When the Harui family sold their land on the corner of Parfitt Way and Wood Avenue to Sue Cooley, they gave with it a map of the plants and trees that spotted the property.

The founder of Bainbridge Gardens, Junkoh Harui, had planted a fenced-in garden, an orchard and several unique trees to landscape his home.

The skeleton to a peaceful and beautiful public space was already there, and the seed to what would become a public park, not far off from a Japanese garden, was planted.

“It’s for the people in the community,” said Bruce Woolever of Toilsome Construction.

“It’s something that the whole community can enjoy.”

The property — which was donated last week to the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District — was previously planned to house a condominium and hotel not unlike many of the buildings along Parfitt Way.

Resistance from the neighborhood, though, brought Cooley to action.

After neighboring residents were unsuccessful in raising enough money to purchase the land and stop the construction, Cooley decided to purchase it herself and make it one of the few public green spaces in downtown Winslow.

Over the next three years, Cooley enlisted the help of Woolever, Brig Morgan for his expertise in gardening and a myriad of other crew to bring her vision to life.

“There were no challenges because the layout was already here and she already knew what she wanted to do,” Woolever said.

Under Woolever’s direction, the Harui house came down, more plants came in, the land was manicured and planter boxes counted.

Likewise, when Cooley explained the look she wanted for the landscape, Morgan made it happen.

While the land is on to another generation of ownership, Cooley sought to commemorate Bainbridge Island’s Japanese-American heritage in the park.

The park was dubbed Red Pine Park for the Japanese tree which symbolizes patience and perseverance — two elements that have been key to creating a tranquil space.

At the gate of the park, Woolever said, a plaque will read words once spoken by Harui:

“When an individual is steadfast to a goal or dream, one might choose the word ‘gaman,’ meaning patience and perseverance. A manifestation of that spirit would be the planting of a Japanese Red Pine. We dedicate this park to that end.”

In the same spirit, last week the park was handed over to the Bainbridge parks district for the public to enjoy. It will officially open in the next month.

“The hardest thing about this is giving it away,” Woolever said. “It’s kind of like giving your kid up.

“At the same time it’s exciting to see what they do with it.”

Starting from its Torii-inspired cedar gate, the ready-made park features a gravel path that leads through an open lawn with a mixture of Japanese Red Pines and native plants to 11 raised community garden beds, an orchard, and berry beds.

Visitors can stroll through the garden or sit at one of the benches and absorb the park’s smells and colors.

It also includes state-of-the-art facilities, such as camera surveillance, lighting, all-new fencing, an outhouse and shed.

Under the donation agreement, the space will serve as a passive park.

No portion of the property will be designated as an “off-leash” dog area. Fire pits or other cooking facilities are not allowed. Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemical substances are also prohibited. And temporary or permanent play equipment is banned.

Instead the park will be used for picnicking, walking, nature viewing, dog walking and gardening.

“It’s a pretty selfless thing,” Woolever said of Cooley’s decision to donate the property.

“I think she’s probably excited to give this as a gift to the community.”

Cooley’s donation, Woolever explained, was an act to inspire others to give back to the community.

“Little quiet things — it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture,” Woolever explained. “Do something whatever it might be.”