Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

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Seattle Parks and Recreation news and events

Fund the Fun: support youth recreation scholarships to help families in need!

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Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Associated Recreation Council would like to invite you to the inaugural Fund the Fun Breakfast on Thursday, March 21 at the Hyatt at Olive 8. This fundraising event will raise money for youth recreation scholarships to help families in need. We’re inviting you to help us make this first-ever event a success!

Fund the Fun is free to attend. At the end of the one-hour program, we’ll ask guests to donate an amount that’s meaningful to them. Guests can designate their donation to a specific community center or program.

Click here for more information about the event.

Please send questions and RSVPs to our Grants Administrator, Robin Slutsky at robin.slutsky@seattle.gov or 206-245-6524 and we’ll add you to our guest list. We look forward to hearing from you, and we hope to see you in March!

Temporary comfort station closures due to cold weather

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Due to the extremely cold weather, Seattle Parks and Recreation’s plumbing shop is assessing and closing comfort stations to avoid freezing pipes. We hope to reopen comfort stations soon once the weather warms up.

The following comfort stations are currently closed. We will likely be adding more sites to the list in the coming days; please check back here for updates.

  • Lincoln Park Wading Pool comfort station
  • Lincoln Park Beach comfort station
  • Westcrest Reservoir comfort station
  • High Point Playfield comfort station
  • Fairmont Park comfort station
  • Upper Golden Gardens comfort station
  • Madison Park comfort station
  • West Magnolia South Playfield comfort station
  • Discovery Park South Bluff comfort station
  • Mathews Beach CS comfort station
  • Cowen Park comfort station

Seattle Parks and Recreation weather impacts on Wednesday, Feb. 6

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Most Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities and programs are operating as normal today (Wednesday, Feb. 6). Please check back here for updates.

Open: All Recreation programs and facilities (community centers; pools; teen life centers; Amy Yee Tennis Center; Camp Long and Discovery Park visitor centers; and small craft centers) are scheduled to operate as normal today.

Some instructors may have difficulty arriving to their center, so we recommend you call ahead to confirm your specific class or program is taking place.

Closed: 

  • Golf Courses: All golf courses are currently closed for golf but open for snow play. We anticipate opening Interbay at around 2:30 p.m.. Check back here for updates.
  • Athletic Fields: Athletic field rentals/games are canceled. Most fields are open for winter play.

Parks: Parks are open; however, we encourage visitors to use caution. Snow and ice can cause tree branches to snap. Please use caution in parks, stay out from under trees and avoid forested park areas during the current weather conditions.

    • Green Lake Park: A section of the Green Lake Park loop path froze due to an irrigation issue. The section has been coned off; please use caution and walk around this section.
    • Salmon Bay Park: Crews are addressing downed tree branches in the park. The work area has been coned off; please use caution and stay out of this section of the park.

Seattle Parks and Recreation snow impacts

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****For impacts on Friday, Feb. 8, please click here.****

 

Seattle Parks and Recreation snow impacts on Tuesday, Feb. 5

Many Seattle Parks and Recreation programs are experiencing cancelations due to the weather. Please check back here and our Twitter page for regular updates.

For information on impacts to Child Care Programs, please refer to the Child Care Hotline: 206-684-4203.

Parks are open; however, we encourage visitors to use caution. Snow and ice can cause tree branches to snap. Please use caution in parks, stay out from under trees and avoid forested park areas during the current weather conditions.

Seattle Parks and Recreation snow impacts on Tuesday, Feb. 5:

  • Golf Courses: Interbay, West Seattle, Jackson Park, and Jefferson Park golf courses are closed. All golf courses are open for sledding and snow play.
  • Community Center programs:  All advance registration programs and activities are canceled.
  • Lifelong Recreation programs: All Lifelong Recreation programs are canceled.
  • Citywide athletics programs: All sports programs and games are canceled; all evening athletic programs are canceled.
  • Athletic Fields: Athletic field rentals/games are canceled. Most fields are open for winter play.
  • Small Craft Centers: Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center and the Green Lake Small Craft Center are closed.
  • Swimming Pools: Lap swims: Limited swims are available at some of our pools today (Feb. 5). Please call specific pools for information. Swim lessons, rentals, and all school team and organized swim practices are canceled.
  • Teen Life Centers: Garfield Teen Life Center is closed today. Southwest Teen Life Center and the Meadowbrook Teen Life Center are OPEN.
  • Community Centers: Community Centers are open for drop-in activities from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. today.

 

  • Amy Yee Tennis Center: AYTC is OPEN.
  • Camp Long and Discovery Park Visitors Center: The Visitor Centers are OPEN from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Environmental Learning program are canceled).
  • Volunteer Park Conservatory: The Conservatory is OPEN

Seattle Parks and Recreation Presidents’ Day Closures

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Many Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed Monday, Feb. 18, 2019 in observance of Presidents’ Day.

These facilities and services are CLOSED:

  • Community centers
  • Teen centers
  • Environmental learning centers
  • Indoor swimming pools
  • Green Lake Small Craft Center
  • Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center (except for certain scheduled programs)

These facilities are OPEN on regular schedules:

  • Boat ramps
  • Interbay, Jackson Park, Jefferson Park and West Seattle golf courses
  • Amy Yee Tennis Center

Rainbow Recreation: Mardi Gras Party and Luncheon

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Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 27 for a Mardi Gras Party and Luncheon! Please register in advance. Details below:

Event:                   Mardi Gras Party & Luncheon

Date:                     Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Time:                     11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Location:              Miller Community Center (330 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112)

Cost:                      $6 per person

Registration:      Please register in advance at (206) 684-4753

Details:                 Enjoy an authentic New Orleans lunch, music, and lots of fun!

Costumes are welcome. Come meet the event sponsor and entertainer, Sylvia O’Stayformore, local entrepreneur and drag queen extraordinaire! Presented by Rainbow Recreation, programming for LGBTQ adults and allies aged 50+.

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites input on design of new park at 48th Ave. SW and SW Charleston St. in West Seattle

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Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is hosting a booth at the West Seattle Farmer’s Market, 44th Ave. SW and SW Alaska St., on Sunday, February 10, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is an opportunity for the community to learn about the new park project at 48th Ave. SW and SW Charlestown St., meet the design team from Cascade Collaborative and provide input on the design of this new neighborhood park.

SPR will work with the community on the park design and encourages community participation. Please visit our booth on Sunday, participate in this short survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/D7T5HPM) and post design ideas on your social media with the hashtag #48thandCharlestown.

SPR purchased the .23-acre property in 2014. The design of the park will incorporate accessibility features in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide access to open space for the neighborhood.

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 or for meeting notification translations please visit

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/48th-and-charlestown-landbanked-site-park-development. For questions about the project or if you need an interpreter or accommodations please contact Ed Pottharst at 206-386-4232 or Ed.pottharst@seattle.gov.

 

 

 

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s 2018 highlight list!

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Last year, we worked in every corner of the city to restore our urban forest, build new parks and play areas, maintain our nearly 500 parks and 26 community centers, and provide hundreds of programs, summer camps, swim lessons and more! Thank you, Seattle, for making 2018 a great year!

Read on to learn about some of our major accomplishments from 2018.

Recreation:

  • We began operating and staffing the Lake City Community Center! A standout teen program at the center is the Lake City Young Leaders program, which serves youth ages 13-17 with an emphasis on community-based activism, food drives, and mural projects.
  • The Recreation for All fund, through the Seattle Parks District, provides financial support to local nonprofit organizations, small businesses, community groups, and individuals to provide culturally relevant programs and events throughout the City of Seattle.  In 2018, we partnered with 25 community groups to provide over 6,500 people with recreation opportunities.
  • We created a three-month mobile recreation program called “Rec N the Streets”, bringing fitness opportunities to neighborhood gathering spaces and providing events in communities with serious health disparities.

Aquatics:

  • We welcomed well over 1.6 million visitors to our indoor pools and small craft centers.
  • More than 226,480 people visited our summer beaches!
  • Community members swam 163,400 laps in support of our “Laps 4 Pride” initiative to show support for the LGBTQ community.

Recreation opportunities:

  • We scheduled 175 hours of free community drop-in time on eight different athletic fields around Seattle as part of our Athletic Field Drop-In Program.
  • Our Specialized Programs served 378 youth with disabilities in summer day and overnight camps.
  • Our Rainbow Recreation program for LGBTQ adults aged 50+ had 250 people participate in special events and trips, as well as 181 participants in classes such as Gentle Yoga, Enhance Fitness, Seniors Creating Art, Writers Workshop, and more.

New and enhanced parks and facilities:

  • We opened three new parks: Yesler Terrace Park, the Woodland Park Sensory Garden, and Gemenskap Park.
  • We renovated the playgrounds at Georgetown Palyfield, Prentis Frazier Park and Gas Works Park! The renovations added new features and improved safety as well as ADA accessibility.
  • Our Enhanced Cleaning team completed specialty cleaning at over 50 locations, including community centers, pools, shelter houses, rental facilities, crew quarters, administration buildings, and fountains. Enhanced cleaning helps ensure that our facilities are warm and welcoming places to gather.

Energy and water conservation: 

  • Staff completed 24 utility conservation projects, resulting in an average energy consumption reduction of about 58%.
  • We replaced old and inefficient natural-gas-fired boilers at three facilities with high-efficiency condensing boilers.
  • The department used 20% less water for irrigation than industry standard water volume budget for irrigated areas of our parks.

Green spaces:

  • 145,736 native plants installed by the Green Seattle Partnership.
  • 3,334 feet of trails restored and 195 trail projects completed by our Trails Program.
  • 2018 set a record for most visitors to the Seattle Japanese Garden. Over 100K people came to visit or attend events such as Family Saturdays, Tanabata Star Festival, and Maple Festival.

Events:

  • On Aug. 18, Rainier Playfield and Community Center was filled with hundreds of families and community members shooting hoops, showing off their pickleball skills, dancing to hip hop, getting their heart pumping with Zumba, rock climbing, bouncing on inflatables, running in sack races, watching cultural performances, and much more! All of these fun health and physical fitness activities were part of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Big Day of Play, our annual, signature event dedicated to celebrating Seattle’s diversity and encouraging neighbors, communities and families to have fun, build relationships and be active together.
  • More than 30,000 families, friends and neighbors joined us for the Green Lake Pathway of Lights, a beloved Seattle tradition. Attendees traveled the the 2.8-mile path around the lake, while taking in the warm glow of thousands of twinkling candles and enjoying holiday music and refreshments.
  • Our Event Scheduling office permitted 5,939 events in parks and recreation facilities, including 3,508 picnics, 219 ceremonies, and 34 day camps.

Youth opportunities:

  • The 2018 Teen Summer Musical at Benaroya Hall was a huge hit, with 3,726 tickets sold! The summer musical is an opportunity for local teens to perform on the big stage while learning the business side of theater operations.
  • Our Youth Employment Unit was able to place 242 young people into jobs and internships in 2018.

Gas Works Park Play Area closed Jan. 28 and 29

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Wyser Construction will close Gas Works Play Area on Monday, January 28 and Tuesday, January 29 to replace the decayed smoke arrestor in the middle of the play area.  The smoke arrestor cap was an original piece from the Gas Works plant that was repurposed in the 1970’s original play area design. The replica cap was fabricated off site and requires a crane to assist in the installation. This is one of the final items for the play area renovation project.

Seattle Parks and Recreation opened the renovated play area and viewing plaza at Gas Works Park on October 5, 2018. The renovation features industrially influenced new play equipment and improves accessibility at the play area.

To use resources more efficiently, Seattle Parks and Recreation combined the play area renovation with necessary improvements to the play barn. Gas Works Park facilities were constructed in 1974 and opened in 1975, making them over 40 years in age and in need of repair and improvement.

The 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy allocated $1.4 million for planning, design and construction for the Gas Works Park Play Area renovations.

Gas Works Park, located at 2101 N Northlake Way is one of the City of Seattle’s premier city, regional, statewide and even nationally renowned parks. The park was designed by Richard Haag and was listed as a Seattle Historical Landmark in 1999. The park is also listed on the Washington State Historic Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information about the play area project visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/projects/gas_works/.

 

 

Construction contract awarded for Urban Triangle Park in South Lake Union neighborhood

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Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) announced the construction contract for Urban Triangle Park, a new park in South Lake Union, located at 2100 Westlake Ave has been awarded to MidMountain Contractors, Inc.  They will begin construction soon and anticipate completion of the park by early summer 2019.

On December 31, 2008, SPR purchased the 8,722-square-foot property at 2100 Westlake Ave. for a new neighborhood park in the Denny Triangle Urban Center Village. SPR allocated funding to complete the design phase early in 2014 to ensure a seamless and coordinated design with the adjacent properties. Together with the community and the landscape architecture firm Site Workshop, the design was completed. The new park will include an open lawn, a central play structure, lighting, ADA access, places for vendors, landscaping, and other park elements.

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 on the project please contact Kelly Goold, SPR, at 206-684-0586 or Kelly.goold@seattle.gov http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/westlake-and-lenora-park-development