naturalized area of the park remains forested and was untouched by the work done in the formal area of the park.

The promenade includes a small new plaza and restroom facilities located near the expanded playground, creating really nice gathering spaces for the community, overlooking the Tacoma Dome and downtown.

Sunday's event will include live music from the Joe Baque Trio, community booths and facepainting for the kids. The park is at 907 Upper Park St.

The Puyallup Tribe won't participate in policy discussions organized by the newly formed Pierce County River Revitalization Task Force, tribal officials said in a letter Thursday.

The task force of one citizen and three city council members -- one each from Sumner, Orting and Puyallup -- invited tribal officials to participate in a policy summit July 8 to discuss flooding issues throughout Pierce County.

But tribal officials wrote the group June 4 and said they don't want to undermine the work of the Lower Puyallup River Executive Task Force by taking part in the new task force.

The letter also criticized the Pierce County River Revitalization Task Force's apparent focus on sediment removal -- or dredging -- as a solution to flooding problems.

"While dredging may, arguably, provide for a short term temporary solution in select areas, as we have discussed in the larger task force, dredging will not provide a long term solution due to the sediment loads naturally occurring within the watershed," wrote Puyallup Tribe Vice Chairman Henry John.

John also asked the group to stop what it's doing, saying the presence of too many flooding task forces in Pierce County could deter federal funding for solutions.

"The Tribe would like to ask the 'Revitalization Task Force' to reconsider attempting to forge ahead alone on a short sighted path that may limit the chance that a true comprehensive solution be reached," John wrote. "The Tribe is concerned that the true solution can never be realistically reached without federal funding support, and such support will not be forthcoming if we are divided among ourselves."

Puyallup officials are still considering a November ballot measure that would ask citizens how they want to elect their city council members in the future.

The Puyallup City Council is moving forward with a proposed ballot item asking whether city council members should represent certain geographic districts of town, or be elected by all Puyallup residents and and represent the entire city.

The council now consists of six members elected by three distinct council districts, and one at-large member who is elected citywide. The proposed ballot measure would make all seven council positions at-large.

Council members directed staff Tuesday to prepare a resolution to put the at-large measure on the ballot. Council members will still have to approve the resolution at an upcoming meeting for it for it to move forward.

Officials must submit the ballot measure to the Pierce County Auditor's Office by August 11 for it to make appear on the ballot Nov. 3.

Also in Puyallup news Tuesday, Standard and Poor's Rating Agency upgraded the city's credit rating from A+ to AA-.

City officials said the rating reflects their efforts to maintain a reserve fund of 12 percent and save money throughout 2008.

The result: the city will get lower interest rates on future councilmatic bonds, saving taxpayer money, City Manager Gary McLean said.