Seattle Parks and Recreation news and events
The PASS, by KIDS in the GAME, can provide up to $150 per season, per child, to participate in Youth Sports (soccer, football, karate, Taekwondo, volleyball, etc.). Kids, ages 4-18, on a Free & Reduced Lunch Plan qualify.
More details and how to apply here: https://kidsinthegame.org/programs/pnw/pass/.
Many Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities, including community centers and pools, will be closed Monday, Nov. 11, 2019 in observance of Veterans Day.
Monday, Nov. 11, 2019:
Closed:
Open:
Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the community to participate in the design for the new plaza and park in South Park on Saturday, November 16, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the site, 8456 Dallas Ave. S. Please join us to learn about the project and provide your input to the design team. Community involvement is essential in developing this new park and plaza, and we need to hear from you. Light refreshments and children’s activities will be provided.
In 2014, as part of a community-initiated acquisition, SPR purchased the .83-acre site at 8456 Dallas Ave. S, 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 and we are excited to work with the South Park neighborhood to develop a design for the community gathering space.
Following input at this November meeting, we will develop site options. These options will be presented at a second community meeting in early 2020. A preferred community-informed design will be presented at a third and final community meeting in the spring of 2020.
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.
Our City partners, Seattle Office of Housing, Seattle Public Utilities, the Office of Planning and Community Development, will be present at the event.
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.
Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and Freeway Park Association invite the community to participate in the Freeway Park Improvement project. Please visit the website www.seattle.gov/parks/restorefreewaypark to review project information and take a short survey. Your feedback is important and will be incorporated into the design for the future repairing, restoring and enhancing of Freeway Park. The survey closes November 27 at 5 p.m.
SPR and the Freeway Park Association would like to thank everyone who attended the Open House in October and we encourage those who missed the event to watch it on the Seattle Channel (http://seattlechannel.org/videos?videoid=x108063). The program features the presentation of the project by Walker Macy followed by a lively moderated panel discussion with Randy Gregg, Portland Parks Foundation Executive Director; Alison Hirsch, USC School of Architecture Director of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism; Kenneth Helphand, University of Oregon Professor Emeritus in Landscape Architecture; Charles A. Birnbaum, President + CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, and Iain Robertson, Associate Professor and Adjunct Faculty, University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
Designed by Lawrence Halprin and constructed in 1976, Freeway Park (700 Seneca St.) was the first park to ever be built over an interstate highway. The park is a respite from the city’s urban environment and is a result of community activism, forward-thinking, and Seattle’s civic process.
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. Of the $10 million, $750,000 is for activation within the park and $9,250,000 is dedicated to capital improvements which includes actual construction (approximately $6 million), as well as design and project management, permitting, sales tax and contingencies. 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 about the project please contact David Graves, Seattle Parks and Recreation, at 206-684-7048 or David.Graves@seattle.gov or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/freeway-park-improvements.
In 2019, Freeway Park Association celebrated 25 years as community stewards of Freeway Park. To learn about all they do and to get involved please visit https://www.freewayparkassociation.org/.
The Seattle Parks and Recreation Youth Athletics Office is looking for volunteer flag football and volleyball officials for their Fall Jamboree on Saturday, November 16.
Volleyball games begin at 9:00 a.m. at Rainier Community Center, while
flag football games begin at 9:30 a.m. at Meadowbrook Community Center.
Former coaches and officials are encouraged to apply, but feel free to reach out regardless of experience!
If interested, please contact Joy House at joy.house@seattle.gov.
Camp Long (5200 35th Ave. SW) will be switching to their winter operating hours and will be closed on Sundays from Nov. 1, 2019 through Feb. 29, 2020.
Camp Long will begin to take cabin rentals starting on January 2, 2020. Cabins are available for use beginning on March 1. More information is available here.
Questions? Please contact Camp Long at 206-684-7434.
In addition to reserving park spaces 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!
New booking process starts Dec. 2, 2019:
To better serve the community and to create a more equitable process, we are moving from a system that was previously “first-come, first served” and required people to line up in-person to submit an application, to a new system that allows people to submit applications via email or in-person, with applications entering a “lottery” process. Every application that we receive on the first business day of the month will be processed the next business day.
How do I book an event at a Special Amenity site?
Starting on Dec. 2, 2019, we will start accepting applications on the first business day of each month for all rental dates through the end of the same month the following year. All applications received on the first business day either in person or through email will be put into a lottery and processed the next business day. Any applications received after the first business day of the month will be processed on a first come, first served basis.
Steps in the process:
1. Submit a completed Application and a signed Attachment I: General Terms & Conditions form to our Indoor Facility Rental Office. Both forms are available online here with instructions, or you may pick them up in person (call 206-684-4080 x 1 for details).
2. After processing your application, our Indoor Facility Rental Office will email you a confirmation. The $30 processing fee and damage deposit is due within 5 business days upon receiving the confirmation. (Reservations are subject to cancellation if payment and paperwork are not received by the 90-day deadline).
3. All required paper work and rental balance is due 90 days prior to the scheduled event. For events booked within 90 days, the entire rental balance plus damage deposit will be due immediately.
4. Once payment towards the rental balance is made it is non-refundable.
For more information, please visit our Event Space Rentals page here.
Seattle Parks and Recreation is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for wintertime events in city parks. Individuals and community groups can request up to $1,000 in funding for events that have a significant arts component and which engage underserved communities.
The events must be completed by the end of the day on Sunday, December 22, 2019, and awardees must submit a final invoice with receipts and accompanying documentation by no later than noon on Monday, December 23, 2019. The deadline for applications is November 13, 2019.
The Arts in Parks initiative is an opportunity for the city to invest in the vibrant cultural work being done in and by diverse communities throughout Seattle. This pilot program supports neighborhood arts councils, local artists, and community-based groups that are seeking to activate Seattle Parks with new and established festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, celebrate our diversity, and build community connections with historically underserved communities including immigrant and refugee communities, communities of color, low-income communities and LGBTQ communities.
ELIGIBILITY
Who can apply:
• Individuals, artists, neighborhood arts councils and local community-based groups are eligible.
• Organizations and individual artists representing underserved communities – especially communities of color, immigrant and refugee communities, low-income communities, and LGBTQ communities – are encouraged to apply.
• Those applying are NOT required to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit NOR are they required to use a fiscal agent.
If funded, applicants will need to have or acquire a City of Seattle Business License, and insurance for the event as specified in the Parks Use Permit form (these costs can be part of the project’s budget).
More information on business licenses can be found at the link below. City of Seattle business licenses start at $27.50.
www.seattle.gov/licenses/get-a-business-license
Qualifying projects must:
• Have a significant arts and culture component (such as musicians or other performers or art activity)
• Be free and open to the public
• Provide a platform for or engage under-represented artists and/or communities
• Adhere to Seattle Park’s mission statement: “Seattle Parks and Recreation provides welcoming and safe opportunities to play, learn, contemplate and build community, and promotes responsible stewardship of the land”
• Take place outdoors in a City of Seattle park (Downtown parks, playfields, and green spaces adjacent to community centers are not eligible – see the list below)
PROGRAM CRITERIA
Goals of the Arts in Parks initiative are to support and increase the presence of art in public spaces – specifically in public parks, to increase engagement of historically underserved communities in the program, and to support and increase the number of positive, family-friendly events that build community, celebrate diversity, and promote arts and cultural participation.
Proposals submitted to the program will be evaluated on the following criteria:
• Quality of Project: Clear, well-conceived, authentic relationship to the community, promotes arts participation and community relations.
• Community Impact: Project plan describes meaningful efforts to create community participation and reach diverse and underserved audiences.
• Feasibility: The project should demonstrate it has the people involved and resources available that it needs to be successful in producing the event; evidence of community involvement and support; and a clear realistic budget.
HOW TO APPLY
The guidelines and application are below:
2019 AiP Wintertime events Funding Guidelines – FINAL
AIP Park Use Permit Application 2019
2019-Winter-AIP-Events-Application-FINAL
AIP Fee Reduction Application 2019
Park Use Insurance Requirements
Applicants must submit the following three documents at the same time. An application will not be considered complete until all three documents are received:
1. 2019 Wintertime Community Events Project Application
2. City of Seattle Parks Use Permit Application including site map (does not need to be pre-approved by Events Scheduling)
3. A City of Seattle Parks Fee Waiver Request (does not need to be pre-approved by Events Scheduling)
Application documents should be submitted to Arts in Parks by:
1. Emailing documents, or scans of documents to: artsinparks@seattle.gov.
2. Postal Mailing or hand delivering documents to:
Seattle Parks and Recreation- Westbridge Facility
c/o Arts In Parks
4201 W. Marginal Way SW
Seattle, WA 98106
DEADLINE
The deadline for applications is November 13, 2019 but you are more than welcome to submit your application before then and we will notify awardees within 5 business days of receiving your application.
Applications will be received starting October 29, 2019 and ending at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13, 2019.
Applicants will be notified of their project status within 5 business days (by Wednesday, November 20, 2019).
QUESTIONS?
We’re here to help! Contact Arts in Parks at 206-233-5168 or artsinparks@seattle.gov.
THINGS TO KNOW:
Only City of Seattle parks are eligible sites for these events. Please visit www.Seattle.gov/Parks to look up a specific park to ensure it is a City of Seattle park.
Downtown City parks are NOT ELIGIBLE for events funded by this program, which are:
Green spaces adjacent to community centers are NOT ELIGIBLE for events funded by this program, such as:
Are there items for which program funding cannot be used for? Yes.
Program funds cannot be used for:
– Fundraising
– Religious services
– Gifts or Awards
– Administrative costs unrelated to the funded activity
– Purchase of equipment
Program funding can be used for many items such as:
– Artist fees
– Marketing
– Project management
– Project personnel costs
– Supplies, equipment rentals
– Park permit and insurance (see permits documents)
– Food (up to 10% of amount awarded)
Questions? Contact Arts in Parks at 206-233-5168 or artsinparks@seattle.gov .
After completing needed improvements, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) will re-open Amy Yee Tennis Center (2000 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S) on Saturday, November 9, 2019. Indoor Court Reservations may be made starting November 7 by calling 206-684-4764.
To celebrate the improvements and re-opening, SPR is offering a FREE Grand Re-Opening Tennis Clinic on November 9, from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and Open Match Play on November 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The community is encouraged to attend the free tennis activities.
The majority of improvements are complete; however, the new main lobby entrance doors and windows will be installed on Monday, November 25 and Tuesday, November 26, requiring the facility to be closed until 5 p.m. both days. The facility will be open and reservable for tennis from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on both those days.
Facility improvements include installation of a new fire alarm system, accessibility improvements that meet the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), a new raingarden/stormwater facility to treat parking lot runoff, and remodeled fully accessible toilet and locker rooms. Additional work completed includes exterior painting as well as parking and entrance plaza accessibility improvements. Upgrades were also made to the parking lot lighting, and steps were taken to address the foundation leak at the east wall and insulation was added to all exterior building walls. A future major maintenance project will replace the roof of the facility.
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. The building wall insulation was funded in part by the Seattle Office of Sustainability and the Environment, Municipal Energy Efficiency Project Program.
For more information please visit www.seattle.gov/parks/find/centers/amy-yee-tennis-center. For questions about Amy Yee Tennis Center court reservations and lessons please visit www.seattle.gov/parks/find/centers/amy-yee-tennis-center or contact Matt Look at Matthew.look@seattle.gov.
The Office of Arts & Culture has two grant programs open to support and encourage the vibrant cultural work being done in and by communities throughout Seattle. The deadline has been extended, now closing on Monday October 28.
In partnership with The Office of Arts & Culture, this program supports neighborhood arts councils, community-based groups, and individual artists that are seeking to activate eligible Seattle Parks in underserved and economically constrained areas of the city. This grant supports new and established festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, celebrate diversity, build community connections, and activate parks through arts and culture while connecting with under-resourced communities including low-income, people with disabilities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities of color.
Individual artists, neighborhood arts councils and local community-based groups are eligible. Proposed projects must be presented in eligible City of Seattle park locations between April 1 and November 30, 2020. Eligible applicants may request up to $7,800 one-year funding to support direct project expenses in 2020. See guidelines for details.
Seattle offers an extraordinary array of arts and cultural events throughout its diverse neighborhoods and communities. The Office of Arts & Culture’s Neighborhood & Community Arts Program supports creativity at a grassroots level by investing in recurring festivals and events that promote arts and cultural participation, celebrate diversity, build community connections, and enhance the visibility of neighborhoods or cultural communities through arts and culture.
Neighborhood arts councils and local community-based groups serving diverse cultures and neighborhoods that have been in existence for at least one year at the time of application. Proposed projects must take place within the City of Seattle and be presented no earlier than January 1, 2020 and produced in 2020 and 2021. Applicants will receive two (2) years of funding at $1,300 per year for their events in 2020 and 2021. See guidelines for details.
