HOLIDAY WEEKEND: Seattle Parks says Alki Beach will close early for next 4 nights

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(WSB file photo)

Last week, the city announced a 9-month pilot program closing Golden Gardens, the Ballard beach park, at 10 pm, but nothing for Alki. Today – four days after a deadly shooting – an announcement that Alki will close early too, but only for the next four nights:

Seattle Parks and Recreation is implementing new temporary closing hours at Alki Beach Park (2665 Alki Ave. SW) beginning on Friday, July 2 through Monday, July 5. The park will close daily at 10:00 p.m. (instead of 11:30 p.m.) and reopen as normal at 4:30 a.m.

This temporary closing time change, authorized by SMC 18.12.040, is intended to deter illegal use of fireworks and to help mitigate illegal activity at the park during the anticipated busy holiday weekend. Alki Beach Park has experienced an increase in public safety issues, including acts of violence, excessive noise violations, illegal fires, and unpermitted events.

SPR has already implemented several strategies to try to discourage illegal behaviors at Alki Beach Park:

· Public education: To clarify and publicize beach fire rules and other park rules, we are using our website and social media resources, sandwich-board signs at the park, and most recently, two large electronic reader-boards stating that fires are allowed in authorized firepits only, and the time by which fires must be extinguished. (Reader-board messaging may change to reflect updates.)

· Enhanced staffing: Five staff are on the beach nightly. They remind park users that fires can be in firepits only and must be extinguished by 9:30 p.m.; remind park users that amplified music is prohibited; pick up litter; clean and restock restrooms.

· Reduced hours for fires: Staff extinguish beach fires by 9:30 nightly.

· SPD coordination: We stay in close communication and strategize with SPD regarding efforts to enforce laws and prevent illegal behaviors.

Alki Beach Park will continue to allow beach fires over the holiday weekend in designated fire rings. All beach fires must be extinguished by 9:30 p.m. and all visitors will be asked to leave the park by 10 p.m. Please see beach fire rules here.

Alki Beach Park daily operating hours will return to 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. effective July 6, 2021.

JTinWS July 2, 2021 (3:07 pm)

This seems like a really good idea. I’m sad that that’s the case but after the shooting this week, it seems well worth it to send everyone home early before things get out of hand again.

meliisa July 2, 2021 (3:15 pm)

Thank You.

Bob July 2, 2021 (3:22 pm)

Great Plan…thank you.

🤦‍♂️ July 2, 2021 (3:37 pm)

It’s a good idea but it hasn’t been that effective in the past. The park’s people will need to call SPD and will officers be available? I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think people will follow rules around fire pits, closing time or fireworks unless there’s an officer in the face of each scofflaw threatening arrest.

Auntie July 2, 2021 (4:55 pm)

Unfortunately, the recent tragic killing and injuries occurred after Alki was supposedly “closed.” The people who are there to cause trouble and break the law don’t care about the rules.

OnAlki July 2, 2021 (5:00 pm)

They’ll all just return later or arrive far after closing. The shooting happened at midnight after the fires were allegedly out and the beach was closed. Fireworks will continue for weeks after this and will be the usual weekdays at 2 or 3am.There needs to be a regular patrol of more than a single police cruiser on the beach. I’ve seen motorcycles doing burnouts in front of police more than once now and the officer says they can’t do anything because there’s only one patrol car.

alki_2008 July 2, 2021 (5:48 pm)

It’s great that an effort is being made, but I wouldn’t expect an earlier closing to make much of a difference. The beach closed at 11:30pm before, but there would regularly be people and fires on the beach (not in firepits) at midnight, and fireworks going off at 1am. Even on Monday night, when police were still on scene at the shooting site, there were fireworks set off around 55th. Alki Beach cannot be closed to access as easily as Golden Gardens, which has a single entry point for cars.

Boyzzzz July 2, 2021 (6:09 pm)

It’s time to bring in more law enforcement. This area is out of control and we need more police to patrol the area.

Brian July 2, 2021 (7:31 pm)

Cool idea but No thanks.

Grew up here July 2, 2021 (9:49 pm)

Good luck keeping people off the beaches in summer

Marcus July 3, 2021 (6:45 am)

This is how it starts. Posted signs and at closing dedicated parks rangers and staff can walk down the beach asking people to finish up and leave, the whole time with police cruzers up on the street with a few lights on. Gets the point across pretty darn fast. Boy am I glad this “defund the police” thing is finally over.

V July 3, 2021 (9:05 pm)

While this all sounds good, in reality “encouraging people to put out fires and leave” sounds like a whole bunch of nothing. I am fairly new to Seattle and being an even newer resident of alki beach I find the state of things completely appalling. Even if they only have a few officers they should not just encourage, but ticket every single person who is out after the park is closed or doing fires. Ticket every single open container. If Seattle pd just started doing a sweep of the beach for a few hours once every week to ticket everyone and had just one officer present as well as security cameras like Westwood village has things would sure improve. Also, how come there is no permit parking along the residential streets?? The residents can’t find a place to park and there are people hanging out in front of our homes drinking and littering, mad dogging the citizens who live here whenever they show up. Permit parking and a few police sweeps, cameras, one officer present should at least help things out if not be a complete solution to the problem.

Rhonda July 4, 2021 (1:15 am)

1) Permit parking on residential streets? Those aren’t private roads. We all pay for them, they’re open to all 24/7, and no Seattle streets have fee-free permitted parking. Even parking meters are shut off at 8pm. Requiring parking permits would penalize residents, the city wouldn’t enforce them at night, and the late-night scofflaws would park wherever they want, anyway. 2) Beach Drive never closes. People can be out at all hours on the sidewalks and bike/pedestrian path.
- Foop July 4, 2021 (8:29 am)
  
  User never said anything about free permit parking. I’d agree permit zones near alki would be good for resident, considering a general transit hole that exists there. But also, they chose beach life, there’s kind of a stigma attached to that.
- U-Park-U-Pay July 4, 2021 (3:59 pm)
  
  To be accurate, the Fauntleroy area has had permit parking on public streets for decades.
  The parking is free to the residents who pony-up the yearly permit fee.
  This was originally established to address the localized issue of ferry commuters saving ferry fees and wait times by ‘walking on’ and keeping a car park in Fauntleroy a few steps from the ferry dock.
  The remarkable result of this small fee for a yearly permit, is that nearly all the Fauntleroy residents park off street and avoid the fee.
  Late night scofflaws are not a common sight in Fauntleroy.
  Regarding the (false) blanket statement about (8PM) parking meters, Capitol Hill has established metered street parking that extends to 10PM.
  At least the parking issues discussed could all be solved by monetizing all street parking.
  You park, you pay using a digital age system like our tunnel and bridges.
  Demand sensitive pricing could be used to maintain a few open spaces per block or completely clear the streets.
  Parking enforcement meter reading/tire chalking and the associated environmental load could be eliminated.

Just wondering July 3, 2021 (9:07 pm)

How about Seattle fire boats douse the fires from the water?

Alki Resident July 4, 2021 (9:32 pm)

Seems like a plan, but as of the last year I’ve reported 5 incidents, nothings happened. Fires are put out at 9:30 and re-lit by 10:15. Parties are also happening curbside by the bathhouse nightly and at times don’t end until 4 A.M. It’s sad that there had to be a fatal shooting to finally police the area. Having a police presence during the day doesn’t detour any illegal activity at night. It simply sets a precedence of when they will no longer be patrolling. I.e. after the beach patrol puts out the fires at 11:30 and everyone relights them the second the police leave. Obviously from the incident that occurred on Monday, 30 minutes after the beach closed and the police left is when we are having issues.

Sorry, comment time is over.