(WSB photo, Lincoln Park South Play Area shortly after July 2017 closure)
After years of delays – six years, in one case – construction is finally on the horizon for two West Seattle playground projects, Lincoln Park South and Westcrest Park. Bundled together, as Seattle Parks said last year would be done, they are now open for bidding. The previous play equipment at Lincoln Park South was closed in July 2017 because of safety concerns from termite damage; at the time, Parks said it might take until the following year (2018) to get it replaced. A community-engagement process in 2017-2018 settled on a marine theme for the replacement. But over the ensuing years, the timeline has just kept sliding, with no clear explanation.
(WSB photo, Westcrest Park play area shortly after May 2021 closure)
Meantime, the Westcrest Park play area was closed two years ago, with similar “deterioration” concerns cited. Parks first said it would be replaced as part of the work at Westcrest Off-Leash Area, but last year decided instead to bundle it with the Lincoln Park project. The bid documents aren’t yet available online, but the schedule says bidding opened yesterday and will continue for three weeks. Typically, the construction schedule isn’t set until a contractor is chosen, so we don’t know yet how soon the work will start, nor whether the two will be built simultaneously or sequentially. The city website says the Lincoln Park project is budgeted at $600,000, but doesn’t list a dollar amount for Westcrest; both projects will be funded by the Seattle Park District.
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