Levy committee: Highland Park spray park; land deals; Camp Long

Followup to our first report yesterday about the proposal to convert the Highland Park wading pool into a “spray park” with Parks and Green Spaces Levy dollars: As expected, we have more information – including budget concerns – after covering last night’s meeting of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee (which has three West Seattle members), and two other West Seattle headlines emerged from the meeting too – including an update on the Camp Long project (for which a public meeting has just been set August 19) — along with information on how the levy’s Opportunity Fund will work – read on for details:

First, those other headlines: As part of the levy’s Acquisition Fund, the Parks Department is working on two open-space acquisitions in West Seattle. Manager Kevin Stoops, briefing the committee, described a 3/4-acre acquisition in the Me-Kwa-Mooks Natural Area vicinity as complete, though another parks manager working on the deal, Chip Nevins, tells WSB today it’s not quite ready to announce. They’re also in negotiations for more Duwamish Head Greenbelt space near Admiral Way, which Nevins says “would add to the already large section of protected property” in that area.

Second, Stoops says the Camp Long Lodge renovation project – including a kitchen upgrade (as first reported here in April) – is now in the “design stage,” with project team members “actively engaged in design,” which he says will likely continue through fall, with the project going out to bid early next year. (A public meeting to discuss the $1 million project has just been set for 5:30 pm August 19.)

Now, the wading pool/spray park project. As reported here, Parks staffers are recommending that “spray parks” be built at Highland Park and Northacres, which top the list of possiblities after sorting for various criteria (explained here).

Stoops delivered this briefing to the Oversight Committee as well and described both proposals as “horribly underfunded” – $200,000 each for starters, while he says popular spray parks with creative features (like one in Vancouver, B.C.) typically have cost at least three times that, and a city project in Georgetown cost $400,000. “How much did the one in Ballard cost?” he was asked, with Stoops replying that the Ballard Commons Park “spray feature” actually was meant to be an artistic fountain – since repurposed by local families as a place to play in the water. “So is art cheaper?” he was asked.

Committee members asked where additional money might come from; Stoops said grants could be a possibility, but they wouldn’t start talking about cost and funding “until we get into design,” at which time he said the projects would be brought back to the committee for discussion. Committee member Dennis Canty suggested it would be better to deal with the cost issue “up front” rather than getting too deeply locked into a certain design that couldn’t help but cost more.

Stoops was asked for more clarification on why the largest, most popular pools (such as Lincoln Park) weren’t considered for the “spray park” features. His explanation: The standing-water wading pools are popular with the smallest children, while the spray features appeal to slightly older ones.

One concern aside from the cost, first raised by Morgan Junction’s Cindi Barker: “Have you talked to these communities” (where the spray parks are proposed)?

“Not yet,” replied Stoops.

Committee member Don Harper said he’s “concerned the community will be shocked.”

“But Parks is going to start their community (notification/discussion) process now,” pointed out Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point.

In the end, the vote was unanimous (except for Harper’s abstention) in favor of giving Parks the green light to proceed with planning “spray parks” for Highland Park and Northacres. There are no details at this point — particularly given the potential funding issue — regarding how extensive HP might be, but Stoops did reiterate that it would be built on the current “footprint” of the existing wading pool (Northacres is apparently going to be undergoing an extensive renovation project anyway).

One other topic of discussion that will be of interest to neighborhood groups in particular: The timeline for applications to take advantage of the $15 million Opportunity Fund, a key part of the levy that will make money available for neighborhood-based proposals. There was a considerable amount of discussion last night regarding making sure that neighborhoods would get significant notice about the timeline and process. Some specifics may yet be worked out but in general: The criteria for the proposals will be adopted before the holidays, likely at the Oversight Committee’s late November meeting. The publicity blitz will start in January, applications would be accepted in spring, and the committee would do site tours next June, with public hearings and “prioritization” by next July, and optimally a list of proposals to go to the City Council for approval by the end of 2010, with planning, design, and acquisition to start in early 2011.

The Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee meets the fourth Monday of the month at parks HQ downtown to talk about projects being funded with money from the levy approved by Seattle voters last November; find agendas and other info here.

1 Reply to "Levy committee: Highland Park spray park; land deals; Camp Long"

  • DM July 28, 2009 (4:33 pm)

    I helped organize a neighborhood picnic and kickball game at Highland Park Play-field last weekend right next to that empty pool.
    The park had a bunch of kids just hanging around on a really hot day with very little to do.
    It was hot and dry and we invited them to join us, not that we had much say in the matter.
    They were really good kids, very smart and inquisitive but just bored stiff.
    The boys helped up set up our site and juggled with us and played ball, but the girls were to shy and just watched from a distance.
    Several were going away to a salvation army camp the next day but in the mean time they were just hanging around the neighbored and needed some distraction and interaction with others.
    I also saw several moms bring their toddlers to the park to just walk in the grass (and probably to get out of the hot house)
    There was also a latino family having a picnic, and I asked if I could give each of their kids a rubber ducky toy (from a big bag-full I had left over from a photo shoot).
    Unable to speak english, they were a little suspicious at first, but the kids explained it to them and everybody got one and was happy.
    Our neighborhood is unique, with a huge population of Vietnamese, Hispanic, Pacific Islanders, North Africans, and many more.
    We have tried to get there groups together, with little success.
    Now imagine an attraction that draws everybody with kids, laughing and playing together in the wading pool and the spray.
    WE NEED THIS!

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