FOLLOWUP: Checking in on three West Seattle park projects

We asked Seattle Parks about three local projects this week, and here’s what we heard back:

RE-BIDDING ON HIAWATHA TURF: This week, the turf-replacement project for Hiawatha Playfield showed up again on the city bidding website, now open for a “re-bid.” We reported three weeks ago that the project had already been awarded and that construction was supposed to start in May, so we asked Parks what happened and whether the timeline would be affected. Spokesperson Karen O’Connor replied that the department decided to “reject all bids for the Hiawatha Playfield Synthetic Turf Replacement due to an in opportune bidding climate. We are fortunate the original bid was early enough that we will be able to rebid the project and still meet the previously communicated timeline with construction occurring this summer, starting in May.”

(WSB photo: Sign at park with an already-past construction timeline)

LINCOLN PARK SOUTH & WESTCREST PLAY AREAS: While on the topic of bidding, we asked about the status of these two long-delayed projects, which at last report were supposed to go out to bid – bundled together – in “early 2023” (which, with the first quarter ending today, is inarguably over). Lincoln Park South, you’ll recall, has been closed for almost six years; Westcrest has been closed for almost two years. O’Connor’s reply on those: “We are on track to bid this spring and anticipate we will be in construction by this summer. We know this has taken time and are happy to say we are on track with this bidding schedule.”

Juan March 31, 2023 (1:42 pm)

Is there any update on the construction that stopped at the Camp Long
entrance on SW Brandon St? Silly me thought that when the signs stated
construction would start in May and finish in June, I assumed it would start and finish in 2022.

Wseattleite March 31, 2023 (1:53 pm)

Happy to be on track with what bidding schedule? Having a Parks Department has only seemed to add expense and bureaucracy to the citizens. Certainly not value.

Luke March 31, 2023 (4:20 pm)

I also found this quote ridiculous

onion March 31, 2023 (2:33 pm)

Six years and two years late for playground restoration??? Glad the Parks Dept wasn’t in charge of the bridge repairs.

Kyle March 31, 2023 (2:37 pm)

Somebody please audit the Seattle Parks Capital Projects department. There has got to be a better way to run a city department. I’m ready to vote no on future park levies given the level of incompetence here. Once again thank you to the WSB for getting these updates, which I’m sure you had to ask multiple times for as my emails go unanswered.

Charles April 1, 2023 (11:55 am)

Any update/confirmation on the Hiawatha building retrofit timeline??

Sue T. April 1, 2023 (1:41 pm)

I share the question about the Hiawatha retrofit. The building’s been sitting vacant and unusable for over three years now — and Parks has done exactly nothing to start the promised improvements that were already funded before the Covid-19 shutdown commenced in 2020.

DH April 2, 2023 (8:58 am)

I volunteer with the Parks Department and the people that work there are great. Yes, it is frustrating to have long delays on on projects. People here complaining seem to think that the inflation we are all experiencing and supply chain problems don’t effect public projects. The Rapid Ride H line was originally scheduled for 2019 and just started. Things happen to projects and they get delayed for reasons that have nothing to do with incompetence. It must be nice to be so perfect and hit all of your work deadlines and expectations. With that said, we absolutely should keep the scrutiny on these things and I appreciate the WSB asking questions.

Kyle April 2, 2023 (12:25 pm)

Naw, it’s been 6 years and they haven’t even BID the playground for Lincoln Park, and two years for Westcrest. I’m sure the on the ground folks are great, but the capital projects department screams lazy government employees. No sense of urgency is the only real reason it’s taken so long.
- WS Res April 2, 2023 (4:30 pm)
  
  “Lazy government employees” is literally the laziest possible cliché one could invoke in this situation. I imagine there are reasons that you could discover if you looked into it, possibly even reasons documented here on WSB. (The pandemic hasn’t helped at all, as everyone is still dealing with supply chain disruptions, difficulty hiring, funds diverted to meet emergency needs including sequelae of COVID.) Have you done any work to actually figure out what might be going on? If not, who are you calling “lazy”?
  - Kyle April 2, 2023 (8:12 pm)
    
    Cliche but true. At least I hope it’s that and not anything sinister. I email parks monthly for an update and they rarely respond. I have looked into it and it is disheartening how Parks treats citizens who inquire on the status of their capital projects. Please read the six years of delay documented in the link below and please tell me again how this is somehow related to supply chains. https://whereisourplayground.org/.
Wseattleite April 3, 2023 (3:46 pm)

Let’s not forget when the Parks Department acted extremely quickly! Nailing boards onto park benches so that a couples could not sit next to each other during the Covid Response. That and closing all the parking lots of the parks so people could not actually go for a walk during the shut down. Sure, they can act quickly on the most idiotic things, but they cannot seem to act with any urgency if it is related to their actual mandates.