Save Seattle Parks and Community Centers!

Some readers may remember my previous post about supporting our parks at the last community meeting. Well, unfortunately the over $50 million dollar City budget shortfall has become a reality, Parks and Rec Superintendent Tim Gallagher has stepped down, and the department he leaves behind is likely to be one of the hardest him by cutbacks.

With such a large deficit community center closures and job cuts are inevitable. In NE Seattle alone we have community centers in Magnuson, Laurelhurst, Meadowbrook, Ravenna-Eckstein, and Northgate. These centers provide after-school care and teen programs, among other important services, that are vital to our city. Closing even one of these would have a significantly negative impact on our neighborhood.

New community centers, like Magnuson, are more likely to go first when compared to those that have been in the area for decades. Do you want to lose all the nature programming happen at that park? As Emily Bishton points out:

Ever since it opened in 2004, Magnuson Community Center has been creating nature programs to educate children and adults, and it has become an Environmental Education Center is all ways except an official title. Each year, its Coordinators and Advisory Council have continued to dedicate time and resources to keeping Magnuson Community Center on the leading edge of the children and nature movement. Its nature programs have grown to include a wide variety of choices for children ages 4-12, their parents and other adults, and teen service learning opportunities. These programs now comprise a major part of their community offerings, so closing Magnuson Community Center would be a devastating blow to overall nature education in NE Seattle.

 If you don't want to lose these community centers, attend the public hearing tomorrow and share your thoughts with Mayor McGinn and the City Council. The greater the voice, the greater the chance to keep the doors open.


Meeting Details:
May 4th
5pm: Sign-in
5:30pm: Public hearing
North Seattle Community College cafeteria
9600 College Way North, Seattle, 98103

photo courtesy of Wonderlane

Mayor McGinn to Tour Lake City this Saturday

All NE Seattle residents should consider attending this event so I'm re-posting my Lake City Live story here as well:

Ever since Mike McGinn stepped into the mayoral office three months ago, he has made it a priority to get out and tour different neighborhoods in Seattle.  His purpose, to learn about the issues and opportunities in different parts of the city. The walks started in the Pioneer Square/International District neighborhoods where over 70 people attended and discussed their concerns and ideas. I'm not sure what, if anything, came out of that walk and the subsequent ones that followed. But I can bet, at the very least, it increased the sense of community; something I think our area could use a little more of.

This Saturday, April 10th, the Mayor will tour our very own Lake City. This is an open event to public and residents are encouraged to attend and share their concerns about the neighborhood. Many thanks to Ed Pottharst, of the Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods, for sharing the following tour details:
People will have the chance to talk with Mayor McGinn at tour stops.  Most of the tour is walking.  The last two gathering places—Little Brook Park and Jackson Park House & Village (youth tutoring program) –are about a mile north of the earlier stops.  You are welcome to join Mayor McGinn on bike hops to these two places.

Support Your Parks Tonight

I posted this over on Lake City Live but I think it's applies to everyone in NE Seattle so I'm posting here as well!

With the City of Seattle facing a $50 million dollar budget shortfall this year, it's highly likely the Parks and Recreation Department will have to share in the budget cuts needed to make up for the huge loss. This is just one reason why it's really important to attend the Community Open House this Wednesday, April 7th from 6:30 to 8pm at the Lake City Community Center.

Maple Leaf's Waldo Woods now Permanently Preserved

The Maple Leaf Community Council sent out a press release announcing the wonderful news that Waldo Woods has now completed the process of being approved as a conservation easement:

Ordinance 116794 was passed by the Seattle City Council Monday, March 8. Confirmation was received today that Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn has signed the legislation. This ordinance represents the last step in the process where the Seattle Parks Department takes possession of a conservation easement for Waldo Woods. The effect of the conservation easement is the permanent preservation of Waldo Woods, an urban grove of mature, native Douglas firs. 

Wondering what the heck is a conservation easement? Simply put, it's a legally enforceable preservation agreement between a landowner and government agency; in this case the two players being the Menachem Mendel Seattle Cheder Day School and the City of Seattle.

Though this type of easement puts certain restrictions on land use by the owner, it doesn't make the property automatically available to the public. Luckily the day school has graciously agreed to make a portion of Waldo Woods available to the public so all may enjoy the 85-year-old forest.

Congratulations to the Maple Leaf Community Council, the Waldo Woods Working Group and all Maple Leaf residents who worked for over three years to save this important piece of city green space.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbaron/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

What Do You Want for Seattle's Kids?

One of Mayor McGinn's biggest inaugural projects is to address the challenges kids and their families are facing in Seattle right now with the Youth and Families Initiative.  As with other initiatives coming out of the mayor's office, the first step is starting a discussion. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention before but I swear I don't remember our former mayor taking so much time to get the public's opinion - it's definitely refreshing!

The Youth and Families Initiative will begin with five large workshops at community centers across the city.  NE Seattle residents can attend the group meeting on March 1st at Northgate Elementary, from 7:00-8:30pm.  Have a kid, or know one, in the public schools system? A sixth, youth-only, workshop will be held at City Hall on April 8th.

For those not able to make it to one of the workshops, the YFI is planning up to 100 Community Caucuses in an effort to hear from as many residents as possible:

Each Community Caucus will be an opportunity for a group that wants to make its voice heard to meet, with a facilitator, in a living room, coffee shop, community center—anywhere where people gather naturally in a community; the idea is that instead of asking you to come to us, we’re going to go to you to make sure that your voice gets heard. Each Community Caucus, like each small table at the large group workshops, will elect one delegate to send on to the broader Kids and Families Congress on June 5th at Seattle Center, so holding a Community Caucus will be a great way to ensure that your group’s voice is heard as the Initiative moves forward.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Initiative, please contact Sol Villarreal in the Mayor’s Office at sol.villarreal@seattle.gov or 206-233-2656.

Calling All Artists! Public Art Project at New Maple Leaf Reservoir Park

Seattle's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreations and Seattle Public Utilities, issued a call for professional artists to install public art projects at two new parks; one of which is the new Maple Leaf Reservoir Park.  Funded by SPU and the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy 1% For Arts fund, one artist will be selected to collaborate with design consultants and city staff to "create engaging areas or installations that are integrated into the parks' design, enhance the experience  of visiting the parks, and promote discovery or define a space or activity within the park."

The application deadline is 11pm, Thursday, March 11.  Artists whose work addresses environmental sustainability issues and use green design are encouraged to apply.  For more information on the call and application process, go to: http://www.seattle.gov/arts/publicart/calls_for_art.asp#parks.

Seattle Launches Year Of Urban Agriculture Campaign

Yesterday Mayor McGinn and the Seattle City Council announced an exciting new program called the Year of Urban Agriculture. It's mission is to promote urban agriculture by increasing community awareness and access to locally grown food.  As part of the effort, the City launched a new web page dedicated to information and resources, as well as local events, related to urban farming.

"We are committed to making changes that are better for people and better for the environment. This means making it easier to garden and grow food, to ensure that good food is available in all neighborhoods, and to find innovative ways to encourage local and regional food production," said Mayor McGinn.