Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

NEW: See venue availability and hours of operation online

Did you know that in addition to reserving park spaces such as the Arboretum, Parsons Gardens, and Kubota Terrace for your outdoor events and ceremonies, you can also reserve one of our 13 indoor “special amenity” locations for your next family gathering, birthday party, celebration, or other event?

And now, with our new online system, finding the perfect indoor space for your event just got easier! In just two steps, you can be on your way to planning the event of a lifetime!

1. Visit our registration website and click on “Reservation Availability” to view facility details, including location, contact information, availability, and hours of operation.
2. Once you’ve found the perfect location and have confirmed date and time availability online, give our Event Scheduling staff a call at 206-684-4080 to make a reservation.

Special amenity locations:

• Alki Beach Bathhouse Multi-Purpose Room
• Bradner Gardens Community Building
•  Cal Anderson Shelter House
•  Cowen Park Shelter House
•  Dakota Place Park Building
•  Golden Gardens Bathhouse
•  Madison Park Bathhouse
•  Madrona Playfield Shelter House
•  Mt. Baker Rowing and Sailing Center
• Pinehurst Shelter House Medium Room
• Pritchard Beach Bathhouse
• Ross Playfield Shelter House
• Ward Springs Pump House

On Thursday, October 10 from 5-7 p.m., the Hiawatha community will be hosting its second annual National Coming Out Day Celebration at Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California Ave. SW). Whether it’s coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) or as an ally, we come together in celebration and advocacy of equality and living openly.

In an effort to gather together resources for the community, we’re hosting this event not only as a celebration but also as a show of support for our LGBTQ neighbors and their journey. There will be community organizations with LGBTQ resources, music, art projects, and food. Questions? Call the center at 206-684-7441.

What’s going on in the Arboretum Wetlands?

Seattle Parks and Recreation is actively managing invasive aquatic noxious weed populations in the Arboretum wetlands along the Arboretum Trail and non-native trees adjacent to Arboretum Creek where Lake Washington Blvd intersects Lynn Street at the Wilcox Footbridge, extending to the South Stone Bridge.  

The weeds are growing so fast that they are displacing newly planted native plants, degrading the wetlands and habitat quality for local fish and wildlife.

The invasive plants we are controlling are:

• Reed Canary Grass
• Tree of heaven
• Himalayan blackberry
• Hedge bindweed
• Bittersweet nightshade
• Invasive European tree species

Weed leaves and stems will be treated with an aquatic-use herbicide containing either imazapyr or triclopyr. Trees will be treated by injection of imazapyr. These products have been approved and permitted for this use by Washington State Department of Ecology.

Intermittent treatments will occur the week of September 30^th.

Treatment areas will be clearly marked and temporarily closed to public access. This is being done so that work can be completed quickly and efficiently. The areas will reopen the morning after treatments are complete.

There is no risk to humans, animals, birds, and other wildlife before, during or after; the treatments and pose no hazards to nearby habitat areas, beaches, parks and other recreational sites.

Bring your cameras and capture the breathtaking sight of Japanese maple trees ablaze in fall color at the annual Maple Festival, Oct. 3 – 13, at the Seattle Japanese Garden.

To celebrate the start of this popular festival, and as part of Free First Thursday on Thursday, Oct. 3, the Seattle Japanese Garden will host the opening reception for a watercolor collection by a group of artists from Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Dementia-Friendly Recreation program. The opening reception will run from 3 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the Tateuchi Community Room on Oct. 3 and the exhibit will be on display through the end of Oct. On Free First Thursdays, admission to the garden is free after 1 p.m.

The Maple Festival is a family-friendly event features nature-inspired art, maple tree scavenger hunts for the kids, live performances and other cultural activities. Self-guided Maple Tour Brochures will be available on most days. See full event schedule here.

The event is free with garden admission, no advance tickets necessary. Garden admission prices: Adults, $8; City of Seattle residents with ID, $6; Youth 6 -17, students with ID, and seniors 65 and over, $4. Children 5 and under are free. Family and Individual memberships are accepted at this event. On the First Thursdays of the month, admission is free for all visitors from 1 p.m. until closing.

Seattle Japanese Garden is located at 1075 Lake Washington Blvd E. The hours in October are Monday, noon – 5 p.m. and Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. -5 p.m. For more information, visit www.seattlejapanesegarden.org.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking nominations for the Denny Awards, which honor extraordinary volunteer service to the city’s parks and recreation system. The deadline for nominations is Friday, October 18, 2019.

Nomination Form (please complete one of the options below):

• The electronic nomination form is available here (if you want to view all the questions on the nomination form before beginning to submit online, you can take a look at the PDF version below).
  
  
• A PDF nomination form is available here for you to download or print and complete. You can email the completed nomination to Adrienne.Caver-Hall@seattle.gov, or mail it to Adrienne Caver-Hall, 100 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109.
  
  

  *When completing the nomination form, please select only one category that best suits your nominee (Equity Champion, Healthy Environment, Healthy People, Strong Communities).

The awards will be presented at a recognition ceremony to be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at Sodo Park Herban Feast, 3200 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134.

The Denny Awards acknowledge and honor the crucial role volunteers play in supporting neighborhood parks, community centers and recreation programs throughout Seattle. The awards reflect the early commitment by the Denny family to the preservation of parkland and open space for public use and enjoyment. David T. and Louisa Denny donated land that became the first Seattle park, Denny Park, in 1884.

“Volunteers are one of our most important resources in helping us reach our goals of supporting healthy people, a healthy environment, and strong communities,” said Jesús Aguirre, Superintendent. “Our volunteers coach youth sports, help us plant native trees in our parks, serve on various advisory councils and boards, and provide countless other services that allow us to have the first-rate park and recreation system that Seattle loves and depends on.”

Denny Awards nominees should:

• demonstrate exceptional stewardship of parks and/or recreation;
• have given a significant commitment of time;
• provide stellar leadership by supporting SPR’s goals to extend Race and Social Justice, and support Healthy People, a Healthy Environment, and Strong Communities.

In 2018, 31,260 people volunteered for Seattle Parks and Recreation, providing 174,510 hours of service, which is a donation valued by Independent Sector for Washington State at $31.72 per hour or $5,535,457 in 2018.

For additional information, please contact Adrienne Caver-Hall at 206-733-9703, or adrienne.caver-hall@seattle.gov. A list of past award winners is available here.

The September 26, 2019 Board of Park Commissioners meeting is canceled for the Board to convene a retreat to discuss Board business at the Japanese Garden from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Board will hold their next regular Park Board meeting on October 10.

The Seattle Board of Park Commissioners is a nine-member citizen board created by the City Charter. Four members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council; four members are appointed by the City Council; and one member is a young adult appointed by the YMCA Get Engaged program.

The Board generally meets twice a month, normally on the second and fourth Thursday, to advise the Parks and Recreation Superintendent, the Mayor, and the City Council on parks and recreation matters.

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!