WTF? We spend $30m on a new school and can't use the fricking playground?!

[dyn99]

Can anyone give me a legitimate reason why SPS needs to lock the playground at the new Genesee Hill School on the weekends? While I understand the need to let the new grass playfield get fully established, I can’t think of a good reason why the rest of the play equipment can’t be used by the people who paid for it. Especially on the weekends.

Seriously, what legitimate reason does SPS have for locking it up? Let me guess, a kid could fall and get hurt. So that’s not a problem when 600+ kids at the school are using it day in and day out, but its a liability risk on the weekends when my 2 year old wants to play (with two parents present)?

PS, when it is very occasionally unlocked, access is via the completely rundown steep paths that are impossible to navigate with a stroller or tricycle…which is great if you’re a goat, but not so great with little kids.

(But the massive parking lot that’s got room for twice as many cars as needed sure does look nice!)

Too bad they couldn’t spare a little asphalt for new pathways so we can actually make good use of all that money.

• This topic was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by dyn99.

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[Chemist]

Seattle Public Schools is different from the Seattle Parks and Rec department and that’s OK.

If it were to start being used for camping or just loitering after school hours/overnight, then it becomes a bigger chore for the school to inspect the grounds every morning before school. Then you start having it become like the Gasworks park shelter where longer-term camping happens.

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[dyn99]

It wasn’t used for camping when it was an abandoned school. Pretty sure that a bunch of little kids playing on the playground isn’t where heroin addicts opt to hang around.

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[Gina]

If a gate is left unlocked, it isn’t on purpose. I would be curious to know what school district answer would be. When Lafayette locks its gates kids and young adult are still able to scale the fence or squeeze through gaps. Though I was told on this blog these were impossible acts!

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[anonyme]

As Chemist pointed out, schools are not parks. I think it’s appropriate that the grounds should be locked up, for a variety of reasons – not becoming an off-leash dog park for one. It’s a playground, not a poo ground. If the paths are not easy for little kids to navigate, it’s because they’re intended for use by school age kids.

I paid for the school as well, even though I don’t have kids and will never use the facility for any reason.

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[hbrown99]

Dyn99… I totally agree with you. Schmitz school grounds was never locked when we went there to play so not sure why this one needs to be! I think most of the West Seattle schools playgrounds aren’t locked. Actually, I sent an email awhile ago to the school dept asking about this.

Here was my original question (notice I didn’t mention the schools name)
Hello,
I’m just wondering if it’s ok for the general public to play on school playgrounds during non school hours? We are walking distance to a school and like to take my 2 kiddos there. I was just wondering if there are any “rules” saying one can or can’t use the equipment.

Thanks

Here was the response:
Good morning Heather,

I’ve asked your question re: use of the playgrounds. The answer is, yes, all playgrounds are generally open to dusk.

Eleanor Lockett
Building Rentals|Seattle Public Schools
buildingrental@seattleschools.org

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[hbrown99]

all are “generally” open… hmmm

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[ttt]

At another west seattle school there was a homeless person camping on school grounds. Also on most of the school fields people bring their dogs and treat the school grounds as if they are off leash dog parks and many times dogs poop on the fields. I wonder if these are reasons they keep GHE’s fields clised overnight?

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[dyn99]

Pretty sure the field is closed to let the new grass get fully established. The sod went down maybe a week or two before school started and to keep the play field in good shape long term they need to let the grass get fully established with healthy roots.

As for it being locked up and impossible to get to, the old SP Elementary grounds were never locked up, nor were the old GH Elementary grounds when the school was closed.

I’m not suggesting it should be a park. I’m saying that if taxpayers pay over $30m for a new public building than the public should be able to use it. As much of it as is practical. Just like a library or community center.

I’ll email SPS and see if I can get their attention to the issue. It just seems insane to keep this closed up for no good reason.

I would personally volunteer to go pick up the non-existent poop if that allowed the community with consistent access to a very nice public amenity (that we all paid for).

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[dyn99]

I got a nice email back from the principal of Genesee Hill ES today saying that the barriers to the grass field were being removed and the gates to the playground should be unlocked outside of school hours from here on out.

Hooray! Time to take the kid to the playground tomorrow (if it ever stops raining). :)

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