By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Seattle Parks has a long list of West Seattle projects in various stages.

That was the takeaway from a Parks deputy director’s appearance at the Southwest District Council‘s first post-summer-hiatus meeting Wednesday night.

Kim Baldwin from Parks’ planning staff spoke to SWDC with a variety of updates, many from the list of current projects that’s on the department’s website.

We’ve linked each project mention to our most recent coverage of that project or the facility’s webssite:

Landbanked sites (future parks on
West Seattle sites (Junction on 40th SW, Morgan on California SW, and 48th/Charlestown site)
*Junction, construction starting “toward the end of next year”
*Morgan, same (contaminated soil has to be removed first). In Q&A, its potential inclusion of an off-leash area was mentioned.
*48th/Charlestown (currently seeking a name)

None will have a restroom. This was a topic of much discussion among SWDC attendees. Cost is a factor, acknowledged Baldwin.

Comfort station projects
57th/Alki rebuild
Lincoln Park beach

Community center projects
Hiawatha Community Center “stabilization” including a variety of maintenance issues (a play area project is in design – it’ll be moved out from under the trees)
High Point Play Area – complete
Puget Ridge Playground – under construction, will be done by year’s end
EC Hughes Playground – under construction
Lincoln Park South Play Area – in design, work to start fall 2020
Fairmount Playground, south area – play equipment renovation

Shoreline improvements
Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook seawall – Parks is working with Army Corps of Engineers; construction is expected to start late this year
Lowman Beach seawall – expected to go out to bid early next year

ADA accessibility improvements
Alki Beach (as reported here last Sunday)
Delridge CC and Southwest TLC just finished projects
West Seattle Stadium has work coming up

Pools
Southwest Pool recently complete

Off-Leash Area
Westcrest Park drainage work ahead (as reported here recently)

Nothing new regarding golf courses’ future, only that “the mayor is looking into it” (in the wake of this report).

More Q&A: What are the criteria for judging where/how urban villages need more open space? asked SWDC’s Cindi Barker. She was pointed to the point person for that area, Susanne Rockwell.

DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS: Reminder that Your Voice, Your Choice voting is under way (here’s our report).

UPCOMING CANDIDATE FORUMS/DEBATES: Rik Keller from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce said they’re hosting a City Council forum/debate at 5:30 pm October 17th. That’s in addition to at least four other events that other groups are presenting. Next one is Saturday night (September 14th), presented by the D1 Community Network.

MEETING HUBS: Barker talked about the cost and difficulty of getting translation and is working on a document about places where that could be centralized. She also mentioned that the Neighborhood Communication Hubs – which she represents on SWDC – are going to meet with international visitors about resilient community building. Meantime, they’ve met twice with Public Health about handling health care in catastrophes – some of the local providers are participating – and this could leadd to a template for more communities to come up with plans.

The Southwest District Council meets most months on the first Wednesday, 6:30 pm, at the Senior Center/Sisson Building in The Junction.