Do we need another Pro Parks Levy? (and other park issues)

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As the P-I reminds us this morning, the Pro Parks Levy is about to expire, and the mayor and council disagree on whether to ask us if we want a new one. What did Pro Parks do, you ask? Here’s the city map of the West Seattle parks projects the money’s gone toward, for starters:

The clickable version of that map, and the list of specific projects, can be found here. It’s all unfolded over the 8-year life of the levy, passed by Seattle voters in 2000, and some of the West Seattle projects aren’t done yet — Junction Plaza, Myrtle Reservoir, Ercolini Park, and Morgan Junction, which incidentally has a public meeting this Wednesday for comment on this final schematic design:

Back to Pro Parks in general: Are these all the parks we need, or is there more to be done, meriting a new Pro Parks Levy? Some councilmembers say yes; the mayor says no, focusing instead on proposals to bolster Pike Place Market and Seattle Center; public meetings on both are coming up shortly, including two West Seattle gatherings (Seattle Center, this Thursday @ Youngstown Arts Center; Pike Place, 3/18 at West Seattle Library). The council’s Parks Committee is chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who is quoted in the P-I as saying:

“We really have to gauge what the public wants and what they would be willing to accept.”

Sounds to us like that means, speak up now. The council’s contact info is here; the mayor’s contact info is here. (Last side note, uncovered as we researched links for this post — remember the meetings last year working toward a Strategic Action Plan for the Parks Department? Another round of meetings is coming up in April and May, including half a dozen in West Seattle, all listed here and also added to the WSB Events page.)

LA in the Junction March 10, 2008 (10:41 am)

I’d love to see more updates and activity for the parks that are already in the pipeline. For example, what is UP with the Junction Plaza park? There were public meetings back in 2006 (which are on the pro park website), but no udpdate, or visible activity, since then. The Ercolini Park project was started after that, and construction there is well underway. What’s the story with Junction Plaza? Inquiring minds want to know.

denny March 10, 2008 (11:02 am)

If there is a propark levy for capital, I hope there is $ set aside for real improvements to existing parks. Installing turf on soccer/baseball fields (high point, delridge, riverview, other?) are a onetime major expense that is cheaper maintenance in the long run.
Also, it would be great to have money for the building of a skatepark, not just the siting of it.
I love these little pocket parks for our chi, but we also need good spaces for our kids to develop healthy, active lifestyles.

WSB March 10, 2008 (12:28 pm)

We’ll be updating JP soon. It just got a different project manager; I had put a call in to the previous one and finally found out it was somebody else (though the webpage didn’t reflect that as of when I looked very early this morning)

KT March 10, 2008 (3:57 pm)

I second the statement by “LA in the Junction”. How many of these peojects are done and how many remain empty lots with a sign saying what is coming some undertermined day. I won’t vote for another levy until the ones I see around me such as California & Dakota and Alaska and 42nd are really done and no longer an eyesore.

jiggers March 10, 2008 (4:21 pm)

Where is the money going to come from? We don’t need more needless spending. Everyone wants this, that, a new bball arena, a new Husky stadium geeezuz stop the insanity. No wonder why we can’t get potholes fixed or street lights replaced.

chas redmond March 10, 2008 (9:19 pm)

The money would come from a levy we vote to either extend or a new levy we vote on. There’s three forces at work here – A) Seattle Center and its redesign committee, who want money – public money since it’s a public facility; B) Pike Place Market (Inc. or whatever it is) who the Mayor wants to fund improvements with a public tax, I’d support this but I don’t support the plans the Market committee has come up with – it displaces lots of smaller vendors; and C) Pro Parks Levy II or whatever we call it – Green Legacy is a coalition which has been working this.

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