Or a manager to here, and then we will get started.
Paul are Shan do you do we know of any.
Board members or committee members who are calling in tonight.
Nice.
Oh, go ahead. Paul was.
I'm not sure about and appears some of the public comment folks. Maybe. So, Judy and tangent. Can you.
You start to read and raise your hand if you were in the meeting.
Okay, well, I'll go over those instructions again when we.
Just after we've introduced ourselves.
And maybe of joined by then.
But as far as our committee members, nobody that you're aware of falling in. I found okay.
All right, well, I think we will go ahead and get started.
Um, before we all introduce ourselves and get to the business of the meeting.
I do want to acknowledge that we and Seattle parks and recreation are on the traditional land of the 1st,
people of Seattle,
the Jewish people past and present and honor with gratitude the land itself and the tribe.
So, and with that, we will go ahead and start our meeting and, um, do introductions.
So, my name's Jessica farmer. I'm a CO chair of the Seattle board of commissioners, and I also sit on the park district oversight committee.
And I think what we'll do here is, um, do a popcorn so I will call and.
1, remember to introduce themself and then we'll we'll go around and and try and get through everybody.
And make sure we don't miss anybody. Uh, so I will start with.
Hi, I'm I was appointed by the Seattle LTV commission to serve on the park district oversight committee.
Hello.
I haven't highly I served the board of commissioners. I'll turn over to Tom buyers town buyers. I'm on the board of commissioners, and the oversight committee.
And I will pass it on to I can't, I can't see Dewey Dewey Potter.
Must be me now, can you hear me.
Do you hear me? Yes, I'm on the park district oversight committee representing district 4 dawn.
Hey, Kelly.
Yeah, I'm with a practice trick oversight committee and the park's commission.
That's good.
Hi, Jessica do board of park commissioner. Oh, Marlin.
Marlin her, our board of commissioners and the Seattle park district oversight committee pass on to Dennis.
Dennis cardboard commissioner about Matt.
I met I cried parts of oversight committee representing district 1.
And I will pass it over to summer.
Somebody I had clicked on the wrong screen, so my spacebar was not working.
Summer Johnson, I used, she heard pronouns and I'm with the Seattle Department of transportation here to talk about stay healthy.
And I'll pass over to dawn Thank you don. shamberg, I to work with the Seattle Department of transportation and communications.
And am here to talk to you about the stay healthy streets you, she, her and I'm.
Not tracking super well, so on.
Thanks John superintendent Taylor parks and recreation.
I'll turn it over to Pat unless you already went.
Now pad, it looks like you're muted right now.
Hi, very glad to join the meeting this evening. And this is Pat.
And I represent people with disabilities.
Nice to see pat. Thanks for being here.
And Justin, I think.
You were here there you are adjusting, cut their recreation services director and I will Pat Seattle parks, Rick, and I'll pass it to Michelle. And again.
Good evening policy director for Seattle parks and recreation and.
I'm not sure Shannon. Paula I have you introduced yourselves yet?
And I felt staff the cardboard and sometimes parks and recreation.
I'm sorry, I hope stop the partitions oversight committee.
Did we grab everybody to prevent from.
Yes, yeah, I think.
Think we've got a full house. Um, so thanks. Everybody thanks for being here. Um.
We'll go ahead and start the meeting. Oh, did I miss anyone? Go ahead.
Nope, all right. Um, so the 1st, agenda item tonight is public comment.
The format for public comment is for community members to have 2 minutes to share their thoughts feedback and concerns with us. If you have more to share, you can always send written comments to staff.
And they will forward those to the park board and the park district oversight committee. I want to say, thank you to the folks who did send written public comment.
To us, for tonight's meeting, we've all had a chance to look at that, um, appreciate you sending that information.
Um, the time is not really set up to be a, a conversation back and forth with question answer, but if possible, the board and superintendent will discuss any response to the public comment.
In the superintendent's report section, which follows, um, I'm gonna go over just a couple of logistics so, you know how it's gonna go. So bear with me as I do some, uh, Webex instructions at park staff.
We'll call on each person who has signed up for public comment in the order that sign ups were received.
Starting with participants who signed up using the online form.
When your name is called, please use the raise your hand function. So that staff can unmute you.
And so if you are using web X on the computer.
The way that you raise your hand is to click the participant's icon, uh, on the toolbar in the center bottom.
Of your screen, it looks like a little person with 3 horizontal bars.
And when the participant panel list opens up on the right hand side of your screen, you will click the small hand icon at the bottom right corner to raise your hand.
Uh, when you've been unmuted and have finished your comments, please click the icon again to lower your hand.
If you are participating on the mobile app, click that participant icon in the top right hand side of your screen again, it looks like a little person with 3 horizontal bars and click then on the bottom right hand icon labeled raise hand.
And lastly, if you are calling them by phone, so not CNS visually, but just listening in. Um, and you are going to provide comment.
Please dial star 3 to raise your hand when your name is called.
Once you are unmuted, please share your comment limit comments to 2 minutes. Seattle parks and recreation staff will mute commenters at the end of the public comment period.
And please do not raise your hand, unless your name has been called. This is how we know who to unmute.
And then, once your comment is complete, please remember to lower your hand.
Uh, using the same same approach that you used to raise it.
Um, okay, and with that Paula, I will hand it over to you to manage our our commenters tonight.
Tom again, so when I saw your name, if you could just raise your hand, and then we will be so, the 1st 1 is Judy tangent.
You're on the call.
Please press star 3 to raise your hand. If you call Dan, using your phone.
Okay, the 2nd, 1, Jessica for us now.
Hey, everybody come back at you guys and hopefully we can get this figured out Garcia.
She's already think you just got it.
So, you could just talk when you're ready.
Hello.
Okay, until we get him, how about.
Great.
Hello, can everyone hear me.
Yes, all right. Hi, everyone my name is, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to speak before you all today.
I will be speaking on behalf of the Lake City collective to share some of the current community lead efforts to improve conditions at little park. That says our will later talk about more in detail.
1 of the projects that we are currently working on is a community visioning process that will culminate in a new detailed site design of lubric park, which will then be used to advocate for the construction and remodeling of the park.
Thanks, thanks to the support of the Seattle park foundation.
Our fiscal sponsor, Lake City, collective, the little community, Seattle, parks and recreation, and our recently selected design from site workshop will be collaborating to envision a new little book park 1 that everyone in our community can actively enjoy and be proud of.
Lake City was also recently partnered with the University of Washington to work on 2 projects related to book park.
The past 10 weeks, we have worked with 12 undergraduate students from the College of built environments in order to do preliminary outreach.
For community, visioning project and to gather research on the amenities and conditions of different parks and the greater Lake City area.
This was a wonderfully successful partnership that will support a couple of our current projects as well as future advocacy efforts.
The last point I wanted to touch on is the work that we've been doing with to start up the stay healthy streets pilot project in front of Bloomberg park.
But this pilot, their idea, which they may later mentioned during their participation today is closing down the area in front of the street directly in front of the park and having the rest of the block only open to local traffic.
The new pop up park can be used for a variety of purposes, such as a basketball court chalk, murals, seating and other types of programming. That will encourage more usage of the park and keep residents active in addition closing down.
The street will also improve the safety of the park as cars will no longer be able to drive by a dangerously high speeds as they currently do.
The current efforts to improve the park as well, as the say healthy Street's pilot will not only build up community pride also start bringing attention to action.
Towards needed pedestrian infrastructure in the area.
There is a lot of love and energy devoted to little park, and the little work neighborhood as a whole, and we hope to see support from this committees and action from the city to ensure that we are able to achieve our goals and ensure a sustainable and healthy future for our neighborhood, thank you so much.
Thank you. Hey, can you? Yeah. Okay. So start working on trying to hear him again.
Can you hear us.
Hi, are you there hopefully you should be able to we should be able to pick up your audio now.
Can you hear me so okay. Yeah, so I'm sorry I'm some technical difficulties.
But it seems like you can hear me now, right?
Yes, absolutely. Okay.
Thank you a good evening members of the committee on board and my name is censor Garcia and I am the director of Lexi collective, but the main reason why I am here.
I'm here as a concerned parent,
as you,
you heard already from our a group members,
Tanya spoke about the future that we ambition with a little group part,
and the work that we are doing it,
but you may have seen on the 2 page document that I submitted for this meeting,
a little park and by extinction,
little group,
a community in great need of your support.
This could be the, this is actually the 3rd time. I'm speaking before you about.
This is what we consider a race and racial and social and environmental justice in this community of leader group that we have to leave everyday due to the inaction of our cities parks
and recreation department,
who is not bringing any equitable access to a clean and safe part,
which is something our experience is different from,
from other neighborhoods are more affluent and they don't look like us and minorities.
So, the information that you saw, you can see on this page document is is center, and the fact that the part has very pull up a upkeep.
And dot waste, pollution is still an issue and if it's getting worse, and a lot of people in the field in theory government from the departments know about about this but nobody has taken any considerable step to solve this problem.
In fact, years ago when, and a was an interim superintendent.
Superintendent, he came to liberal park and Peggy, my wife and Co, director of luxury collective told Mr. Gary, that this part needed his attention. So we are years from that location.
And we don't think that misfill has ever come back to see our reality in January. We met with Mayor Dirk, and told her about the same issue. We told him told her about the same issue and we got the same result.
So, that they, we told her that a bank of families in this community are more than 6000. people don't have a clean and safe park. And this is because the people who is making decisions for our community, don't leave here.
Don't leave where we leave the reason why my kids and the kids a lot of minorities here don't have access to recreation.
And and also we think that recreation needs to catch up with other city departments, integration, erase and equity and social inequities. We don't think that they are doing the same work for departments.
And that's because a lot of.
A lot of the thing that we have seen,
if our community is not using our parks,
especially during coffee,
they don't have access to open spaces and they don't have access to all these programs and,
and,
you know,
and all these beautiful parts that are popping up everywhere except enabled,
where do we leave?
So thank you so much for your attention and I really invite Wayne bikes and you're here to come to.
I never good to to people making decisions to get out of the bubble and income 2 parts,
liberal part to,
to start making changes for the people who don't have the same resources,
have our community.
Thank you so much.
Silence.
Peter.
Break.
Okay, mine.
Yeah okay. My name is Peter. It's an E sound, but really much matter profitable. This is my 1st time with you guys I hope I went to right? And you? And I didn't know by written submission process, but I'm going to take my 2 minutes anyway.
I am 3 and a half years ago I moved to the Lake City area of Seattle,
and it was primarily due to the brook Gilman bicycle trail,
the mason park,
and the tennis center,
and the abundance of good recreational opportunities here.
And I was a little disappointed as I got to know the brick trail a little better that was kind of a rough shape for North side of town.
And there was a video at the.
I'm not a video on just voice, I think.
It is really important. People are talking to me here, so I'm kind of get confused anyway, so I got pretty excited. I saw the science from 2019.
there's going to be maintenance, probably as supposed to highlight from 45th street north up to the, to the calling it up to 145th.
And so I thought was going to really be great news and.
The reality was the maintenance project was not what should have been done.
It's so it was a series of patches that.
Left areas of this trail that we're just as that patch unpack.
So, close, though, trail drove the big trucks and then about half to 30, what needed to be done.
Is this passion a trail? This diatoms from the original? It's probably about 6, 8 feet wide.
A lot of places the shoulder is not good. There's what pitches there's cracking when they drive this thing as design, I think, for for.
They put them in a good repair recently, tuitions, mill overlay, you see big utility trucks, drive on their garbage trucks. And so that's why, you see a lot of times Society of the trail cracked over.
And so I so my message is basically 1 tuberculin trail, especially north of all the new development University, especially north of 45th is not adequately maintain.
Secondly, the process of patching is not the proper process. It should be continuous fix and that lead gaps. They're not well.
It should be looked at the engineer modernized re, date or sections with split areas.
That ditches that site lines bad cracks.
I have tried to use to find it fix this process on this thing.
This year I got 1, 300 foot section replaced up at home 25th street, which was really terrible shape.
That was all I got done in the old were aside told there's not enough money. So I said, okay, tell me what the budgeting practices. I know. You got a 60M dollar budget total. There are supposed to be a fixed it. 1st process.
Yes, somehow in this whole process, this 20 mile trail gets 275000 dollars of maintenance money a year, which is obviously an adequate for 2000.
20 miles to city, basically trail so I would like to want to know how a person is a citizen or the board is involved in a budgeting process to make sure there's adequate funding for maintenance. That trail the things that community a community jump. It ties me to megasuite park.
It ties this up to new little B*** beach park. They spend 800000 dollars buying and a bunch of might fit kind of put stuff in there.
Um, so I know there's money being spent in this stuff and then my 1 friend call 1 day sitting there and you guys take traffic costs at 8 in October.
In the morning and afternoon, and you get probably low cause I went friends, sit down every other day in the summertime, and he counted over a 1000 distinct users in a 2 hour, period at 197 street on the trail.
So, it's a very heavily resource, especially during cold times walkers kids likes dogs.
Your dollar your usage for dollar spent on handheld silly. It's probably hard to be beat to the Bert Gilman trail.
Thank you thank you. Great. Your are your next followed by Susan?
Okay.
My on a good evening, I'm Donald Harris some of, you know, me as a long time park employee recently retired and I'm speaking tonight on behalf of the friends of seattle's homestead parks.
An organization advisory to parks that I helped start 36 years ago. I'm currently the vice president.
1st, let me say how saddened I am by the current condition of many of our parks, which I'm a frequent constant user, but to the issue at hand, since desktop is going to speak to you tonight.
About safe streets and lake Washington boulevards. I, and some of my colleagues on the friends of Seattle homestead parks want to provide some perspective for your consideration.
Is supportive of safe streets and the important functions they provide, particularly in this cove environment, but, like Washington Boulevard is not an average city street. It is. The city's most significant Boulevard.
Recognized both nationally and locally.
Is also a central component of a sea wide connected system of parks and boulevards it connects directly to 15 other parks and boulevards.
And is also the longest of our boulevards. It's a vital link across our city and she'd remain accessible to all. I think that accessibility speaks to an equity issue.
Whether by cars bike or foot.
The Boulevard is owned by parks and parks needs to be in the lead and responsible for how it is managed.
And overseeing any process for considering modifications to its use and be mindful of equity issues and how it is to be used.
So, it serves a wide variety of parks and recreation functions in a multifaceted way.
And is the most important part of seattle's historic, significant Boulevard.
Thank you very much.
So, yes, you can't. Can you hear me? Okay please. Hi, everyone. I'm Susan DOLAN and I'm speaking tonight as the Seattle resident, but also as a professional preservation.
Actually, the chief historical landscape architect for the national park service.
And, and speaking tonight about the historical significance and importance of preserving the lake Washington Boulevard.
So the main Washington Boulevard is listed on the National Register of Historic places. And that's the nation's official list of places worthy of preservation.
And the places on this list are worthy of preservation because they have both.
Historic significance and historic integrity, which means they're authentic.
They retain their historic character.
And lake Washington Boulevard is an incredible example of a scenic Parkway in urban scenic Parkway that retains integrity.
And it has significance.
As part of the early Seattle park system.
And as a, as a boulevard that was designed by the almost in brother's firm in conjunction with Seattle.
It's nationally recognized, it's rashly recognized as 1 of the most important design.
Works of the homestead brothers firm.
And it was conceived historically.
As a scenic Parkway and a pleasure drive.
For the purposes of recreation to tie together a system of beautiful parks.
And to provide scenic views of the mountains of the lake, if not near, et cetera.
And that use has sustained throughout the decades over 110 years later.
Lake Washington Boulevard is still used as a pleasure drive.
And use is an important way that historic places, retain their integrity.
We attempt to preserve the use of Historic places.
According that to their historic use in order to preserve them into the future, it's a key way to preserve historic property to preserve. It's historic use.
So this is over 8 miles long.
It's 1 entire historic place on the National Register. It's 1 entire historic design landscape.
And it choreographed a scenic experience as a pleasure drive.
And this shouldn't be truncated or interrupted. It's very important that the whole designed landscape, its entirety be preserved as a pleasure drive.
Thank you.
I'm going to step back 3rd and Judy you tangent or Jessica.
From us now, you guys could start 3 and raise your hand if you're still here and would like to talk.
What do you think.
Okay, why don't you can email me at the same number you get to comment if you're having trouble, let's move to next is Jennifer followed by and.
Hi there. Hello Thank you.
I have to ask, like, everyone else. You can hear me. Right okay, thank you. So, thanks for the opportunity to come in at 8.
am I'm historian, and I've spent years researching in our park system, and I recently published a book about it. They'll instead park system in Seattle, and I know that or I heard that tonight.
It's not on the docket to necessarily talk about closing question Boulevard 2 vehicles but I wanted to just put in my 2 cents because I know that's an idea that's out there. And is being.
Promoted by a lot of people for all the best intentions but I,
I really am concerned about it,
um,
as I've done my research and given talks about the book I've been out and about in the community quite a bit and I've really learned the extent to which the vision for equitable access that homestead had,
for the park system hasn't been realized,
for a couple of reasons,
there's a perception in the community that the parks and parkways are only for the wealthier and wider parts of the city.
And this is partly because of facts on the ground. The remarkable setting along the lake has made the homes more desirable and more expensive.
And then housing discrimination,
including red lining and restrictive covenants and economic challenges,
faced by communities of color,
as result of other types of discrimination have made the neighborhoods closest to the question and Boulevard wider and wealthier than other parts of the city.
It's also because the perception of the perks that the people of color are not welcome in this neighborhood parks and parkways, including like Washington Boulevard, and I heard last night in a training. I see.
That Sean joined us that he helped lead that there's the invisible line idea and I had not heard it referred to that before,
but I've certainly heard other references to that feeling of being unwelcome,
and not part of the community that should be using the park and so.
I think that that's something that we needed to address head on in a multiple ways.
But what I want to talk about tonight is that I think that closing the Boulevard to vehicles will only amplify that perception and reality of, um.
That this is an exclusive resource and so I'm worried because transit access is limited and challenging, particularly if you have. Oh, sorry.
Just like, 20 more seconds. Okay. Okay. Sorry. Yep. I worried about the transit access is limited. I'm worried that it will phase favorite residents who could bicycle and walk. I'm worried that.
Closing the bull permanently, or even this section of it that to vehicle sends a message. They're not. Everyone is welcome. And I really want to make sure that everyone with every ability and access has the opportunity to enjoy this resource.
Thank you thank you.
Thank you so much. Okay and you're up 2 minutes.
Did that come.
Yes, can we can hear you sorry?
I know perfect. Can you.
Can you hear me.
I have to make mute something here mute.
Are you able to hear me.
Yes, we are. Okay. Thank you. I'm and not.
Sorry, I'm getting a little echo.
I will just try to talk and then.
And ignore my voice. I'm an.
And visory, but more and more.
Silence.
Oh, dear.
Jen, if Jennifer query.
My statement, I think that would be better.
Okay, Jennifer is able to.
Yeah, it, it's up on the Google drive.
I have it. Okay, I'll go through this really quickly. So ignite is an advisory board member to the fence of seattle's homestead parks and has been involved for decades.
And she's concerned that there are options worth exploring to help address. Some of the traffic concerns, such as traffic, being diverted from radio, due to traffic calming efforts in Columbia city. A simple approach. That could be very helpful.
Would be to have Google take lake Washington off their arterial map. So that it would not show up as a preferred or alternate route, this could likely significantly cut, the non intentional use of the Boulevard as a bypass route as far as recreation.
The South end is not devoid of trail routes where walkers can enjoy exercise over long distances without cars examples include chief shelf cells trail and suid park loop,
continuing periodic closures of questionnaire Boulevard,
especially on summer weekends when people particularly want to enjoy the outdoors is an excellent way to serve the needs of all users while ensuring that we do not diminish 1 of seattle's most significant park resources and I know that and wanted to add also
that we have many resources and we really see that there can be a win win solution here that looks at alternatives that do not close the Boulevard permanently 2 vehicles in that section,
but that offer other opportunities.
Thank you thank you. Thank you.
And if you can do star 3, you will.
Can you, can everybody hear me.
We can thank you. Okay, great. Thank you. So much for the opportunity. And thank you for the other speakers and everybody's passion for more beautiful and safe equitable parks and recreation experience for all.
My name is Andrew as far as I'm the founder of iHeart, downtown Seattle.
I represent sheltered folks I represent disabled folks, elderly those in low income housing, those with various pathologies of disabilities that live in the inner cities whether it be compass, housing, Plymouth, housing bellwether.
Bell tower Catholic community, Christian housing.
These are my neighbors and these are my friends, and we cannot use our inner city parks.
Why, because when we walk through the parks, there's thousands of hypodermic used meals.
There's needles in the playground, there's needles in the bushes.
Our children whose parents live.
In wheelchairs at compass, housing are busting their children to Bellevue.
To plan parks park.
In equities, our current crisis in our city.
We need to restore park equity for all to use.
My group I heart downtown Seattle is a voice of almost 800 people, and only 90.
Dates we have franchise our litter pit crew at Lewis park.
Ballard, I was at Green, like today.
I'm activating parks around our communities.
Providing at my expense and expensive donations pinchers bags.
Trucks to move trash out of parks.
We are not just complaining we are hands on moving trash shoulder to shoulder with the encampment.
Parks and recreation crew that come through only twice a week to the camp that are in our inner city parks.
I see the defeat Jose.
Sorry hey, in your cruise.
I see them fill their chest with air when the community comes into the park.
Picking up the trash, calling it into our trucks and removing it from the park because the city is not acting fast enough. And it's too afraid.
To take piles of scattered garbage throughout our city.
Because it might belong to somebody. Well, I say this, it doesn't belong to anybody.
We have allowed an illegal dumping to go.
Find in our city for far too long as low hanging fruit parks and recreation boards demand illegal dumping fines, be enforced.
Demand that a lobby pass they pass and Spokane just last week.
6 to 1, by the Council, no services are allowed to content side in our inner city parks. No more 24 foot trucks of the face food. No more bags with clothes.
This there are services out the city.
United gospel mission St Paul Vincent.
Goodwill operation sack lunch, recovery cafe.
We have a plethora of social services in our city that folks can.
Go to you to get close food, including lehigh's, inner city, urban sanitation centers.
The allowing of honey buckets to be used by hundreds of people living in squalor is unacceptable.
Drug addicts are taking over our parks, we no longer can have our children play and leave.
Fly down the slide folks in wheelchairs strollers.
Alright.
Are unable to use the part we demand that parks and recreation used the art.
Nonprofit arm of parks and recreation to fund 24 7.
Security of our parks to reinstate park safety for all. Thank you.
I'm sorry, 1 more person with their hand up and see if and someone we have not been able to reach.
Yes, we've ended the call it user and so please, if you're a calling user, I know it's awkward about attempt to introduce yourself and we'll see who comes through.
Hello is Judy or justify on the line.
Hi, hey, preference.
Person.
Yeah.
Okay, so, um, before we move on to the superintendent's report, we've had a couple more members join us if you'd like to just introduce yourselves quickly. Um, Andrea.
Hi, good evening. I'm Andrea Akita Co chair for the board of park commissioners, and a member of the park district oversight committee.
Thank you and Sean sorry about that. Okay, Sean.
Let's district 5 representative and I'm gonna try to stay relatively quiet as I just had surgery this morning. So oh, my goodness. Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you. Thank you.
And thank you so much. I think I think that's every buddy else who's joined as far as panelists and thank you all to the community members for your input tonight. We really appreciate your comments. Um.
And next item on the agenda, superintendent's report, and I imagine amongst other updates, we'll, we'll have some response to some of the comments you shared tonight.
Yep, thank you. Jessica. And all the members and I apologize. I keep getting booted out. So I'm keeping my camera off just because I think I have connection issues and I checked and all. My teenagers are not playing video games. So, I'm not sure what it is, but.
I appreciate the opportunity to respond to some of the issues that came up and I apologize. If I missed a few, I didn't jump off and come right back on a couple of times. But, let me just kind of start off a little bit to talk about the 1st group that I heard. Mr.
Garcia and Tanya and I apologize. I didn't hear the last name in terms of the little book park. Certainly as Mr. guys you mentioned, I have visited the park a while back.
I actually live near the park and I,
while you were talking,
I was texting with my maintenance folks about sort of the issues with the off leash dogs,
and the dog waste,
etc,
and they have been working with America's office in and which is sorry public utilities administrative services administrative services,
manages the.
Animal control to try to get a better handle on. What's going on there but all that being said I appreciate and want to take you up on the invitation to come back out there and visit the park here in the next week or so.
So I think if we don't have your information, if you can send it either to me directly at my email address, or send it to Paul, and we'll find a time to meet out there, we'll meet up there with the crew chief, who's in charge of the maintenance for that district, and we can talk a little more about that.
So, hopefully, we can get some additional progress and I'll reach out to my colleagues, that animal controlled to see what we can do to continue to focus there in terms of the gentleman who spoke. And again, I missed names.
But on the government trail that's another place. Where I actually spend a lot of time biking up on the northern part of the trail, and I appreciate your questions and concerns about the maintenance. And I know that we didn't have an approval project there to try to make those improvements.
But as you said, it's pretty, it's really a need of some substantial, complete refurbishment redoing and we just don't have the funding for that.
But certainly can connect you to our, to our capital folks to get a sense of when, when we can do more of that improvement. But as they mentioned to you, there isn't any additional funding.
Now, we did, but we could, but we'll continue to see what we can do as we move forward.
In terms of all the folks from the front instead Don harison person and I think Jennifer, I heard.
Talk a lot about the passion around the historic role that the onset parks vigorate question Boulevard play in our overall portfolio of what is a pretty spectacular park system, appreciate all of your comments.
And I know that we're going to have some conversations with our friends from the department transportation around some, some temporary closures of the Boulevard as we've had during this pandemic a couple of times.
And part of this is to continue the conversation with you all share.
And I've shared with this board, our last meeting my concerns about what that may or may not do terms of equity until we'll be looking very closely at any considered permanent closures, to make sure that we are upholding both.
Obviously, the service start role. They play, but for me more importantly, frankly, is sort of the active equity component of that. So thank you for comments. And your ongoing advocacy there. The last speaker I heard.
I believe in this 1 is from the I love downtown Seattle, and I also, very much appreciate your comments and most importantly really appreciate your, and your team's efforts to go out and support our work.
Obviously, the the parks and recreation system, and our parks have been used in a very different way during this pandemic, then they have in the past.
Certainly, we have, we have lots of use and lots of encampments and not to make excuses. But that little context in addition to the new and different use for our products since since March.
Now, this pandemic has really had a significant impact on our ability to do our regular work in terms of maintenance and trash not just us the parks, immigration, but also at our partners that public utilities, and, you know, we've had much lower staffing.
We didn't, we didn't bring any of our seasonal workers or temporary workers that we normally bring into the during the summer to keep up with a maintenance.
Um, and of course, we're, we're suffering a crisis in the city of homelessness and there's a, there's obviously an approach during the pandemic to, to not removing candidates from our parks.
All that being said we know that that the parks need need some additional care and.
1 of the things that we're doing, a couple of things, we're doing to try to address some of the concerns that were brought up and again in partnership with utilities and transportation, et cetera. The cities launching a clean city's initiative.
That will really add some additional resources to help us surge, sort of our maintenance, and try to get these parks back to as much as we can to the way it should be operating. I will be clear.
This these are not, it's not an initiative that is intended to remove encampments.
This is an initiative that is intended to help us clean the city both in parks, but also in the right way partnership with utilities and transportation and the police department, whenever necessary.
We're launching a series of of claims that will address a lot of the legal dumping that's happening. Both in parks, and in the public right of way to address some of the basic maintenance that we just have have to get caught up with in our parks in addition to that initiative.
We had department parks and recreation have launched our own in addition to our encampment who we've added another crew to help us be responsive as as sort of things bubble up. And there's dumping in our parks.
And we've really stepped up what we call our jamborees where we identify these high need parks and bring folks from across the city within parks and recreation to do some,
some real intense cleaning and maintenance both on the parks and the facilities with the graffiti with trim trees we look at we do as much as we can obviously pick up needles and do all of that to try to address some of the state of our parks.
And I guess I will say that we are keenly focused on bringing our parks back as much as possible to a way that makes them available and accessible to all.
But at the same time, this clean cities initiative and our surge, and our quick response groups are not about removing and relocating encampments at this point. That's a broader issue. But we'll continue to work on those efforts.
So, those are my very quick responses to some of the issues that were brought up. And again, I apologize if I missed any Jessica I'm not sure, but I'm happy to address others.
If they come up, I'll pause there and see if there's anything Jessica missed or I can jump into some other updates.
I think looking back at my notes, that that's good and.
If we can have discussion with Tom, would you like to go ahead? I don't regard in camp months as being a new use of parks.
I regard them as being abuse of parks.
And I would like to know when it's going to stop when we're going to find.
Better solutions for people who are out there in the cold and the rain and when the public, like the person who testified from downtown Seattle.
Are going to be able to reclaim and reuse the parks the way they were intended to be used. I don't find it acceptable.
That we're just going to go on the way it's been for the last several months. I'd like to hear an answer to when things are going to change.
So,
yeah,
Tom,
I,
I don't have an answer to when things are going to change with regards to finding enough housing for the individuals that live outdoors and as,
you know,
Tom,
absolutely encampment are not any issue there much greater.
Now, there was clearly some decisions made at the beginning, the pandemic to not remove encampments there's a tremendous amount of funding that's been it's been invested and continues to be invested and finding places for folks to go.
But then, cabin issue isn't just to parks and recreation issue and I'm not in a position to tell you that tomorrow. I can start removing encampments. Because at the same time, these are our neighbors and we have to ensure that there are places for them to go.
Because if we start removing them from our parks, they're just going to go somewhere else and we're not getting at the fundamental problems.
So,
I don't have an answer to the,
when the answer I can give you is that we are striving to try to bring back these parts and provide maximum access and use for everybody who uses and,
including the folks who currently don't have permanent homes who are there,
and obviously we want there are situations in which.
Encampments create hazards and security issues and environmental issues, and we're addressing those and we'll continue to address those but but in, as much as a wholesale removal of encampments in our parks, I can give you an answer for that.
I will also say that encampments had been a part of parks and parks and recreation for a really long time. There's certainly much greater now, but but it isn't something that we will ever be able to say that there should never be an.
They will never be an encampment 1 of our parks and that's the only answer I can give you at this point in time but please know that we're committed to to client illness and safety and hygiene and security for everyone.
What is the city doing about this?
Hey, says, because I a month ago 6 weeks ago you told me there were a lot of meetings going on to try to figure out better answers for these folks and I.
I'm sorry, I haven't seen any, any forward motion on it and people are getting increasingly frustrated and angry like the person we heard tonight, and I don't blame them.
Sure, you know, I what, when we talk about it, I guess a few weeks ago I also offered and I did reach out to the director of human services to come and present to to this group and we're working on getting him scheduled.
I would rather let him answer that question. I'm not the expert on on housing and homelessness.
Um, and I will reiterate that we are working in hand with them and everyone else to kind of address some of these issues. But but I don't alone have a solution for this.
And maybe what I'll do is is just prefer that question large to when we have our homelessness director. Excuse me housing director come and address the board.
I see, I didn't have to hand that Thank you. I would just like to echo Tom's.
Remark sentiments. I've time just to Paul too. I just it sounds like this is indefinite. It sounds like the situation will never be resolved. They're going to be in a definite usually parks in this manner, as you said earlier, that.
And camp has already been, I've always been a part of the park. It seemed like 2 or 3 establishes were put in place. There was a call to remove. So I'm not sure what the background of parks is.
From cabinets has been, but it's just a tragedy. It is. And, I mean, it's it's a human tragedy and 1 thing, but it's just, I don't see it. I don't see it change unless someone comes out and says it a certain.
Time after the percent of something is below something that this goes away.
So, thank you for bringing a speaker in. I know. I know it's frustrating for you and your staff, because it's a beautiful system. We have.
It's a 7 up Kelly.
Yeah, I, I'm wondering for the folks, you know, like, I'm sorry, I don't remember her name, but the woman who testified and.
You know, for others who are listening and myself, and, you know, anyone who really thinks I cash.
Yeah, I want to help people that are in the parks and at the same time, I want to enjoy the park without worrying that we're, we're clashing here and it's safe for kids to run around.
Um, where where do they go then? You know, do they.
Does do they contact the mayor do they contact Department of human health services?
I mean, is this if this hot potato is is just in parks, then people are going to continue to contact parks but who otherwise do people go to to say? Hey, we really want to.
Solve this problem and we, we don't know who to to talk to about it.
You know, I mean, I think I think I think folks are.
Well, I think all of those folks they can continue to go to and certainly when it's related to parks and recreation and parks properties, they should come to me. But I'll let me also add a little bit of context.
You know, we've got over 485 parks in our system of those 485 parks. We've identified roughly 50 plus parks that have significant encampments in them. And by significant, I think we're using 5 or more.
Of those, we probably have about 17 that have truly significant entrenched encampments and of those would probably have about 10. that are that are truly probably what most folks are talking about.
So so I absolutely.
And completely agree with and hear the conversations about access and equity and certainly the need for solution to the homeless issue is is great.
We have the parks and recreation are not going to solve this alone and we do continue to push and to have conversations with the mayor's office and Human Services to try to figure out what to do.
But our ethics, my personal as well, as professional position on, this is very difficult for me to say we're going to removing encampment if we don't know where these individuals can go. Right? So, during the pandemic, there was a policy decisions.
That were not moving candidates prior to the pandemic. We had a navigation team we had and our team was part of that team would go through and work with folks and work without which providers to offer folks, housing and places to go. That was put on.
Hold during the pandemic, and certainly, there's been a surge and the number of candidates and parks.
Again, we are, we're trying to navigate this within within the system, and certainly would encourage any committee members who want to come and express their concerns. But.
I know we're clearly aware of the issues and continue to try to resolve them, but this is a much larger challenge that goes beyond just parks and recreation.
I would suggest that people make their feelings known to the city council and the mayor.
And, and go lightly on the parks department, because it's not the parks departments.
Fault that this is happening is the fault of elected leaders who think they are doing something progressive by simply.
Allowing people who have nowhere else.
To go to take over the parks and it's not right when I would send the mayor's office parks were off limits to this.
We constructed social contract with the advocates for the homeless that said.
You can have encampments in the parking lots or on the property of churches and nonprofits and labor unions or other sponsors.
Who will take responsibility for it, but you're not going to take over the parks. And I think that is a reasonable solution. I don't think get us a progressive.
Seattle oriana thing to have folks sleeping out in the rain and the cold in the parks.
And not come up with a solution that's better than that. It's not it's not in our tradition. It's not progressive.
Thank you again, I, I certainly encourage this board and the, the commission and the oversight committee, like, certainly in your role as, as, as well in your roles. I think it's completely appropriate also to communicate those concerns.
To the, obviously the mayor and the Council, I will say we are partly, although the solution isn't within parts of integration. We are certainly part of the need to be part of the solution.
So, I want to make sure that we are also held accountable for the work that we can do. So, I don't want to I don't want to lay this at the feet of all of the other departments. Because it clearly, it's a city wide challenge for all of us.
Oh, Marlin did you something? Yeah, I did. Thank you. And I think it raises and for everyone spoke. Yeah regarding the same issue.
I I do agree with Tom, in saying that this is a tremendous failure on the policy front of our elected officials and not just at the city level.
And I also want to share about this pandemic that if the eviction moratorium ends 10M more families, and America will hit the streets.
And this is just going to be another tremendous policy failure that we are just sitting behind and not doing anything about.
And personally, speaking, I am against this week, so I think a tremendous waste of money, when it can be spent on housing, that solves the core issue.
I just want to put it on the record that I think this is we need to get people off the streets yesterday and that shelters are add capacity every night, because of social distancing and the fact that certain countries can build a hospital and weeks.
And we can't seem to build a single tiny house in a day is just.
Beyond warrants, thank you.
So.
You know what it's.
That we can hear you, are you, are you hoping to make a comment to this conversation?
Okay.
I think we may bring this back up.
At the end of the meeting and all the new business, if we want to, um.
Maybe take some action as a group um.
For the time being and I'm seeing yes, I'm not good. He's just do you want to move on with the rest of your report then?
Sure, sure, thank you.
And and thanks again,
everybody for that discussion,
the very important discussion,
and I look forward to more of these discussions,
a couple of things just to go through some general updates in a non pandemic,
non everything else world.
We would have submitted a park district, annual report. For 2019, a few months ago, I know that our board member members got a notice in a link that this report is complete.
So,
I just want to make sure that for folks on the listening or watching that report is available and highlights some of the work that we did that was funded by the park district during 2019,
including our work,
for example,
on our centers,
our urban forest.
All of our partnerships to work on some of the downtown issues, I'll Fisher is programming, et cetera, et cetera, a lot of great stuff in there. So if you go to the Seattle parks district website, you can find that report it's good reading.
And it's a good reminder of the great work that we do and can do and we'll continue to do as we navigate all of this update on on our budget.
Well, as everybody knows by now, the council has adopted the city budget as well, as the park district board, adopted our metropolitan park district budget for 2021.
and that is a 1 year budget that sort of allowed us to kind of, whether some of the financial challenges of 2020 and anticipated challenges of 2021 also allowed the park district to again Levy property taxes for 2021 and set that rate. And the rate.
Excuse me, the budget is essentially unchanged in terms of the revenue in the expenditures.
With the exception of we continue for 25, what will be done in the prior 6 years, which is included 2 and a half percent inflationary increase, both on the revenue side, and on the expenditure side.
So, obviously, the expenditures have changed as you all know, we made some decisions to.
Put some, some of the park district expenditures, namely, the capital of the capital projects on hold to try to mitigate some of the reductions in general fund and park fund expenditure. So, that budget has not been adopted.
And I will say that, as we as we, even even though 2020 is not yet done, we're already very closely looking at what's going to happen in 2021.
as I mentioned,
when I present our budget to the boards several weeks ago,
our park excuse me,
our 2021 budget was built on assumptions that we had back when we're developing the budget,
which were part of the governor's restart reopening plan,
which,
with regards to our own programming we built this on the assumption that we would be in a phase 3 situation at some point next year during next year.
We're not really sure what's going to happen.
We're optimistic,
because there was some vaccine on the way,
but we're also not sure whether,
whether the reopening will be continued to be changed at a minimum the criteria that we used as a phase 3 reopening plan change Steven this year,
where it reduced the number of participants that could be in buildings,
etc so already,
we know are starting and a little bit of a deficit in terms of our expectation.
So we'll be monitoring very closely.
We'll have lots of control that internally to make sure that we're very deliberate and thoughtful about our expenditures as we expect that there might be additional reductions,
at least in our own park fund which again,
the part fund is the pool of money that is generated by the fees that we charge for permits,
and you said programs,
et cetera and then,
of course,
we don't know what may or may not happen with the general,
the city general funds.
So just a little bit of a.
Warning as we go into 2021, just to let folks know that we're still we're still on the woods.
A couple of other issues,
the,
we had our 1st city council committee meeting that dealt with things that weren't related to the pandemic,
which was refreshing but they did act and recommend and then we'll be recommending the full Council,
an amendment to the least that we,
we have at the same point on the magazine campus.
This allowed us to tighten up some of the public benefits a little bit. It allowed us to remove from that lease an option that the tenant center operators for building 41, which is the former Navy gas station.
We wanted to pull this out of that agreement. Initially, it was in their agreement, they wanted to develop it into a pro shop.
They found that it was not going to be financial, financially viable, but we also had lots of interest from the community to convert that building into a different use. Some folks are interested in creating, for example, of visitor center for the park.
So pulling that out of this agreement allows us now to implement a plan where we can, we can see if folks are interested to do an R. F. P. C. folks are able to raise money and operate this and find another use for that.
So I think that's a good thing for the department. And then, of course, the central standpoint.
Um,
will continue their work and again,
as I said,
we were able to really work with him closely on what the public benefit aspects of that agreement are going to be to make sure that the community,
especially given that that community now,
Maxim park has had a significant increase and residence with the new mercy housing and,
of course,
with the solid ground housing,
they're focusing great need.
And so Sandpoint will be a part of our recreation benefit there.
On the back on the cobit piece, and I'm happy that we were able to participate in a new initiative to stand up a couple of testing kiosks in a couple of our community centers.
And these are, this is an organization called curative who has been operating in several other cities across the country. And basically they.
Are able to offer testing with some pretty quick response time. So they approached the city and we work with a city very quickly to stand up.
1 of these kiosks that North gate community center, and the other and Garfield playfield kind of by the by the restroom, their facility and these sites will be will be where folks come in.
They collect their own samples and through mouth swab and hand them over to the texts that are in these kiosks and then they'll, they'll get their response pretty quickly.
And then, of course, we continue to host testing, cited boat, rental staff by.
Fire Department folks, um, you know, and yeah.
Okay, it looks like has dropped off the call.
I think we'll give it just a minute here and see if he have rejoins quickly.
Can I be the new superintendent.
Huh.
Be careful what you wish for.
All right, well, Shannon, Paula, I will, I will take a recommendation from you if we should move on with the agenda. What do you think.
He was getting some signals, his bandwidth was not working. So we wanted to.
So, let's yeah, let's start the presentation and then we can come back when.
Okay, great. Thanks everybody for your flexibility. Um, we are a bit behind schedule anyway, which is fine. Um, but our, our next item is a presentation.
From sales, Department of transportation about safe streets and like, question Boulevard we welcome summer Justin and Don schamberg.
Her.
We'll just wait a couple of seconds till the presentation comes up.
Thank you summer. Do you want to start thanks on.
So, again, and just for anybody who wasn't on the call at the beginning, I'm.
Summer Johnson, I'm with sales department of transportation, and we've been working with.
The parks department through the pandemic to make additional space for people.
To get out and recreate closer to home.
And we're here to night to talk to you about our stay healthy streets.
And our keep moving streets that we've been partnering with the parks department, so start off. And then I'll hand it over to my colleague.
That's fine. I don't think I don't have control.
So, tonight, we'll talk to you a little bit about our covered 19 response to the pandemic.
We'll talk about what stay healthy streets look like today and where we're going in the future.
We'll highlight 2 of our partnership, keep moving streets like Washington Boulevard and.
And then we'll have some time at the end for a question and answer.
Monthly.
So, see how these streets started as a response to the stay at home order at the beginning of the pandemic.
We looked.
At how we could create.
An opportunity for people to have 6 feet of space. Most of our streets in Seattle where we have sidewalks, the sidewalks are only 6 feet wide and so.
In order for people to have adequate space.
We decided to close the symbols and open or walk and.
As part of the Washington regulations, we needed to officially close the street.
To get people walking and biking the priority.
We looked at how we could connect people to essential services that were still open, like grocery stores.
Pharmacies and also reduce car traffic to help keep people safer while they were walking in banking industry.
Slightly, so across Seattle, we installed about 26 miles of.
Temporary stay healthy streets. You can still drive on the streets when you need to go to a destination on the block he needs to get to your home.
Visits and make a delivery mail service you can also.
Walking back in the street and have priority. So everybody is moving.
At the speed of people who are using.
Non vehicle modes of transportation next.
So, when we started out this program, we looked at.
The content and our 1st.
Um, our 1st response was to.
Look at our racial equity maps that we have, or the city of Seattle, these are neighborhoods.
With higher populations of.
Black indigenous, and people of color people who do not speak English as their 1st language at home.
And neighborhoods where we have historically under invested across.
The city,
and then we looked at housing density,
knowing that where people where we had our densest housing for the city of Seattle,
those people were released likely to have.
Access to Marcel open space, such as a yard.
Or a larger lot if you're living in.
Small town house or an apartment building.
We still wanted to provide an opportunity for you to get out and get.
Pressure and exercise, we also wanted to make sure that we covered all areas of the city and provided something.
Across Seattle, we were really focused on making sure that it's more.
Not destinations that you were driving to across Seattle, but.
Something that you could use near your own home.
We prioritized access to a central services and.
And prioritized as soon as we had numbers from county on neighbors neighborhoods that were.
Highly impacted by the covert that team.
Next line.
So this is what our distribution of stay healthy streets looks like across Seattle right now.
They are built off of our neighborhood green line network, which included.
Neighborhood streets that already had traffic plumbing on.
And already had safe crossings of busy arterials and so we were able to.
Build off of that previous infrastructure and the previous outreach.
To get a distribution across Seattle.
You'll see that we still have to partner to keep moving streets.
1, at Green lake and 1.
Okay.
So this is what they look like, right now they are neighborhood, residential streets.
Where we've used in a frame sign and the account to.
At a street closed and information about what they.
What they how to maintain social distancing during their.
I love this, send her picture right here. It's right next to sand cart in North Seattle and when we were.
Making this neighborhood, Greenway, it was a place that nobody really.
I was excited to have in the neighborhood Greenway because the hill at sandal is pretty steep.
When you're thinking about a bike commute route and how you're going to get to the light rail station, eventually everybody kind of wanted to avoid that hill.
And it became the ultimate destination in the neighborhood all the little kids brought out their hot.
We are their big we'll try to set goals and their new 2 wheel bikes and they just went up and down that hill all day long.
And my kids included, they scooter down it, and it was really fun to see the transformation of that street. And what was the grind of adult biking.
Become the joy of family biking in the neighborhood.
And send us really excited to see families out in the street. We've seen people.
Who are using alternate mobility devices? We're seeing tons of kids.
And people from a really broad spectrum of the community.
Out enjoying the street, and that's just really been very joyful to see and really an extension of the park space and a lot of places like this.
This is when the playgrounds were still close, that thought it was taken next slide. Yeah.
So, through all of this, we've been doing a lot of learning about the streets and what's working what's not working.
Um, we've had a lot of and park staff going out and doing observation.
And we're learning that people really do use them to stay 6 feet apart. We see kids in the streets.
Where we measure our vehicle volumes, we see lower car speeds lower volumes. We see.
More people biking we see. So many more people walking.
And, um.
We've we've heard from people driving that it's unclear when they can drive. We've tried a lot to clear up our signs and.
Respond to feedback about what's allowed and what's not allowed.
We've also heard unfortunately about incidences where.
People have experienced.
Re, speced aggression and.
Concerns about their safety of different.
Community is using the streets and we've, we've definitely heard that we need to have more outreach. This was done.
Very quickly without a Mailer, without a lot of the.
Typical Seattle process and so we're.
We're working on that now and we're working to make sure our outreach is.
Exciting.
So, what we're changing, we're hosting our listening sessions with.
A variety of different communities to really hear what people are experiencing and what they would like to see changed.
We have a survey that we're working to have translated into multiple languages.
Along with more information about.
They helping streets what they are, and how to use them, including videos and online media, and providing people opportunities to provide us feedback in language.
You're a phone line and online survey, we're changing our routes to be less confusing. We're.
We've heard some really site specific feedback. We've.
And going through and making changes and trying to make them work for the neighborhoods.
And I was excited to hear Lake City collective on because.
They were 1 of our 1st neighborhoods that we've heard from.
I'm asking for a new stay healthy street.
In their neighborhood, and through that through that community outreach that we've been working on. So.
We're going to be piloting a few new locations, starting with, like, city, a little brick and South Park and.
Um, we're changing out our science like that. I mentioned.
Here are words and more graphics to help them be easier to interpret.
More quickly, and with that, I'll hand it over to John.
Thank you. I bet this is 1 of the slides that you're most anxious to hear about. So when the pandemic was in full force, then we were really being kind of as again.
But at the beginning, when we were being asked to stay close to home, there was a decision made to help, try and keep people from congregating at parks to close the parking lots.
So, as we were encouraging more people to stay close to home, and we knew there was some of these destination parks, then we partnered up to look at expanding kind of a type of stay healthy straight.
We call it a keep moving street,
which probably was really only meaningful a lot to us,
but we're trying to differentiate a little bit between what we're doing by parks and what we're doing an add on the other residential streets to essentially open up the street to people so they can walk by their bikes and roll and recreate
and reduce the amount of cars that were going on the street to make sure that there was a safe environment for everyone.
So we did that at Golden gardens and we did it at. And we did it at Green lake, and we did it down by park. So this slide particularly focuses on the lake Washington Boulevard.
We started with a 5 day pilot to see if it would be used and how people reacted to it as a result of that.
Based on what we observed and feedback, we decided to extend the closure and this is for the full 3 miles from Mount Baker beach to suid park for 3 months.
And we heard everything from you have ruin my commute to, you need to keep this forever and then understanding a lot from what we heard just through the comments at the beginning.
How important having access for everyone to this Boulevard is and then talking to some folks that have lived for decades in the area and Seattle and recognizing some of the challenges when,
as we gentrified people have to move out of the city and wants to come back to visit their families,
and this is the route that they would generally take wanting to continue to have access.
So, with that, we talk to our leadership team, and the recommendation was that if there was going to be any permanent changes, there's an acknowledgement that we would have to have very robust outreach.
And that would be to talk to people who had to that area as a destination people who live in the area as well, as the friends of old sad. That would be equally as important to.
And then beyond that, as we're still kind of, in the midst of, we have proposed and are doing some very limited closures.
So, for example, we did 1 for about 5 days over Thanksgiving through our observations.
We saw that actually that piece of the Boulevard in the northern section, just 1 mile was use probably more extensively than even during the summer. And it felt like a good balance. We did not.
There's no perception of a barrier to getting to the parks in the parking lots along the Boulevard as well as there was still some space where people could drive and taking the view. If they were not able to walk.
Bye.
So, with that, I think.
We will continue looking for these opportunities and the next 1 that we're considering is whether we can do something up there over the winter holidays when school's out and the kids might be bouncing off the walls a little bit. And we're being asked to not travel far.
And then the other thing that we've heard,
and definitely interested in hearing your feedback on this,
is that through this input that we've been gathering when the ministry is not in place,
it's been a little bit scary for people who bike and cars that drive around them.
Very quickly so in joint coordination with.
Ourselves and with parks, we're considering piloting, uh, changing the speed limit from 25 miles to 20 miles per hour for about 3 months and that would be from the mount Baker beach to steward park.
I'm hoping to align with our vision 0T goals, which is 0T traffic fatalities are serious death before are by 2030.
and also,
I think with the kind of the goal of what this Boulevard is meant to be,
where everyone can travel down it and appreciate the beauty of the park that it's adjacent to,
rather than trying to speed through it to a different destination.
Next so okay. Point I don't know if you've been following this 1, but there's been a large amount of interest in it. It's extremely popular.
Um, there's a group that would like to make the closure there permanent. They have created a video, they have over 1100 signatures. They've been trying to.
Confirm that this is something that people from beyond.
Alka in Seattle would appreciate, um, knowing that this is kind of a regional destination area. They have presented to park staff. They've presented to staff, they presented the council member.
So what we agreed to was to keep the closure in place. While we did outreach and or till about the time we reached the 3rd phase of reopening and.
We're going to launch some outreach starting in Q1 quarter 1 to talk to folks about some opportunities out there, including should we return it back to its previous operation in case there's people who are, um.
Interested in that,
uh,
upgrading it to make it a permanent stay healthy street or even an option of perhaps opening 1 bad blame South bound and then expanding the area where you can walk and bike,
which would give people more space to be in the street.
But also keep that availability to people who like to drive by and similar to, like, Washington Boulevard, look at the beach and be a part of that and different in a different way.
Next.
So, would you, like, stay healthy streets to continue? So, this is 1 of the biggest questions we have now, we can make up to 20 miles per minute.
It was a really exciting announcement for us to hear coming from the mayor. We ran a survey and which over 9000 people participated in, believe it or not.
We are still trying to crunch the data that came out of that, but we definitely wanted to take a deeper dive in and make sure that we were being inclusive of everyone and hearing all of their voices.
So,
right now we're working on reaching out to people in Lake City,
and the central district and rainy Valley,
and high point and Del ridge to really understand how stay healthy streets can interact with the culture of their neighborhood together feedback on what communities of color need and want if it were to be made permanent
and to understand how we can make the communities feel safe and make this into a valuable resource for them.
So some of the things we're doing is,
can you envision how you might want to rethink streets and sidewalks and how it might provide opportunities for example,
like sports or creating spots where you can garden if you don't have that area available to,
you.
Next slide could also be a place where you can come together to get to know your neighbors.
I always like to think about this night out and the more you build community, the more you watch out for each other sharing food is always a great way to do that art projects. Similarly, and then we're just asking people. What else what else could they see this doing?
And this is where it's been really fun to work with the Lake City collective. They were, they were, they're really interested in basketball, and we were talking about how a street down in Ranier valley where we put some call me elements in afterwards. We went back and looked at.
We saw that.
The residents had put up 2 different best basketball hoops, which meant suddenly they were feeling a little bit better about being able to have more activity on the street, because it was being used less for cut through.
So, and then we also talked about how that would not be appropriate this very time, because we want to make sure that we are managing the virus.
And then I would also just acknowledge that when we look to piloting the street and little Brooke, which will probably early next year, we're going to work some more wisdom and his team to do some outreach.
We also have reached out to parks and they're on the block mobile playground and so it sounds like they can come out and help us activate the space which in turn.
I'm hoping we'll bring some people out to talk to us about what they would like to see and how they feel about the pilot. So, overall, I just want to say it's been wonderful to work with park staff and we're excited to be here talking to you.
It's been a really great relationship, and I hope that it can continue into the future.
Next, so here's our schedule in case you haven't figured it out? We had our emergency response where we installed 26 temporary miles of stay healthy streets and additional 4 miles of keep moving streets.
Some of which are still in place. We're now in the wintertime where we're talking to community to confirm where we should install the next 20 miles, and make sure that we brought him in the right place other considerations.
And then we hope that the spring we're going to start installing them and you can see them by next summer.
Next,
and always,
um,
if there's not enough time tonight,
or you have other questions that you think of afterwards,
please contact summer and myself and visit our website as we keep it updated to let,
you know,
what the latest and greatest is,
is going on.
All right, thank you so much. It's great to hear about and it's, it's been exciting to see all that going on. Um, so we'll have, I think we certainly can take a few minutes for some conversation. Um, and I see you've got your hand up.
Yes,
I just want to thank you both for coming with us tonight and for all the work you've done,
because personally,
back in my life a lot I use 14th Avenue East a lot almost every day like Washington Boulevard,
and to get grocery sites,
East Columbia and I think it's 22nd Avenue in the central district,
connect me to grocery outlet and I've seen a lot of people out in the streets,
and it's made a huge impact on my community.
I know that for sure. And many forever.
I do have a piece of feedback and that is I know your previous signage but the sign in right now is in a state of tremendous repair and there's cars running me over almost running me over on the street. It's terrible.
And also the stay healthy blocks aren't planned well, with Seattle parks is.
I'm opening some re, closing some parking lots when Seattle parks open volunteer park. The car traffic is 148 Avenue East shut down and the start stop points kind of just shifted South doors.
And with that said, I really look forward to continue to see the updated signage. They all are improving, I think, the chloroplast science and to buy for zip tied together aren't really working.
Well, I can see that right now, but is tremendous improvement. I'm glad I'm giving people the opportunity to recreate more places and stay healthy during this. Really? Try and time.
Thank you marlin and just to let, you know, we have gone through and done an upgrade of a lot of the science that are by busy intersections and we'll now continue moving into the other locations with a smaller type sign. That is bolted into the ground.
So, by the Oper, hoping by the end of the year, depending on crew availability, and probably some winter weather, we hope to have those signs.
The 408 frame science replaced. That's great. And yeah, when you do replace the science, I also do suggests that you make it clear what's regulatory as in closed and what's informational because cars do not pay attention unless it looks like a regulatory sign.
Oh, okay. Got it. Thank you.
Tom, I did see your hand, but a couple of other hands were up before years. We'll start with Kelly.
Yes. Okay right. I'm muted. I have 2 thoughts 1.
I would love to hear more or overtime care more about how.
You guys are reconciling the, the access issue with.
The more usage issue.
Because I, I guess I get I'm feeling kind of torn and confused a little bit about.
Um, you know, especially when it comes to equity of streets, being closed, so it's less access, but then in some neighborhoods.
Better usage, and people are are liking it. So I guess I'm, I'm just a little torn by, like, how that how you reconcile.
Um, and and go about.
Really getting the community feedback prior to making decisions as to what.
What works for the, not just the community, but the greater community, especially for some of these is well loved.
Places by by everyone, because I recognize that some neighborhoods might be like this is our neighborhood, and we're here and we're where we want this close and and they're using it and they're playing.
We said basketball and biking, and it might not be a neighborhood that that lots of people are coming into from all over and so they're loving it.
Right but there might be another neighborhood where it's like, we want this close and access for or planet, but other people are trying to get to it and then they feel like they can't. So, it feel like.
I feel like there's a, there's like, kind of 2 types of these streets that I'm getting confused with and how you guys are going to go about.
I guess reconciling that, and then the 2nd thing really quick is.
Is there a long term or is this just really a short term? Like you're thinking about this like, over the next 2 years? I mean, I think that you're thinking long term in some ways, but.
Are you also thinking about.
Like, these streets no longer being streets or will they always be paved?
Streets because you've got like, basketball courts and you've got like.
Paintings and stuff like that. And and I think in my head of.
The of projects that are happening all over to coma and Portland, which are absolutely phenomenal and really community driven. And are you familiar with.
I am not I will put it in the chat. It is just an amazing program, and it's about getting pavement up and taken old parking, lots and stuff and getting rid of them in the community. Totally. Community driven.
So just curious to know if that's if that's a future vision of yours or if it's like.
It's all kind of temporary. I can speak a little bit, I think, to both of those.
I'm not familiar with deep dive in Portland, but I'd love to see the link to that.
The 1st, 1 that I'm that I was really familiar with was in Minneapolis where the Minneapolis.
Neighborhood Greenway.
What was a large Boulevard?
And pull up all that trail's worth of it. So you still had sidewalks, but then you also have like, this multi use trail.
That preserved access to.
To some of the, for all of the homes that needed it and.
We've got some cool examples here in Seattle, like 14th at Northwest where we just converted all of.
This is wide street and a lot of parking into like a beautiful neighborhood park now and we still have vehicle access.
A 20 foot space, instead of a space and so it's just.
Totally shifted the priority that street, right?
I can think of a couple of other examples in Seattle where.
When we came through and did a major road project.
From a global streets became dead end streets or no through streets. And so then we need to pull that pavement and did all kinds of things. So.
With that process, and we've got plenty of examples.
And I think that.
We really want to hear the community vision and find out what's going to work and what's not going to work.
Uh, the example that Don referenced earlier are traffic coming, we did pull up a lot of pavement on that street and install.
Like.
But on a, on a street, with no terms, I'm not quite sure what we call them, but there are little islands of landscaping in the middle of the street, and it completely slowed the street down and had an incredible traffic calming effect.
Um, and really just changed the total nature of that street.
Um, so, let me rewind back a little bit to your question of access.
So, the.
The streets that we're talking about, are.
When when we said we're gonna make 20 miles.
Permit we are talking about they healthy streets, which work.
These neighborhood streets that.
Were already neighborhood Greenway so they were had already been.
Promoted in our city viewpoint of.
Making sure that they had bicycle and pedestrian access and traffic calming.
And they should not be cut throughout this shouldn't be a route. There shouldn't be a route that weighs directs you down when you want to get around.
You know, traffic on 35th stuff. It it should be a neighborhood street.
And we've added diverters to them before we'd added a lot of other things and.
And yet putting in the street close sign was what really.
Change that in our history, so.
I think that we need to.
To have like these very nuanced conversations and that's where we're at right now of talking to the people who live on the street.
Talking to the people who live nearby to the street talking to the broader community.
Now, when we have, I'll cut point, that's a totally different conversation. It's really like a regional destination. People come there from all over and.
We want to make sure that the conversation we're having is inclusive of all the people who use it. So we're really kind of running.
2 parallel tracks and really to.
Totally different forms of engagement where we're talking about the stay healthy street versus.
The outside point, which is the 1 keep moving street that we're looking at and making.
Into something it has the possibility of becoming permanent right now the rest of them we're not doing.
Anything that's all that pandemic.
So, during this carbon pandemic, just to talk about access, a lot of it was.
You know, the.
Um, the green light click add.
A lot of restrictions added to it. I'm sure you guys are familiar with all of that the crowding issues on some of those narrow paths. And so it was really done in partnership with parks to try and.
Just provide more space in the places where we already had so much use an outcry being 1 of those, where it's a really narrow sidewalk and.
Parks was really concerned about what.
It could happen in the can.
If people were to go out and crowd onto that side, so we really just wanted to open that up because we knew people were going to go to here and.
Um, work together with our parks liaison and our partnership with parks to make sure that people had space to enjoy the part.
Because the pathways that were there weren't designed for us to have 6 feet of space between ourselves.
Thank you. Um, so.
There's a lot of interest I see, I've got 5 or 6 hands up yet and we are we are certainly running over time. Um, I want to make sure everybody has a chance, but maybe if we can try and do a bit of a lightning round here of Q and a next step is Jessica.
Yeah, my comment was really similar to Kelly 1st, comment about access and I guess my question or maybe recommendation moving forward is especially around the.
Moving screens that involve access, depart really investing in kind of robust research around tracking how people are accessing these parks in terms of transportation mode. And how.
Um, the street closures might affect the demographic make of the folks that are visiting those parts.
Thank you and if you do want to respond, you can, you can feel free to do. So I'll just try and keep it moving.
Anything okay, Tom, you're up next I think Jessica made a great point. I think, although I have great respect for my friends.
Friends of the homestead parks.
I think we need to really look at who is using the closed streets, because I think they would be surprised at the diversity.
The people who were using, like Washington Boulevard the other point I would make is that when the designed that.
Boulevard, the average speed of an automobile was 12 miles an hour.
So, if we're talking about continuity and we're talking about pleasure drives.
I think as Scott's idea about lowering the speed limit is a really good 1.
Thank you. Thank you Tom.
Thanks depo. Thank you. That's perfect. Because my point is actually adding onto Tom's. Yeah. Completely agree.
I'm really excited about this feature potential for these streets as someone who was born and raised in West Seattle and really excited about the possibilities for. Okay.
I also just wanted to sort of respond to some of the public comment,
rather than to the presentation we had just to quickly say that,
while I would be curious about the equity implications and whether there are any access restrictions for places like Washington Boulevard I just want to encourage us to not prioritize historical intent and historical preservation when thinking about these states
as Tom was mentioning.
There was a very different context. I also just want to note that a lot of historical preservation in Seattle tends to prioritize an era of significance.
That is was colonial that was de, facto segregation, and that we are living in a different time.
We understand different things about how cars, pedestrians and bicycles attract both in terms of collisions. But also, in terms of evolution, and we had different understandings of.
Red lining and access throughout the city and so as much as I want to be able to preserve green space,
I think that thinking about historical intent of a,
of a driving street is not the biggest factor that we should be considering.
And I hope that, but looking at the equity considerations will be a much higher priority.
Thank you. Excellent. Thank you. And Dennis.
Oh, well, this is you write down my alley because I tell you, I've talked about this every mean we've had and Tom, you stole my thunder.
That is not a leisurely drive is 30 to 40 to 50 miles an hour out there and I'm fearful when it's wet. So that turn. Right? I've made like, it hit by.
I'm on the sidewalk, because my concern though is that you said, maybe moving the speed from 25 to 20. that's great. But enforcement's another key.
The 2nd point that Tom said also, is that I've walked the lake many, many, many years and so.
During the panel at seeing more people of color.
Walking suid park that I have in the last 5 to 10 years. It's amazing. It's, it's wonderful.
It's wonderful to see because, and people are out there, greeting people and their neighbors and building community and some people live up to he'll go more towards, like, 51st or within that community at 9. 8. 108, zip code is still within that area. Obviously.
We know it's pretty diverse.
and second third is is your communication piece when you close off mount baker boiler for that mile it was great but people were confused .
They thought it was, hey, and people are walking screaming like, no, no, it's on my way. So, cookies, 5, while I watch out.
So I think it was a great idea because that part is pretty open homes there and so, it's a good mile each way. And so, Ryan, your kids are walking. It's great.
But just the communication piece, and, like you said, when you come out of the community, you'll get a lot of good feedback but I think it really brought a lot of people together these last 9 months. In my opinion.
Thank you.
Thanks and Matt, thank you.
My comment would be when considering this project,
and it's,
it's interesting that we talked a lot about the old stats and boulevards and things along those lines that look at this project as as fundamentally a boulevards project,
pedestrian boulevards project,
try for uniformity.
So that there's a consistent experience across all of these throughout the network that That'll help everyone as a consumer understand what it's like to use it. And what the expectations are.
It'll help everyone in the city who uses these streets recognize immediately. Oh, pedestrian and all of our got it.
And they know what to do. There's not that element of confusion that.
I can go on, but in the interest time, I'll start. There are those salient points.
Yeah, it's a very good point. Thank you. All right. Thanks again. Um.
So, I, I see a Zeus also has its head up and I'm sorry to to have kept you for last, uh, before you speak if if the committee members could take your hands down, if you have them raised. So that when our next conversation, I know who's up and he's thanks for your patients.
No, thank you. And I apologize.
I dropped off,
but it's probably better that you didn't have to hear my attractable 20 minutes earlier,
but I'm happy to cover some of that when we have new business,
but I didn't want to just very,
very quickly express my appreciation to Don and summer and the whole team and s dot directors and Bobby 1 of the most exciting parts of this pandemic is the way that the various agencies have been able to work together.
And I really appreciate as sort of adding to that healthy streets with our keep it moving and really just has been a great partnership. So appreciate the input from all the board members on both the question Boulevard. We've got some discussions to have.
But again, just shout out to dive into the partnership. Thank you.
You're welcome, thank you. And yes, dawn and summer. Thanks so much for being with us tonight. Um, we appreciate your presentation.
Um, so, next step, I think we'll save any additional superintendents report for the end to try and get hazel.
At least within our normally, our regularly scheduled meeting time, um, for the members of the public on the call, we are likely clearly, uh, going to go over our 830 end time tonight. Um.
The meeting will go on until we're done. If you have to leave. Um, as I said, that recording will be on the parks and recreation website for your reference later.
Um, so with that, I will welcome hazel bang, Barnett with the Seattle parks recreation statistics. Thank you. And I just want to honor your time. I see that. It's 825. so, how many minutes shall I.
He learned my presentation.
Can you do 10 minutes? Is that sure? Yeah.
Okay, yes, and we certainly can have time for question answer. Um, if you are available to stay, I am available. Okay. All right.
I'm available say risk talked about a lot of statistics at 30 in the evening, but I do know quite a few of you on this call love data. I remember.
Kelly and Dennis and Tom asking lots of questions about performance data.
So, with that, uh, thanks for inviting me and talking to you about stat and I'm hazel abound Burnett. I worked in the superintendents division as the organizational performance manager and.
Strategic advisor, and this morning we wanted to give you an update on the data prevent data informed work that we had been doing this and make quickly.
I want to just give a shout out. Actually, he sees who's on the call who really nudged us and really supported us taking some risk.
Uh, through on a, what we call stats a short for, uh, 2 sticks and, of course, I want to give a shout out to Shan who's actually facilitating and managing this call.
She's my thought partner as well as a facilitator of these.
Monthly statistics meeting, so this evening, I just wanted to quickly give you a kind of a rundown of where we have and on this journey where we are and where we are headed.
So many of you on this call,
have seen some of these visuals,
as I have come for,
you giving you,
I think almost an annual update on where we are managing our performance and performance data.
So, when we talk about performance data, that is not be confused with employee performance and father, corporate organizational.
A set of performance indicators and measures so quickly on a journey here.
As,
you know,
this has been a very thoughtful journey that we've been trying to evolve our organization to become more more data informed may learning organization with that said this effort and back
in many,
many years ago with a comprehensive all staff training back in 2018.
so, the.
The far left hand, that's a picture of a painting a booklet that we gave to every single employee in the department.
Then over time, we have evolved our work to do a comprehensive inventory of our performance measures and we began doing quarterly reports, data collections.
And then the middle 1 that say info graphical annual report that we published the past few years,
called the impact report,
and we start to do those annual performance snapshot reports.
And then just recently during this pandemic, we have really shift.
In using data,
so what you see,
at the far,
right hand side is a snipping of a weekly report that we published,
and we shared with our management team that is very data,
intense data,
heavy kind of showing some various key data point.
So, we have basically gone from some, you know, every, every few months to literally every week.
And then sometimes, hey, sue's with Ed, either daily or of certain data points, as he has his situational awareness of what's going on in our parks. Then in other.
Facilities in the organization next slide please.
Quickly, what we're trying to do in these stats is to create a culture.
Where we can collaborate, we, and use data, we can challenge a hypothesis out of we have a lot of assumptions lot of any data as I know he says would be called and really kind of using.
A set of quantitative as well as qualitative data to really either validate our understanding of what's going on in our systems and our parts and in our community.
So, in part what we're trying to promote is a organization that steep an equity.
Effectiveness and efficiency, so the 3 E that I think if some of you have heard, heard me talk about.
And what we're trying for is a high equity, high effectiveness and high efficiency. So, how do we get there?
Well, is 1 of the ways that we're trying to promote the 3 ease in our organization.
Next slide please and I don't think I'm going to spend too much time on the next 1. I think you've seen these graphical charts before again in using data and using staff.
What we're trying to do is to promote vertical alignment.
So, looking at Mission vision values, and then obviously all the way down to our individual performance goals, work plans and when that we're looking for alignment of.
But I do as a employee of the organization all the way to our mission and vision. So, next slide.
So, but what we wanted to do, and I don't know if we have probably not enough time, but we actually stood up for.
Stats, uh, within the last few months. So we started in August, and we actually had a rich set of, uh, performance data that we reviewed for.
However, because there's just so many data points. What we wanted to do tonight was to just kind of view a sample of those data points. So, could you go on a journey here?
So, in August, next slide, please.
We did was we highlighted 3 key divisions for August.
And I know this is pretty and I know yes, and I tried to crush 2 different PowerPoint slides than 1 slide. So.
Maybe that now, so in August, we add it up from parks and environment and facilities and human resources vision.
And what you see on the screen are 2 examples of what we discussed at the staff session on the right side is, I'm sorry, the left side is the labor hours.
For an environment, and you can see that the upper, upper, a graph, the are charged with trend lines that is comparing the actual labor hours.
Between 2019 and 2020, so, 2020 is the blue.
And then the pink is 2019. so when you heard our residents testify, in terms of the garbage.
The challenges in our park, I mean, you can kind of see why that may be because our labor hours, and our work for was severely.
Not just cut, it's largely due to the pandemic and then we have to have a hiring freeze.
Uh, we were not able to bring a lot of our summer seasonal workers so obviously you could even see from our own graph.
The impact of the endemic as well as the closures.
And budget that had on our system.
Uh, quickly on the right side is I and I, I think you might have heard this term before. But we're trying to do is promote a preventive maintenance versus demand maintenance hours.
So, we have a facility vision tracking their labor hours, depending on whether they were demand versus preventive work. And here, the goal is, we want to grow that.
Light blue part of the chart, and amazingly in 2020 our preventive.
Actually went up and then our demand went down and so we fill that audience to see what was happening. It's partly because a lot of our as, you know, our community centers were closed our pulse were closed.
So a lot of our own employees weren't calling our facility divisions for repairs. tarran where but then, when we actually did was we pivoted doing more preventive maintenance work.
Uh, in the facilities division, so just the pie chart there is showing the difference between 2019 and 2020. so there's an example, let's go to the next slide.
This 1.
Next right, so in September, we look at the work of recreation division so, you know, I would have to say, among all the divisions recreation had to adapt.
And pivot their work so a lot of the work that it would normally do, not do because a lot of our community facility.
So, we're close our pools were closed. We couldn't do recreation programming.
So a lot of our coworkers and recreation had pivot and do some other mission essential functions such as staffing. Our emergency shelters are showers.
So Here's an example of.
Side we're showing daily average of shower use at 4 of our community centers that we staff over the summer. So it's kind of giving you a snapshot of.
Once a month at the average of shower usage.
On the left hand side is looking at.
How many of our recreation staff shifted from their normal work.
Form mission is central functions, so as again talked about doing showers.
Doing staffing, shelters, staffing, the social syncing ambassador's program and whatnot. So kind of showing how or highly.
Uh, adaptable and resilient in staffing all these mission essential functions for the next. Please.
Okay, and then in October it was all about money. Well, not me, but we focused on our finance division.
Our business service center that does all the programming registration permitting.
Uh, so they bring in a lot of revenues for the department and then we also talked about our, the women, uh, uh.
In a minority business, enterprise, enterprise utilization rate. So we looked at some of the data set. So, as an example, the left 1 on your screen is looking at.
A comparative data of our utilization starting in 2016 and then through 20.
Uh, September of 2000, me, the circles there, just to highlight the numbers for last year as a comparative data.
What's on the right hand? Side is looking at our accounts receivable and how it's trended up down the secure mostly down. So, as you'll see our accounts receivable.
Was pretty high in March, but it basically dropped through all the closures and cancellations and refunds that we had issues.
So look at downward trend but you'll see a slight up in August as we.
And that our child are program.
Where some families would register and pay for that service. So looking at add up there.
So again, part of this is kind of looking at the aging front accounts receivables we manage and trying to facilitate.
A payment and and receipt of payments from our, um.
Customers and folks who owe us money so there's that 1.
Piece so,
November was our last stat,
so we focused on our planning and development division that does all our capital planning and capital project management.
As well as our division,
so just as a sample on the left side,
we're looking at the Apple spending by a fiscal year,
and I know it's it may be a little hard to read on the screen.
So, the good news is that part of the construction activity stop, be kept going and you'll see that again. It's kind of hard to read, but light.
A arch up the trend line that's at, uh, is it 58.3M dollars?
And we are project by the end of the year we would have and close to 70M dollars in capital expenditure.
So amazingly is, you know, despite the dynamic not at the closure, our friends at planning and development have been at work.
It recently opened a capital project I think you've probably have seen, or maybe even visited the new waterway park.
At University of Washington, so they've been very busy at work.
On the right hand side is are another good news, uh, our golf program.
A surprise, right? So, you mean versus the orange?
So, look at 1st, set of bar charts I think she has so look at golf revenue. Uh, we are at almost 9M dollars as of September.
And understanding is that by the and.
We may be close to it's not exceeding last year's golf revenue.
So, that was a pick the price for us looking at this set of data that, you know, out of all programs.
You know, we closed the golf courses for a 1st, few months of the emic and then we opened later in the summer and yet we were able to have all these folks.
I mean, utilize our golf courses and generate this revenue.
And, for sake of transparency, transparency, I would add that we did increase our fee by 6 dollars per round. So I know that obviously helped us to.
No increase our revenue, but again, there's a good news here that.
But we were all pleased to hear, I should know because as we.
I have a lot of lost lot of opportunities to generate giving you this to do a lot of closures. So next slide.
Time it gets a 841, but I keep going I can skip some of this later content, better content. I should say.
Say, yeah, don't, don't skip anything that you feel is essential, but it's the.
Perspective of the highlights maybe. Yeah. You know. Okay. So just to, um, just to model the behavior, uh, what we wanted to do was be very transparent.
So stats are used as a, you know, learning map.
So,
Shane,
and I,
when we designed these group sessions,
we wanted to be a venue for modeling public,
learning,
and vulnerable in public learning,
and public,
et cetera.
So we design a Pre and post session surveys for folks. Participants can very honest, anonymous feedback.
So, it's just a snapshot of some of the feedback that we have received from those or past stats.
Next the next 1, let's see. And then again, for the sake of transparency.
Dan, and I then engaging with our stakeholders and our team members to get their feedback about how we can improve.
It's worth going forward, so these are just snapped out of some of the comments and feedback that we have received.
And then I know for the sake of time,
let's go to the next slide and then this is just kind of a running list of topics and ideas that we are offering for our future work,
especially in 2021.
so some of the idea some feedback is to deeper with our data to look at.
Get them a prep data looking at our utilization and then talking actually, not just top signing setup dashboards that are dedicated to.
Environmental store should flash climate action.
Perhaps standing up in you, or for customer performance indicator around customer service. So, these are some of the ideas going forward for 21 and beyond.
I think at this time, I'll just stop and maybe there's time I'm happy to answer questions. It ran over that very fast.
I know it's really may I feel you, because I don't know how you would put up with all these things for.
Well, thank you, and thank you, whether it was you or Stan, whoever was able to enlarge those graphs that would.
Um, so do we have comments or questions from.
Reporting committee members don't have any hands raised if you want to just mute yourself and speak. If you have anything you'd like to say.
Just, like, does say banks are really good work.
Yeah, I put that hazel because I was pushing on some of those indicators so I really appreciate that all for you all know. But, I mean, I just I do really appreciate I think that you guys are gonna get great stories from that material.
And I'm just really happy that you're, you guys are so into it.
Yeah, just to echo Kelly and Tom Thank you so much for your time.
Really appreciate your hard work. Thank you. I know you had to rush through it with. Thank you so much for it. Thank you. No worries.
Yeah, and I really appreciate it Thank you so much. And it would be great if you look at the parts that you weren't able to present and maybe we can return to this.
Because I think these, these metrics are really important, especially you just got started on the equity piece and, you know, that's where I would. I would love to dive into some numbers. So thanks again.
Thank you Sean. Thanks. Everybody.
Um, I think you hazel for sticking with us, um, beyond here.
You scheduled time? Yeah. Um.
So, everybody, um, let's look, we have, um.
The remainder of the superintendent's report, and then a discussion of old and new business for which we have a few.
Items do you have, um.
Some more updates and news you'd like to share. Well, you know, I don't know how much.
Where we're at, so what I'd like to propose is, maybe that we circulate the report in written format to the members and then we can also post it on the district committee website, or wherever we do that.
So, we can go through it verbally on the late night. I'll, we'll circulate it in writing. Okay, that would be great. And just so, you know, the last thing that we were, we had heard about was the coven testing that you have set up.
Only had about 33 updates up to that. Oh, good. Yeah.
1, quick card for you, you mentioned.
The question about the former gas station or Depot.
And the only comment I had on that was if it involves soil remediation.
Yeah, well, you know, when you're talking about some park, everything involves some kind of remediation and most of our projects do now. So we've got some understanding that it's going to take some work.
But again, it wouldn't be anything that we, as the department would have funding for this sort of our model for Magnus and has been.
That we sort of put it out there to the market and see who's able to come in and do something with the building. And, of course, they would do the investment they would have access to the building. But then they would be required to provide some public benefits, but I hear you.
We are, we are very conscious of the how expensive those things get, particularly because that was a gas station. So we know there will be some remediation. That's the deal. Okay, thanks. Yeah. Thank you.
Do we have any other discussion in response to the.
The 1st, portion of his, his report.
Okay all right so, let's let's move on, um, thanks everybody for sticking with us. Um, so all the new business, the things that are on.
On my radar, our future meeting schedule.
I think we should at least touch on the letter that.
Andrea, and I sent around.
The group, and then also, of course, if we want to.
Um, work deeper on some kind of response to the current situation.
Of, um, encampments and homelessness and how it connects with parks.
Are there other items this point.
Okay, so a future meeting schedule seems like the easiest 1 to tackle. 1st.
What do we know about that Paula or Shan or are you.
Providing updates there.
And think for the 1st place at the beginning of 2021, we will continue meeting together until we know a little bit more about what is going to be happening with.
Um, so we will get some potential dates out to you guys, I guess the question of whether we want to do the 2, 2 times a month or 1 time month. And I think you can have a few discussions about that but.
If we started on that half of January, and then see what we come up with for options October.
Okay, great. And just for anybody who might be a little bit newer, the traditional meeting scheduled for the parks board is twice a month and for the doc is once a month. But now that we're doing the joint meetings, um.
We're trying to resolve what's the best model? So, um.
We'll we'll sort that out. Um, Andrea, do you want to talk a little bit about the email that we sent around today?
Yes, thanks, Jessica. I'd be happy too. So hopefully I'll receive a copy of the letter that.
We sent Jessica,
I sent to superintendent,
I get a,
and this is coming out of a discussion that the board of part commissioners had at our retreat this fall in which a couple of things we really want to acknowledge that we see the strengths of of the combined our
power of the.
park's district oversight committee as well as a part board of commissioners.
And we want to acknowledge that we felt that it's not always as easy to navigate, uh, for our, uh.
Constituents the folks who want to come and learn more about the work of, uh, either of our boards and the work of parks to be able to navigate through both of our, um, organizational structures.
Um, that and, um, there's some duplication of effort and so having combined meetings has really helped to do that.
Um, we, uh, drafted the letter as a way to, uh, request that the park staff could help us think through what options could be in order to meet kind of some of the, uh.
Regulatory, uh, kinda requirements of having the boards legislative requirements of having the boards and and how we can get whether, or there might be ways to improve upon that.
So, uh, we shared that with you, but really wanted to get that out to the superintendent.
Knowing that we've put the planning process for the, the park district on hold a little bit and what that could look like. And it gives us an opportunity also to think about our structure and the need.
So, um, that's in a nutshell, what was kind of behind the, the context for it and then the letter that was sent out by Paul. So, thank you, Paul for sending that out.
Do I have discussion? Does anybody have any thoughts or concerns or questions about that? At this point?
Yeah, oh, sorry. I don't know if I jumped ahead, but thank you. No, I appreciate the letter and I appreciate the comments.
I think it's a really important issue that we'd be very happy to help you all sort through.
I think 1,
other aspect of that,
that I would add in addition to what you mentioned,
Andre,
is this idea that the park district in and of itself as is just 1 of several funding streams for the department and very much related to the great work that Hazel,
and Shannon,
the whole team is doing on data,
sometimes it's really difficult for us to parse out performance on the park district,
because it's just 1 part of several funding stream for an entire program.
So the idea of consolidating all of that.
And then,
obviously,
the park board in the park district,
excuse me,
the permission coming together would also help us do a better job of showing,
sort of a holistic picture of the work that we do,
but I also read the timing is right given the 1 year pause we have on the park district I think it would be really good sort of endeavor for us to go into together to kind of come up with some options to see what we can
do.
So, we're happy to do that. Thanks. Thank you. I think 1 other thing I'd like to say is that, um, I think because the part district oversight committee was created so much more recently than the park board of commissioners.
1 of the places that I see a lot of strength is there's very intentional representation both geographically and from a lot of distinct communities within Seattle and that's something that, um, is.
You know, we'd, we'd like to make sure that that continues to be part of whatever model comes out of this. Um.
And maybe build upon that so that's a great strength. And I think something that we can.
Incorporate into whatever it is and, um.
Also, just because Andrea, and I made this request, this is, of course, something that will come to all of us for discussion and decision making, um, we just needed to get the balls or the ball rolling. So.
Can I can I ask a question here because I have been bringing this up now for, like.
A long time and so I, and at this point, my brain is like Swiss cheese and I cannot remember for the life of me, you know.
The last round of this conversation that we had, because, I mean, I know there was the parks board retreat, but I've brought this up at a lot of meetings already. And I feel like.
i feel like at one point there was like a sub group or a work group that was gonna be thinking about this and looking at it and proposing options i feel like .
Marlin may have written something up about it. Marlin. I don't know if you remember or if that was something else.
But just in the interest of time, like.
It does seem like we just need to kind of have 1 or 2 people if anybody has any thoughts about what the structure could be. And I know I sent those thoughts to you, Jessica and Andre yesterday or whatever. I can send them again.
But if we had, like, 2 people, 3, people, whatever, whatever the ethical number is.
That gets together with the, the Paula and Shan.
And I've worked through these details, I mean, you know.
Kelly, just to quickly respond you and I wrote a letter together.
I couldn't remember,
I was like,
oh,
it was you and I was right when you started sharing the P doc and I can dig it up and send it out again,
we didn't make a recommendation now presented 3 options.
Yes. Okay. So, yes that's right. And I don't think the options were like.
Yeah, it's not like it was, we had a solution necessarily, and at the time we were rolling right into the 6 year new spending plan.
So,
yes,
things have changed a little bit and we have that breather room but with the,
with those and with,
I think some other comments that I sent to you guys and with other inviting the rest of the doc and the passport commission just I think we can have a smaller group and really come up with something and things will change is a little bit.
So yeah well, the world has changed.
Right I was, I think we were hoping that with the, the assistance that we could take the good thinking and work that has been floating around and be able to set.
Create some frameworks for us uh, and I think absolutely we could also.
Layer on, um, uh, additional kind of engagement with with this group. So, maybe I would invite folks from the letter that went out to.
Either let Paula who sent it out and or Jessica or myself or Kelly. Um, kind of know who might be interested in doing that and we can make sure it's on a timeframe.
To keep this kind of get moving.
Thank you Kelly. Thank you. Can I also add? I mean, I think that's right Andre we want to help you all work through this.
I mean, there's been a lot of great thinking and so we've got we want to provide some staff resources to help you and I know that you all have challenges in terms of obviously your time and you're very gracious and great with your time.
But you also have challenges with how you can get together and meet until we want to we'll put together. We'll look at everything you've gotten and any suggestions we'll put together some options for discussion.
Yeah, there are obviously other other components to this if there are any changes to the park board, there's legislative changes that are probably work that we're going to have to do with the park district, governing board and all that.
So, we'll work on all of that, put together some points for you guys to take a look at and I guess we're offering to do some of the homework for you and really build on the great thing. It's already been happening.
Can I add a quick comment? Yeah.
Yeah, I think when we do get together, it would be great to just think about approaching us in terms of a charter development for what that group would be, because form follows function.
And if we really get at at a why?
And the purpose for this joint group,
and what would be the compromises like,
what are some of the authorities required and that may not be granted to 1 set versus another I think just kind of walking through a kind of charter development process.
Would then define kind of composition of membership based on what we would like to do what we would be constrained by having different sets of folks in the room and, and whether or not, it makes sense to just merge or degrade a couple of different hybrid groups.
Establishing that from the outset, that would be important.
I think you just volunteered yourself John.
I, that's my job, so you can pay me, like, actually 1 of my services I provide. No, I'd be happy to to help, um, help think that that stuff through.
And I also think it'd be helpful for us to put together a survey to really get.
Because we have all these meetings and people are sometimes able to participate in that, but we want to make sure that we get.
Give everybody an opportunity to provide some, some ideas so we'll work together and start to ask some key questions to start bringing this information. Yeah.
Yeah, definitely. Sounds great. What was, uh, I'm sorry, I might have missed it. I just also wanted to know what the.
Kind of timeline or or.
Is there a target deadline that, that we might be thinking about wanting to make this decision? Or is it just.
Open right now.
I think it would be good to have this new structure thought through before we launch.
The work on, you know, refresh the work on the next 6 year plan.
Yeah, that's that's what I was I was thinking, I work backwards from that. Sorry, Jessica. Oh, no, no. Yeah, I agree with that. And also.
As we all know, we're losing 3 kind of long term members the spring. And so if we could have a, a more formed vision of where we're going.
As we look to replay re, like, refilling those seats with new people, um, that would be helpful. So, yeah. Oh, go ahead.
No, I'm sorry, I think, I think just a little bit of a caveat.
Certainly, we want to support whatever your thinking is, but but, um.
If we're going to put together a new structure,
whatever that means in time for the 6 year financial plan,
the next 6 year cycle,
if we stay on the current trajectory,
we have a 1 year pause on the plan,
which means next year we have to put together a financial plan,
and we haven't decided that we're still working with the office to come up with what the actual schedule is going to look like.
But worst case scenario, we're expected to put together a plan for 2022 and beyond. We would need to have this done by the middle of next year 2021, which includes tons of engagement.
Because the other piece that may have mentioned in the past is a lot of this can be based anchored in our strategic plan, which was completed. Right? And we're taking a look at that plan now and want to do some engagement. That is doing.
So, with sort of covering lens to it, so we've got a lot of work to do. And I guess what I'm saying is 6 months seems like a really tight timeline.
So, that might be part of the analysis that you all do is, we think about this will bring back together some options but, but putting something together and getting through counsel and or the district governing board.
Might be a challenge to get it done by the middle of next year along with all of the planning that needs to go into the partnership itself. Yeah.
Perhaps their near term benchmarks that that will.
Set something in place enough to to start that process and then pull something together in the early days of the implementation. 6 year. The next 6 years. Perhaps.
I think that's a great suggestion. I think that, you know, the, the challenges that have come up as a result of the.
Kind of dualities here. Um, we're all eager to.
Find a way to move beyond that so good.
Okay, 9 0, 2.
So, we're gonna, um, and yet we have 1 more kind of pretty large topic, whether we want to have a lot of discussion now or if a few folks want to, um.
Work on a possible group.
Statement, what do we think.
About kind of the situation with.
Almost encampments in the parks and.
Pandemic in, so, I mean, it's a huge issue.
Um, what are your thoughts.
Well, when is the next meeting? Do we have a date for? I know we talked about like a schedule, but I almost feel like.
You can put together a small group of people, but it will it really represent everyone. And we can't have a big group of people meeting as outside because we best ethics rules and we almost hardly ever get time to discuss in these meetings.
Like, I put the new and old business on the agendas with Shan, because I was like, we need at least 10 minutes to chat. It's always presentations.
So, and not everyone feels comfortable talking in this open setting. However, that's the setting. So I would propose we.
Possibly have a few people get together to kind of frame up.
The next meeting and give the next meeting perhaps if we have 2 in the following months.
We give it a chunk of time. That's my suggestion.
You know, Jessica, and if you plan to do that, I think, as Hastings said earlier, there might need to be other individuals at this meeting. That can answer.
Some of the questions that we have, because we keep saying parks, but it's not just parks is the marriage office account, whatever it may be. And I just think for me, personally, there's some more questions I may want to ask to get a better understanding.
Because, like, we all see what's going on. It's unfortunate, but the answers aren't at. Hey, Susan's.
Hand right now, and so he can tell us what he can tell us, but.
It seemed like it might be a little bit more some other questions we can ask. I would suggest maybe having a meeting with if you can bring other people to the table to kind of before we had this major discussion.
I appreciate that, thank you. And thank you Shawn. I see. You've got to go thanks for joining us. Yeah, absolutely.
Um, just to that point, Kelly, I totally agree.
I mean, we have such short time, even though these are really long meetings that doing some initial setup and framing up the questions to cover and kind of presenting things to make decisions, might might introduce some efficiencies.
But I also totally get what you're getting at Dennis about the multiple kind of trade offs and constraints on that. So.
Anyway, thanks, everybody really appreciate it.
Got to run. Thanks take care. Thanks, Shannon. Jessica.
Hey, Jessica so, and then we've got a couple of staff members still on, but I think I think Michelle was telling me that we, our next meeting for you guys is mid January.
Um, you know what 1 way to look at this is if it sounds like you all are looking to put together on some level, a position letter, or articulate your position on this, you know, maybe we have you all have a meeting in January?
We sort of talk through that as a group, and then if there are specific questions or additional information, you need from other departments, or from us, we can provide that. And frankly.
I'm also happy to not be in the room when you guys are having this discussion in January, because I think it's an important issue. And I want you all to have that in a transparent way without, without.
Near us there, we're happy to let you do that, but whatever works. I think you've got some, you know, some, I don't think we have anything on the agenda right as of now for the mid January meeting, that might be a place for you all to start that conversation.
Thank you, I just want to say, I agree, that we should look at agendas in the near future. This is of urgency for the people we serve include air on shelter neighbors.
And if we have space at any of our agenda, when I'm meeting with typically be canceled, I suggest we fill it with discussion.
Marlin, I agree with that and I also feel like.
It's important to know the context of what the city is trying to do before or as we express our point of view.
So, if we can get the director of human services, or the other officials, Foos responsibilities, bear on this problem.
To a meeting in early January.
I think I think that's urgent.
Great well, I sent invitation, I think all of, you know, though, unfortunately, the current interim director Jason Jonathan is leaving at the end of, I believe this month.
And so there will be an interim coming in who may, or may not be ready to jump into some of these conversations early next year. But I understand the need for more information. But happy to talk about other ways to get you some of that.
He says, who's responsibility is the homeless issue is there somebody on the Meredith stat I mean, who's on point.
Tom, as you can imagine, it's not it's not a simple 1. we don't have a homelessness is our there isn't 1 person. It, it really is a collaboration between all the agencies. It's primarily run by human services.
But there are folks on that team that are that are responsible for.
Um, kinda the response to the homelessness side of things and then there's a whole bunch of folks on that team that are responsible for creating the housing and the shelter beds and all that. So, I think primarily is the team, but there isn't 1 individual.
I mean, I'll ask going director Jason Johnson, to see he recommends to come and present to you all sort of, in a working session kind of a conversation where you can you can at least pose those questions and cheer.
He can give you whatever information they have. And then if there's additional follow up, we can work with them to provide that.
What about the chair of the Seattle council parks? I mean, it's not called parks committee, but.
Assets public assets then needed communities I think.
I mean, I don't know it's not lorraina Gonzalez who it? It's Deborah. Deborah Deborah. So, yeah, I mean, I don't know if she has come to us before and spoken with the group before.
We've come to her that's just that's just 1 idea and I guess anything else besides just that I.
You know, it is getting late, but we are here for parks, so yes, I don't want it to be like a.
No, we're, we're.
Upset and angry at parks for what it's doing, or not doing, but I do want to just kind of reiterate the fact that everyone here on this call is here, because they love parks and what parks to be available to all people.
And so, yeah, we just always have to keep that in mind just like, who we're sending a message to.
You're.
I hear your frustration and Tom, it's kind of who wrote the ordinance and how can we get the folks to.
Can we tell us what's going on? Okay. I just think it's kind of.
Outrages that after 5, 5 years after declaring this an emergency.
That we don't know that we have a point person, we can hold accountable for for this.
It boggles my mind. I'd like to echo Tom. I agree.
Okay, any any more comments.
Or questions for now. All right I think we've got our our.
Desires stated for for what we want to hear about in January and have a.
Good amount of time for discussion and questions and.
Talking to some folks who are who are responsible for on the ground action and decision making so.
To work with staff to bring that together.
And find a date for everybody.
And sorry, Jessica, I mean, I also again, I want to sort of.
Well, I know that folks are frustrated and so are we, and again, we're all we're all here for the same reasons, trying to do the best I will also offer.
I'm happy to talk to any individual members of the commission or the oversight committee for further discussion.
Again, you know, I want to make sure that as much as possible, we can present the situation to you also that you can decide what you want to do what you want to advocate for. So I'm happy to have those conversations.
Let me know, and I can schedule some time to have any kind of conversations. You'd like.
Individually or Thank you.
All right, so.
With that.
Happy New Year everybody.
It bring us better things than 2020.
And, great to see you all, thank you. Oh, I'm frozen.
If you can see me.
See, that's the end of the meeting.
Thank you Jess. Jessica. Thanks. Thanks. Everybody happy holidays. Everyone thanks. Everyone.
Thanks bye, Jessica. Bye everyone.
Eva,
all right.
Can you hear me.