Gene Coulon Memorial Park boat launch no longer 24-hours

Published 1:02 pm Monday, July 20, 2026

The boat launch at Gene Coulon Park now has limited access hours, to the dismay of local fishers.

As of July 5, the boat launch at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park no longer operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Instead, the city of Renton changed launch hours to match the park’s 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. schedule.

“The 24/7 access has increasingly contributed to after-hours behavior that undermines the safe, family-friendly environment the city strives to maintain,” the city said on their website.

At the July 13 Renton City Council meeting, Renton resident Michael Merrill spoke up in public comment against the change.

“I enjoy my early morning fishing trips. I see water skiers out there when the water’s like glass. That’s the time to be out there,” Merrill said. “I don’t go out there during the middle of the afternoon or during the day fishing and all the fishermen know that you need to be out there before daylight.”

Merrill said he bought a pass with the expectation of it being open 24 hours a day. Steve Jurgens, a Renton resident who claims to be an annual passholder for almost a decade, also spoke in opposition to the new hours.

“I have seen a noticeable rapid decline in the launch over the years yet little to no enforcement of rules or laws either by parks and recreation department or the city of Renton Police Department. Let’s start by enforcing the rules and laws that we already have. They are placed for a reason, yet the city has seemingly forgotten this,” Jurgens said. “A few bad apples do not spoil the bunch.”

Renton Parks and Recreation Administrator Mary Jane Van Cleave said they are looking into a security contract to open the boat launch at 4 a.m. for anglers.

“We do apologize for the inconvenience, but I will say the safety incidences were pretty significant, one of which was 50-shell casings in the boat launch, and so I needed to prioritize public safety,” Van Cleave said. “I wish we could have law enforcement or some sort of security there 24/7. It just hasn’t been possible.”

The city is also considering an automated one-way gate system so people can launch and then return at their own time. Van Cleave said they are also looking into fencing.

“The park is about 50 years old, so we do need to do some modernization and updates,” Van Cleave said.

In Lake Washington, several fish are listed as “do not eat” by the Washington State Department of Health, including Common Carp, Cutthroat Trout, Northern Pikeminnow, Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth bass, due to PCBs and PFOs in the lake. However, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Trout and Sockeye Salmon are listed as being safe to consume.