Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

Seattle Parks and Recreation(SPR) awarded the construction contract to FieldTurf USA to replace the aging synthetic turf with new state-of-the-art synthetic turf systems at six Seattle Parks and Recreation playfields. The playfields include: Lower Woodlands Playfields 2 & 7, Magnuson Park-Mickey Merriam Playfields 6 & 7, Loyal Heights Playfield, and Queen Anne Bowl Playfield. To increase the project efficiency, these synthetic turf field replacement projects were packaged together.

Each playfield replacement includes the removal of the old ‘worn out’ synthetic turf and will address any structural repairs to curbing, sub-subsurface, and drainage. 2020 synthetic turf systems will be installed for recreational play. During construction, each field will be closed. SPR and the contractor hired for the project will work to minimize impact to the roadways and neighborhoods. 

SPR conducted condition assessments on all SPR synthetic turf fields in 2018 and the results of these assessments informed both immediate maintenance action as well as the order in which needed replacement projects were funded.

For more information or to contact the project manager please visit:

• Lower Woodland Playfield #2 & #7 Closed mid-Oct through December 2020
  • http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/lower-woodland-park-playfields-2-and-7

• Magnuson Park – Mickey Merriam Playfields 6 & 7- Closed September through December 2020
  • http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/magnuson-park-mickey-merriam-playfields-6-and-7-

• Loyal Heights Playfield – Closed September through November 2020
  • http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/loyal-heights-playfield-turf-replacement

• Queen Anne Bowl Playfield – Closed October through November 2020
  • http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/queen-anne-bowl-playfield-turf-replacement

While we cannot meet in person right now, your input is important to us! Seattle Parks and Recreation(SPR), Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Seattle Sports Complex Foundation invite the community to participate in an online meeting on Monday, October 19 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  to review the community survey results and concept alternatives for Lowman Beach Racket Court. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/Lowman-Mtg2  or Number 146 733 7298 Password lowmanbeach  or call in at 1-206-207-1700 Code 146 733 7298. 

At Lowman Beach Park, 7017 Beach Dr. S W., the existing court will be removed as part of the Shoreline Restoration and Seawall Replacement project. The community has come together to explore options to install a new racket court that would provide recreation experience for all ages and will be ADA accessible.

During the first online open house, held in August, the design team presented the challenges and opportunities in locating a new racket court at the park and gathered community feedback. The community expressed a variety of desires including, finding a place for a full-size tennis court, adding something smaller, like Pickleball courts, or not making changes additional to those in the Shoreline project. Funding for the planning and design of the racket court is provided by the Department of Neighborhood Matching Fund.

The Lowman Beach Park seawall began to fail in 2015 and needs to be addressed. As visitors to the park have seen, the existing seawall is slowly falling over/sliding towards the water. SPR’s goal is to remove the existing seawall and continue the shoreline restoration work that began when the south half of the seawall failed in the mid-1990s and was removed.

For more information or to review the meeting in August please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/lowman-beach-racket-court-design or contact Pam Kliment at pamela.kliment@seattle.gov or 206-684-7556.

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the community to participate in a short survey http://bit.ly/CalAnderson2 and join the third online discussions for 2020 Cal Anderson Park. This project engages the public on how changing assumptions and language can affect the design of park spaces and create a sense of belonging for everyone. Please participate on-line in a conversation and vision for the future of Cal Anderson Park on Wednesday, October 7 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at https://dlrgroup.zoom.us/j/96794281610 or Thursday, October 8 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at https://dlrgroup.zoom.us/j/93691483865. Choose either day to participate.

What is important to our community must be reflected in our parks. Our goal is to engage community around how we can use Seattle’s parks spaces to support better outcomes for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and LGBTQIA+ communities in our city and our region.

Together with the community and Seattle Parks and Recreation, Rico Quirindongo will lead the consultant team of DLR Group and HBB, Inc. to discuss, inventory, and prioritize ideas for interventions to Cal Anderson Park. On October 7 and 8 we will discuss survey results, integration of public input, strategies for early and long-term implementation to enhance the sense of belonging in the park, as well as new ideas and next steps in this process for Cal Anderson Park.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first two online conversations. Recordings of the meetings and additional information are available for review here https://2020calandersonpark.com/.

The survey is translated into six languages and closed captioning will be provided for the online meetings. For additional questions about project or meeting assistance/accommodations please contact 2020CalAnderson@seattle.gov.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) will begin construction of the Duwamish Waterway Park Improvements at 7900 10th Ave. S in South Park in October 2020. SPR purchased the 1.3-acre site from King County after a community-led process to make the property a permanent neighborhood riverfront park. Working with the Seattle Parks Foundation, the Friends of Duwamish Waterway Park raised over $1 million for park improvements and catalyzed the renovation effort.

The community vision provides significant improvements to the park to make it a healthy and welcoming space for families, young people, and seniors. The final design provides more welcoming park entries and includes:

• an improved perimeter pathway with a series of interpretive artwork boulders that enhance the river view with messages relating to the community and area history; 
• an all-ages accessible playground including a climbing structure and zip line as well as boulders, logs, and benches; and
• new park furnishings with accessible picnic tables, barbecues, drinking fountain and foot wash, additional benches, and bike racks. 

The park has been carefully laid out to maximize open space for recreation and festivals and to preserve river access for launching hand-carried boats. Vegetation management will improve sightlines throughout the park and will include new riparian plantings that control erosion and supplement the native shoreline plantings installed by Seattle Parks and Recreation over the years.

During the purchase of the property, SPR was made aware that the soil beneath the grass next to the river in the northeastern portion of the property contained elevated levels of arsenic contamination. In preparation for construction, SPR submitted a cleanup plan to the Washington Department of Ecology and is finalizing the plan for the property with Ecology. 

SPR will begin soil remediation work prior to construction. The soil in the northeastern portion of the park site will be removed and replaced with clean fill.  After consulting with SPR arborists and in order to preserve the large trees at the park, SPR will use air spading to remove soil around critical root zones of trees. SPR arborists will oversee this work to minimize impact to the trees and to see that clean soil is correctly placed around them. We anticipate removal of approximately 80 cubic yards of soil or more in this initial action. Most of the cleanup work will be completed before the park renovation begins; any remaining cleanup on SPR property will be coordinated during the construction of park improvements. Cleanup on non-Seattle Parks and Recreation property is not included in this project.

We anticipate awarding the construction contract for park improvements in late September 2020, with construction starting in late October 2020 and completed in summer 2021.

For more information please contact Jessica Michalak, Capital Projects Coordinator, Seattle Parks and Recreation, at Jessica.michalak@seattle.gov or 206-470-9147 or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/duwamish-waterway-park-activation.

Seattle Parks and Recreation will partially close the I-5 Colonnade Off-leash Area(OLA), 1701 Lakeview Blvd. E, 98102 as part of a maintenance project that will replace the gravel in the dog park. The maintenance project will begin in the north section of the park and start Tuesday, September 22, 2020. Access to this park will be available from the opposite entrance from the work site.

The nearest two OLA’s are Denny Park 100 Dexter Ave N., 98109 and Plymouth Pillars Park located at the corner of Pine St and Boren St., 98101.  Please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/dog-off-leash-areas for other off leash area opportunities.

The Seattle Park District’s Maintaining Parks and Facilities funding initiative provides funding to improve OLAs throughout Seattle. This initiative provides $100,000 annually until the end of this year, 2020 and will improve existing off-leash areas through increased maintenance while providing updates to aging infrastructure. In 2016, we completed a capital plan for all OLAs, People, Dogs and Parks Plan. This plan provides a scope and prioritization of projects.

Several maintenance improvement projects were completed over the last two years at Magnuson Park, Genesee Park, Regrade Park, Woodland Park and Blue Dog Pond Park OLAs. 

For more information about the project please visit http://wwwqa.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/dog-off-leash-areas

For more information please contact Peggy Tosdal at peggy.tosdal@seattle.gov or 206-419-3136.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the community to review the proposed schematic design for the future Terry Pettus Park and provide final design input. The proposed schematic design incorporates the newly acquired property to the south of the park. Please register for the online Zoom meeting http://bit.ly/pettusparkmeeting2 and join us online Wednesday, September 23 at 4 p.m. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the meeting. While we cannot meet in person right now, your input is important to us!

At the last meeting, the design team from Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects heard from the community that they preferred the two concept alternatives Terraces and Restoration. The design team combined the features of these two concepts along with other public input, and developed the proposed schematic design. The proposal improves universal access across the site and includes multi-level terraces for sitting and picnicking, restored upland habitat areas, a new dock, and a new beach.

Terry Pettus Park is located in the Eastlake neighborhood at 2001 Fairview Ave E.

For additional questions about project please contact Karen O’Connor at 206-233-7929 or karen.oconnor@seattle.gov or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/terry-pettus-park-renovation.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) invite the Delridge and High Point communities to participate in creating better pedestrian connections in the Delridge neighborhood. Please take a tour of the site by watching this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_OsfnhbZIY&feature=youtu.be and visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C9HBJCF to provide input.

This design project will provide a plan for improving pedestrian paths along SW Brandon and SW Findlay streets and make trail entries to Camp Long and Longfellow Creek more open and welcoming to the public. One of the goals of this project is to improve access for the future new RapidRide H Line stops that will begin service in 2021 at SW Findlay and Delridge.

For more information about the project please visit

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/sw-brandon-and-sw-findlay-streets-trail-improvements-and-wayfinding.

For more information on the future RapidRide H Line please visit www.seattle.gov/transportation/delridgetransit and https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/programs-projects/fares-routes-and-service/rapidride-expansion/h-line

For questions about the project please contact Ed Pottharst, Ed.Pottharst@seattle.gov or 206-386-4232.

While we cannot meet in person right now, your input is important to us! Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is beginning the renovation of the Salmon Bay Play Area, a neighborhood park in Ballard at 2001 NW Canoe Pl, Seattle WA 98117. Please participate in this short survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZJPDT7T  and help shape the future play area.

The survey provides an opportunity for community members to provide input on the play area project and tell SPR design team what the community values about this park and play area, and how it might be improved.

The project focuses on installing new play equipment (the newly replaced zipline will be retained), access improvements, and replacing site furnishings. Renovated elements will meet current safety and accessibility standards.

For more information please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/salmon-bay-park-play-area-renovation or contact Ed Pottharst at ed.pottharst@seattle.gov or 206-386-4232.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is happy to announce Christie Park renovation is complete and open to the public. SPR purchased 11-acres directly adjacent and south of Christie Park, 4257 9th Ave. NE, in 2012 to increase the open space for the University District urban village.

The larger renovated park features an open lawn, plantings, trees, a multi-use plaza with donated art, a loop trail, and a fitness area. The Friends of Christie Park, formed by the Taiwanese American Community in Greater Seattle, provided the funding for the “Explorer Voyage” art piece by Paul Sorey. The three stainless steel art boat sculptures celebrate the explorer spirit and friendship between the people of Seattle and Taiwan. The park art includes Paul Sorey’s boats modeled after Taiwanese Aboriginal’s boats “Tatala”, that offer seating areas, cultural tiles installed at the entrance to the park and decorative lighting for the boats. The word “EXPLORE” is written in different languages around the entry circle reflecting many cultures all sharing the same values and steel “ribbon” in the concrete represent water.

The opening celebration will occur next July during the Tribal Canoe Journey along Pacific Northwest coast when many Taiwanese Native Tao people come to Seattle and can join the celebration.

Funding for this park project is provided by the Seattle Park District. Approved by Seattle voters in 2014, the Seattle Park District provides more than $47 million a year in long-term funding for Seattle Parks and Recreation including maintenance of parklands and facilities, operation of community centers and recreation programs, and development of new neighborhood parks on previously acquired sites.

Thank you to the Friends of Christie Park and the U-District Partnership for their support of this project and assistance during the public process. For more information about the project please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/christie-park-addition or contact Katie Bang at katie.bang@seattle.gov or 206-684-9286.

Although we cannot meet in person right now, your input is important to us! Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites you to participate in the final design for the South Park Plaza site. We have four design options. The design options are shown in the survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SPPlaza. You may also visit the plaza site, 8456 Dallas Ave. S, and see all four designs on large boards. Once you review the designs, please provide input on the survey that is translated into Spanish and Vietnamese. The survey closes on September 30, 2020.

Each of the four designs offers a play feature, lawn, and different types of gathering spaces. Please participate and let the design team know what is important to you. The design team will create a preferred community-informed design that will be presented in late 2020.

In 2014, as part of a community-initiated acquisition, SPR purchased the .83-acre site just west of the South Park Bridge to provide the community more open space. SPR is ready to move this new park and plaza project forward. We are excited to work with the South Park neighborhood to develop a design for the community gathering space.

This project was made possible by the voter-approved Seattle Park District, which provides more than $47 million a year in long-term funding for SPR, including maintenance of parklands and facilities, operation of community centers and recreation programs, and development of new neighborhood parks on previously acquired sites.

For more information about the project, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/south-park-plaza-landbanked-site-park-development.

For additional questions or if you need an interpreter or accommodations please contact Ed Pottharst at ed.pottharst@seattle.gov or 206-386-4232.