Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

Seattle Parks and Recreation(SPR) invites the community to participate in the design for the play area renovation at Lakewood Playground. Please join SPR staff on Wednesday, October 16, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Hawthorne Elementary School, Cafeteria, 4100 39^th Ave. S. This first meeting is an opportunity to learn about the project and provide input on the overall design for the play area renovation. Additionally, the community is invited to provide input through this short survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LakewoodPlaygroundRenovation.

Lakewood Playground is located at 4800 50^th Ave. S on the corner of S. Angeline St and 50^th Ave. S. The project includes installing new play equipment that meets current safety and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The castle motif wall at the park will remain, and the basic layout of the play are will remain the same. SPR will be hosting a final meeting in December to gather input on the preferred design.

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 https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/lakewood-playground-park-play-area-renovation or contact Libby Hudson at Libby.hudson@seattle.gov or 206-256-5988.  

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is happy to announce that we have awarded the construction contract to Green Tech Excavation for the Greenwood Park addition project. Green Tech Excavation will mobilize on site on Monday, September 30 and be complete with the project in early 2020.

SPR purchased the 0.1-acre site at 8805 Fremont Ave. N in 2013 to provide more open space for the growing neighborhood and to expand the existing Greenwood Park. The acquisition of the property was identified in the Greenwood Neighborhood Plan and the 2009 Greenwood Park Master Plan.

The new parcel, surrounded by Greenwood Park, reflects input from the community and has a “game” theme with a ping pong table, corn hole, 4-square, hopscotch, and tether ball. The sport court will be striped for pickleball and will remain open during construction. The project also features a wood arbor connection to the pea patch, a hillside slide into the play area, a picnic area with BBQ, and skate elements. The project incorporates accessibility features in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

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 or to view the park plan please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/greenwood-park-addition.

For questions about the project or if you need an interpreter or accommodations please contact Katie Bang at katie.bang@seattle.gov or 206-684-9268.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the Fremont community to provide input on the B. F. Day Playground play area renovation project. Please participate in a survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFDayPlaygroundRenovation) to help inform the play area renovation and then join SPR staff on Thursday, October 10, 2019 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at B. F. Day School in the cafeteria, 3921 Linden Ave. N. This meeting is an opportunity to learn about the project and provide input on play equipment.

The play area renovation project will replace the play equipment and improve the adjacent picnic are, including replacing the drinking fountain and making accessibility improvements in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA and national safety standards. 

A second meeting will be held on December 5 to present the design, which will reflect what we heard from the community, and to collect final feedback.

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 or for meeting notification translations please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/b-f-day-playground-play-area-renovation.

For questions about the project or if you need an interpreter or accommodations please contact Colin Campbell, colin.campbell@seattle.gov or 206-256-5604.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is happy to announce that the improvements at Golden Gardens Park Dog Off-Leash Area (OLA) are complete. These improvements, funded by the Seattle Park District, include installation of dog agility equipment, clean-up work and removal of extra gravel along the south end fence, repair of the south end fence, pruning of overhanging tree limbs, and removal of overgrown vegetation for improved visibility and access.

Golden Gardens OLA is in the upper-north portion of the park at 8498 Seaview Pl. NW.

The Seattle Park District’s Maintaining Parks and Facilities funding initiative provides funding to improve Dog Off-Leash Areas (OLAs) throughout Seattle. This initiative provides $100,000 annually until 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.

The Golden Gardens OLA project makes the sixth OLA (Magnuson Park, Genesee Park, Regrade Park, Woodland Park, Northacres and Golden Gardens Park) improved over the past two years.

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

To find other OLAs managed by Seattle Parks and Recreation please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/dog-off-leash-areas.

For more information please contact Shannon Glass at shannon.glass@seattle.gov or 206-733-9313.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the Rainier community to learn about and provide input on a new park on S Charlestown St. between 34^th and 35^th Ave. S, just north of Safeway. Join SPR’s staff and designers this Saturday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to noon in front of the Safeway at Rainier Square Plaza, 3820 Rainier Ave. S, or from 1 to 3 p.m. in the courtyard between Columbia Gardens and the Dakota at Rainier Court, 3610 33^rd Ave. S. Both locations offer an opportunity for the community to help shape their future park. Neighbors of all ages are encouraged to attend and let us know what amenities and park elements are preferred for the neighborhood. Light refreshments will be served.

Although SPR conducted outreach to the community in 2017, the park has gotten bigger with the 2019 acquisition of the 6,617 square-foot parcel on the southwest corner of the park. The new park is now about an acre, creating a significant new neighborhood park consistent with the community’s expressed interests. The park will provide multi-generational activities and incorporate universal accessibility in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A Fitness Zone with exercise equipment for teens and adults is made possible by Kaiser Permanente Washington in collaboration with the Trust for Public Land.

Funding for this park is provided by the Seattle Park District. 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. The Seattle Park District helps improve and rehabilitate community centers, preserves the urban forest, performs day-to-day maintenance of parks and facilities, provides more recreation opportunities for people from underserved communities, supports programs for people of all ages and abilities, and acquires and develops new park land.

For more information or for meeting notification translations, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/north-rainier-landbanked-site-park-development.

For questions about the project or if you need an interpreter or accommodations, please contact Ed Pottharst at Ed.pottharst@seattle.gov or 206-386-4232.

Seattle Parks and Recreation and Volunteer Park Trust invite the community to view the final design for the future Volunteer Park Amphitheater on Sunday, September 22, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the Fall Restoration Day event in Volunteer Park. Please join us at the Open House tent on the west edge of the park at E. Highland Drive. Come meet the design team, view the design and learn about the next steps for the project. Volunteer Park is located at 1245 15^th Ave. E.  

The amphitheater replacement design is based on outreach with the community, and input form the Friends of Seattle Olmsted Parks and the Landmarks Preservation Board. The new amphitheater will be fully accessible, have overhead weather protection for the performers and include public restrooms.

The Seattle Park District Major Projects Challenge Fund provided $900,000 in funding to move the community-initiated Volunteer Park Amphitheater Replacement project forward through the final design phase and construction. Volunteer Park Trust will match the Seattle Park District Major Projects Challenge Fund award. They are currently fundraising and have been awarded grants for the project from King County’s Culture and the Washington State Department of Commerce. To learn more about the project or to donate, visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/volunteer-park-amphitheater-replacement.

For additional questions please contact David Graves, Strategic Advisor, at 206-684-7048 or David.Graves@seattle.gov.

To learn more about the Fall Restoration Day in Volunteer Park visit  https://volunteerparktrust.org/event/fall-restoration-day-2019/.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is working with Harkness Construction to make accessibility improvements to the Alki Beach bathhouse building, the 63^rd St. comfort station, and surrounding park paths and paved areas including a new ramp near the statue of liberty plaza. This work at Alki Beach Park addresses 30 U.S. Department of Justice Americans with Disabilities Act citations as well as other barriers to accessibility.

Harkness Construction will begin work the week of September 16, 2019 and construction will be complete in January 2020. Portions of the park, bathhouse and paths will be temporarily closed, however, the contractor will work to minimize the impacts to the park. During construction the restrooms will be closed temporarily and portable toilets will be provided for park visitors.

For questions about the project please contact Mike Schwindeller at 206-615-1165 or mike.schwindeller@seattle.gov or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/alki-beach-park.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and Freeway Park Association invite the community to Brews and Tunes in Freeway Park on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Please join us at Freeway Park’s Seneca Plaza, 600 Seneca St. to learn about the future capital improvement projects and park activation. The event includes a beer garden and music by Stucky Jackson and the Boys. 

SPR has $10 million in funding from the Washington State Convention Center Expansion Project as part of the public benefit package associated with the Convention Center expansion. The funding will repair, restore and enhance Freeway Park. The majority of the funding ($9,250,000) is dedicated to capital improvements at the park and the remainder ($750,000) is focused on activation within Freeway Park.

The initial scope of the capital improvements is based on the Finding Freeway Park concept plan, produced by the Freeway Park Association, and identifies infrastructure upgrades, lighting, wayfinding and possibly a new restroom. The design phase is expected to be complete with all necessary permits/approvals and construction bid documents by June 2021.

For additional questions please contact David Graves, Strategic Advisor, at 206-684-7048 or David.Graves@seattle.gov  or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/freeway-park-improvements.

Join us for community ribbon cutting on September 4

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is excited to celebrate the opening of the Urban Triangle Park with the community. Please join us on Wednesday, September 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2100 Westlake Ave. The event includes music by Whitney Mongé, an official ribbon cutting ceremony and small bites from neighborhood restaurants.

“This new park offers valuable public open space for the increasingly dense, fast growing South Lake Union neighborhood,” said Jesús Aguirre, Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent. “We are excited to be opening the second of 14 park sites that will be completed around the city in Seattle’s growing neighborhoods over the next couple years.”

In 2008, SPR purchased the 8,722 square foot site at Westlake and Lenora to provide open space for this urban neighborhood, and in 2014 funding was allocated for the design of the park in order to coordinate with the adjacent development. The design team from SiteWorkshops, the community, adjacent properties and SPR worked together on the park design to incorporate the property seamlessly into the neighborhood. This is the first SPR property to have a coffee shop integrated into the design with direct access to the park. The design includes an open lawn, new central play structure (not yet installed), seating edge, lighting, ADA access, places for vendors, landscaping, and other park elements.

SPR awarded the construction contract to MidMountain Contractors, Inc. in early 2019 and the park project was substantially complete by September 2019. A final component of the park is the play structure which is undergoing final review. It will be built off site and installed as soon as possible.

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.

Janet Zweig created the public artwork Escape Destinations for the park. The artwork, which was commissioned with funding from SPR’s 1% for Art funds, consists of two signs that employ a bus-blind device to scroll through lighted names of fictional destinations found in literature, games, film, television and comics from the eighth century BC to 2019. The yellow sign displays places from works made for children; the blue sign displays places from works made for adults. Changing every day, the piece regularly gives the park a new name. Some may be instantly recognizable, while others may inspire viewers to search and discover something new.

The event music by Whitney Mongé is sponsored by GID, Windsor Communities, and Stratus.  Thank you to Amazon and event food sponsors Princi, Shake Shack, and Bounty Kitchen.

For more information, please http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/westlake-and-lenora-park-development. If you have questions about the event, please contact Karen O’Connor at karen.o’connor@seattle.gov or 206-233-7929.

Construction begins in early September

Seattle Parks and Recreation and partners are excited to announce a new play area will be built in Occidental Square,117 S. Washington St. The play area will provide climbing equipment, safety surfacing, and an attractive steel and timber bench that surrounds the play area. 

Starting in late August, Venture General Contractors will be marking the layout on the ground and prepping the area at the north end of Occidental Square for the new play area. Construction will follow and the play area will open by the end of October 2019. Park programming and operations will continue during construction, with temporary fencing around the site to keep it secure and to keep park visitors safe.

Under the management of the Downtown Seattle Association, Occidental Square has been transformed into the lively heart of the Pioneer Square neighborhood, with colorful café seating, new planters, artwork, ping-pong tables, musical performances and a gathering space for all. The park’s newfound popularity and high attendance at regular free events has inspired donors to invest in this play area project, as well as in a new wood and steel kiosk and glass pavilion at the south end of the square. Both projects are fully privately funded.

Downtown Seattle Association, Seattle Parks Foundation, Alliance for Pioneer Square and Seattle Parks and Recreation are the partners in these improvements.

For more information or to see renderings of the play area and pavilion please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/occidental-square-park-projects or for more information please contact Garrett Farrell at garrett.farrell@seattle.gov.