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Seattle Parks and Recreation news and events

$10 million Freeway Park improvement project: Seattle Parks and Recreation seeks design team

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Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to select a design team for improvements to Freeway Park. As part of its public benefit package, the Washington State Convention Center Expansion Project will provide $10 million to repair, restore and enhance Freeway Park. From that funding, $9.25 million is dedicated to capital improvements at the park, based on cost estimates. The remaining $750,000 will be spent on activation within Freeway Park. The scope of the capital improvements is based on the Finding Freeway Park concept plan, produced by the Freeway Park Association, which identifies areas of focus for improvements. The Freeway Park Improvement project will start in April 2019 and extend through December 2021. The design phase is expected to be complete, with all necessary permits, approvals and construction bid documents, by June 2020.

The design team will lead the project’s broad public and stakeholder outreach. The design team will report directly to SPR project manager and possibly a steering committee that will assist with project review and community engagement. Background documents, including the Finding Freeway Park concept plan are available on the project website http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/freeway-park-improvements. The full RFQ information package and required submittal contents are available online at: http://consultants.seattle.gov. Deadline for submittals is 4 p.m. PST January 31, 2019.

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

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Park, Charge and Go: Electric Vehicle Charging at Two Seattle Parks

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Seattle City Light and Seattle Parks and Recreation invite community members to attend the following open houses to learn about City Light’s proposal to install public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Magnuson Park and Gas Works Park as part of the City of Seattle’s Drive Clean Initiative. Road transportation represents two-thirds of Seattle’s climate pollution. The Drive Clean Initiative is focused on leveraging Seattle’s clean electricity across the transportation sector to support the city’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

 

Magnuson Park and Gas Works Park have been identified as sites for two direct current (DC) fast chargers for electric vehicles. These units can charge most EVs for approximately 100 miles of range in 30 minutes. At the open house, customers can learn about the proposed EV charging station locations. City of Seattle staff will be available to answer questions from the community about EVs and City Light’s public EV charging pilot program.

 

Magnuson Park Open House

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

6:00-8:00pm

The public is encouraged to drop in anytime during these hours.

 

Open House Location
Magnuson Park
The Brig / Building 406

6344 NE 74th Street

Seattle, WA 98115

 Gas Works Park Open House

Thursday, January 17, 2019

6:00-8:00pm

The public is encouraged to drop in anytime during these hours.

 

Open House Location

John Stanford International School
Library Room

4057 5th Ave NE

Seattle, WA 98105

Seattle City Light will present input from the open houses to the Seattle Board of Park Commissioners prior to approval of the sites.

Seattle City Light is dedicated to delivering customers affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity services. http://www.seattle.gov/light

 Seattle Parks and Recreation provides welcoming and safe opportunities to play, learn, contemplate and build community, and promotes responsible stewardship of the land. We promote healthy people, a healthy environment, and strong communities. https://www.seattle.gov/parks

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Your Seattle Parks Winter Bucket List

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It may seem quiet after the holidays, but that’s only because a lot of the action has moved indoors. If you’re looking to break up the grayness with fun in the new year, check out these highlights from our winter schedule of activities and classes! You can find the full catalogs for SE, SW, NE and NW Seattle here.

Polar Bear Plunge!
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019 at Matthews Beach
Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Meadowbrook Community Center Advisory Council co-sponsor the 17th annual Polar Bear Plunge at noon, 9300 51st Ave. NE. Registration begins at 10 a.m., and the plunge starts at noon sharp.  Have some warming refreshments or check out the food trucks, games, photo booth, music and t-shirt/sweatshirt vendor as you gear up to watch or jump in!

 

Variable days/times/locations
Free Drop in Classes
Parks funding provides opportunities for free fitness, watercolor, pickleball, ping pong, movies, and more at Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities across the city. Check out our new activity search and sign up system using the search term “drop” – then use the filters to fine tune your options.

 

Now through Feb. 28, 2019
Free admission to Volunteer Park Conservatory
A generous donation covers admission fees till March, making it possible to visit this green wonderland for free. If you can’t get to the tropics or the desert, or if you miss the floral abundance of summer, this is the next best thing.

 

Saturday Jan. 12, 2019
Mom, Child, & Baby Clothing Swap, Meadowbrook Community Center
Tired of driving all over town to drop off donations or collect needed items? Join us for a Clothing Swap, organized by the North Seattle Shoreline Moms (Facebook) Group. Donations will be received from 1-2 p.m.; shopping begins at 2 and goes till 4 pm. More details here.

 

Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019
Young Adults’ Martin Luther King March MLK Jr. Park to Rainier Community Center, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King by proudly marching the streets from MLK Jr. Park to Rainier Community Center. The event is in cooperation with the Seattle Police Department and SPR Late-Night Programs. Inspirational guest speakers, focused group sessions, and plenty of food for all! Please email Thomas.Snow@seattle.gov to reserve a seat in our City vans. Call 206-386-1919 for more info. (For ages 14-20)

 

Family Friday Skate Nights, Fridays from Jan. 11 – Mar 29
Bitter Lake Community Center Annex, 6:30 – 8:15 pm
All Ages! Join us for this popular Bitter Lake family tradition, where there’s great music and fun games. Bring your own skates and rollerblades or borrow a pair of ours. Please note: No toy skates allowed. Please call the center for more info at 206-684-7524. No Skate Night 2/22. The Bitter Lake Community Center Annex is at 13052 Greenwood Ave N. behind the school. $4/skater

 

Family Friday Skate Nights, Fridays from Jan. 11 – Mar 29
Alki Community Center, 5:45 – 7:45 p.m.
Join us for a night of skating for the whole family. Don’t have your own skates? That’s ok, we have your size!  Enjoy a night of family fun with the latest pop music, races, and lights. Ages 2 and older.  Call the Center for more information at 206-684-7430. $3/person.

 

Neighborhood Appreciation Day, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019
Potluck & Swim, Evans Pool, Green Lake, Noon-2:30 p.m.
Gather with the Green Lake community and Green Lake parks staff! We’ll have tables and chairs; bring a dish to share and be prepared to make a friend. Enjoy good food and lively music while you eat and socialize; then adults can swim from noon-1:30pm. Adults and children under 18 swim at 1:30-2:30pm. Everyone is welcome at the potluck. Call 206-684-0780 for more info.

 

Neighborhood Appreciation Day, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019
Neighborhood Appreciation Day, High Point Community Center, 10 a.m. – noon
Join High Point Community Center staff and neighbors enjoy a day of fun, activities, snacks and community. We will have programs demonstrations, face painting, arts and crafts, and snacks. Great for all ages. Call 206-684-7422 for more info.

 

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019
Mardis Gras Party (ages 50 and older) at Miller Community Center, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Celebrate Mardi Gras with us at Miller Community Center! This fabulous event will include an authentic New Orleans lunch, music, and lots of fun! Costumes welcome! Please register in advance at 206-615-0619. $6/person

 

 

 

 

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Sword Ferns in Seward Park

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Seward Park, located in Southeast Seattle, is considered one of our City’s finest green spaces. The 300 acres of forest land has eagles’ nests, an old growth forest, a 2.4-mile bike and walking path, an amphitheater, a native plant garden, an art studio, and miles of hiking trails, shoreline, beaches, and is home to Seward Park Audubon Center. It is known for the extensive variety and quality of vegetation it contains, and is home to the largest remaining conifer forest within city limits. The park is a popular destination, with an ever-widening array of users.

In the Fall of 2013, a park user noticed the deterioration of several sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) within Seward Park. The declining health continued being noticeable through the summer of 2014: a once dense area of sword fern on the southside of a slope near Hatchery Trail was now more than 90% dead, with bare soil, and no signs of plant regeneration. In subsequent years, the decline has spread, doubling in size every year. The impacted area now spans across 15-acres, or about 10% of the old growth forest.

Wanting to address this phenomenon, a working group was created in 2014. The group represents a wide range of skills, expertise, interests, and capacities. The group has met intermittently as a working group and as sub-committees over the course of the last several years.

Seattle Parks and Recreation has a vested interest in this work; having a healthy environment is core to our mission.

To learn more about this effort, please see this article at the Green Seattle Partnership website.

 

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Eagle Scouts complete projects at Camp Long

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Thank you to the members of Eagle Scout Troop 282 who recently completed two park improvement projects at Camp Long. The Scouts completed a full restoration of the Wildlife Garden at Camp Long and also designed and built two ADA-accessible raised vegetable garden beds. The raised beds will be utilized by Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Special Populations program, providing disabled community members the opportunity to learn about and enjoy gardening. In addition to installing the beds, the Scouts managed to secure the donation of nine native Pacific Wax Myrtle plants from West Seattle Nursery, which add a new dimension to the garden.

Thank you to the Scouts who volunteered on these projects; your quality of work and attention to details is impressive and the size and scope of these projects is significant!

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Cabin reservations at Camp Long start January 2

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rustic cabin in woods

For a taste of the great outdoors without having to stay in a tent, the cabins at Camp Long are a great solution. These 10 privately-situated, rustic huts are each equipped with three double bunk beds, a sink and faucet, overhead lights, windows, 2 doors, a BBQ, and picnic tables. Showers and restrooms are nearby.  Tell stories around the fire ring, explore 68 acres of trails or climb rocks during the day, and reconnect with the natural world – without the trip out of town.

Camp Long will begin taking 2019 reservations on January 2; cabins open March 1.  The cost is $50 per night. (Plus a $50 damage/clean-up deposit of $50 per cabin.)  For more information and to reserve, please call Camp Long at (206) 684-7434.

rustic cabin in the woods

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Free admission to the Volunteer Park Conservatory Dec. 24 through Feb. 28

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Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and The Friends of the Conservatory (FOC) are pleased to announce that the Volunteer Park Conservatory will waive all admission fees Dec. 24, 2018 through the end of February, 2019.

Free admission to the Conservatory during this time period is made possible by a generous donation from the Bennett-Shear family – a gift from the children to celebrate their parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Son Emmett Shear said, “We grew up walking to the Conservatory during my whole childhood, and I know my parents want everyone to be able to enjoy this beauty and peace. In their honor, I’m excited to be able to invite people to come for free to the Conservatory again.” (The Conservatory had been a free experience until 2013)

SPR and FOC encourage everyone, especially those who have never visited before, as well as school groups planning field trips, to take advantage of this opportunity to discover the Conservatory at no cost.

The Conservatory’s Poinsettia and Holiday Train Display will be up and running through January 1, 2019, and the FOC offers free docent tours by appointment Tuesdays through Sundays (except the first Saturday of the month). To schedule a tour, please email foc@volunteerparkconservatory.org.

The Conservatory’s regular hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed on Mondays except for the upcoming holidays). The Conservatory will be open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Regular admission will be reinstated on March 1, 2019. Adults $4; Youth $2; Kids under age 12 are always free.

Many thanks to the Bennett-Shear Family for making the Conservatory accessible to all during this holiday season.

Questions? Please contact Khue Tran, FOC Executive Administrator, at Khue.Tran@volunteerparkconservatory.org.

 

 

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Career Info. Workshop for Teens at Laurelhurst Community Center on Feb. 2

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Join us at Laurelhurst Community Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 for a Career Information Workshop for Teens!

Ages 13-20

A group of speakers from various professional fields in the Seattle area will introduce their careers to young adults within the community. This is an opportunity to gain exposure to lines of work that may have otherwise been unfamiliar and help young adults form a better understanding of potential career paths. Speakers will be eager to share personal insights of their career and what it’s really like to do their job, but also what they’ve learned about their skills, strengths, and weaknesses to help them along the way. Register before January 29th to ensure a spot. Lunch will be provided.

 

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Seattle Parks and Recreation begins routine winter preparation of park facilities

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Routine winter preparation has begun with most Seattle Parks and Recreation comfort stations and drinking fountains closing for the winter season to prevent pipes from freezing.

We expect to complete winterizing and closing impacted facilities by the end of the month. We will begin reopening comfort stations and water fountains in March 2019.

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Medgar Evers Pool closed Jan. 1 to May 14 for repairs

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Medgar Evers pool will be closed Jan. 1 to May 14 for repair work as part of our Citywide Pools Project. During the closure, we will be refurbishing the existing pool bulkhead, demolishing and replacing deck slab sections, replacing certain pool deck drains, installing a new plaster liner, and other repairs. 

Details about the Citywide Pools Project can be found by clicking here.

For a list of other Seattle Parks and Recreation pools to use during the closure, please click here

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