PORT TOWNSEND – As the Steve Corra Memorial Fund Committee surpasses the halfway mark in its $60,000 fundraising goal, mini-amphitheater seating overlooking Haller Fountain takes shape.

The construction is a major step in an improvement project inspired by Corra, the city of Port Townsend’s former parks director who died in January 2006 from mantle cell lymphoma.

He worked to improve city parks for 24 years and envisioned a community plaza around the fountain that would make it more attractive to the public.

As of Tuesday, $30,540 had been raised toward the park project.

Schweizer Construction Company workers on Monday delivered and laid the concrete bench foundations cut into the hillside at the base of the Haller stairway, which connects uptown and downtown.

The company donated the labor and materials in support of the park improvements, said Mary Heather Ames, the city of Port Townsend civil engineer who supervises the project.

Going in this week is two-tiered seating for about 20 people.

Another semicircle of concrete bench seating at the base of the stairs will come next.

That will seat about 10 more people, said Ames.

The ground-level benches will extend to new rectangular planter boxes fronting Washington Street, she said.

“The benches will have a sandstone Ashler pattern to cover them,” said Ames.

“It will have a cap for sitting on.”

Paver bricks will later be installed in a pattern around the fountain.

The bricks will cover the mud-prone area around the 100-year-old fountain that contains a bronze statue of Galatea.

Paver bricks will extend in place of two crosswalks across Washington Street to Taylor Street, which is also getting city streetscape improvements.

Work on curb bulb-outs began Tuesday, with Centerline Construction workers cutting out the asphalt at the two west corners of Water and Taylor.

Centerline crew were expected to begin cutting into the concrete sidewalks today.

“I really hope it accomplishes making it a friendlier place with pedestrians, and in strengthening the connection between downtown and uptown,” said Ames of the overall streetscape project along Taylor between Water and Washington streets, which leads to the fountain park.

The stretch of Taylor is home to the historic Rose Theatre, and is the block used as the main staging ground for the annual Port Townsend film festival.

The city in December installed catch basins to improve drainage at the corner of Taylor and Water streets, where the curb bulb-outs will be installed.

While work on Taylor begins, a volunteer party is scheduled on Feb. 24 to undertake “grunt work” along the hillside of the park above the fountain.

At least 50 volunteers are expected to chip in to pull invasive ivy and berry bramble suckers and clear the way for new landscaping.

Others who want to help are asked to phone Ames at 360-344-4616.