WEST SEATTLE 4TH OF JULY: Playfield-protection plan

| Holidays | Safety | West Seattle news

Again this year, Seattle Parks plans to keep lights on at some playfields on July 3rd-4th to keep fireworks users away. Here’s the announcement:

Seattle Parks and Recreation will turn on field lighting on ballfields throughout the city on the evening of Wednesday, July 3 and Thursday, July 4 to protect the surfaces. The ballfield lights will be turned on at approximately 8:30 p.m. and most will be turned off at either 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., depending on the field.

The lights will be turned on to discourage the use of fireworks. Fireworks are illegal in the city of Seattle and will destroy the artificial turf on the fields or surrounding facilities. The approximate replacement cost for the synthetic surface based on per average full-size field (110,000 square feet) is $1.2 million. All the fields have been renovated in the past several years and benefit field users including players of soccer, football, baseball, Ultimate Frisbee and lacrosse.

The fields will be monitored by security from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

You can see the full citywide list here; four city-owned West Seattle fields are involved, and all will be “lights on” until 11 pm those nights:

Delridge Playfield, 4458 Delridge Way SW
Hiawatha Playfield, 2700 California Ave. SW
Walt Hundley Playfield, 6920 34th Avenue SW
West Seattle Stadium, 4432 35th Ave. SW

Calires June 25, 2019 (1:26 am)

Why are they turning off the lights at 10 or 11 p.m.? That’s the prime war zone time each year. (Well, actually, it usually sounds like the movie Blackhawk Down until 1-2 a.m. all over West Seattle.)

Alyca Amerson June 25, 2019 (7:21 am)

I agree. I’m a block from the Delridge community center and I’d say 11-12 is probably the peak and things generally continue for a few hours after that. They really really really need to stick an officer in a police car with lights flashing in the community center parking lot. The big grassy area is absolutely inundated with fireworks shooting all night. I work at Harborview and I’ve gotta say I’m not feeling a whole lot of compassion on July 5 when I’m bleary-eyed at work taking care of people with fireworks injuries.

Bubbasaurus June 25, 2019 (8:34 am)

I guess I’m an old curmudgeon here, but aren’t fireworks illegal in the City of Seattle? How about actually enforcing the law, especially in the cases where they’re lighting fireworks in a location that can do damage or they’re being reckless? Just typical in Seattle these days about law enforcement, just ignore what you don’t feel like enforcing.

Joan June 25, 2019 (8:37 am)

“Fireworks are illegal in Seattle.” Does anyone else know that?I’m sure police have their hands full on that night, but how is it that we can hear firecrackers all night, all over? It should be illegal to SELL the loudest ones. Maybe it is, but somehow they get into the hands of our neighbors. I dread every Fourth and the days before and after. The ear-blasting booms start well before and continue for the next week. Some sound like wartime bombs. Is that really “fun”?

anonyme June 26, 2019 (7:46 am)

What should be a nice holiday has become the most dreaded day of the year for many West Seattleites, to the point where many just leave town to avoid it. West Seattle becomes a war zone, with bombs going off for hours and hours, rattling walls and windows, terrorizing vets, pets, older people – and many others. Burning rockets fill the air, falling on rooftops and yards and showering streets and gardens with fine, toxic, carcinogenic dust that fills the air we breathe and is then absorbed into the soil. Police have confirmed that there are many amateur ‘bomb’ makers who are combining multiple fireworks to create bigger explosions. We are already in a state of severe drought, with a high danger of fire. Nor is this a few kids setting off firecrackers as SPD spokesman Mark Jamieson would insultingly like to characterize it. It’s widespread, dangerous criminal activity and THE LAW NEEDS TO BE ENFORCED. If even a few tickets were written for large amounts, if even a few patrol cars drove around and gave at least a warning, this would stop. But there’s nothing. Nothing. I wonder if a federal agency would be interested, as our local officials have no interest in doing their jobs? We are talking about bombs, after all….Meanwhile, I urge everyone to call the Community Policing Team at 206-233-2623, or Officer Plemel at 206-233-1549 and strongly encourage them to enforce the law. It may not work, but without pressure from the public nothing will ever change.

anonyme June 27, 2019 (3:58 pm)

I found this on the ATF website, which gives me hope that maybe ATF can help us, as out elected (not for damn long if I have my way) officials refuse to enforce the law:”Illegal explosives associated with the fireworks season are inherently dangerous because of their composition and unpredictability. Homemade explosives can pose a particular risk for injury because the people making them often lack knowledge and experience in manufacturing fireworks. Most law enforcement agencies consider devices such as M-80s, M-100s, quarter sticks, cherry bombs, silver salutes, etc., to be illegal because they exceed the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) limits for consumer fireworks, in addition to being banned by many States.

These devices meet no safety standards and often have a coating of dangerous explosive dust. Friction, heat, or being bumped can cause these devices to detonate. The U.S. Department of Transportation has classed these items as “forbidden explosives” because they have not been submitted for appropriate testing and evaluation.
Some indicators that a device may be an illegal explosive are:

It resembles a roll of coins with a fuse.
It consists of a cardboard tube or oddly shaped item wrapped in brown paper and filled with an explosive material.
It is red, silver, or brown in color
It may be 1 to 6 inches long and up to an inch or more in diameter.
It is sold on the street or out of the back of someone’s vehicle.

Each year ATF investigates explosives accidents involving the manufacture of illegal explosives devices such as these. These accidents often involve serious injury or death and extensive damage to property. ATF asks that the public report the manufacture or sale of illegal fireworks or explosive devices to local law enforcement or by calling the toll-free ATF hotline at 1-888-ATF-BOMB (1-888-283-2662).”

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