West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
(Rendering of the infrastructure it’ll take to run the recirculating spray park)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
While nature’s own spray graced the world outside the windows of the Highland Park Improvement Club, HP’s forthcoming spray park – or “sprayground” – was the main agenda item for the HP Action Committee‘s monthly meeting Wednesday night.
It was something of a meeting within a meeting, as the first official Seattle Parks community meeting on the spray-park project – to be built at the site of the Highland Park wading pool (above), closed for almost three years – started after a short period of HPAC updates.
Project manager Kelly Goold began with an overview of how it began as a simple project with $200,000 planned from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy – whose Oversight Committee had two members on hand, chair Pete Spalding (from Pigeon Point) and member Donna Hartmann-Miller (from Maple Leaf) – until Carolyn Stauffer, now co-chair of HPAC, led a plan to seek more money from the levy’s Opportunity Fund (as first chronicled here in early 2010). The proposal won approval, and the spray park now has a $635,000 budget, which means “we’re going to be able to build a more robust spray park,” Goold explained. He says the city has applied for an additional $100,000 grant from the state’s Recreation/Conservation fund, but won’t know till early next year whether they’ll get it.
After the basic facts – it was time to talk design.Read More
That’s how Trileigh Tucker referred to them, headlining the note that included that photo:
I was delighted (Tuesday) evening to come across both of Lincoln Park’s resident Barred Owls together. Although we probably won’t be seeing owlets in the park this year, this pair is loyally mated for life and I’m sure they’ll try again next year. In the meantime, there’s lots of hunting available to keep them busy.
Thanks to Trileigh for this, and for sharing another photo of a different bird we’re saving for tomorrow!
(Looking westward over the site, from sidewalk along Delridge)
In the middle of Tuesday afternoon’s sunshine, we stopped by the Delridge Skatepark site (map) for new photos, after receiving this note Monday from Tony:
Inquiring minds that haven’t been able to have a look lately would love an update on skatepark construction. At the very least, I would. Heh.
It’s already been a month since work began. At the site, you can clearly see both bowls taking shape; the excavation is deeper to the east, closer to Delridge.
(Looking south into the easternmost bowl, from sidewalk along Genesee)
After our site visit, we asked Seattle Parks project manager Kelly Davidson for a progress report on West Seattle’s first skatepark, from her standpoint:
All of the drainage is installed and approved. The concrete benches are complete and all work from here on out will be skatepark formwork and concrete. Things are going very smoothly and Grindline is doing a great job.
I just processed a change order that incorporated weather and change days. Our ‘substantial completion’ date is now August 24th. We are hoping to be able to combine the opening event with the Delridge Day event.
As reported here in our coverage of last week’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, that is tentatively set for September 10th.
A big part of today’s Summer Streets event on Alki (coverage coming up!) was organized by the Alki Community Council. While you’re at the beach, you can find out more about what ACC says is your last chance to be part of Statue of Liberty Plaza:
The sun is setting on the Alki Community Council Brick & Plaque Sale. Orders have been placed for an additional 154 engraved bricks and 2 bronze Tribute Plaques. Seattle Parks & Recreation will be installing these by late May or early June. Donations from this portion of the sale totaled $20,410. The ACC is allowed to retain a small fiscal sponsor fee and is responsible for paying for the engraving of the bricks and casting of the plaques. The remaining amount will be turned over to Seattle Parks & Recreation, to be placed in a dedicated maintenance fund for the future upkeep of the Alki Statue of Liberty and the surrounding plaza. Last year, $35,566.22 was transferred to Parks for this fund.
An additional 22 bricks have been sold for installation this fall. This means that less than 30 bricks and only 2 plaques are available. When these are sold, the sale will be concluded. Be sure and stop by the ACC table at today’s Summer Streets event. Order forms for the remaining bricks and plaques will be available. The Council would like to thank those who have supported this effort over the years.
David & Eilene Hutchinson
ACC Brick & Plaque Sales
We’re not putting these under the Crime Watch label because there’s no proof either person was a criminal or intending to commit a crime. But the two people who sent these reports felt concerned enough to want to share them – a man who approached a child in Lincoln Park last night, and a man who turned up in a stranger’s back yard – read on:Read More
(WSB file photo of Hiawatha’s wading pool)
One brilliantly sunny day like today, and it’s hard not to think ahead to the heart of summer. We just checked the Seattle Parks wading-pools page to see if this year’s pool schedule is out – and yes, it is. The pools don’t open for another month, but in case you’re outlining summer plans, here’s the schedule (PDF). It looks a lot like last year – Lincoln Park remains the only West Seattle wading pool that will be open 7 days a week; Delridge will be open Thursdays-Fridays-Saturdays, EC Hughes will be open Wednesdays-Thursdays-Fridays, and Hiawatha will be open Mondays-Tuesdays-Wednesdays. Highland Park remains closed, with spray-park construction planned for next year (the community meeting for that project is coming up one week from tonight). As for West Seattle’s other city-run outdoor swimming facility: Colman Pool opens May 28th (for the first of 3 pre-season weekends), and its schedule is available now too.
(2009 WSB photo of Highland Park’s wading pool, which hasn’t been open since 2008)
Almost two years after the plan to convert Highland Park’s wading pool to a spray park first surfaced, it’s getting closer to construction: A public meeting has just been announced for May 25th. The Parks and Green Spaces Levy allotted the bare minimum to convert the pool, $200,000; then Carolyn Stauffer, now co-chair of Highland Park Action Committee, put together a plan to pitch for more money from the levy’s Opportunity Fund, and an additional $580,000 has been finalized. Now, it’s time to talk about what features the spray park – planned for the pool’s current “footprint” – will include. The meeting is set for 7:15 pm May 25th at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden).
West Seattle’s only city-owned outdoor swimming facility, Colman Pool, is getting ready for its short, sweet summer season, opening on Memorial Day weekend as usual. But first, Seattle Parks has a project that will affect people who use the park, particularly along its waterfront walking/running/bicycling trail. According to Parks’ Garrett Farrell, a large vault will be installed to “hold backwash water from the sand filters” (remember, Colman Pool uses filtered Puget Sound water). Since the contractor has to bring in equipment (including a crane) as well as the vault – in pieces – while hauling out dirt from the hole they need to dig, “park users should expect a lot of traffic on the path between Fauntleroy and the pool.” Farrell says this all starts Monday, north of the pool (the path on the building’s east side will be blocked, as will access to the outdoor women’s restroom) and will be done before the pool’s scheduled opening on May 28th (here’s the brochure with this year’s full schedule).
The mayor, the acting parks superintendent, and a skateboarding star shared the podium at City Hall this morning, as the Rob Dyrdek Foundation‘s donation to the forthcoming Roxhill Park Skatespot was formally announced. Our video shows the entirety of today’s 10-minute announcement. As noted in our preview from yesterday, construction on the skatespot is planned for next spring. Dyrdek is in town for a show at KeyArena this weekend – as he explained at the announcement, some of the features from the skateboarding setup made for the show will be saved and used in the Roxhill construction.
The sun came out late this morning just in time for the Myrtle Reservoir Park dedication! Above, the ribbon was cut by an all-ages group – with acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams looking on from background/left, and the scissor-wielders including, at right, Terry Holme from the Seattle Parks Board, Pete Spalding (who chairs the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee – a different levy, Pro Parks, funded Myrtle), and Cindi Barker from the Morgan Community Association. Music was courtesy of the Jacob Lakatua Quartet – check the park’s city-skyline view in their background:
They’ll be playing tomorrow night at 8 at Locöl, a little ways south on 35th, not far from new Fire Station 37 (which itself was dedicated just last December), which sent Engine 37 to the event:
The park actually opened last October. Its creation was made possible when the once-open-air Myrtle Reservoir was covered, also includes a playground and viewpoint with interpretive features – the reservoir is near the highest spot in Seattle, 520 feet above sea level, so markers in the park point out Seattle’s other highest hills.
Can the new synthetic turf at Walt Hundley Playfield, next to High Point Community Center, be marked for youth soccer as well as adult soccer? That was one question brought up tonight at Southwest Library, during Seattle Parks‘ only scheduled community meeting for the $1 million Parks and Green Spaces Levy project (though this field wasn’t originally on the levy list, its new turf will be paid for with savings from four others – including Delridge – that were). Project manager Ted Holden said it would cost $28,000 more to set up the field for youth soccer; West Seattle Soccer Club reps were there and said their demand is growing, so they need all the field space they can get. (That led to a side discussion about field-scheduling issues; Parks reps said that would have to be discussed separately.) Otherwise, there wasn’t much controversy – no lighting issues, as existing lighting will be kept; along with soccer interests, there was some advocacy for lacrosse as well. When someone asked about baseball, Holden said that’s not feasible, since the field is too small, and there are two grass/dirt lots nearby already. Construction is expected to start sometime this summer and be done by fall; though this was the only scheduled meeting, your comments are still welcomed by e-mail and phone – you can reach project manager Holden at 206-684-7021 or ted.holden@seattle.gov.
In West Seattle’s Westwood neighborhood, the Parks and Green Spaces Levy is already paying for a new P-Patch – but there’s also the potential for a new park somewhere in the area. This Saturday at 1 pm, the Westwood Neighborhood Council invites you to Southwest Community Center to talk about that possibility. The levy passed by voters in 2008 includes money for acquiring new park land in “underserved neighborhoods” – and Westwood is one of the neighborhoods identified as “underserved.” Parks’ Chip Nevins will be there – not just to talk, but to listen – so if you have an idea about what might make a good park, and/or where, be there on Saturday.
(High Point Community Center video by Tracy Record for WSB)
All five of West Seattle’s city-owned community centers planned egg hunts this morning, as usual – and so far, we have coverage from three of them. Top video, the tweens hitting the field at High Point Community Center – took them less than three minutes to round up the eggs, despite the relatively small size of the group (other age groups went after eggs at different spots around the site – including the playground and the tennis court). Meantime, hundreds lined up outside Hiawatha Community Center in the Admiral District:
(Hiawatha Community Center photos by Jason Grotelueschen for WSB)
And .. off they went!
Yes, Mr./Ms. Bunny was on hand at Hiawatha too – with photo ops galore:
While over at Alki for a non-Easter story, we spotted some Alki Community Center egg hunters at Whale Tail:
(Photo by Patrick Sand for WSB)
Aside from a teen hunt tonight, that’s it for the big egg hunts – but some local churches are offering them for kids in conjunction with Easter Sunday services; check the WSB West Seattle Easter page for the list.
Some people are so excited about Delridge Skatepark, they are watching every little detail as construction begins – so if that’s you, here’s the latest. We published a photo Monday showing the fencing that had just gone up at the site – then came word that construction equipment had arrived – and today, that equipment is digging in, so you can say the official “groundbreaking” has occurred (no ceremony was planned). Some skateboarding advocates had fretted that West Seattle would never get a skatepark, since the original proposal drew opposition 3+ years ago when it was proposed for Myrtle Reservoir Park – which finally opened last fall and will be dedicated a week from Saturday – but a new site search followed, and North Delridge welcomed it with open arms. The skatepark should be complete and open in late summer.
(Fence photo added 12:55 pm)
With a few speed bumps along the way, it’s a day some wondered if they’d ever see – but it’s truly almost here. No formal groundbreaking ceremony is planned, but Delridge Skatepark construction is about to begin. Stu Hennessey from Alki Bike and Board just shared the news that the fence is up. (We’re heading out for a photo.) We had checked a few days ago with Seattle Parks project manager Kelly Davidson, who told us that since the official “notice to proceed” kicked in last week, preparations were in motion – including “utility locates,” as well as an on-site meeting with Parks’ arborist. “It just takes a few steps before they really start tearing things up out there,” Davidson told us. The park will be built by West Seattle-based Grindline, the skatepark specialists who also designed it:
Their winning bid was $483,000. Construction is expected to last about four months, with the skatepark opening in late summer.
Two days after the City Council finalized $1 million for synthetic turf at High Point’s Walt Hundley Playfield, the date’s been announced for a community meeting: April 27, 6:30 pm, Southwest Library (35th/Henderson). The project now has its own webpage, too.
Seven months after the High Point playfield was named in honor of the late Walt Hundley, the first African-American Seattle Parks Superintendent, something else new is officially on the way: Synthetic turf. As reported here back in December, the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee (currently chaired by West Seattleite Pete Spalding) decided to allot $1 million for the project. That allocation won final City Council approval this afternoon. We’ll be checking with Parks on the project timetable.
(Photo shared December 2010 by Andy Silber)
Just got the announcement from Seattle Parks – the dedication ceremony for Myrtle Reservoir Park is now set for 10:30 am Saturday, April 30th – that will be five months to the day since it actually opened to the public. From the official flyer:
• Enjoy great jazz music by Jacob Lakatua Quartet
• ‘Ooh and ahh’ as Capoeira Malês demonstrates an amazing acrobatic capoeira performance at 11:30. Spectators will have a chance to learn some of the basic movements and sequences of this exciting Afro-Brazilian art form that incorporates martial arts, dance and music together in a fun and accessible manner!
• Create at the arts and crafts table sponsored by the ARC Summer Day Camp program from High Point and Delridge Community Centers.
(Photos courtesy Stu Hennessey)
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Thanks to a group of Puget Ridge neighbors, the historically agricultural parcel of land at 5265 18th Ave SW [map] will retain its agricultural status and become urban farmland in West Seattle.
Stu Hennessey, owner of Alki Bike and Board, is part of a community group that has been working toward the preservation of this site to turn it into a publicly owned permaculture farm, to be known as Puget Ridge Edible Park (PREP). They applied for, and were recommended to be granted, a $520,000 share of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund (here’s our coverage, with video, of project supporters making their case last October).
He says, “We thought it would be cool to have a P-Patch or garden” for fresh produce in their neighborhood.
Alki Community Council‘s volunteer work party at Statue of Liberty Plaza, featured in this morning’s preview, is now a case of “mission accomplished,” reports David Hutchinson (who also shared the photo):
The Alki Community Council wants to thank the dedicated volunteers who came this morning to the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. The Council sponsored this event to assist Seattle Parks & Recreation in replanting the landscaped areas surrounding the Plaza. Fortunately, the rain held off and, working under the direction of Parks Senior Gardener Phil Renfrow, the planting was completed by 10 am. Parks will be adding mulch in the next few weeks. The new plants were purchased with money from the Parks-administered maintenance fund, created with the proceeds from the ongoing ACC sale of engraved bricks and bronze plaques.
The plaza itself came to life thanks to a lot of volunteer power 2 1/2 years ago!
We’re at the monthly Highland Park Action Committee meeting, where local residents have just received an update about the West Seattle Reservoir-covering park project. Virginia Hassinger from Seattle Parks says construction will not start this year. Hassinger notes that the park’s design-development detail isn’t even fully finalized yet. And when asked about the possible P-Patch/community garden on the park site, Hassinger explained that’s not currently funded – the neighborhood would have to get together and seek funding, for example, to make it happen.
But one of the reasons it’s taking a while has a silver lining – Hassinger says some city changes since the inception of the project mean the nearby neighborhood will get some long-requested sidewalk work: The south side of SW Cloverdale between 8th and 9th will get a 6-foot concrete sidewalk, says SDOT‘s Douglas Cox, explaining that the estimated cost of nearly $100,000 (for 275 feet of sidewalk) will be funded by some Bridging the Gap money (the park project itself is being paid for out of Parks and Green Spaces Levy money). Attendees are saying there are still a few other improvements desperately needed for traffic/pedestrian safety in the area, and they’re being urged to fight for that by contacting city leaders. More from the meeting, coming up later. One more P.S. HPAC’s Dan Mullins brought up some pothole problems in the area, and Cox reminded everyone they can call 206-684-ROAD, or report them online here.
“We’re 8 for 8!” was the cheery declaration at 7:22 pm last night, as, for the eighth consecutive equinox-or-solstice-sunset-viewing event at West Seattle’s Solstice Park (uphill from the Lincoln Park tennis courts and P-Patch), the sun failed to appear . That didn’t faze Alice Enevoldsen (photo center, just past blue scarf), an official NASA Solar System Ambassador, jovially checking the time till the first (technical) sunset of spring, while explaining equinoxes/solstices to the crowd (with the help of a young assistant):
Sun or no sun, Alice hopes to be back at Solstice Park for summer solstice in three months, toting the daughter she’s expecting in a few weeks; the solstice/equinox crowds just keep getting bigger – we counted more than 50 people this time! Long after the actual moment the sun set somewhere behind all those clouds, Alice stayed, answering questions, including one about the previous night’s so-called “supermoon.” No, it wasn’t really that big a deal, she explained, it was only a little closer that night than on previous nights (that was a relief to the people who asked the question, since apparently they hadn’t been able to join the “supermoon”-gazers the night before).
(If you missed the “supermoon,” by the way, here’s a video that WSB’er Coleman shared, including the subsequent moonset:)
We shared local photographers’ “supermoon” photos late Saturday night, too – see them here.
A first-of-its-kind race is coming to West Seattle in four weeks – HP3, on April 16th. We heard first word of it at a community meeting months ago; organizers have been putting it together ever since
HP3’s unique 16-mile Adventure Race crisscrosses the Delridge community and features multiple challenges that will help the Parks Department maintain and upgrade trails in West Seattle parks, including: carrying two 5-gallon buckets of gravel over a series of routes, pushing a wheelbarrow full of mulch and planting trees.
HP3 features an exclusive partnership with the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods & Parks Department, engaging community members, businesses, students and City officials in an event to raise awareness and foster action on environmental issues.
The race consists of two divisions: an Elite Division for experienced, competitive runners and an Open Division for less competitive runners interested in a relay style event. Each division is restricted to 25 teams.
Here’s more about what the race entails; here’s where to sign up.
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