Save Myers Parcels. Twelve days left to comment

[Cass Turnbull]

The Mayor plans to sell Myers Parcels located at the south end of Westcrest Park across Olson Place. It should, instead, be saved (‘ land-banked’) for future use as the John Beal Park and Environmental Learning Center. It is 32 acres of wooded hillsides, wetlands and open meadows. The meadows are the most important part because, unlike the steep, wooded hillside of most natural areas, they could be quite accessible to people with health issues, seniors and the handicapped with the addition of a boardwalk . A wildflower meadow is a way for people, who may be leery of the dark woods, to experience Nature and it has its own separate ecosystem with native butterflies, crickets, killdeer, gold finches, chorus frogs, songbirds, and the Westcrest redtailed hawk hunts voles there. The flatland is the parcel the city wishes to sell to LOWES to put up warehousing.

The flatland meadows would be the perfect place to have a ‘home’ for the Duwamish Greenbelt. The Greenbridge kids could learn about nature in a safe setting after school and during the summer when their parents might be working. The seniors from Arrowhead could use it for exercise and bird watching. Much more low income housing is planned to go in adjacent to Parcels, Wind Rose low income senior housing center, and 400 more units for Greenbridge. Young people could be trained in Environmental Restoration at Beal Park, and it would be a place for the summer jobs program that would also help maintain the park and keep Hamm creek clean. John Beal, you will remember, fought to keep the City from building in the wetland on the other half of the land which is now the Joint Training Facility for firefighters and first responders ($33 million). A modest facility for the public at Myers could be used for classrooms, local cultural events, and rented off-season for meetings and private events. Yes, there is no money right now to build such a thing, just as there is no money for transportation, low income housing, and jobs programs. But until the money comes the property could be used as an ‘official’ homeless encampment (using the facilities and security of the underused Joint Training Facility next door.) And maybe some mountain biking could be allowed. It has hills that were used for that unofficially for years. There are only 12 days left to contact the City to ask that is not be sold. You should make that comment to Daniel.Bretzke@seattle.gov or send a prewritten email to the Seattle City council by going to the TreePAC.org website and following the quick, easy steps using the TAKE ACTION tab. Myers Parcels is the very last, largest piece of undeveloped property in Seattle that could become a major park and we already own it. We owe it to the future to preserve it. We have left our youth with a trashed world environment, lets not leave them with a trashed City environment too. The local residents deserve something nice between their homes and the pollution and noise of Myers Way south and Hiway 509.

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[mehud7]

Thank you for the contact info. I sent an email to Daniel. Adding to the wildlife in the area, I picked up a saw whet owl from the side of Myers Way a few years ago. Many years ago I thought I saw a fox crossing Myers Way late at night, although it could have been a coyote. Agreed that the area needs to be left in a more natural state.

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[Jeannie]

Just emailed Daniel, too! Keep those comments coming, people!

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