Councilman John Koster participated in the unveiling of the monument dedicated to Gary Cease at the new Lake Stevens Community Park on April 17^th, 2010.  Formerly an old homestead and timber site, the park was purchased from Roesler Timber Company in 1996 with the assistance of the Lake Stevens Junior Athletic Association (LSJJA).  Funding included park mitigation fees collected in the Lake Stevens area, Real Estate Excise Tax revenues allocated by the County Council and a grant from the State of Washington Recreation Conservation office.  The park is located at the intersection of 16^th Street NE and Machias Road and it is surrounded by stands of timber and encompasses a gorgeous cleared area including ball fields and a playground.  Lighting is currently installed on one baseball field.  Future plans include adding lighting to the other fields.

The Baseball Field complex was dedicated to Lake Stevens Coach Gary Cease, who lost his battle with cancer on November 11, 2008.  Gary's name is synonymous with most sporting programs in Lake Stevens over the past two decades.  His involvement includes coaching little league, football, baseball and wrestling.  While he served as President of the LSJJA, Gary made sure no child was left out because of financial burdens, personally paying for their league fees or getting them waived.  He is quoted as saying "One win is success in a kid's eyes and that's all I wanted each kid to see.  After that, it was up to the child to dream and succeed in life.  Once he gets that one win, I've done my job as a Little League Coach."  Gary Cease's legacy of commitment to kids will live on in the lives of those he helped during his life.