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2017 Seattle Park District Highlights: Major Maintenance

2017 has been another great year for the Seattle Park District! We’ve been working in every corner of the city to preserve our urban forest, maintain our community centers and parks, encourage community members to get active, design new parks with community input, and much more! Read on to learn about some of our Fix it First: Major Maintenance highlights to date, and look out for our comprehensive Seattle Park District annual report coming soon.

Click the links to read highlights from other Seattle Park District initiatives: Maintaining Parks and Facilities; Programs for People; Building for the Future.

Fix it First: Major Maintenance

These initiatives begin to address the $267 million major maintenance backlog, and fund the improvement and rehabilitation of community centers, the Green Seattle Partnership’s efforts to preserve the urban forest, and major maintenance at the Aquarium and Zoo.

We installed 3,600 feet of accessible paths and ramps at Camp Long, including 4,800 feet of railings! These improvements will allow more community members to explore Camp Long and its natural beauty.

This year, through the Green Seattle Partnership, volunteers donated more than 10,200 hours of work to preserve our urban forests. In 2017, we cleared 100+ acres of invasive species and planted 10,034 plants on Green Seattle Day!

Great “home improvement” projects are happening at the Woodland Park Zoo thanks to the Seattle Park District. The gorilla dens at the zoo recently got a major upgrade, including the installation of a new air-handling and heating system, which will help keep the gorillas cozy for months to come. Park District funding also helped support a project to replace the zoo’s Northern Trail Boardwalk. The new boardwalk will make it easier for guests to visit the animals along the Northern Trail, which mimics the habitat of Alaska’s tundra and features brown bears, river otters, snowy owls and more. Learn more here.

Thanks to the Seattle Park District, we are creating new play areas  and renovating old ones throughout the city. New play areas include play elements and access for children of all ages and abilities. In 2017, we completed Highland Park Play Area and we are on schedule to open Georgetown Playfield Play Area by early 2018. We are currently in the planning or construction phase on Baker Park AdditionHigh Point Play Area, Lincoln Park South Play Area, and South Park Playfield Play Area.