West Seattle, Washington
26 Tuesday
It’s not online yet but the agenda for next Thursday’s city Design Commission meeting (at City Hall downtown) came out today via e-mail, and the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza project will return that day for another review. The same commission had a long list of suggestions when they saw the project for the first time three weeks ago; read about them in our report from that meeting. FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE: This review has been delayed – we’ll let you know when it’s rescheduled.
(May 2007 photo of the plywood that covers the Colman Pool windscreen during the offseason)
Exactly one month from today, it’s the first 2008 day of operation for Colman Pool at Lincoln Park, one of the city’s two outdoor pools. Colman Pool will be open weekends only from May 24 till 7-day-a-week operations start June 14. Starting soon after that, it will be busier than usual, because West Seattle’s other pool — Southwest Pool, east of Denny Middle School — is scheduled to close mid-June through late September for three months of work.
DINING OUT FOR LIFE: 12 West Seattle restaurants are among those participating in the Lifelong AIDS Alliance fundraiser (find the list here, some are participating at lunchtime as well as dinnertime).
DESIGN REVIEW FOR ADMIRAL PROJECT: 2743 California on the north side of PCC, proposed for a 3- to 4-story medical-office building (here’s our report on the project from 3 weeks ago), 6:30 tonight, Southwest Precinct meeting room (official meeting notice here).
FINAL PARKS PLAN MEETING: 6:30 pm, High Point Community Center, last of 7 West Seattle meetings where you can tell city Parks staffers what you think the department should focus on in the next five years. (Here’s our report on last week’s Southwest CC version of the same meeting.)
More West Seattle events for today, tonight, and beyond, can be found here.
Latest move by the City Council in its pursuit of a new parks levy – which the mayor reportedly wants to delay – as the old one expires, is the appointment of a citizens’ advisory council. We recognize at least three names on the list as West Seattle citizen activists (Pete Spalding, Bruce Bentley, and Sharonn Meeks); while we crosscheck for other WS ties, here’s the full list of members:Read More
As we reported last week after covering the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting, some controversy remains over the Parks Department‘s plan to save space for a skateboard “feature” at the soon-to-be-built Myrtle Reservoir park. At that meeting, Parks Department project manager Virginia Hassinger suggested a firsthand look at some existing skateboarding facilities might assuage concerns. MoCA’s Cindi Barker is proposing organizing a tour this Saturday if enough people are interested. Here’s more from Cindi:
One of the suggestions made near the end of last week’s Morgan Community Association meeting was for people who had not been to see a skatepark in action to take a “field trip” to get some info. I’d be willing to organize such a trip, something like in a caravan to visit the Ballard Bowl (4,200 sq ft bowl), the Burien Skate park (a 7,500-square-foot skate park, Nakano Associates, architect, coincidentally the same architect hired to do the Myrtle Reservoir Park itself) and a third park mentioned by Virginia Hassinger at the MoCA meeting, which sounds smaller in scale and is more melded in with the surrounding park rather than a pure bowl design. If neighbors can observe the skate parks in operation, it might answer some questions and give neighbors a good idea of what they can expect. I realize that the next Myrtle Reservoir Park design meeting on May 1 isn’t about the skatepark, but it sure is sounding like we should know what to consider around this proposed skatepark feature. I would propose a Saturday morning, maybe running from 10 to 2, to cover drive time and allow us to spend about 45 minutes at each park. If people could comment to this posting, it would give me an idea of how feasible or well attended this would be.
No obligation, but if you’re potentially interested, say so in the comments here and we’ll let you know about “next steps.” This could be a good prelude to the next public meeting about the Myrtle park, which is 7 pm May 1 at High Point Community Center.
SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE: Last general meeting before SWS presents its first-ever Sustainability Festival (May 4, NE corner of Alaska/44th, right across from the Farmers’ Market, lots more info here) – tonight’s meeting is at 7 pm, Camp Long.
RESCHEDULED PARK MEETING: Quick reminder, the rescheduled Hiawatha Community Center open house/meeting to get your take on the Seattle Parks & Rec Dept.’s future (the original meeting was postponed a week ago because of floor fumes) is tonight @ 6:30. Last West Seattle opportunity is Thursday night @ High Point CC. What’s the meeting all about? See our report on the one @ Southwest CC last Thursday. (If you can’t attend a meeting, share your thoughts online by 4/30.)
When the city Parks Department started its first tour of meetings last fall to ask for input on a potential Strategic Plan, we covered the Southwest Community Center version of the meeting in late November (read the story here). After going back to Southwest CC to check in on the second round of meetings last night — three more in West Seattle in the next six days for your chance to have a say — we can tell you how these meetings work, what you’ll hear, what the Parks employees say they want to hear from you, and even some parks-related revelations that emerged last night:Read More
Much smaller crowd for the city Parks Department‘s project manager on the Myrtle Reservoir park project, Virginia Hassinger, at the quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting at The Kenney last night — but for a few minutes, it was even more contentious than the testiest moments of the last public meeting specifically about the park project (WSB coverage here). Main reason: As Hassinger reiterated, and as we reported here and here, “the decision is made” to set aside an area of the Myrtle park for a future “skate(board) feature.” The most pointed questions for her tonight sought to zero in on who made that decision, when it was made, and why High Point Community Center — listed in the city Skatepark Plan as the other option for a West Seattle skateboard park — was ruled out.Read More
We told you Monday night about the abrupt cancellation of the Parks Department Strategic Plan public meeting @ Hiawatha, blamed on lingering fumes from the previous week’s floor refinishing work. Just got word from Parks spokesperson Malia Langworthy that a new date is set for that meeting — 6:30 pm Monday (4/21) — so check it out if you haven’t gone to one of these meetings yet and can’t make the one tonight @ Southwest CC, or Saturday @ Delridge CC, or next Thursday @ High Point CC.
Four days after a WSB’er e-mailed us wondering where the Alki fire rings had gone (we posted about it here), city Parks Department spokesperson Dewey Potter told us they’ve just been brought back — so freshly returned, in fact, when we subsequently dashed over to get a photo, we could still see the tire tracks in the sand. Potter also reminds us the rules ‘n’ regulations for beach fires can be found here.
Camp Long‘s Sheila Brown is interviewed during “Sound Focus,” 2:20 pm. (Should be archived on the same site later if you miss it.) Incidentally, 6:30 pm tonight at Camp Long, it’s the next of six West Seattle meetings on the Parks Department’s draft Strategic Plan — your best chance to sound off on where you want the city parks system’s focus to be (more of something? less of something?) in the years to come.
Just got word from the Parks Department – the new “approved schematic design,” including space set aside for a “future skate spot” along 35th, is now online at the Myrtle Reservoir park’s official project page, along with a reminder about the May 1st public meeting. Here’s a direct link to see the design; our Monday follow-up clarifying the “skate spot” status is here.
Seems the floor-refinishing work that closed Hiawatha Community Center for the past week left lingering fumes in the upstairs meeting rooms (and the gym), so tonight’s Parks Department Strategic Plan public meeting was canceled at the last minute. Four more to go in WS; next one’s at Camp Long on Wednesday – here’s the list.
PARKS: Is the city Parks Department on the right track after the first draft of its “strategic business plan” following meetings around the city last fall? Tonight’s the second of seven West Seattle meetings where you can have a say. 6:30 pm, Hiawatha Community Center; other meetings are listed here.
PETS: Though Seattle Animal Shelter handles pet matters within the city limits, pet advocates from West Seattle as well as the rest of the county are expected at the King County Council‘s Town Hall meeting on county Animal Control policies and changes. 6:30 pm, Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien, preceded by an adoption fair that starts at 5:30 pm (and an advocates’ rally at 6). Read more here.
KIDS & BOOKS: The next step in “West Seattle Reads” — which started with this event at Sanislo Elementary three weeks ago offering free books to kids from around WS — happens tonight at the Delridge Library, 7 pm (and 7 pm tomorrow at Southwest Library). Read the backstory here.
More events for today, tonight, and the weeks and months ahead, can be found here.
Two things to report in the ongoing question of whether an area for skateboarders will be built into the Myrtle Reservoir park, an issue of great interest to both skateboarders and park neighbors: First, a postcard has arrived, promoting the next public meeting (May 1), and the postcard says: “An area on the site will be reserved for a future skate feature.” Second – after the April 3rd city Design Commission review of the latest Myrtle design proposal (an electronic copy is not yet available but you can see our photo of it in our report about that meeting), during which Parks Department reps made statements conflicting with what they had told us for this report we published in February, we asked Colleen Browne (who manages the department’s project managers) for further clarification of its status, and this is what she has e-mailed in respnse:
The [citywide] Skatepark plan calls for a skate feature at either this site or High Point. At the present time we have a ProParks project at Myrtle. Therefore, we propose putting a skate feature into the park. We are looking for ways to fund it because it would likely be cheaper to build the entire park at one time.
So what’s next? Come hear/ask for yourself at the May 1 meeting, billed as the third of four public meetings on the project; it’s at 7 pm, High Point Community Center.
Those are photos from May 2007 (top) and March 2008 showing Ercolini Park, years in the making at a storied site west of The Junction (48th & Alaska), and now maybe less than two months away from completion. Donated money and time have been key to getting it this far – they just finished fundraising last October — and now Ercolini Park volunteers have put out the call – it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get the job done, by signing up to pitch in for whatever time you can give Saturday 4/26 and/or Sunday 4/27. Here’s their request:
The time has finally arrived to put on those work gloves and help complete our park. As you may have seen, we now have grass and are ready to install the play equipment. The play equipment supplier has scheduled construction to take place on Saturday and Sunday, April 26th and 27th. We need approximately 25 volunteers for each day. There will be additional work to be scheduled later that will include: spreading the wood chip play area surface, cleaning up the walkways and spreading beauty bark in the landscaping. We are setting up shifts starting at 9:00 am on each day. Please e-mail mkhjorten@comcast.net with your commitment of when you can volunteer and for how long. Please include a contact phone number so we can reach you if we need to. We have a neighborhood group (SNAP) that has volunteered to help with refreshments. This is also an area where you can volunteer. We will need sandwiches, snacks, beverages and assistance in providing lunch. Children are welcome to come and help but will not be able to play in the grass area or construction zone.
Each volunteer needs to come with a pair of work or garden gloves. Other items that will be needed:
-Shovels and rakes
-Rachets, sockets and wrenches (9/16†and 5/16â€)
-Cordless drills
-Several utility knives
-6’ step ladders
-Several wheelbarrowsTasks will include: unpacking and moving parts into place, play equipment assembly, moving dirt from post holes, clearing construction debris.
Each volunteer will need to sign in and out with the Volunteer Coordinator at the site to insure that we get credit for your time. If you provide refreshments, please submit a receipt to the Volunteer Coordinator, so we can get credit for your in-kind donation. We need to match $12,000 of our Dept. of Neighborhood Matching Fund Grant. This all goes toward that effort.
There will be a tent erected in the center plaza area, but the construction area will not be covered so dress accordingly. Hopefully, we will have beautiful weather. Let us know if you have any questions. Pass this on to your neighbors.
After the grass has had time to mature we will have a dedication ceremony, probably at the end of May or first part of June.
Sign up to help by e-mailing this address: mkhjorten@comcast.net
We reported March 20 about City Council President Richard Conlin telling the Delridge District Council that the council had commissioned a poll to find out if citizens support another Pro Parks Levy (most councilmembers do, the mayor doesn’t) since the original’s expiring. Poll results are out this afternoon and the council says it’s pro-levy, 2-to-1.
Hiawatha Community Center coordinator Ryan Nakanishi asked us to help get out the word that HCC is closed tomorrow through next Sunday for floor-refinishing work. It’ll reopen Monday 4/14. (P.S. While doublechecking on this, we discovered there’s an extended closure for Southwest Pool later this year, June 16-Sept. 29, for “major capital improvements.”)
Another quick update from the Design Commission meeting downtown: A new schematic design for Myrtle Reservoir park, “option C,” is moving forward. (It’s not online yet but we have a printout and will upload a photo when we get back to WSB HQ; 7:12 PM UPDATE – that’s it atop the post; we’ll try to get an electronic copy tomorrow so you can see it more clearly.) The design moves the play areas on the park’s north side further to the center of that side, and sets aside an area a short way south of the northeast corner (fronting on 35th) as “future skate spot.” Parks managers and architects at this meeting pulled back from the statements we heard in February that this area was definitely where the skateboarding proposal would move forward, going back to the “one is proposed for here or for High Point,” and also countered what a parks manager had told us in February, now saying skate feature funding would NOT come out of the park’s $1,068,000 budget ($668,000 for construction, $400,000 for design/planning/administration). After the meeting, we asked parks official Colleen Browne to clarify the situation regarding precisely where the Myrtle skate feature stands now; she asked us to check with her tomorrow for an official answer. 7:13 PM ADDITION: Most important of all, the next public meeting for the project is set: 7 pm May 1, High Point Community Center. The Design Commission also asked the Parks Department and architects to bring the project back for them to have another look, too.
We’re at City Hall, where the city Design Commission is about to hear a presentation on the Myrtle Reservoir park design, but just finished hearing and voting on the first presentation of the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza design (same design that’s been circulating through months of fundraising, but this is the first time it’s come before an official city voting panel). Bottom line: Commissioners say it needs to be a lot simpler, with the focus on the statue and its new base, rather than other elements, reminiscent of some community concerns voiced at the Alki Bathhouse meeting last September. (See some of the original design sketches on the sealady.org site.) Many more details later. 9:51 PM ADDITION: Here are those details, including a new timetable for completing the project:Read More
Activity this morning at Dakota Place Park north of The Junction — glass-company crews working on the windows. Next: Thanks to Patricia for the tip that the teardown crews had arrived at the Alki cottage whose impending demolition we mentioned just the other day (6106 Stevens; (map; project pages here and here). The white rectangle in the middle of the first photo is what’s left of a central chimney (we happened by during a break in the action about an hour ago). The “before” picture from two days ago is the second photo below (some stripping obviously had already occurred).
THE NOTE: As first mentioned last month, today and tomorrow are the days West Seattle’s only official off-leash park area, Westcrest Park Off-Leash Area, will be completely closed, so the Parks Department can do maintenance work. It’s scheduled to reopen Friday.
THE PIX: Left over from Tuesday but too good not to share now. First, taken by Meredith @ Lincoln Park:
Second, Forrest P captured pre-sunset rays @ Emma Schmitz Viewpoint on Beach Drive:
In case you were planning to attend the Seattle Design Commission meeting on Thursday where two major West Seattle park projects will be discussed — the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza and the Myrtle Reservoir park — you’ll want to know their times on the SDC’s all-day agenda have changed: Liberty is now at 2:30 pm, Myrtle at 3:30 (the Viaduct South End briefing comes first, at 1 pm). The meeting’s still in the Boards and Commissions Room (L2-80) at Seattle City Hall, 600 4th downtown.
| 2 COMMENTS