West Seattle, Washington
13 Monday
Long list of awesome holiday events for The Weekend Before Christmas – and here’s one where you can combine giving and receiving: The Holiday Giving Tree and Feast event 6-8 pm tomorrow (Friday) at Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California SW; map). Bring a toy to donate, and you get dinner for free. Rebecca from sister community center High Point CC found out the Hiawatha menu for us – she says it’s the work of a professional chef:
Roasted Turkey
Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese w/6 different cheeses
Sweet Potato and Red Potato Rosemary Olive Oil Dish
Corn
Rolls
Green Salad
Various Pies for Dessert
Hot Apple Cider & Cran-Raspberry Juice
Satsumas
Fruit Cocktail
That’s at Hiawatha, 6-8 pm tomorrow. Meantime Rebecca’s checking on progress for the HP toy drive we told you about yesterday. She also says ALL community centers have been collecting toys – the next few days are the time to make sure all toy bins and giving trees are taken care of!
Another followup in the story of the man who filed a lawsuit challenging the city ban on guns at certain Parks Department facilities by taking a concealed weapon into Southwest Community Center a month ago (and alerting the city in advance, which meant a security guard was there to meet him, as seen in our 11/14 photo at left): Bob Warden sent the media the documents that he’s filed seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the city from enforcing the law. Here’s the court document; we asked Warden if he has a court date set yet – he said no. The request for an injunction says in part, “If plaintiff went to the Southwest Community Center with his pistol tomorrow, there is no reason to suspect that the rule would not be enforced” and goes on to state as part of its argument, “banning armed good guys likely makes a place less safe from bad guys …” (Our partners at the Seattle Times are covering this story too – here’s the link.)
We’ve reported on this multiple times before but it’s so big, the Parks Department wants to make sure you don’t miss it: It’s time to start working on applications for a share of the $15 million Opportunity Fund created by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy voters approved last year. While the levy itself contained money for a variety of specific projects, this fund is set up so that community-initiated projects can get a share of the $. Read on for a just-out news release about the fund and the round of informational meetings next month, including the one announced for West Seattle:Read More
Local community groups, from the Highland Park Action Committee to the Highland Park Improvement Committee to sports leagues and dog owners, have long been talking and brainstorming about the 20-acre Westcrest Park expansion to be built atop and around the new West Seattle Reservoir cover – but only now is the official conversation getting under way, after a standing-room-only meeting — read on:Read More
Two updates – first, the full story from Wednesday night’s meeting on upcoming improvements to Fairmount Playfield’s playground – plus, new play equipment that just arrived at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) – gotta see the Y’s pirate ship in flight! Both stories, ahead:Read More
Notice something missing in that photo? At West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park 
along 35th SW at Alaska, overlooking the West Seattle Golf Course, the totem pole’s gone, with only that blue steel post in place. (Here’s a Flickr shot of what you SHOULD be seeing there; [added 6:48 pm] at left, a Rotary photo.) After a WSB’er e-mailed us yesterday to say she noticed it missing, we put in an inquiry to the Parks Department to ask if it had been taken away for maintenance – and also went over, not just to get the photo you see above, but also to see if there was a note about work being done. Now we’ve just learned, Parks thinks it may have been stolen. We just talked with Terry Boden, who works on maintenance for parks in this area; he says he checked throughout the department to see if anyone has any knowledge of the totem pole being taken away for maintenance, but hasn’t turned up anything – so he’s planning to call Seattle Police to report it as a theft. As donors and stewards of the 33-year-old park, Rotary Club of West Seattle has been investigating too, Josh Sutton tells us – checking out a report of a stuck truck getting towed from the scene, possibly while trying to take the pole away; in fact, while there yesterday, we noted these tracks in the grass:
Parks received that report too and hasn’t been able to confirm it. So if you know anything about what happened to the totem pole, Terry Boden would like to hear from you – he’s headquartered at Lincoln Park, 206-684-7457.
Thanks to Tim McMonigle from West Seattle Soccer Club for another update on the Hiawatha Playfield renovation work – including that photo of workers on the job in today’s brilliant sunshine:
They have finished gluing the lines and have been waiting for a dry day to spread the rubber pellets. They are out there today spreading the pellets, so hopefully they should be done with that tomorrow, given the forecast for more sun. They spread the pellets with what looks like what you would use to fertilize your lawn, only much bigger and drawn by a tractor. Then the machines in the field have big brooms that help settle the pellets into the turf.
On the east side of Hiawatha (part of the same levy project), they have upgraded the field with long jump, pole vault and shotput areas. I believe the last thing then is to rubberize the top of the track, and it should be open.
We were hoping to use the field for our December games, but I don’t think they will open it up in time. But it looks beautiful compared to what was there before. We are looking forward to using the field next year, along with Delridge, which is supposed to give us two full-sized fields in fall of 2010.
City updates (through mid-November) on the $3.6 million Hiawatha project can be found here.
This final day of the month is relatively quiet — nothing major on the calendar. But the first public meetings for two West Seattle park projects – both funded by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy – are happening later this week, so here’s an early reminder: 6:30 pm Wednesday night, Fairmount Playfield playground improvements, 
for which $170,000 is budgeted, will be discussed at High Point Library (map). Then at 7 pm Thursday night, the new $3 million Westcrest-adjacent parkland created by the now-under-construction covering of West Seattle Reservoir (right) will be the topic at High Point Community Center (map). Lots more this week too – your next chance to get involved with neighborhood groups including the North Delridge Neighborhood Council, Highland Park Improvement Committee and Westwood Neighborhood Council (check out their remodeled website!) – it’s all on the WSB Events calendar (and all the holiday excitement – revving up for the West Seattle Christmas Tree Lighting this Saturday – is on the West Seattle Holidays page).
Probably the shortest community meeting we’ve covered in a long time – barely half an hour (followed by about 20 minutes of folks milling around asking questions and looking at drawings): Monday night at Delridge Community Center, the Parks Department unveiled the tweaked design for the $3 million-plus Delridge Playfield improvements project, funded by last year’s Parks and Green Spaces Levy.
The project’s basics consists mostly of artificial turf, new lights and 25,000 more square feet of field space added to the current 175,500, with additional sports being accommodated: Following up on requests from last month’s meeting, lines will be added for lacrosse, so the field will be striped for baseball, softball, Little League, soccer, women’s lacrosse, men’s lacrosse and Ultimate Frisbee (which now will get two courses on one field rather than spreading them across two, at the request of advocates at the first meeting). Baseball and softball will trade corners between the SW and NE sections of the field; project manager Ted Holden said the field will have four colors of lines (dyed versions of the same Field Turf that’s being used for the entirely of the four-acre site) – besides white, men’s lacrosse will be in yellow, women’s in red, Frisbee in blue, as shown above. (Holden had the meeting’s 10 or so attendees choose between two shades of blue turf; they chose the lighter one.) He also said there would be two 50-foot stretches of fence along the northwest side of the field to keep soccer balls from going down a steep slope – it’ll arch from 10′ to 15′ at the middle of each section:
Holden also said he was glad to report something he said at the last meeting was wrong – the Field Turf is partly recyclable – its crumb rubber goes into “quiet asphalt,” its plastic is melted to make products including windbreaker jackets, etc.
He said the $3.2 million budgeted for the project should cover what needs to be done, but extras such as bleachers would have to be paid for “as money is available.” He expects to send the project out to bid by the end of January, with construction to be done next summer, June through August.
A few final tweaks were suggested at the Monday night meeting – some changes to the Ultimate Frisbee area on the north side of the field, including cone markers, and adding a little more turf to the west side of the site. Holden said those requests will be incorporated into the design, and the final version will be posted online soon; watch the official project page.
Two meetings tonight, both involving the Parks Department – we’re writing up the quick highlights of the second Delridge Playfield meeting shortly, but first, a few notes from Pete Spalding on the Parks and Green Spaces Levy (which is funding the playfield work) Oversight Committee meeting downtown: Both involve the levy’s Opportunity Fund, a chunk of cash set aside for neighborhoods and others to pursue park projects that weren’t specified in last year’s levy. First, Pete says the committee approved the criteria for projects pursuing a share of that money, without major changes from the draft criteria; second, a West Seattle meeting is scheduled so that potential applicants can get technical assistance – if you’re thinking about pursuing an Opportunity Fund project, mark your calendar for January 7, 6:30 pm, High Point Community Center.
4:36 PM UPDATE: From the mayor’s office, which is now handling all comment on this: “If this resident plans to enter a Parks facility with a concealed weapon, he will be asked to leave. If he refuses, he will be arrested.”
ORIGINAL 12:04 PM STORY: Seems like Southwest Community Center and Pool is just the place to be tomorrow, more than usual. First we published news last night of a group renting the pool tomorrow night for a clothing-optional swim (since their first choice, Ballard Pool, is closed for repairs) – now, a man says he’s planning to challenge the city’s park/community center gun restrictions (already targeted in a lawsuit) by showing up at SWCC at noon tomorrow with a concealed weapon. He cc’d us and other media on a “courtesy” letter to the city; his entire letter is ahead – but first, a note: We asked if he chose that time and place for a particular reason; he told us he was hoping to attend the “Dogs in the Hood” show. Read on for the letter:Read More
(Photo courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation, from project sign installation Thursday)
From the last meeting of the Highland Park Action Committee, we reported that Seattle Parks had set a December 3rd meeting for discussion of the West Seattle (Westcrest) Reservoir park design (here’s that story). Today, the official flyer’s out, setting the meeting time for 7 pm Dec. 3, High Point Community Center. Main point of the meeting, per the announcement: “To learn what the community priorities are for transforming the 20 acres of open space” that the reservoir-covering project will create. Here’s the official flyer.
(September 2009 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
… two months later, it’s a clothing-optional swim at Southwest Pool, just announced on Twitter. Seems the folks behind the bike ride also sponsor a series of skinny-dipping evenings at city pools – usually at Ballard Pool, but a closure there has just been extended, so this Saturday night’s swim has moved to West Seattle’s only city-run indoor pool. It’s a private rental, 8-10 pm (hours the pool would otherwise be closed), raising money for the World Naked Bike Ride events (like the one in West Seattle two months ago) and the Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade – more info here (ticket prices and a whole long list of rules, regulations and prerequisites) if you’re inclined to join them.
The citywide Skatepark Advisory Committee got a closer look last night at those new Delridge Skatepark design renderings mentioned here yesterday. (The one above is oriented with the south side at the top of the art – the rectangle is part of the wading pool.) They incorporate comments from previous public meetings as well as a technical fix; the biggest change is the split into two bowls – the “egg-shaped” one you see various from 6 feet deep to 10 feet deep to allow for a drainage pipe that runs beneath. The revisions also fix a problem with the “drip line” around the park’s existing trees. Committee members offered their thoughts about the bowls’ vertical incline and also some concerns about stairs in the park and how they’ll affect skater traffic. Parks Department project manager Kelly Davidson is taking comments through November 20 (kelly.davidson@seattle.gov) and is hopeful the project will go to bid in March. She also says the $75,000 King County grant requested as part of the project funding has won a committee vote and has one more hurdle to clear.
Yet another Parks Department project is in the works for West Seattle with Parks and Green Spaces Levy money – improvements at the Fairmount Playfield playground – and now the dates have been announced for two meetings to discuss the design: December 2nd and January 6th, both at 6:30 pm, both at High Point Library. (The project objective is described briefly here, and also on the official flyer.)
West Seattle skating advocate/writer Matthew Lee Johnston at SeattleSkateparks.org has a big scoop – a look at the latest versions of Delridge Skatepark design. See all seven images here; he also notes that it’ll be reviewed at the citywide Skatepark Advisory Committee meeting tonight, 7 pm at Parks HQ downtown. (Hat tip to North Delridge’s Nancy Folsom for writing about this at Delridge Grassroots Leadership.) EDITOR’S NOTE: The original version of this item a few hours ago mentioned a Nov. 23 Parks meeting – that’s about the nearby Delridge Playfield improvements, NOT the skatepark – sorry about that, and thanks to Nancy for the catch!
JUNCTION PARKING FEEDBACK DEADLINE: If you have something to say to the city about its proposal for parking changes in The Junction – no pay stations, no RPZs, some areas changing to 2-hour limits – today’s the deadline for getting your comments in; contact methods are listed here, along with details on the proposals. (Thanks to Forest for the reminder.)
SCHOOL BOUNDARY MAPS PUBLIC HEARING: Tonight at 6 at district HQ downtown, the Seattle School Board listens to public comment on the proposed attendance-area maps. (Here’s our story about the map discussion at board member Steve Sundquist‘s Saturday meeting in High Point.) You have to sign up in advance; as of early this morning, the list on the district’s website indicates there may still be slots left – here’s how to sign up.
PARK FUND DRAFT CRITERIA PUBLIC HEARING: Another public hearing downtown tonight with West Seattle ramifications: The Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee will listen to comments about the draft criteria for proposals to get a share of the levy’s Opportunity Fund. 7 pm at Parks HQ downtown, no advance signup needed. (See the draft criteria here.)
LOOKING AHEAD TO LATER THIS WEEK: Check out the WSB Events calendar for the full list. But two things to call to your attention for starters – Wednesday is Veterans Day, which means schools, banks and community centers are closed (normal trash pickup, the city says); Thursday night is the monthly West Seattle Art Walk – here’s the fall-quarter walking map/list of participants.
The city is getting ready to spend $20 million on its golf courses over the next 20 years, and almost half that sum is designated for the West Seattle Golf Course, the Southwest District Council was reminded tonight. Deputy Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams attended the meeting to brief the SWDC on the status of plans for WSGC improvements (as discussed here in April). Williams said they’ll start pursuing the bond funding for the $20 million in January – leveraging the $1 million-plus profit the city’s golf courses make each year – and that’s also when he expects planning and design to begin for the first West Seattle project that’ll be teed up, a driving range (West Seattle is the only city golf course without one) against the hillside along 35th SW. Williams listed its cost at $4.5 million – that’s up from what was mentioned last spring, and says it’s slated to be built in 2011 after a year of planning and design that he promised will include meetings and other chances for public involvement. Also in the works, the $700,000 “perimeter trail” that will further connect the golf course with Camp Long, but Williams says it isn’t scheduled to be put in until the sixth or seventh year of the 20-year funding plan, and he says the clubhouse/crew facilities wouldn’t be built till “the end of the bond lifecycle.” Not good news, said Fairmount Community Association rep Sharonn Meeks – “that thing [current clubhouse] is falling down.” She also pointed out that nearby residents have concerns about the lighting for the driving range. One last note – Williams said West Seattle is under consideration for electric golf carts; it’s not just a matter of swapping out the carts, he explained, saying electric carts need special paths and a “cart barn” where they can plug in to charge up. (More info on golf-course improvement plans and the city’s Golf Course Master Plan can be found here.)
Just back from the Southwest District Council meeting at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor), where one of the guests was Deputy Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams. His main topic was an update on future West Seattle Golf Course improvements; we’ll write about that separately. After that briefing, he asked if anyone in the room — the council is made up of representatives from community groups and organizations around western West Seattle, which the city calls the “Southwest District” — had questions or concerns about the cyclocross controversy. (If you missed it – that was a bike race scheduled for Halloween in Lincoln Park, till the Parks Department canceled the permit with days to go after being contacted by upset community members.)
No revelations, but for the record, since the topic generated so much interest here originally (and spawned a couple of citywide media stories, here and here): First Williams recapped the background — saying Parks promised it wouldn’t allow those races in “natural-area parks” after a 2002 cyclocross race at Lincoln Park left some trails and turf at the park “utterly destroyed,” but that policy “got lost” in the bureaucracy somewhere until the granting of this permit came to the attention of “members of the community” who “reminded us of our commitment,” at which time, “five days before the event, we canceled it … The department was trying to keep a commitment we made to the community, trying to recognize that Lincoln Park is a natural-area park that needs to have uses compatible with its design as a natural-area park.”
One point of interest in his brief recap: He acknowledged that the cancellation announcement brought “a lot of e-mail from people who were upset on both sides … that kept us busy for a number of days.” The race promoters went on to have an event on Halloween after all, in White Center’s Lakewood Park; Williams says there’s one scheduled in Seattle, in Lower Woodland Park, for November 15.
SOUTHWEST POOL SCHEDULED TO REOPEN THIS MORNING: What was supposed to be a 3-week project to install federally mandated drain upgrades at West Seattle’s only city-run year-round pool turned into an 2 1/2-month shutdown after problems were found – but today, it’s over, and Southwest Pool planned to reopen starting with 6 am lap swim. They’re offering some special “welcome back” pricing – read about it here. One other note:
TWO DAYS AND ONE NIGHT LEFT TO VOTE: That map compiled by West Seattle activist Brian Allen shows the announced Election Night parties for key candidates and campaigns. (Note there’s one scheduled in West Seattle – for city attorney Tom Carr, at Christo’s.) So – have you held up your end of the deal? Vote by end of day tomorrow! TONS of info here.
(Photo from reservoir-covering project site tour last week – looking from the site toward existing park)
The first of four planned public meetings on designing the new park land atop and around West Seattle Reservoir, adjacent to the existing Westcrest Park, is set for December 3rd at High Point Community Center. That’s the biggest news Parks Department manager Susanne Friedman brought to the Highland Park Action Committee on Wednesday night. She answered questions about the status of and timeline for the $3 million (from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy) project to create 20 new acres of parkland once the reservoir-covering work is done. She fielded repeated questions about the extent of the fencing that will remain once the site is done – only around a couple Seattle Public Utilities “outbuildings,” she promised. What will be on the lid itself? She noted some “limitations,” like a load limit, no tree roots that might break through the “lid,” no plants that would require herbicide or pesticide. But the rest of the 20 acres, she said, should have a “fabulous design” that will integrate well with the existing park and off-leash area. And she promised that the many comments already received from Highland Park – particularly during HPAC’s June “mini-summit” on the park – will be considered. What’s next? Read on:Read More
Just announced on Twitter by MFG Cyclocross, promoters of the bicycle race that was expected to bring 1,000 racers and spectators to West Seattle’s Lincoln Park till the Parks Department revoked permission (as first reported here yesterday): MFG says the race is now rescheduled for Lakewood Park in White Center, still happening Saturday. (It’s not on the MFG website yet but it IS reported on the King County Parks news site.)
As many expected would happen, the city says it’s being sued over the park/community center gun ban that just took effect (with signs like the one above, photographed by Hillary at Lincoln Park and discussed extensively here a week ago). Here’s its statement:
The City of Seattle issued the following statement on today’s lawsuit filed by the National Rifle Association and others challenging the City’s recently adopted policy prohibiting the carrying or display of guns in designated areas of parks where children are likely to be present.
The City’s policy was put in place to protect our most vulnerable and defenseless citizens, our children. The City’s most important public duty is to protect its citizens from harm, especially when they are visiting City facilities. The City Attorney has secured the services of the Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. In order to avoid expense to the City, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has agreed to defend the policy on a pro bono basis.
Seattle Times (WSB partner) has more on the lawsuit itself, including a link to the court documents. ADDED 9:30 PM: The news release about the suit itself says that two of the plaintiffs are West Seattle residents, Winnie Chan and Ray Carter.
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