Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is excited to be starting the process to renovate Carkeek Park play area in northwest Seattle at 950 NW Carkeek Park Rd.  The community is encouraged to participate and provide input.

Please participate in a short survey https://seattle.surveymonkey.com/r/CarkeekPG and join us online December 9 from 6 to 7 p.m. The meeting link is https://bit.ly/CarkeekPlayAreaMeeting1 and no registration is necessary. Additionally, we will post the recording of the online meeting and after viewing people may email the project planner with input. The recorded presentation will be posted on the website the week of December 13.

This project will renovate the existing play area which will include replacement of equipment and improvements to accessibility. The Salmon Slide will be evaluated for any necessary maintenance or restoration. At this meeting the design team will be sharing a site analysis along with potential play area styles and equipment. We look forward to hearing how the existing play area works for you and your family as well as, what improvements you would like to see.

For more information please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/projects/carkeek-park-playground-renovation or contact Colin Campbell at colin.campbell@seattle.gov or 206-256-5604.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is happy to announce we have awarded the construction contract for the new Lake City park at 12510 33rd Ave. NE to Ohno Construction. We anticipate Ohno Construction mobilizing on site the week of November 29 and the park opening to the public by summer 2022.

SPR purchased the property in 2010 with funding from the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy to provide additional open space for the Lake City community.  SPR demolished the building on the property and worked with the community on the design for the park. The new park will offer a multi-generational appeal with a wide range of activities and green space in this urban neighborhood. The park will include play structures, an accessible pathway, new benches, picnic areas, open lawn, P-Patch garden plots, and bike racks. The park will include public art sculptural work by artist Elizabeth Gahan funded from the 1% For the Arts program.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the public process. This park project is 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 please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/projects/lake_city_uv/ . For additional questions please contact Shannon Glass, project manager at Shannon.glass@seattle.gov.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is happy to announce we have awarded the construction contract to LW Sundstrom for the B.F. Day Playground renovation project. The contractor will mobilize on site on Monday, November 22, 2021 and anticipates the play area opening back up by summer 2022. The playground is located in Fremont at 4020 Fremont Ave. N. on the north side of the elementary school.

This play area renovation project will replace the play equipment and improve the adjacent picnic area, including replacing the drinking fountain and making accessibility improvements in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and national safety standards.  The play equipment reflects a “nature play” theme and includes slides, swings, and balancing equipment.

Funding for this park project is provided by the Seattle Park District. Approved by voters in 2014, the Seattle Park District provides more than $47 million a year in long-term funding to tackle the $267-million major maintenance backlog for Seattle Parks and Recreation as well as other facilities including the Aquarium and Zoo. In addition, it provides funding to improve and rehabilitate community centers, preserve the urban forest, perform day-to-day maintenance of parks and facilities, provide more recreation opportunities for people from underserved communities, provide programs for people of all ages and abilities, and acquire and develop new park land.

For more information about the project please visit

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/b-f-day-playground-play-area-renovation

For questions about the project please contact Michelle Whitfield at michelle.whitfield@seattle.gov or 206-465-8492.   

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is installing new netting on holes 11 and 12 at Jefferson Park Golf Course to reduce golf balls travelling out of the park. The plans for the new poles and netting system have been submitted to the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI). Permitting will require a height variance, which will take nine to twelve months for City Council approval. As such, construction is estimated to begin in fall 2022.

During the Golf Master Plan process the errant ball issue around holes 11 to 12 at Jefferson Park Golf was identified.  SPR worked with Premier Golf and originally planned to reroute holes form a counterclockwise pattern to a clockwise pattern, but as the design and permitting was further developed, we concluded that permitting requirements, loss of trees, extensive course closure to complete this work, loss of revenue and overall project costs outweighed the option of installing netting. 

We are now planning to install new higher netting on poles along a portion of holes 11 and 12 to reduce golf balls travelling out of the park. Netting and poles will be installed along 24^th Ave S. and S. Spokane St. 

For more information about the project, please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/jefferson-park-golf-course-holes-10-13-renovation or contact Shannon Glass, Project Manager, at Shannon.glass@seattle.gov or 206-733-3319.

To learn more about Jefferson Park Golf Course or schedule a tee-time please visit http://www.premiergc.com/jefferson.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is happy to announce the renovated play area at Lakewood Playground is open. Thank you to everyone who participated in the public process.  The project is substantially complete, and fencing will remain around the new benches as we allow for the grass to establish.

The play area renovation improves access from multiple directions, provides new wood chip surfacing throughout the play area, and adds several benches on the west side of the pathway to provide viewing to both the play area and the playfield. The new play equipment meets current safety and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The castle motif community tiled wall at the park remains.

Lakewood Playground, 5013 S. Angeline St. is in southeast Seattle.  The Seattle Park District funded the renovation.

For more information, please visit Lakewood Playground Park Play Area Renovation – Parks | seattle.gov. If you have questions about the project please contact the project manager, Peggy Tosdal at peggy.tosdal@seattle.gov.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) awarded the construction contract for the Westcrest Park Off-leash Area (OLA) Drainage Improvements project to OMA Construction Inc.  The contractor will mobilize and set up construction fencing the week of October 18. 

The main off-leash area and the north parking lot will be fully closed during construction.  In response to community input in 2019, SPR will construct a temporary off-leash area to the north of the existing site and west of the small/shy dog area in a space that is currently lawn. It will be set up prior to closure of the existing off-leash area for public use. The existing shy/small dog area will remain open. People interested in accessing the temporary off-leash area can access it through the south parking lot.

We anticipate reopening the parking lot and improved off-leash area in spring 2022. After construction, the contractor will restore the temporary OLA back to lawn.

Over the past few years, the maintenance project has grown from a simple drainage improvement project to a $505,000 project that will address drainage, access, and erosion. Funding is provided by the Seattle Park District Major Maintenance and Asset Management Fund.

For more information, please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/projects/westcrest-park-drainage-improvements. If you have questions about the project please contact the project manager, Janice Liang at Janice.Liang@seattle.gov.

Please Participate!

Seattle Parks and Recreation encourages the community to participate in designing the new play area for Bitter Lake. Please join us at the play area on Saturday, September 18 from 10 a.m. to noon to review the schematic design and provide input on play equipment.  Bitter Lake Play Area is located just south of the community center at 13035 Linden Ave. N. If you are unable to join us in person, please participate by taking this short survey. https://seattle.surveymonkey.com/r/BitterLakePlay

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the public process to date. The design team from Hoshide Wanzer Architects and Berger Partnership incorporated community input into a preferred schematic design and is looking to gather additional feedback on the swings, spinners, and multi-generational fitness and sensory equipment. The project team will be at the park on September 18^th and look forward to explaining the design and collecting your feedback.

The project will provide a renovation to the existing restroom including newly upgraded and accessible all-gender comfort station/restroom, and new play equipment that provides play opportunities for all abilities. In addition, the project will make safety and accessibility improvements that meet the standards from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

For more information please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/bitter-lake-playfield-play-area-and-comfort-station-renovation

or contact Katie Bang at katie.bang@seattle.gov or 206-684-9286.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is happy to announce we awarded the construction contract to Service Electric Co., Inc. for the lighting replacement project at Ballard Playground Playfield adjacent to the Ballard Community Center at 2644 NW 60^th St.  Construction begins the week of September 6 and will be completed in early 2022. The playfield will be closed during construction.

SPR is invested in installing the highest quality energy-efficient field lighting which minimizes spill light and glare off the field while providing performance recreation light.

A large percentage of the primary improvement project, which included new synthetic turf infield and subsurface field restoration, improving accessibility in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, along with field light poles and light replacement, was placed on hold due to COVID-19.  For safety and energy efficiency, SPR is moving the lighting replacement portion of this project forward.

For more information, please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/ballard-playground-athletic-field-improvements or contact Peggy Tosdal at peggy.tosdal@seattle.gov.

Seattle Parks and Recreation(SPR) is looking for feedback from the community on the cork infill product used at Bobby Morris Playfield adjacent to Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11 Ave., Seattle, WA 98122. Please take this short survey that will provide SPR important information on the users experience and help guide future field projects.

In 2016, SPR completed the Bobby Morris synthetic field replacement pilot project. This pilot project used cork as an alternative to the crumb-rubber infill. As a pilot project, SPR is gathering input on the playability, durability as well as overall playfield experience – visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BobbyMorrisPlayfield

Please pass this survey onto other playfield users. For more information please contact Jay Rood at jay.rood@seattle.gov. 

Visit the Our Online Open House

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Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) needs to hear from you! How can SPR support our community as we implement our 2020 – 2032 Strategic Plan? Your input will help us identify critical needs and priorities as we plan for the next three years and beyond. Please visit Seattle Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan Implementation online open house at https://sprstrategicplan.infocommunity.org/ today! 

The purpose of this online open house is to seek community input to inform our plans for pandemic and economic recovery, responding to climate change, and supporting racial equity. We want to learn more about what you want to see in your parks, open spaces, and community centers in the coming years.

“Our charge as public servants and stewards of this incredible system is to ensure we’re serving our community, especially those with the greatest needs. We can only do that if we have a clear vision for our work, if we’re engaged in authentic and open dialogue with our constituents, and if we are able to articulate our plans for meeting the needs of community. To accomplish this, we need to create an implementation plan that directs the adaptation of our programs, services, and amenities to aid in our city’s recovery and meet the needs of our changing city,” said Jesús Aguirre, Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent.

In March 2020, after extensive public input, SPR released an updated Strategic Plan to guide programming, services, and investments from 2020 to 2032. Guided by a new Pathway to Equity, a roadmap for SPR to play our part in ending institutional and structural racism in Seattle, the plan identified 40 strategies to advance our collective vision. These strategies support our vision of promoting healthy people, a healthy environment, and strong communities while pursuing racial equity and organizational excellence. Read more about the Strategic Plan and Pathway to Equity

“As we look to implement the priorities in our 2020-2032 Strategic Plan, it’s critical to check back in with communities we serve and consider the dramatic change and disruption we’ve faced over the past 18 months through the COVID-19 pandemic, the associated economic downturn, the nationwide racial reckoning, and the increasing impacts of climate change,” said Aguirre.

This engagement effort to support Strategic Plan implementation will also inform the next six-year cycle of the voter-approved Seattle Park District, which was also put on hold during the pandemic. The Seattle Park District is a sustainable funding source to repair, maintain, and restore basic services at the city’s parks, community centers, and regional attractions, and provides about 20% of SPR’s funding. Originally planned for 2021-2026, the next Park District funding cycle will now span 2023-2028. SPR will resume this financial planning process in early 2022.

For more information on the Strategic Plan and how your participation in the Strategic Plan Implementation online open house will contribute to the future of SPR please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/strategicplan or contact PKS_SprStrategicPlan@seattle.gov.