West Seattle Blog…

West Seattle community centers’ winter brochure available online

It might be the most fun-packed publication in West Seattle – the quarterly combined brochure for Alki, Delridge, Hiawatha, and High Point Community Centers, Southwest Teen Life Center, and Southwest Pool. And Seattle Parks says the brand-new one, for winter quarter, is now available online – browse it here, and if you’re interested in events/classes/etc. requiring pre-registration, get ready to sign up starting at noon next Tuesday (December 3rd)!

Not just for recreation: Seattle Parks facilities offer help to teens in crisis

Five of our area’s city-run community center, Teen Life Center, and pool facilities now have a new alter-ego: Safe Place for teens in crisis. This announcement from the city explains:

Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities are the first City of Seattle agencies to become part of the Safe Place network in King County. As of November 1, the start of Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month, 37 Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities, are a Safe Place where youth ages 12-17 can ask for help when in crisis. These facilities include Seattle Parks and Recreation’s 26 community centers, eight indoor pools and three teen life centers.

“We are excited to be part of the Safe Place program. This program is in line with our mission to provide safe, welcoming places for the public,” said Christopher Williams, Seattle Parks and Recreation Acting Superintendent. “Being a Safe Place expands our ability to help youth in our centers.”

Community center doors now bear the distinctive yellow decal that signals to young people that they can find help and safety inside. Facility staff have been trained in the protocol to follow when a young person asks for help: offer the young person a safe and quiet place to wait and rest, and call the Safe Place hotline to notify the Safe Place coordinator of the situation. Within 45 minutes, a Safe Place coordinator will arrive to assess the teen’s needs, helping them either return home or go to a youth shelter, as appropriate.

Click to read the rest of Not just for recreation: Seattle Parks facilities offer help to teens in crisis…

Update: West Seattle man found dead at Jack Block Park

9:37 AM: Port of Seattle Police are investigating the discovery of a body on the beach at Jack Block Park early today, and while they investigate, officers told us there, the port-owned park is off-limits to the public. Seattle Fire responded to the scene around 4:30 am and spokesperson Kyle Moore says the body that washed up was that of a man, possibly in his 20s. No other details so far.

10:58 AM: WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli reports from Jack Block that the park has reopened and police are no longer there.

12:09 PM: Our partners at The Seattle Times quote port police as saying there were no obvious signs of foul play. No ID yet – that’s likely at least a day away.

11 PM: The Times quotes the Medical Examiner’s Office as identifying the man as 22-year-old Levin Van Le, who is shown in public records with a Highland Park address.

What should next Seattle Parks ballot measure ask you to pay for?

Seattle Parks has just announced the new list of priorities recommended by the Citizens Advisory Committee that’s looking at a possible parks-funding ballot measure for next year. The Parks and Green Spaces Levy approved by voters in 2008 is expiring, so a ballot measure potentially would pick up where it leaves off. The proposed list – split into three parts – can be seen here; note that the top of the list is maintenance, which was not part of the PGS levy plan. You can give your thoughts in person at a public hearing next Thursday, November 7, at Miller Community Center on Capitol Hill (330 19th Ave. E.), signups at 5, hearing at 6, or e-mail your comments to parkslegacy@seattle.gov.

Happening now: First-ever West Seattle Wedding Showcase

The doors are open at Dakota Place Park‘s historic building and local vendors are set up for the first West Seattle Wedding Showcase, on until 4 pm today. Admission’s free – check out the building, the park, and local sources for everything from your cake to your flowers. Just north of The Junction, at California/Dakota.

How will you be asked to be taxed for Seattle Parks, and what the $ would fund: Park development? Off-leash law enforcers?

The Parks and Green Spaces Levy approved by Seattle voters in 2008 is expiring, and that’s a major reason why the Parks Department has been working on a “Legacy Plan” including what to ask voters for next. The Legacy Plan Citizens’ Advisory Committee meets downtown tonight, and the agenda includes a briefing on potential options that could eventually wind up as part of your property-tax bill, as well as a look at proposals for how to spend the money.

First: The briefing suggests possible temporary or permanent levy-lid lifts, bonds, or creating a permanent Metropolitan Parks District – like Tacoma has – that would have its own property-taxing authority. From the city website, here are the slides for tonight’s briefing:

Seattle Parks presentation for possible voter-approved funding

If you can’t see the slides in that window, you can see the PDF version here. The committee is working toward a December deadline for making recommendations to the City Council and Mayor. Tonight they also will look at the long list of “Investment Initiatives” – what might be funded with whatever money is raised by the next voter-approved measure.

Items of potential West Seattle interest from the 37-proposal list include:

#14, $1.4 million to develop parks at sites where the city has bought or is buying the land – including three in West Seattle. Explanation excerpt:

Thanks to the support of the people of Seattle, voters approved the Parks and Green Spaces Levy in 2008. Included in the Levy were funds for new park acquisition. However, there were not funds in the 2008 Levy to develop the newly purchased properties into parks or to maintain them. Fourteen neighborhood park sites have been acquired with 2008 Levy funds but are land-banked – held in their current condition. The land-banked sites are throughout the City, many in some of the densest neighborhoods, experiencing the greatest population growth. The sites need to be developed to become true assets to their neighborhoods, and to keep faith with the voters who supported their acquisition as park land.

(The three in West Seattle would be 48th/Charlestown, the 40th SW site in The Junction, and the site north of Morgan Junction Park.)

#26, which would include funding 2 new park rangers and 2 animal-control officers:

The most frequent complaints Parks receives from our park users are about dogs off leash. Additional support from dedicated Animal Control officers is also needed to respond to dog off-leash issues in our parks. Park Rangers and Animal Control officers would work outside the downtown parks with special focus on random patrols of parks where there have been complaints of dogs off leash or where there is observed ongoing damage to turf, trails or natural areas by dogs off leash. Park Rangers and Animal Control officers would work in cooperation to provide education and solicit compliance of the leash law.

There is a public-comment period at tonight’s meeting, which is at 6 pm at Parks HQ downtown (100 Dexter Ave. N.).

You can help: Revegetate Schmitz Park at ground level

(That’s Schmitz Park in the center of pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen‘s 2012 image)
From above, it’s an oasis of unbroken lush green. At ground level, parts of Schmitz Preserve Park need help – and that means you. Shared by Seattle Parks:

Seattle Parks and Recreation is undertaking a project to revegetate damaged areas in the Schmitz Preserve stream corridor. Activities will include planting native plants, erosion control and fencing off redundant foot trails that crisscross Schmitz Creek. The project will help conserve one of Seattle’s rare old-growth forests while supporting the overall environmental stewardship goals of the urban forest system. Schmitz Preserve Park is located in West Seattle at 5551 SW Admiral Way.

Friends of Schmitz Preserve, a group of dedicated community members, are key partners in this preservation and restoration project in the park.

Click to read the rest of You can help: Revegetate Schmitz Park at ground level…

Getting married? 1st West Seattle Wedding Showcase coming up

Getting married? Want your celebration to be full of local flavor? Put a ring around your calendar for Sunday, October 13th, 1-4 pm, when the first-ever West Seattle Wedding Showcase is set for Dakota Place Park north of The Junction (California/Dakota). Free event, which, says Seattle Parks‘ Tiffani Melake, “is featuring all West Seattle vendors; will have door prizes; and is the perfect opportunity to find all your wedding/special-event vendors.” Read on for the vendor list:

Click to read the rest of Getting married? 1st West Seattle Wedding Showcase coming up…

PARKing Day tomorrow: 4 one-day-only parks in West Seattle

Earlier this week, we mentioned West Seattle was in for at least one PARKing Day temporary mini-park during the worldwide event tomorrow (Friday, September 20), after a few years of not participating. Now, the official map is out, and West Seattle is listed as having FOUR. Use the map above to pan around and check them out. We already mentioned the one outside Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) at Westwood Village; in The Admiral District, you’ll also find a multi-faceted art exploration at Mind Unwind (2206 California SW), and in The Junction, mini-parks at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) and Equilibrium Fitness. The point of PARKing Day is to show alternate uses of streets and sidewalks, and you’ll find unique activities at all the stops – 9 am-3 pm tomorrow.

Sweet way to help Camp Long: Dessert fundraiser Thursday

Not to look past tonight – our daily preview is scheduled within the hour – but it should be noted that Thursday is expected to have the best weather of the week, and that will make it an extra-special night to go to Camp Long for this year’s dessert fundraiser! The Camp Long Advisory Council asked us to remind you about their big event, 7-9 pm tomorrow (September 19th), with a dessert auction and live music by Miles and Karina. $10/person, and you can bring the kid(s) – for $5 each, they can participate in a naturalist program on-site while you relax in the lodge. More info on the official flyer; it’s a benefit for environmental education and the CL challenge course.

PARKing Day this Friday: Watch for one at Westwood Village

For the first time in 3 years, West Seattle will have at least one “park for a day” on PARKing Day, which is coming up this Friday. We’ve confirmed that one will be set up in front of Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) at Westwood Village. There also had been plans for one in The Junction, but West Seattle Bike Connections had to cancel it for lack of volunteer power. Anybody else planning one? We’re awaiting the official citywide map, which will be linked here sometime soon.

West Seattle weekend scene: Sundodger meet @ Lincoln Park

Thanks to Karen for sharing photos from today’s Sundodger Invitational cross-country meet, which brought hundreds of runners from more than two dozen high schools and colleges (none from West Seattle) to Lincoln Park. These photos are from the high-school-varsity girls’ 5,000-meter race, in which Karen was cheering for niece Rachelle Kline of Auburn-Mountainview HS (in blue):

Team and individual results are here.

Followup: Friends of Morgan Junction Park tackle ‘triangle’

Following up on a volunteer cleanup we previewed here before the weekend, Barry White from Friends of Morgan Junction Park shares this report and photos:

20 volunteers from Peace Lutheran Church joined Friends of Morgan Junction Park to complete the first phase of a restoration to the triangle park next to Thriftway in the Morgan Junction. In a little under three hours, the group weeded and cleared brush to open the interior of the park and applied three cubic yards of mulch.

The second phase of restoration will include new plantings to be installed next spring. Friends of Morgan Junction Parks wishes to thank the wonderful volunteers for their enthusiasm and hard work today.

Keep up to date on Friends of MJP’s activities via the group’s Facebook page, here.

First-ever local walkathon for Parkinson’s coming to Lincoln Park

Since our most-recent list of fundraising walk/runs coming up in West Seattle, we’ve found out about another one: The American Parkinson Disease Association is having its first-ever Walk For Optimism at Lincoln Park on Saturday, September 28th, with an 11 am start. As explained in the announcement:

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurological movement disorder that is both chronic and progressive, and we are still seeking a cure. Approximately 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s to date. The APDA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. We are the largest grassroots network serving the Parkinson’s community, and the only organization that funds both research and patient support. Funds raised from the Optimism Walk will benefit Parkinson’s disease research, education, and patient support both here in Seattle and across the nation.

More information, and a link to sign up for the Walk for Optimism, can be found here.

Highland Park Spraypark closed Wednesday for work

Just in from Seattle Parks:

The Highland Park Spraypark will be closed on Wednesday for the contractor (Vortex) to replace faulty filter valves and install a new control electrical board.  The park will reopen on Thursday at 11:00 am.

P.S. If you want to go to a wading pool instead, please note that Lincoln Park is the only one open for the remaining almost-two-weeks of summer (here’s the citywide schedule).

Want to create a mini-park for PARK(ing) Day? Time to apply

(West Seattle’s last PARKing Day mini-park, 2010)
5:04 PM: PARK(ing) Day is coming up on Friday, September 20th, and applications to participate are now available. Started in San Francisco back in 2005, it’s now an annual worldwide event where on-street parking spots are turned into temporary mini-parks, just for one day, to promote sustainability and more-livable cities. West Seattle hasn’t had a mini-park since 2010, so if you’re interested in being the next to host a park, apply ASAP – you’ll need to get your application in by August 30th (one week from this Friday).

It’s free to apply; you will have to submit your proposal to the Seattle Department of Transportation to show that it meets safety guidelines. Go here for more info, including application criteria, frequently asked questions, and photos of past years’ parks around the city.

6:51 PM: Just found out at the Sustainable West Seattle community picnic (separate report to come) that at least one application is in for a West Seattle PARKing Day park – Kathy Dunn from West Seattle Bike Connections mentioned that she is working on one for an area in front of Mashiko and Husky Deli in The Junction.

48th/Charlestown park purchase gets council committee OK

(May WSB photo of 48th/Charlestown site)
The Seattle City Council’s Parks and Neighborhoods Committee, chaired by Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, has just OK’d the plan for the city to buy the greenspace at 48th/Charlestown with money including part of the second round of spending from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy‘s Opportunity Fund. We first reported the proposal back in May; here’s the project list that went to the committee today, with a full-council vote next. No final price tags are attached, but $400,000 was mentioned for this site back in May, and Parks staffers told councilmembers today that matching funds will be available to help with final purchase prices for this and other Opportunity Fund acquisitions.

Pump problems close Colman Pool for the day

Just announced by Seattle Parks – no swimming today at West Seattle’s only city-run outdoor pool:

A pump failure at Colman Pool has resulted in closure today. A repair company is on site and working on correcting the problem.

The pump that takes water from the filters and returns it to the pool has stopped working. The repair requires replacement of key parts and detailed realignment of the unit. This is expected to take the whole day and the pool should reopen for programs on Tuesday.

The pool, which marked its 70th anniversary two years ago, had a bout of pump trouble earlier this summer, too.

Man revived by SFD, in hospital after bike fall at Lincoln Park

In case you wondered about the Seattle Fire Department response at Lincoln Park early this morning: A 75-year-old man is hospitalized in critical condition this morning after falling off his bicycle. Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore says witnesses saw the man fall on the path near Colman Pool around quarter past 6 and called 911, then: “When firefighters arrived, the man was unconscious, not breathing, and did not have a pulse. We immediately used a defibrillator and performed 1 hour of CPR on the man. We were able to get his heart beating again and have him breathing on his own.” Moore says the call was handled by Engines 32 and 37 as well as Medic 10, which took the man to a hospital downtown. No word on whether the fall was the result of a sudden health problem or something else.

Southwest Pool closed until tomorrow; city cites ‘contamination’

West Seattle’s only city-run indoor pool, Southwest Pool, is closed until tomorrow morning, says Seattle Parks, which just sent this announcement:

Seattle Parks and Recreation has closed Southwest Pool, 2801 SW Thistle St., for the rest of the day because of contamination that could not be contained. In compliance with State of Washington health regulations, Parks is taking these routine steps to ensure the pool water is clean and safe for public use:

· Elevating chlorine levels
· Disinfecting all pool surfaces
· Using the pool’s ultraviolet disinfectant system as a supplemental effort

Parks and Recreation apologizes for the inconvenience to pool users and will reopen the pool at 7 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, July 25.

We have a few followup questions out to Parks; we also asked about a report that Hiawatha wading pool was closed for a while today, and Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter tells WSB that was because of broken glass (second time in less than three weeks), which has been cleaned up, and Hiawatha’s pool reopened at 2:30 pm.

Lincoln Park wading pool closed for ‘extensive cleaning’ after illnesses reported

Seattle Parks has just announced that the Lincoln Park wading pool is closed for the rest of the day and undergoing “extensive cleaning” after a report of kids getting sick after using the pool (which also was discussed in the WSB Forums). Here’s the announcement:

Seattle Parks and Recreation has closed Lincoln Park wading pool today for extensive cleaning after a notification from Public Health – Seattle & King County that a group of children who attend day camp in the park became sick after playing in the pool.

Public Health suspects the children may have contracted norovirus, which causes diarrhea and vomiting. Norovirus is highly contagious, and is spread by getting the vomit or stool of someone who is infected in your mouth. This can happen by swimming in contaminated waters, eating foods that are contaminated, touching surfaces with the norovirus on it, or by having contact with someone who is infected.

Seattle Parks and Recreation received the call from Public Health around 11 a.m. on Friday, July 19 – after the wading pool had opened for the day.

“We immediately closed the pool,” said Aquatics Manager Kathy Whitman, “and began a thorough cleaning process with high concentrations of chlorine. We are disinfecting every possible surface.”

All of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s wading pools are chlorinated, and chemical levels are checked hourly by a trained wading pool attendant. The chemical levels in the pool on Tuesday, July 16 – the day children are suspected to have contracted the virus – were within standards set by the State Health Code.

Seattle Parks and Recreation also cleaned all the play area near the wading pool, as well as picnic tables, garbage cans and bathrooms in the area as an extra precaution. Public Health – Seattle & King County has reviewed and approved Seattle Parks and Recreation’s clean-up plan.

“We are extremely cautious when it comes to water safety,” Whitman said. “If we are aware that a wading pool has become contaminated with stool or vomit, we close the pool, clean it and re-fill it. We had no indication on Tuesday that the wading pool at Lincoln Park had any possible contamination.”

Because of the resilience of the norovirus, Seattle Parks and Recreation will keep the Lincoln Park wading pool closed today so that a thorough cleaning can take place, and will re-open it tomorrow, Saturday, July 20.

Lincoln Park is the only West Seattle-area wading pool that is open seven days a week, weather permitting. Two other wading pools in our area remain open today, EC Hughes (till 7 pm) and Delridge (till 6:45); Highland Park Spraypark is open until 8 pm. Here’s the citywide schedule.

Friday reminder: Caspar Babypants & Hiawatha Fun Fest

Even before we get to the summer’s busiest weekend – we’re reminding you that Friday brings a hot ticket: The second West Seattle concert in a week by kids-music superstar Caspar Babypants, who drew hundreds last Saturday at West Seattle Summer Fest (WSB video here). CB’s performance kicks off this year’s Hiawatha Fun Fest, noon-3 pm tomorrow (Friday, July 19th) on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center/Park (Walnut Avenue side). The concert’s free; bring money for carnival games, sno-cones, and/or hot-dog lunch.

Love Lincoln Park? Volunteer to be part of ‘Love Parks Day’

Out of the WSB inbox – Seattle Parks is hoping for a big volunteer turnout at Lincoln Park on July 26th, less than two weeks away:

Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Parks Foundation, Green Seattle Partnership, EarthCorps and six corporate sponsors, including REI, have teamed up to host Love Parks Day on Friday, July 26, at Lincoln Park. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will clean the park and remove invasive vegetation species.

The goal is to have 200 volunteers who will work with Seattle Parks and Recreation crews and Friends of Lincoln Park who have identified projects throughout this 135-acre park.

There will be incentives – read on:

Click to read the rest of Love Lincoln Park? Volunteer to be part of ‘Love Parks Day’…

Followup: Highland Park Spraypark reopening this afternoon

Just got word from Seattle Parks that the repair work is over and Highland Park Spraypark (11th/Cloverdale) will reopen at 12:30 pm today. Its regular hours are 11 am-8 pm daily; info on the city’s other kid-geared aquatic facilities (wading pools and other sprayparks) can be found here.

Highland Park Spraypark update: Closed again for repairs

Just got word from Seattle Parks that Highland Park Spraypark will not open today. They have had parts on order to fix a problem that has shut it down at least twice since its official opening a week and a half ago, and in the meantime, a “temporary solution” stopped working, so it’s closed until the parts are installed. The parts have arrived and the installers will be at the spraypark tomorrow morning; whenever they’re done, the spraypark will open, but they don’t know how long that will take. Parks spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad says the problem is a malfunctioning “electronic filter control valve (with) a leak in the pressure line.”

West Seattle wading pools: Cleanup delays Hiawatha opening

12:04 PM: Got a tip (thanks, Christine) that the Hiawatha wading pool was found to have broken glass, which is being cleaned up now, so it’s opening late. We’ll check over there in a while; please let us know if you see it open before we update its status! Here’s the citywide wading-pool schedule.

1:33 PM: Still closed when we drove by about 15 minutes ago – saw staffers still sweeping. Added a photo of the ongoing cleanup, sent by Christine (thanks again!).

3:42 PM: As of our last drive-by about 15 minutes ago, it’s open!

Highland Park Spraypark update: Problem fixed; it’s open

11:20 AM: The new Highland Park Spraypark has had a few technical glitches since opening a week ago, as we’ve been noting, and Seattle Parks just sent word there’s another today:

Highland Park Spraypark has mechanical problems with the backwash system. It cannot open until repairs are made. Tom Dunning, (project manager) Kelly Goold and Contractor are on site, but it will not open at 11:00. There is no estimate for the time.

We have updated the Wading Pool Hotline.

Of special note, people in the community brought their own brooms to help clean up the spraypad to remove fireworks garbage.

We’ll post an update when we hear (or see) that it’s fixed. Parks spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad, who sent the announcement, says, “We do expect to get it open today. We just don’t know when.”

ADDED 11:44 AM: We asked if this is related or similar to the earlier problems. Parks says no – the first-day glitch involved nearby grass-mowing just before the spraypark opened, and cut grass repeatedly clogged the system; today, it’s “an electrical problem on the automatic backwash system.”

3:26 PM UPDATE: Seattle Parks confirms a commenter’s report – it’s open!