West Seattle, Washington
09 Saturday
We’ve received a few questions about what’s up at Camp Long. As noted this same weekend last year, it’s the annual religious gathering Finding of the True Cross, according to the city Special Events Office‘s calendar. (Here are 2016 photos of the gathering by Seattle Times photojournalist Erika Schultz; here are EYM-TV video highlights from 2015.)
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
Hundreds of young cross-country runners from around the region took to the trails in the heart of Lincoln Park today for the first-ever West Seattle Rust Buster meet, presented by the West Seattle Road Runners.
9 groups of runners, from 6-and-under to 15-18, ran short courses, 800 meters to 1K, to start their season. The meet was scheduled to wrap up a little more than an hour ago with a one-mile run for parents/coaches. Among the organizers, Rebecca Ross, Raegan Powell, and Hadley Rodero:
This was the first Junior Olympics USTAF-sanctioned meet that the Road Runners hosted.
The Road Runners have sent athletes to the national championships every year since 2015. (P.S. Today’s races had girls’ groups too – we just happened to stop by when a boys’ group was running, and that’s who our photos show.)
We’ve received several questions about the temporary fencing in place at Alki, including this section between Statue of Liberty Plaza and Alki Bathhouse, so in case you were wondering too, it’s the start of a project we previewed on Labor Day – improving accessibility to various areas of the park, including installation of a ramp. As mentioned in the notice in our earlier story and on the park website, the city is under federal orders to up its compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Work is expected to continue until January.
In case you missed the weekend mention – one more reminder that most Seattle Parks facilities, including community centers and pools, will be closed tomorrow (Thursday, September 19th) for staff training.
From the Seattle Parks website:
All Seattle Parks and Recreation community centers, pools, teen life centers, and the Discovery Park and Camp Long visitor centers will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 19 for a staff training. The only programs that will be operating will be Preschool and School-Aged Care; all other programs, lessons, and activities will be canceled for the day.
Thanks to Kelly for the photo and caption! The big blue cover at Colman Pool gave a Great Blue Heron a spot to hang out tonight. While the pool wasn’t open today, it has two more post-season weekends to go – September 14-15 and 21-22.
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:
The sun shone on the opening hour of Roxhill Park‘s first World Music Festival, as performers from Kouyate Arts took the stage.
It’s a collaboration between the community volunteers of Roxhill Park Champions and Seattle Parks, which brought some activity tables:
You can learn more about the park’s famous Roxhill Bog and enjoy free food/beverages. Looks like a chance to make some music, too:
The rest of the schedule, as the festival continues until 5 pm:
2:10 PM Tabla Seattle with Chaz Hastings: spoken word to traditional tabla drums
2:50 PM Joyas Mestizas traditional dance troupe
3:20 PM Vocal performance artists Moia Bri & Sarey Savy –
4:00 PM Global Heat
You’ll find the festival right next to the playground at 29th/Barton.
(Joyas Mestizas in West Seattle Grand Parade 2016 – photo by Don Brubeck)
Weekend’s almost here and we’ll be previewing a few spotlight events – starting with the first-ever World Music Festival on Sunday afternoon at Roxhill Park! Just in from organizers:
Roxhill Park World Music Festival – Free End-of-Summer Concert
Sunday September 8, 2019
1 pm to 5 pmRoxhill Park playground – 29th Ave SW at SW Barton Street
Join friends and neighbors to enjoy the dynamic sounds of:
Kouyate Arts and Global Heat along with Joyas Mestizas dance group
Community performances
Kids’ activities: drum tent and hula hooping too!
Tony B of Rainier Avenue Radio to EmCee.FESTIVAL LINEUP:
1:00 PM Kouyate Arts
2:10 PM Tabla Seattle with Chaz Hastings: spoken word to traditional tabla drums
2:50 PM The wonderful Joyas Mestizas traditional dance troupe
3:20 PM Vocal performance artists Moia Bri & Sarey Savy –
4:00 PM Global Heat
Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on.
Sponsored by Roxhill Park Champions and Seattle Parks and Recreation
(2013 Sundodger photo courtesy Karen)
What’s usually one of the biggest events of the year at Lincoln Park will not be happening this year. The Sundodger Invitational cross-country meet usually brings hundreds of student-athletes to Lincoln Park each fall. But while doing some research for the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, we noticed it seemed to have vanished from the calendar at the University of Washington, which presents the meet. So we checked with the UW; spokesperson Michael Bruscas confirms, “This year the coaches were looking to adjust the timing of the Sundodger but there turned out to be a schedule conflict with the dates they were looking at so it just didn’t work out. But it certainly may return in future years.”
The city has just opened voting for the next round of Your Voice, Your Choice projects, proposed by community members for a share of $2 million in citywide park/street-project funds. You can vote online here, supporting up to three projects in District 1 (West Seattle/South Park). Eleven projects are on the D-1 ballot; we’ve previewed it so you can see the list before you open a ballot – each description links to more details about the project proposal:
ADMIRAL
Crossing Improvements on intersection of SW Admiral Way and 44th Ave SW
Estimated Cost: $120,000ALKI
Traffic Calming Improvements on 61st Avenue SW between SW Admiral Way and Beach Drive SW
Estimated Cost: $30,000HIGHLAND PARK
Crossing Improvements on 16th Ave SW & SW Holden St
Estimated Cost: $30,000HIGHLAND PARK
Crossing Improvements on 9th Ave SW from SW Kenyon St, SW Elmgrove St, and SW Thistle St
Estimated Cost: $120,000PUGET RIDGE
Crossing Improvements on 16th Avenue SW
Estimated Cost: $120,000SOUTH DELRIDGE
Sidewalk/Trail Improvements on SW Barton St between 21st Ave SW and SW Barton Pl
Estimated Cost: $112,700SOUTH DELRIDGE
Crossing Improvements on Olson Pl SW & SW Roxbury St
Estimated Cost: $35,000SOUTH PARK
Crossing Improvements on 700 S Cloverdale St
Estimated Cost: $90,000WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION
Crossing Improvements on Glenn Way and Oregon St
Estimated Cost: $10,000WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION
Crossing Improvements on the corner of 39th Ave SW and SW Oregon
Estimated Cost: $45,000WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION
Crossing Improvements on SW Alaska St. & 36th Ave. SW
Estimated Cost: $20,000
Voting continues through September 30th; if you want to use a paper ballot, you can get one at any Seattle Public Library branch (or print one from the city YVYC webpage).
It’s going to be a busy offseason at Alki. Seattle Parks has a variety of projects planned, according to information forwarded by David Hutchinson. He explains:
Representatives of the Alki Community Council recently met with Seattle Parks staff at the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza to discuss future maintenance plans for the site. The ACC was instrumental in the creation of a dedicated maintenance fund for the Plaza through the sale of bricks and plaques.
We asked if there were any plans in the works involving an ADA ramp in the area, as this had been mentioned in the past.
And indeed, it turns out there are.
As the flyer above indicates, work is planned near and at the Bathhouse and the 63rd SW restroom building – this is separate from the plan to replace the other freestanding restroom building at 57th SW next year. Parks told the ACC they expect work to start the week of September 16th.
(WSB file photo of Colman Pool)
The Labor Day holiday weekend marks the end of outdoor Colman Pool‘s seven-day-a-week summer season – but remember that extra postseason weekends will extend operations into late September. This year, after local swimmers pushed for a longer season, and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold got extra funding for it, the pool opened for two preseason weekends before Memorial Day, and it will be open for three postseason weekends after Labor Day: September 7-8, 14-15, and 21-22. Here’s the full schedule.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Remember the Seattle Parks survey asking what you’d like to see in city parks?
Wednesday night, when Parks Superintendent Jesús Aguirre met with HPAC, it was a sort of in-person roadshow version of that survey.
One attendee, in fact, offered the observation that the experience was a bit like a “marketing pitch.”
But Parks facilities play a big role in the area – including sprawling Westcrest Park and youth-sports hub Riverview Playfield – so the ~20 at the meeting participated wholeheartedly, including small-group breakouts.
The meeting opened with HPAC chair Gunner Scott reminding everyone that HPAC now represents the South Delridge and Riverview communities too; the meeting was held at “historic Highland Park Improvement Club,” celebrating its centennial. (It was pointed out later to Aguirre that HPIC is a privately owned community hub – the area does not have a city-operated community center.)
After introductions, Aguirre explained Parks’ pursuit of a new strategic plan meant to span 12 years. We recorded his overview:
(File photo)
When Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jesús Aguirre met with HPAC last night (full report to come), he was asked about a long upcoming closure of West Seattle’s only off-leash area, at Westcrest Park. Aguirre didn’t have details but said he’d look into it. We hadn’t heard about it either, but found some information on the Parks website, which elaborates:
There have been ongoing drainage and erosion concerns at the Westcrest OLA, since at least 2016. Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is proposing to undertake maintenance activities in and around the Westcrest Park OLA to address these problems. SPR will also be taking this opportunity to bring the north parking lot into compliance with current accessibility standards.
SPR is in the process of refining the design and acquiring the necessary permit. The revised design will solve the drainage and erosion issues while providing a better user experience for all users.
Construction will begin in the spring of 2020 and we anticipate completion by fall. Due to safety for all and the scope of the project, the north parking lot and the entire OLA will be closed for the duration of construction. We understand the impact this will have on the OLA and are endeavoring to keep the shy/small dog use area open for everyone’s use during most of the construction.
The project page has more specifics on exactly what will be done; Parks spokesperson Rachel Schulkin says the exact start date hasn’t been finalized yet. She also followed up for us on an attendee’s mention of a September 18th hearing related to the project; a nearby resident has appealed the determination (PDF) that the project doesn’t need an environmental-impact report, and the city Hearing Examiner will consider the case on that day. The appellant says the closure of the off-leash area will be a hardship unless an temporary substitute is available.
While most community councils take meeting hiatuses in August, tomorrow night brings a notable exception: Highland Park Action Committee. At 7 pm Wednesday, HPAC welcomes you to “a conversation about the future of Seattle Parks and Recreation with Superintendent Jesús Aguirre.” This is in the context of Parks’ work on a new Strategic Plan. HPAC meets at the Highland Park Improvement Club, 1116 SW Holden.
(2013 aerial of Dragonfly Garden/Pavilion, by Long Bach Nguyen)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Sometimes one face-to-face conversation is worth a thousand email chains.
On Thursday, Parks Department staffers met with community volunteers at the Dragonfly Park garden in North Delridge (28th/Dakota), to listen to concerns about a Parks plan to cover its distinctive but weed-plagued beds with grass (reported here last week).
A sizable portion of the meeting was spent straightening out one reason for the volunteers having been blindsided by news of the plan: Though they had been in communication with Parks for years – including the recently retired lead gardener – their group’s existence was not officially on record. They had done their part, filling out documentation of work parties, even working toward the type of official agreement Parks has with “Friends of” groups that donate a lot of time and effort to some parks … but it had never been finalized and entered into the system.
Parks is in a time of transition, explained the four staffers who were there – not just with new leadership (Jesús Aguirre‘s recent return as superintendent), but also with 100 jobs open and a lot of other changes, such as, they said, the department being down to 6 crew chiefs from the previous 9.
(WSB photos)
After moving to South Park last year, Festival CentroAmericano is back in West Seattle, and the celebration’s happening at Westcrest Park until 7 pm.
You can enjoy treats …
… vendors …
… and entertainment:
The Coffee Band – a group with Honduras roots – was onstage while we were there. Other music and dance groups are scheduled to perform all afternoon. The festival’s free – lots of room to roam on the sprawling green at Westcrest!
(2013 aerial of Dragonfly Garden/Pavilion, by Long Bach Nguyen)
As that aerial view shows, North Delridge’s Dragonfly Park doesn’t just get its name from the pavilion structure, but also from the garden beds.
The volunteers of Friends of Dragonfly Park were preparing for a new season of work when they got startling news from the Parks Department, as Laura Bruco explains it, “that Parks plans to turf the gardens over and put an outline of the wings in crocuses.” Those, as you probably know, are short-lived early-spring blooms, so most of the year, the garden’s distinctive shape would be lost.
“This park is just too unique and special to replace with an outline of crocus bulbs,” Bruco says. “Our group worked really hard to prepare those beds to take new plantings last year, but Parks kept delaying. They said back then that they were working on figuring out who needed to approve the plans for native plantings that are lower maintenance with the artist Lorna Jordan.”
(October 2017 photo courtesy Friends of Dragonfly Park)
And then suddenly came the news of the Parks plan to just put in grass.
Bruco asked Parks for a chance to discuss this before it’s done, and that meeting is set for next week, open to anyone who’s interested. We asked Parks why the change, and spokesperson Karen O’Connor replied:
We have been working with the community that has provided many hours of volunteer time to keep the garden maintained along with the support from our SPR landscaping crew. We have concluded the planting and gardening design is not sustainable with the current level of volunteer and staff support.
After much work and consulting with the Office of Arts and Culture, our Sr. Landscape Architect has put together a design that is respectful of the Dragonfly Pavilion original design intent. The plan calls for the large areas of bark mulch to be replaced with grass and consolidate the plants that are doing well into the garden beds along the wall. We plan on planting crocus bulbs throughout the lawn so that there would be a bloom time in the spring where different colors would pop under the dragonfly sculpture. Having grass within the butterfly wings will allow us to mow the returning horsetail along with the other invasive weeds.
The garden dates back to the early 2005, with Seattle Public Utilities originally involved. The garden sections now scheduled to be replaced with grass are an integral part of the original intent, as explained here:
… Dragonfly Pavilion is the entrance feature to SPU’s Longfellow Creek Drainage and Habitat Improvement Project and serves as a creek overlook and outdoor environmental education facility. The artist-designed Dragonfly Garden, which surrounds the pavilion, is a landscaped area demonstrating salmon friendly and water-wise gardening techniques and is crucial to SPU’s mission and educational message at the site. …
Bruco is taking the case to Parks higher-ups as well as Councilmember Lisa Herbold and the aforementioned city Office of Arts and Culture, “and whomever else I can find who may have the power and influence to do something.”
If you’re available at 12:30 pm next Thursday (August 22nd), that’s when Bruco and other Friends of Dragonfly Park volunteers will meet with Parks reps at the park to try to save the garden, and all are welcome to be there (28th SW & SW Dakota).
(WSB file photo, future park site at 48th/Charlestown)
After five years in landbanked mode, the 48th/Charlestown park site is finally on the path to reality. As part of that, Seattle Parks is soliciting name ideas. The announcement:
SPR purchased .33 acres at 4801 SW Charlestown St. in 2014 for the future development of a park. The corner property had been a small community garden and prior to that a neighborhood grocery store. It has a history as a community gathering space. Osborn Consulting and SPR worked with the community on the design for the new park, which will provide a “neighborhood green” for the people of all ages to meet, eat, play, and celebrate.
The design includes an oval lawn surrounded by a loop path with arching seat walls, imaginative and active play for young children, picnic areas, and a small stage. Native and drought-tolerant plants will express the natural history of this area, and trees will frame the park and provide shade. The new park will be completed in 2021. More information on the project can be found (here).
The Parks Naming Committee will consider all suggestions and make a recommendation to Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jesús Aguirre, who will make the final decision.
The Parks Naming Committee is comprised of one representative designated by the Board of Park Commissioners; one by the Chair of the City Council Civic Development, Public Assets and Native Communities Committee; and one by the Parks Superintendent. Criteria the committee considers in naming parks include: geographical location, historical or cultural significance, and natural or geological features. The Park Naming Policy, clarifying the criteria applied when naming a park, can be found (here).
Please submit suggestions for park names in writing by Friday, October 18, 2019 and include an explanation of how your suggestion matches the naming criteria. Send to Seattle Parks and Recreation, Parks Naming Committee, 100 Dexter Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109, or by e-mail to paula.hoff@seattle.gov.
A texter noticed city crews working today in an area of Rotary Viewpoint Park (35th SW east of SW Alaska) where there’s been camping for some weeks. We went there and found a Seattle Parks crew cleaning up what they confirmed were the remnants of a campsite. We then asked Will Lemke, spokesperson for the city’s Homelessness Response, about it. His reply:
The Navigation Team did remove an encampment in the area you referenced. There was a woman living unsheltered there and the team has been engaging her for over a month to try and connect her to shelter and/or services. Parks crews were there to restore the site and work on the tree that was damaged. The team’s outreach workers, System Navigators, are following up to see what can be done to connect her to shelter now that she has moved elsewhere.
According to a recent city report, 135 “unmanaged campsites” were cleared around the city in the second quarter of this year.
(Lincoln Park aerial photo from 2012, by Long Bach Nguyen
Seattle Parks is looking to the future and asking you what you think that future should hold. More nature? More amenities? Those and 30+ other questions are in this new survey. If you don’t spend much time in Parks facilities (which also include community centers and pools), they want to ask you about that too. It’s part of this process.
Just in from Erin @ Southwest Pool:
Southwest Pool will be closed for repairs all day Friday, August 9th and Saturday morning August 10th. All group lessons, personal lessons, and drop in programs are cancelled. Lesson participants will receive full refunds. The pool will reopen for regular business at noon on Saturday, August 10th.
The pool was closed for two months of maintenance work earlier this year.
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