As the P-I reminds us this morning, the Pro Parks Levy is about to expire, and the mayor and council disagree on whether to ask us if we want a new one. What did Pro Parks do, you ask? Here’s the city map of the West Seattle parks projects the money’s gone toward, for starters:

The clickable version of that map, and the list of specific projects, can be found here. It’s all unfolded over the 8-year life of the levy, passed by Seattle voters in 2000, and some of the West Seattle projects aren’t done yet — Junction Plaza, Myrtle Reservoir, Ercolini Park, and Morgan Junction, which incidentally has a public meeting this Wednesday for comment on this final schematic design:

Back to Pro Parks in general: Are these all the parks we need, or is there more to be done, meriting a new Pro Parks Levy? Some councilmembers say yes; the mayor says no, focusing instead on proposals to bolster Pike Place Market and Seattle Center; public meetings on both are coming up shortly, including two West Seattle gatherings (Seattle Center, this Thursday @ Youngstown Arts Center; Pike Place, 3/18 at West Seattle Library). The council’s Parks Committee is chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who is quoted in the P-I as saying:
“We really have to gauge what the public wants and what they would be willing to accept.”
Sounds to us like that means, speak up now. The council’s contact info is here; the mayor’s contact info is here. (Last side note, uncovered as we researched links for this post — remember the meetings last year working toward a Strategic Action Plan for the Parks Department? Another round of meetings is coming up in April and May, including half a dozen in West Seattle, all listed here and also added to the WSB Events page.)
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