By Jonathan Stumpf
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

About thirty people attended the Parks Levy open house at West Seattle Golf Course tonight. This function was the second of four events the city Parks and Recreation Department is hosting to explain what’s planned for the voter-approved levy money, and listen to concerns and ideas.

Tonight’s 20-minute presentation was followed by a 45-minute question-and-answer session, during which residents voiced concerns about myriad issues within the $146 million, 53-project, six-year levy, from maintenance issues to environmental concerns.

Two managers from Parks’ Planning and Development department ran the meeting: P & D deputy director Michael Shiosaki led the presentation and was joined by P & D director Kevin Stoops (right forefront in above photo) in the open forum that started with a topic also discussed at tonight’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting (WSB coverage here): What is going on with the Delridge Skatepark plan?

Stoops said they are looking into shifting money that was once targeted for a Myrtle Reservoir skate spot, but various stages are ahead before that wins approval. First, community buy-in, which Stoops said will start with next Monday’s Skatepark Advisory Committee. After that would come a meeting with the 16-member citizens’ oversight committee for the levy; City Council approval would then be required. That could all still happen before year’s end, said Stoops, explaining, “We are trying to move as fast as we can and are seriously looking at transferring the money.”

As for the Myrtle Reservoir park site itself, one attendee asked how long before park construction will begin, saying the site currently “looks trashy.” We reported in March that the project schedule was “on hold” because of utility problems; Parks managers said tonight, it could be a year or more before the park construction there will start. (Myrtle, it should be noted, is a project involving money from the last parks levy, not the one approved last year.)

In a big-picture look at the 2008 levy plan, Parks volunteer Tess Morgan told the Parks staffers that although she voted for the levy, she doesn’t feel support from the Parks Department being reciprocated with the spending plans. “My feeling is that we are neglecting what we already have,” Morgan said, referring to the plan to spend $6.6 million — in the environment category — for restoration of forests and streams, while much more money will go toward new projects. “This short-term gain will not address our long-term loss,” Morgan said.

Shiosaki said it was difficult to decide where to put the money, but he thinks the department found a good balance between adding new projects and maintaining current green spaces. “It was a balancing act,” said Shiosaki, “and it will be spent across the city of Seattle.”

More information about the Parks Levy and upcoming public meetings is available here.