Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

Dear community member,

Today, Mayor Jenny Durkan is releasing her 2020 Proposed Budget. In the second year of the two-year budget biennium, this budget maintains core services while at the same time increasing investments in priorities like public safety, affordable housing, homelessness, transit and transportation safety, and opportunity and jobs for Seattle’s young people.

The following is a summary of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s key changes in the 2020 Proposed Budget.

The 2020 Proposed Budget maintains resources to Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and identifies efficiencies to implement budget-neutral staffing changes across the department. In addition, the proposed budget allocates funding to cover increasing costs associated with utility expenses and other citywide adjustments, adds funds to expand existing operations and recreation programming, and updates the Capital Improvement Program to reflect planned spending in 2020.

Improve Service Levels

The 2020 Proposed Budget implements a number of changes to improve service levels and help the department keep up with increasing demands at its recreation facilities and maintenance needs. These changes are budget neutral and include:

• repurposing excess summer aquatic funds to eliminate a gap in access to swimming in low-income communities, making swim free to this population;
• adding permanent staffing at the Arboretum Loop Trail, Japanese Garden, and the SPR 24-Hour maintenance request call center;
• formalizing a commitment to the Teen Summer Musical and other performing arts programs by establishing dedicated funding for this work; and
• expanding SPR’s administrative capacity and ongoing efforts to measure performance quality across the organization.

Expanding and Enhancing Operations

The 2019-2020 budget added $150,000 of Sweetened Beverage Tax funding to SPR for youth recreation scholarships. In 2020, SPR will receive additional funding to expand the number of Destination Summer Camp locations and to add hours for Summer of Safety programming at existing sites.

The 2020 Proposed Budget provides funding for additional Recreation Assistant Coordinators funded by ARC. The proposed budget also adds ongoing funding to expand the RV Remediation Program to cover the SPR staffing program costs that support this City-wide program.

Capital Improvement Program

In 2019, Outdoors for All was selected following the department’s issuance of a Request for Proposal process to renovate Building 18 at Magnuson Park to serve as the organization’s future headquarters. Outdoors for All enriches the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities through outdoor recreation. The Mayor’s 2020 Proposed Budget includes $1,000,000 of one-time funding in SPR’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to assist Outdoors for All with capital renovations at the facility.

The 2020 Proposed CIP also includes an additional $700,000 of one-time Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for accessibility compliance; this will supplement existing funding for this work in 2020 and further advance SPR’s efforts to make parks and recreation facilities more accessible to all.

NEXT STEPS AND COMMUNICATION ABOUT BUDGET

Over the next two months, the City Council will review the Mayor’s proposed budget. Final adoption of the budget is expected on Monday, November 25. More information about details in the budget can be found at www.seattle.gov/budget, and you can also direct any questions to jenny.durkan@seattle.gov.

Sincerely, 

Jesús Aguirre

Superintendent, Seattle Parks and Recreation 

In an effort to allow staff and community to mourn the passing of a team member, Rainier Beach Pool (8825 Rainier Ave. S) will be closed on Sunday, Sept. 29 for all programs and activities, except for rentals. We apologize for the inconvenience. For a list of alternative pools to use, please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/pools/pools-a-z

The Rainier Beach Community Center will operate as normal on Sunday, Sept. 29 (only the pool is closing).

Questions? Please call the pool at 206-386-1925.

Help us create a healthier, happier, and greener Seattle by coming out to our biggest planting event of the year – Green Seattle Day! On November 2nd we will be planting the city’s future forest at 17 neighborhood parks. From creating wildlife habitat, to combating climate change, and providing a place for residents to recreate, having a hand in Green Seattle Day is one of the best ways to give back to your neighbors, parks, and your local forest.

All community members are welcome, and no experience is necessary! The event is family friendly and open to all ages. Hundreds of volunteers will plant native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers that will become the future forest of Seattle. We will provide all of the necessary tools and training for the day, along with light refreshments.

We hope that you will lend a hand in the neighborhoods you live in, and volunteer at the park closest to you. Spots do fill up quickly, so please sign up in advance to help us plan a great event. Information and registration links can be found at: https://www.greenseattle.org/get-involved/green-seattle-day/ 

Questions? Please contact the Green Seattle Partnership by email at info@greenseattle.org, and by phone at (206) 905-6924.

The Discovery Park Advisory Council is looking for new members to join their team.  The council meets once a month with Seattle Parks and Recreation staff to offer community perspective, advice and consultation on environmental education programs, visitor services and interpretation within Discovery Park.

Meetings are held at the Discovery Park Visitor Center and are scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of every month, September – June.

If you are interested in joining the council or would like to learn more about this opportunity, please come to our next meeting on September 25, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Volunteers with a background in environmental education, grant writing and/or event planning are especially welcome, but there are no special skills necessary: just a love for the park and a desire to see it thrive and serve the needs of all Seattle’s citizens. 

Please Join us!

The Garden Innovators Program is a Seattle Parks and Recreation youth internship program that focuses on analyzing the societal intersections of culture, food, history, health and wellness, and garden science. Participants also look at the complexities of systemic and environmental racism, and analyze how different elements play a role in healthy resources and food access. The program is based out of the South Park neighborhood, which was identified by Public Health King County-Seattle as a “food desert”.

This summer, Garden Innovators participants explored the impact of food culture on health, learned basic ecological concepts around botany, explored ways to promote a healthier environment in their communities, and gained an introduction to basic business building and marketing strategies.

In July, Garden Innovators interns visited Pike Place Market to see how fresh food is displayed and sold there, as well as for a taste! With the guidance of two professional chefs at the Atrium test kitchen, the Garden Innovators had an opportunity to prepare a meal of toasted veggie sandwiches and pasta, along with a tossed green salad with fresh-made dressing.

The internship program culminated with the youth gaining real world experience in the food industry through a partnership with Resistencia Coffee in South Park. Participants learned barista skills and about the coffee industry, and also used their newly acquired business skills to oversee a farm stand that operated on Wednesdays over the summer in Resistencia Coffee’s outdoor space.

The Garden Innovators program is supported by the South Park Community Center and Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Urban Food Systems Program, which provides access to healthy food and active recreation opportunities while focusing on increasing environmental stewardship through food system programs. Learn more here.

All Seattle Parks and Recreation community centers, pools, teen life centers, and the Discovery Park visitor center will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 19 for a staff training. The only programs that will be operating will be Preschool and School Aged Care; all other programs, lessons and activities will be canceled for the day.

 Did you know that the Every Kid Outdoor Program provides 4th grade students with free entrance to public lands? See the following details from our friends at the Seattle Area National Park Sites:

If you are a fourth grader (including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years of age) you get unlimited, free access for you and your family to any federal lands or waters through August 31, 2020.

In the Seattle area, the Interagency Fourth Grade Pass covers the $30 entrance fee at Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks, the $5 trailhead parking fee at Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Olympic national forests, the $3 parking fee at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, the $10 youth admission fee to the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, and more!

To obtain the free pass, fourth grade students can visit nps.gov/everykidoutdoors, participate in a short educational activity, and download a voucher. The voucher is valid for multiple use between September 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020 and may be exchanged for a plastic keepsake pass at participating federal lands.

The Every Kid Outdoors Program was established by Congress in 2019. It replaces the Every Kid in a Park Program which was launched in 2015. It is an interagency collaboration between the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Forest Service.

More info here: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/every-kid-outdoors-program-provides-fourth-grade-students-free-entrance-public-lands

Thank you to the hundreds of community members who came out this year to help celebrate the Big Day of Play!

On Saturday, Aug. 17, families and community members were out in full force at Rainier Community Center and Playfields shooting hoops, showing off their pickleball skills, dancing to hip hop, getting their heart pumping with Zumba, rock climbing, bouncing on inflatables, running in sack races, watching cultural performances, and much more! In fact, this year community members averaged 3,262 steps at the event!

All of these fun health and physical fitness activities were part of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Big Day of Play, our annual, signature event dedicated to celebrating Seattle’s diversity and encouraging neighbors, communities and families to have fun, build relationships and be active together. The Big Day of Play also featured a variety of water activities for community members to try at the Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center, including stand up paddle boarding, rowing and sailing.

This year, community volunteers donated over 137 hours of time to help make this event possible! And Seattle Parks and Recreation staff volunteered over 735 hours! Volunteers helped with event set up and take down, greeting and surveying guests, monitoring field and water activities, and more!

At Seattle Parks and Recreation, our mission is to support Healthy People, a Healthy Environment, and Strong Communities. The Big Day of Play not only encourages community members to get moving and connect with neighbors, it also strives to be a zero-waste event.

See more Big Day of Play pictures here.

Summer Splash is a free family event taking place at Green Lake (SW corner near the Small Craft Center) on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring kids activities, food tents, live shows, and corporate crew races! Come out and explore canoeing, paddle boarding and kayaking opportunities.

Interested in being a vendor? Download the 2019 Summer Splash Vendor Application here.

Summer Splash is happening on the same day as our Green Lake Family Fun and Wellness Fair. Learn more about this even here.

Little Brook Youth Corps is a week-long youth professional development program created by Lake City service providers that teaches youth the value of community stewardship to help protect the environment and give back to our community.  The 2019 Little Brook Youth Corps team members were selected from a large pool of applicants based on their commitment to serving their community.

Taking place in the Thornton Creek Watershed, Seattle’s largest salmon-bearing watershed, this year’s cohort gained experience removing invasive species from Little Brook Park and the Little Brook Natural Area; toured Thornton Creek and the Cedar River Watershed; learned about Air Quality and Water Quality; learned about the Coast Salish culture from the Snoqualmie Tribes, and participated in two different service projects in Lake City.

Little Brook Youth Corps is supported by Lake City Collective, the Nature Conservancy, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Duwamish Infrastructure Restoration Training (DIRT) corps, Green Seattle Partnership stewards, Thornton Creek Alliance, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the Cedar River Watershed, Snoqualmie Tribes, Lake City Master Gardeners, the Lake City Library and the NE Family Center.  Special thank you to Cesar Garcia, Nicole Dillman and Louie Martinez for organizing LBYC logistics.  This is the second year Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Naturalist Jacob de Guzman has supported the program.