Myrtle Reservoir park: See the latest plans

While reporting on the Parks Department‘s latest Myrtle Reservoir park-plan presentation before the city Design Commission last Thursday (WSB coverage here), we mentioned we would check with project manager Virginia Hassinger for electronic copies of what she and architect Jim Nakano showed, so we could share them with you. She has sent them, so we’re sharing. What you see above is the latest “schematic” (click the image to see a PDF of the full-screen version) that won the commission’s approval on Thursday, with a few comments as noted in our report. Here are two other new visuals from the presentation: the play structure, and a cross-section of the park. Seattle Public Utilities continues its work on the reservoir site (which has recently been grass-seeded); actual park construction is scheduled for next year – the city’s project page doesn’t have these new images as of this writing but probably will soon.

Bubba June 22, 2008 (3:36 pm)

Oh yea…my pup’s gonna love run’n in that park!! ;)

Thomas June 22, 2008 (9:04 pm)

Love that the dominant element is the “SPU with 12 foot SECURITY FENCE.” Wish it was even higher than twelve feet! It’s really a beautiful piece of industrial security. I think it’s a perfect replacement for the panoramic city view that should be there. Hope it comes with giant blazing floodlights!

credmond June 22, 2008 (9:49 pm)

It does seem that SPU and Parks & Rec spent more time, effort, and money on Cal Anderson. A shame, really, since Myrtle has such a commanding and sweeping viewscape. This could have been akin to or even better than the water tower at Volunteer Park.
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Oh, well. Wonder if anyone has ever asked what kinds of noises this new facility will make at night when the 35th Avenue traffic dies down and one might be able to hear pumps whirring and such? As I recall, the old facility, two towers and an exposed reservoir, was dead silent at night. Wonder what’s actually inside that new concrete fortress. It has to be more than a stairwell down into the reservoir floor area. This actually raises a whole lot of new questions.

Thomas June 22, 2008 (10:09 pm)

From the street, it doesn’t look like anything’s inside at all–all the machinery’s right there at ground level.

JanS June 22, 2008 (10:13 pm)

chas…I suppose if one is sitting at the view point and one wants to see the Olympics on a beautiful sunny day, one might just have to move a bit, huh…

SS June 22, 2008 (10:23 pm)

I really wish they would do the skate park. If we had more things for kids to go do maybe we wouldn’t have the vandalism that we are having.

Sleep Supporter June 23, 2008 (12:23 pm)

If they do eventually put in a skate park, we need to ask that it be surrounded by a lockable fence, so neighbors can sleep at night when traffic dies down.

DaveS June 23, 2008 (12:43 pm)

You can’t skateboard very well in the dark. I woudln’t worry about a skate park being loud at night. Not that it matters, it didn’t get included, which I think is a bummer. This park looks like the kind of thing that nobody will use. I hope I’m wrong.

DaveS June 23, 2008 (12:48 pm)

You’d have just as much to worry about from the open play field. Kids aren’t going to skateboard in the dark. It doesn’t matter though, it’s not getting built.

dont lockem June 23, 2008 (3:49 pm)

A skateboard park. For that huge population that will use it.

Frustrated with Parks June 24, 2008 (9:18 am)

Another victim of the notorious “Seattle Process”, a few vocal, maybe connected, NIMBYs and we have a park that is totally compromised. Another mess just like the nearby Orchard Street Ravine project that is stalled out and years behind.

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