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Seattle Parks and Recreation news and events

20-acre expansion to be opened at Westcrest Park

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On Wednesday, July 8, 2015, Seattle Parks and Recreation will open the 20-acre expansion of Westcrest Park at the West Seattle Reservoir, located at 9000 8th Ave. SW in the Highland Park neighborhood of West Seattle. The new park expansion is the fifth reservoir lid-park collaboration between Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU).

The 20-acre expansion of the park captures panoramic views of the mountains and city skyline, while integrating a range of multi-generational amenities. Features include a flexible great lawn, a new play area with two zip-lines and a hillside slides, swaths of native prairie, strolling paths, parking and streetscape improvements, restrooms, and public art. A mix of oak species will provide strategic shading, frame views and contribute to Seattle’s urban forest and habitat for generations to come. Site Workshop collaborated with the community, Seattle Parks and Recreation and SPU on designing the park and Mid-Mountain Construction built the park. [Read more…]

Lower Mapes Creek project honored with Green Globe Award from King County

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20141021_180855On Monday, April 20, King County Executive Dow Constantine presented the Lower Mapes Creek project with a Green Globe Award for being a leader in habitat restoration. The project was a joint effort between Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities.

The Lower Mapes Creek restoration project, completed in early 2015, re-established 440 feet of natural stream channel through Beer Sheva Park and reconnected the creek to Lake Washington to provide critical rearing habitat for juvenile chinook salmon in southeast Seattle. The project also enhanced a park in an underserved area of Seattle and was done in tandem with a Seattle Public Utilities project to reduce combined sewer overflows to Lake Washington.

The Mapes Creek restoration project was partially funded by Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 8-directed grants through the King Conservation District, Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration program. Seattle is a key partner with King County and others in WRIA 8 salmon recovery efforts.

Fourteen Green Globe Awards were given on April 20. The Green Globe Awards are King County’s highest honor for local environmental efforts. More information is available here.

Knickerbocker floodplain restoration project complete

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In early November construction was completed on the Knickerbocker floodplain Restoration project!

The Knickerbocker floodplain encompasses several hundred feet of the south branch of Thorton Creek at the downstream end of the Kingfisher Natural Area in Northeast Seattle. In July 2014, Seattle Public Utilities, in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, began a five-month restoration project to relocate several hundred feet of creek, create a 1.5-acre vegetated floodplain and install a pedestrian footbridge.  The new creek configuration and floodplain increased the creek’s ability to slow and store water during heavy rain, which will reduce flooding and improve the habitat for salmon and other biological communities within the creek.

City workers will visit the site monthly to inspect and care for plants.

 

Lower Mapes Creek Restoration Project improves habitat for Lake Washington salmon

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20141021_180855The Lower Mapes Creek Restoration Project in Beer Sheva Park is near completion.  This is the same Mapes Creek that flows through Kubota Garden and Sturtevant Ravine.

In early 2014, Seattle Public Utilities, in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, began a project to reroute Mapes Creek from entering a storm drain pipe and take it in its own dedicated pipe to Beer Sheva Park and Lake Washington in support of salmon habitat.  The project required installing several hundred feet of a pipe under the 52nd Ave walkway and S Henderson St. and building a new natural creek channel in the park where the pipe could release the water to flow into the lake.

The restored connection to the lakeshore is important to juvenile Chinook salmon who migrate from the Cedar River to Puget Sound along the lakeshore.  They use creek mouths to feed and rest on their long journey to salt water.

The creek restoration project also includes a new pathway, pedestrian bridge and public art by John Grade.  A celebratory opening event will be planned next spring.

The Lower Mapes Creek Restoration Project was a joint project with SPU’s 52nd Ave. S. Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Reduction Project.

Seattle Public Utilities Seward Park tank project information

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Seward Park Tank Project

Project Overview
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will construct a combined sewer overflow underground storage facility in Seward Park to reduce the frequency and amount of stormwater and untreated sewage that overflows into Lake Washington during heavy rain events. The facility will be located under the existing tennis courts and adjacent parking lot area in Seward Park. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in January 2015 and will take approximately 28 months to complete. The construction area, including courts and parking lot, will be closed to public use during this period and will be re-built following construction. The map shows the project area and alternate parking areas in Seward Park.

Alternate tennis courts nearby include Rainier Beach (8802 Rainier Ave. S), Brighton Playfield (600 39th Ave. S) and Rainier Playfield (3700 South Alaska St.).

Construction Impacts
SPU’s project team is working to minimize impacts where possible, and create a safe work zone within Seward Park. The construction activities and impacts to park use will vary by season and the type of construction underway. Additional information will be provided as construction approaches and regularly during the construction period.

General impacts will include:
• Closure of the tennis courts and tennis court parking lot during construction.
• Regular work hours between 7 a.m.- 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Increased truck and construction vehicle traffic at entrance of Seward Park and nearby streets.
• Closure of some nearby areas of Lake Washington during in-water construction work.
• Noise, dust and vibration during construction activities.

Stay in touch
• SPU is happy to answer questions and provide any information you need to be informed about this project and its impacts to you and your neighborhood.

Contact information
Alan Lord, Project Manager
206-233-1565
Alan.lord@seattle.gov

Visit http://www.seattle.gov/cso/northhenderson
Subscribe to listserv for project updates

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Seattle Parks to turn showers back on at Alki, Seacrest Parks

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Seattle Parks and Recreation will turn on the showers back on at Alki Beach Bathhouse today, and have the showers at Seacrest Park open by Thursday, July 31.

The water had been turned off temporarily after Seattle Parks received notice from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) that the two showers were draining directly into the Puget Sound, which is not allowed under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NDPES) or Seattle City Code.

Parks and SPU have jointly developed a temporary solution to the problem while a more permanent one is created. Seattle Parks and Recreation will install a charcoal or vitamin C treatment system to address the chlorine in the water, and post signs that say “no soap, no chemicals, no dumping.”

Parks will work with SPU to develop a method and schedule for the long-term fix, which will likely include connecting the showers to the nearby sanitary line.

Parks and SPU are still working on a solution for how to bring the fish cleaning sink into compliance.

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Meadowbrook Community Center and Pool will remain open during nearby construction – public meeting May 13

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35th Avenue NE, at Thornton Creek, to be closed six months for Seattle Public Utilities project

Beginning Monday, May 19, part of 35th Ave. NE will be closed for approximately six months while the city’s longest creek is reshaped to prevent chronic flooding and restore habitat for threatened salmon and other species.

To perform the work, it will be necessary to close a section of 35th Ave. NE, between NE110th St. and NE 105th St., for about six months. During the closure, 35th Ave. NE will be open only to local access traffic. Meadowbrook Community Center and Meadowbrook Pool will have to be accessed from the south. However, the community center and pool will remain open and offer regular programming.

Beginning Monday, May 19, traffic will be detoured from 35th Ave. NE to Lake City Way NE via NE 110th St. and NE 95th St. Detour signs will be in place prior to the closure.

Southbound Metro buses (Route 64 and 65) will be detoured to Lake City Way NE via NE110th St. and NE 95th St. Northbound Metro buses will be diverted to Sandpoint Way NE via NE 95th St. and NE 110th St. As the closure date approaches, more information will be found at http://metro.kingcounty.gov/alerts/.

For years, the confluence of the North and South branches of Thornton Creek, just east of 35th Ave. NE, has been prone to flooding. High waters have frequently inundated nearby homes, Nathan Hale High School and Meadowbrook Community Center and Pool and closed the road to traffic.

To fix the problem, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will remove an undersized culvert under 35th Ave. NE and realign the existing creek channel through a new two-acre flood plain. The wider channel and flood plain connection will help native fish habitat by spreading out and slowing the peak flows of Thornton Creek.

Additionally, the project will construct a new bridge under 35th Ave. NE slightly north of where the creek currently runs.

To learn more about Seattle Public Utilities’ Thornton Creek Confluence Project, click HERE. For the latest project and construction updates, click HERE.

A public meeting hosted by the project team at Seattle Public Utilities will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, at Meadowbrook Community Center. The public is invited to drop by and learn about traffic and construction impacts and to chat with the construction and project teams.

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Denny Blaine Park reopened; tests show bacteria levels are within safe standards

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Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) have removed warning signs from Denny Blaine Park after multiple water samples showed bacteria levels in Lake Washington, offshore of the park, are within standards considered safe for recreation.

Although Denny Blaine Park is not a designated swimming beach—there is no lifeguard, and Parks officials strongly discourage swimming in the area—“no swimming” signs were posted there last week after city inspectors detected high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in a stormwater pipe just upstream of the park, at 200 Lake Washington Blvd. E.

SPU’s Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) team, which discovered the high bacteria levels as part of a citywide screening program, has now investigated and located the source of the problem—which was found to be a privately owned side sewer improperly connected to the stormwater drainage system. A recent remodel at the residence resulted in the inadvertent connection.

Ellen Stewart, SPU’s IDDE supervisor, said the homeowner will be cited for the improper connection and is working cooperatively with the utility to resolve the situation. Since last week, when the problem was found, SPU has been using a bypass system near the beach to keep sewage out of the water since the problem was found.

“There is a virtual highway of underground utilities in our city; our job is to find the wrong connections and get them fixed. Getting them fixed has a direct impact on the water quality of our rivers, lakes and streams,” Stewart said.

Seattle Parks and Recreation provides welcoming and safe opportunities to play, learn, contemplate and build community, and promotes responsible stewardship of the land. For more information, please go to www.seattle.gov/parks or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

In addition to providing a reliable water supply to more than 1.3 million customers in the Seattle metropolitan area, SPU provides essential sewer, drainage, solid waste and engineering services that safeguard public health, maintain the City’s infrastructure and protect, conserve and enhance the region’s environmental resources.

Learn more about Seattle Public Utilities, at: http://www.seattle.gov/util.

Follow SPU on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SeattleSPU.

Salmon return to Pipers Creek in Carkeek Park; volunteer naturalists on hand, salmon celebration is November 23

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Carkeek Park’s chum salmon have returned to Pipers Creek. Those chum are a gift to the people of Seattle from the Suquamish Tribe for the Piper’s Creek salmon stock supplementation program.

The chum and a few coho return each year to the natural beauty of Carkeek Park. From Saturday, November 10 to Sunday, December 9, Salmon Stewards will be on hand at the park each Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to enhance visitors’ understanding of the life cycle of the salmon. The Salmon Stewards Program is a community volunteer program funded and collaboratively run by Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Restore our Waters program at Seattle Public Utilities. To date, volunteer salmon watchers have recorded 145 live chum and 17 live coho.

The public is invited to the annual Pipers Creek Salmon Celebration, which takes place this year on Friday, November 23, the day after Thanksgiving, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., is one of the best opportunities to see salmon at Carkeek. There will also be treats, warm drinks, music and kids activities to welcome the salmon home.

Pipers Creek has a long and spotted history with salmon. Historically the creek and its tributaries most likely supported runs of steelhead, sea-run cutthroat, and coho salmon. In 1893, the Great Northern Railroad was built over Pipers Creek, and in 1906 the railroad built a rock seawall and placed the creek in a culvert under the tracks. The last of the virgin timber in the watershed was logged in 1921. Development in the watershed also contributed to water quality and habitat degradation and in 1927, local residents reported seeing the last pair of spawning salmon in the creek.

Fortunately, in 1929 much of the Pipers Creek watershed became Carkeek Park. This preserved the land surrounding Pipers Creek (currently 223 acres). The park land, the existing open spaces, nearby back yards and large trees act as buffers to help protect the creek and its spring-fed tributary system. Though the historical salmon populations vanished, the creek system has continued to provide habitat for an ancestral, resident cutthroat trout population.

Because of the potential for salmon production in the watershed, in 1980, volunteers from Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project began a salmon enhancement project in Pipers Creek in partnership with the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW). Today the Suquamish Tribe’s Grover’s Creek Hatchery provides chum salmon as fingerlings for release into Pipers Creek and eggs for local schools to raise.
About 70,000 chum fingerlings are first introduced into the Les Malmgren imprinting pond at Carkeek Park each winter, and 5,000 additional eggs are provided to approximately 25 elementary schools that raise and release their salmon into the imprint pond at Carkeek Park each spring as an activity of the Salmon in the Schools Program. The young chum are held in the pond under the care of diligent volunteers and fed for about three weeks to imprint them to the “smell” of the creek system, which helps them return as adults to spawn.

After two to five years at sea, the chum salmon return to Pipers Creek as 10 to 22 pound adult fish, ready to spawn. The returning chum salmon include fish released through the stock supplementation program and potentially, descendants of fish that spawned naturally in the creek. typically, between 100 and 600 chum salmon spawners return to Pipers Creek between late October and mid-December.

The peak of spawning generally occurs each year around Thanksgiving. Stay up to date on fish sightings in Pipers Creek by following the Carkeek Park Salmon Stewards on Facebook, or call 206-684-5999.

Jefferson Park Expansion Project Opens

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The new 43-acre Jefferson Park Expansion Project over the Beacon Reservoir complex is open to the public with all construction fencing being removed by the end of Friday, October 29, 2010.  Parks opened the new play area and tennis courts to the public in August 2010. 

The Pro Parks Levy funded park offers unparalleled view of the Duwamish and city with Olmsted inspired path system flanked with trees that offer a wonderful respite from city life. The extensive hierarchy of pathways through the site offer connections to the neighborhood and surrounding amenities.  

Additionally, the park offers a grand lawn flanked by a gathering plaza, large open spaces with skillfully placed groves of trees, rainwater feature designed by The Berger Partnership Landscape Architects in collaboration with artist Elizabeth Conner, a large traditional play area, new tennis court with lights, terraced seating areas with vistas over the park, a comfort station designed by Parks Senior Architect Mohan Khandekar and a natural turf sports meadow over the lid. 

Fencing will remain around the sports meadow on the Beacon Reservoir lid to allow the turf to fully develop.  Fencing will be removed in summer 2011. 

The future Beacon Mountain play area, funded in part by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, will also remain fenced off.  Construction on this Phase Two project begins in spring 2011. 

Seattle Parks and Recreation worked with the Beacon Hill community, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), and other stakeholders to identify the best park features and priorities for Jefferson Park. A Master Plan for the site was developed in 2002 as a guide. Parks awarded the construction contract to Mid-Mountain Construction, and gave them notice to proceed in June 2009. 

For more information please visit: http://seattle.gov/parks/ProParks/projects/JeffersonPark.htm or contact Andy Sheffer, Project Manager at (206) 684-7041 or andy.sheffer@seattle.gov. 

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