Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) awarded the construction contract to perform an emergency replacement of the main electrical service at Seward Park to KC Equipment, LLC. KC Equipment has begun construction and work closes multiple areas throughout the park Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Construction is anticipated to take 8 to 10 months to complete, weather dependent. 

The work began at the southeast parking lot near the play area. Construction will progress in phases from the entry loop near the play area and Audubon building, moving along the roadway into the park. Signs indicate the area closed and pedestrian detours are posted. SPR and KC Equipment rely on the patience and cooperation of all park users as construction work progresses through Seward Park. We ask park users to follow construction notifications and be prepared for detours around work areas.

The primary electrical service to Seward Park is a buried cable that powers the restrooms, clay studio, park lights, Seward Park Audubon Center and other park amenities. This cable has repeatedly failed, forcing the use of generators to maintain service for park patrons. Seattle City Light is unable to make further repairs.

SPR is working with Seattle City Light to install a new “raceway” system. The new service will be located in underground conduit and electrical vaults allowing direct access for future maintenance and replacement. Construction work will take place along the main roads, parking areas, near the amphitheater and south restroom,  and a portion of the east walking path at Seward Park.

For more information please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/seward-park-electrical-system-replacement or contact Jessica Michalak at Jessica.michalak@seattle.gov.

The City’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects announced today that the removal of Pier 58, known as Waterfront Park, will begin within 1-2 weeks in response to recent movement and continued deterioration of the structure. Pier 58 removal is expected to be completed by early 2021.

The City has hired Orion Marine Contractors, Inc for $4.3 million to perform the emergency work; emergency work is exempt from competitive bidding under the State law (RCW 39.04.280). Orion Marine Contractors, Inc is a maritime contractor with a workforce based in their Tacoma, WA regional office. They are currently working on SDOT’s Fairview Ave N Bridge Replacement and with Port of Seattle on the Terminal 5 Modernization Project

The City has planned for years to remove the existing Pier 58 and replace it with a new public park pier including a playground, public plaza and landscaping. Replacing Pier 58 has been part of the City’s Waterfront Program since 2013. The Pier 58 project is fully funded, and construction was planned to begin in 2022. A portion of those funds will be used for pier removal.

The City’s structural engineer for the removal of the pier, Seattle Structural, inspected the deteriorating pier after Seattle Parks and Recreation closed it to the public on August 6, 2020. Their engineering assessment recommended that the entire pier be removed within 90 days.

“Working closely with Seattle Parks and Recreation, we’ve moved swiftly since this issue was identified earlier this month,” said Marshall Foster, Director of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects. “Public safety is always our top priority. We’re committed to removing the deteriorated pier quickly, clearing the way for the new park to take shape.”

The City will be removing as much of the pier deck, piles and structures as necessary to ensure the site is safe. Removal of the pier will largely occur from the waterside, with barges positioned west of the structure. Because of the waterside access, impacts to nearby businesses and the public are expected to be limited. The work will include salvaging furniture, art and the existing fountain, removing concrete structures, timber decking and framing, and the extraction of piles supporting the structure. The Fitzgerald Fountain will be salvaged and reincorporated into the new Pier 58.

The City is working to quickly complete the necessary environmental permits and authorizations for the pier removal.

Design of the Pier 58 replacement is currently underway. The new pier will improve access, create an inviting space for families, provide open views to Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains, and include a playground. It will also improve salmon habitat.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is performing grounds maintenance on the north hillside blackberries and eastside trails at Blue Dog Pond Park, 1520 26^th Ave. S.  The maintenance will close the Off-leash Area(OLA) from August 25 and 26, 2020 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The nearest OLA’s are Dr. Jose Rizal Park-1007 12th Ave. S and Genesee Park- 4316 S Genesee St.  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 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 first four improvement projects were completed over the last two years at Magnuson Park, Genesee Park, Regrade Park and Woodland 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.

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 August 26, 2020 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  to learn about the challenges and opportunities of locating a new racket court at Lowman Beach Park. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/yyo64sf2 or Number 1460081942 Password lowmanbeach  or call in at 1-206-207-1700 Code 146 008 1942. 

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.  A new racket court will provide recreation experience for all ages and will ADA accessible. 

The community has come together to explore options to install a racket court because the existing one needs to be removed as part of the restoration 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 visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/lowman-beach-park or contact Pam Kliment at pamela.kliment@seattle.gov or 206-684-7556.

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 West Arboretum “Tot Lot” play area a Montlake neighborhood play area at E. Lynn and 26^th Ave. E. Please participate in this short survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WArboTotlot  and help shape the future of the play area.

The survey provides an opportunity for community members to provide input on three different play area concepts and tell the 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 and improving access to the play area.

For more information please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/west-arboretum-tot-lot-play-area-renovation or contact Pam Kliment at pam.kliment@seattle.gov or 206-684-7556.

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the community to participate in 2020 Cal Anderson Park, a project to engage the public on how changing assumptions and language can affect the design of the park space and create a sense of belonging for everyone. Please take this short survey https://bit.ly/2020CalAnderson.

The goal of Seattle Parks and Recreation is to identify short term action items and long-term strategies to build on and sustain the health of the people, the health of the environment and the strong community that supports the park. Additional opportunities to support the 2020 Cal Anderson Park conversation will include interviews and additional public meetings in September and October.

For additional questions about project please contact Andy Sheffer at 2020CalAnderson@seattle.gov or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/cal-anderson-park.

Participate in the Fabric of the Community

Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Department of Transportation need community input for the final design of the north Rainier landbank park site located just north of the Safeway on S. Charlestown St. between 34th and 35th Ave. S. Neighbors of all ages are encouraged to participate and provide input on textile patterns that are reflective of the Rainier neighborhood.

Please take this short online survey  or visit http://www.bit.ly/northrainierpark  for translated surveys. The goal of this engagement effort is to collect textile/fabric designs to be incorporated into the park and nearby street improvements that represent the diverse cultures and heritages of this neighborhood. If you have a pattern that you would like to submit please provide us a picture of your textile pattern by including it in your survey answers, dropping a sample off at the pop up event on the Aug. 19 or mailing it to Seattle Parks and Recreation, Attn: Mike Schwindeller, 300 Elliot Ave W. Seattle WA 98119. Yours can become an inspiration for the park artwork theme.

In response to feedback from neighbors during the design phase of the park, Seattle Department of Transportation will be constructing two phases of improvements to S Charlestown St. to enhance the street and access to the park. Phase 1 will be completed as soon as fall 2020 and includes painted curb bulbs on the south side of Charleston St. at 34th and 35th Ave. S plus new speed humps on S Charlestown St.  Phase 2 will be constructed with the new park and includes upgraded curb bulbs as well as a new marked crosswalk at either 34th Ave. S or 35th Ave S.

If you are unable to participate online, please join us for an informational and input opportunity event on August 19, 2020 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Safeway parking lot at Rainier Square Plaza, 3820 Rainier Ave. S. Please wear a mask and comply with the social distancing markers that will be in place at the event site. If you are feeling sick or have a fever, please stay home. We want everyone to be safe.

SPR began outreach to the community in 2017, and after the 2019 acquisition of the 6,617 square-foot parcel on the southwest corner of the park the park has grown. The new park is now about an acre, creating a significant new neighborhood park consistent with the community’s expressed interests. Park construction will begin in 2021. 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.

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 translations of the survey, 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 Mike Schwindeller, at mike.schwindeller@seattle.gov or 206-615-1165.

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the Beacon Hill/Rainier Valley community to join an online discussion and provide input on the Dearborn Park play area improvement project. Please join us on August 26, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.  Register at https://bit.ly/DearbornPlayArea. After registered, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the meeting at the date and time noted above. You may also call in at 1-408-418-9388, Access Code: 146 407 7296.

The project is focused on installing new play equipment and improving access to the play area. The project design team reviewed the May/June community survey information and learned the community’s top priorities are maintaining and enhancing play for both younger and older children, and for those with disabilities. The trees and wooded areas around the park are valued by the community for the shade and extended play opportunity. The design team incorporated this input into play area concepts designs and will share these with you during the online meeting. This meeting is an opportunity for you to review design concepts, provide final input on concept proposals and ask the design team questions.

Dearborn Park is located at  2919 S. Brandon St. on Beacon Hill just north of the Dearborn Park Elementary School and east of Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.

For more information please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/dearborn-park-play-area-renovation or contact Libby Hudson at libby.hudson@seattle.gov or 206-256-5988.