>> GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. IT
IS JUNE 12, 2024. THE MEETING
OF THE PARKS, UTILITY AND
TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE WILL COME
TO ORDER. I AM CHAIR
HOLLINGSWORTH, CHAIR OF THE
COMMITTEE. THE CLERK PLEASE
CALL THE ROLE.
>> COUNCIL MEMBER KETTLE
>> HERE
>> COUNCIL MEMBER RIVERA
>> PRESENT
>> COUNCIL MEMBER STRAUSS
>> PRESENT
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON
>> PRESENT
>> FIVE MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.
>> THANK YOU. I SEE IN THE BACK
CITY OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
STATE, CAN WE GET A D6 FLAG
COMING UP?
>> ANYTHING, I CAN'T FIND THE
CITY OF BALLARD FLAG. I CAN'T
FIND ONE IN THE ARCHIVES.
>> I GOT YOU, IT'S TIME FOR
YOU TO CREATE ONE. WE HAVE TWO
ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TODAY,
PRESENTATION BY URBAN FORESTRY
FROM OUR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS
AND RECREATION. SUPER EXCITED
ABOUT THAT, AND WE ALSO HAVE
COUNSEL BILL 120797, AN
ORDINANCE THAT WILL AUTHORIZE
THE SEATTLE CENTER DIRECTOR TO
AUTHORIZE AN EXISTING AGREEMENT
BETWEEN OUR CITY AND THE
SEATTLE REPERTORY THEATER. WE
WILL NOW CONSIDER THE AGENDA,
AND IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS,
THE GENDER -- AGENDA WILL BE
ADOPTED. SEEING NONE, THE
AGENDA IS ADOPTED. THE NEXT
STEP, WE WILL OPEN UP PUBLIC
COMMENT. PUBLIC COMMENT SHOULD
BE ON ITEMS ON TODAY'S AGENDA
OR WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF
TODAY'S COMMITTEE.
>> CURRENTLY WE HAVE NO IN
PERSON SPEAKER SIGNED UP AND
THERE IS ONE REMOTE SPEAKER.
>> AWESOME. EACH SPEAKER WILL
GET TWO MINUTES. PLEASE READ
THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC
COMMENT.
>> THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
WILL BE MODERATED IN THE
FOLLOWING MANNER. I WILL:
SPEAKERS BY NAME IN THE ORDER
IN WHICH THEY HAVE REGISTERED
ON THE COUNCIL'S WEBSITE OR
FROM THE SIGN-UP SHEET
AVAILABLE HERE IN COUNCIL
CHAMBERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT
REGISTERED TO SPEAK BUT WOULD
LIKE TO, YOU CAN SIGN UP BEFORE
THE END OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT
PERIOD. GO TO THE COUNCIL'S
WEBSITE OR BY SIGNING UP ON THE
SIGN-UP SHEET. THE ONLINE LINK
IS LISTED ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
WHEN SPEAKING, PLEASE BEGIN BY
STATING YOUR NAME AND THE ITEM
YOU'RE ADDRESSING. SPEAKERS
WILL HEAR A CHIME WHEN 10
SECONDS ARE LEFT OF THE
ALLOTTED TIME. IF SPEAKERS DO
NOT IN THE COMMENTS AT THE END
OF THE TIME PROVIDED, THE
SPEAKERS MICROPHONE WILL BE
MUTED TO ALLOW US TO CALL IN
THE NEXT PERSON. THE PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW OPEN AND
WE WILL BEGIN WITH THE FIRST
SPEAKER ON THE LIST. THE FIRST
SPEAKER FOR VIRTUAL PUBLIC
COMMENT ASSEMBLY SHETLER. ONCE
I CALL YOUR NAME, I WILL UNMUTE
THE MICROPHONE AND AN AUTOMATIC
PROMPT OF YOU HAVE BEEN ON
MUTED, WILL BE THE SPEAKERS Q
AND THE SPEAKER MUST PRESS STAR
SIX TO BEGIN SPEAKING. SANDY
SHETLER, THIS IS YOUR PUBLIC
COMMENT.
>> GREAT. THANK YOU. HI,
COUNSEL MEMBERS. THIS IS SANDY
SHETLER WITH [ INAUDIBLE ] IN
SEATTLE. I WANTED TO EXPRESS
SOME CONCERN ABOUT THE PARK
SLOPE NATURAL AREAS BEING
OVERRUN WITH IVY. WHEN WE CAN
ALL SEE IS OFF OF I-FIVE BELOW
ST. MARK'S CATHEDRAL. THE
SLIPS ARE TUESDAY FOR
VOLUNTEERS TO SAFELY WORK ON
AND THESE FORRESTER SLOWLY DIE
IN, SUFFOCATED UNDER THE WEIGHT
OF INVASIVE LINES. WE HAVE BEEN
ASKING FOR PARKS CREWS TO SAVE
THESE TREES, BUT THEY ARE SHORT
STAFFED. AT A CERTAIN POINT,
THE TREES WILL BE DEAD, AND THE
SLOPES WILL NO LONGER BE
STABLE, ENDANGERING PEOPLE AND
PROPERTY BELOW. THE MOST RECENT
PARKS PLAN STATED THAT FOREST
RESTORATION WORK IN NATURAL
AREAS WOULD BE DONE BY THE END
OF 2026, AND RESOURCES WOULD
SHIFT TO MAINTENANCE. I DON'T
THINK WE ARE THAT CLOSE AND I
HOPE THAT YOU WILL HELP PARKS
PRIORITIZE SAVING OUR EXISTING
STEEP SLOPE NATIVE FOREST.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU, MS. SHETLER. I
KNOW THAT IS IMPORTANT. TO US
TO MAKE SURE WE ARE SAVING
TREES AND I KNOW TO PARKS, AS
WELL, SO WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD
TO THE PRESENTATION TODAY. IF
THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL PEOPLE
HAVE SIGNED UP ONLINE OR IN
PERSON, WE WILL NOW PROCEED TO
ITEMS OF BUSINESS. CLERK,
PLEASE READ AGENDA ITEM ONE
INTO THE RECORD.
>> IT IS A PRESENTATION FROM
SEATTLE PARKS AND RECREATION ON
URBAN FORESTRY. THIS IS FOR
BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION.
PRESENTING TODAY ARE
CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS AND
STEPHANIE SHELTON OF PARKS AND
RECREATION.
>> AWESOME. THANK YOU BOTH.
PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE
TABLE. THANK YOU FOR COMING
TODAY TO DISCUSS WHAT PARKS IS
DOING FOR OUR TREE CANOPY AND
ALL THE GREAT WORK YOU ALL ARE
DOING IN OUR CITY. I HAVE SAID
THIS BEFORE IN MEETINGS AND
EVERYONE KNOWS UP HERE THAT MY
DAD WORKED AT PARKS FOR 35
YEARS, BUT I THINK THE TASKS
THAT YOU WILL HAVE NOW IS
DIFFERENT THAN WHAT HE HAD TO
ENDURE 35 YEARS AGO AND I WAS
JUST WITH A PARKS EMPLOYEE AT
GARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL WHO WAS
THERE MAKING SURE THE POOL WAS
CLEAN AND THE PATHWAYS AND HAD
TALKED ABOUT ALL THE WORK HE
HAD BEEN DOING AT THE PARK TO
MANICURE AND MAKE IT LOOK GOOD
FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND YOU
KNOW, JUST TALKING ABOUT THE
WORK HE WAS DOING WITH THE
YOUTH AND KIDS OUTSIDE OF
PARKS, AS WELL, AND HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS, SO ANYWAYS,
WHEN I SAW HIM, I SAW MY DAD
AND HIM JUST BECAUSE OF HIS
LOVE AND PASSION FOR PARKS AND
MANICURING AND MAKING SURE THEY
ARE SAFE AND CLEAN SO THANK YOU
BOTH FOR BEING HERE. PLEASE
STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD
AND YOU CAN JUMP INTO YOUR
PRESENTATION.
>> CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS,
SEATTLE PARKS CHIEF OF STAFF.
>> STEPHANIE SHELTON, PARKS
NATURAL RESOURCE UNIT MANAGER,
PARKS AND ENVIRONMENT.
>> GREAT. MAYBE I WILL DIVE IN
WITH SOME INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
AND I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST,
WE ARE HERE IN RESPONSE TO A
REQUEST BY THIS GROUP SEVERAL
WEEKS AGO WHEN WE MADE A
PRESENTATION. HE WANTED TO KNOW
MORE ABOUT OUR APPROACH TO
MANAGING THE SEATTLE PARKS AND
RECREATION INVENTORY OF TREES,
SO WE ARE HERE TO PROVIDE FOR A
COMPREHENSIVE PRESENTATION ON
OUR TREE MANAGEMENT APPROACH.
AS A REMINDER, THIS IS A
PRESENTATION ONLY. WE ARE NOT
ASKING FOR A VOTE AT THE END OF
THE PRESENTATION TODAY . IT IS
JUST INFORMATION ABOUT AN
IMPORTANT AREA OF OUR WORK .
THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 600,000
TREES IN OR DEVELOPED PARKS,
AND NATURAL AREAS, AND WE TAKE
THIS RESPONSIBILITY VERY
SERIOUSLY. SEATTLE PARKS AND
RECREATION SYSTEM CAN LITERALLY
BE DESCRIBED AS A VAST
COLLECTION OF TREES. WE
RECEIVED SOME GREAT QUESTIONS
FROM COUNCILMEMBERS AND YOUR
STAFF IN ADVANCE OF THE
BRIEFING TODAY, AND WE THANK
YOU FOR THAT INPUT. YOUR INPUT
HELPED INFORM THIS PRESENTATION
. TODAY, WE WILL DESCRIBE HOW
SEATTLE PARKS AND RECREATION
TREE AND FORESTRY PROGRAM WORKS
IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND
ENVIRONMENT, AND WITH OTHER
CITY DEPARTMENTS WORKING WITH
TREES, INCLUDING THE SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,
SPU, AND OTHER CITY
DEPARTMENTS. WE WILL TALK ABOUT
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE TREE
CANOPY ASSESSMENT AND LASTLY,
WE WILL DESCRIBE OUR PROGRAM ,
IT'S INITIATIVES, THEIR
FUNDING, AND HOW THESE
COMMITMENTS ARE HELPING TO GROW
AND SUPPORT OUR CONTRIBUTION TO
TREE CANOPY. TODAY'S
PRESENTATION IS A MIX OF
SCIENCE, BEST PRACTICES
COMBINED WITH A REPORT OUT ON
THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS TREES HAVE IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES.
WE WILL MAKE SURE TO LEAVE
ENOUGH TIME AT THE END TO
ANSWER QUESTIONS, SO WITH THAT,
I WILL TURN IT OVER TO
STEPHANIE. OH, OKAY, SURE. WE
WILL START BY SHARING SOME OF
THE BIG PICTURE PERSPECTIVE
AROUND THE PARK SYSTEM. HER
DEPARTMENT MANAGES ROUGHLY
AROUND 12% OF THE TOTAL AND
MASSIVE SEATTLE. THAT'S MORE
THAN 6400 ACRES OF PARKLAND
ACROSS THE CITY. WE CONTRIBUTE
TO OVER 19% OF THE CITY'S TOTAL
TREE CANOPY. WE DIVIDE OUR
PARKLAND INTO NATURAL AREAS AND
GREEN BELTS WITH ABOUT 2500
ACRES OF NATURAL AREAS AND
GREEN BELTS, AND ABOUT 2300
ACRES OF DEVELOPED PARKLAND.
PARK FOREST ENTRIES ARE
INCREASINGLY CRITICAL TO PUBLIC
HEALTH AS WE EXPERIENCE THE
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND
URBAN AREAS. CHANGES SUCH AS
HOTTER SUMMERS AND HEAT DOME
EFFECTS. WE HAVE TWO CORE
PROGRAMS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
ONE IN OUR DEVELOP PARKS IN THE
SECOND , IN OUR NATURAL AREAS.
WE WILL SHARE MORE ABOUT EACH
OF THOSE PROGRAMS AND THEIR
FUNDING AND HOW EACH ARE
WORKING TO SUSTAIN HEALTHY
FOREST AND SURROUNDING
COMMUNITIES. ALL OF OUR WORK
INCLUDING OUR TREE PROGRAMS AND
PARKS BRINGING IN EQUITY AND
SOCIAL JUSTICE ON THAT WORK AND
HOW WE ARE DELIVERING AND
MANAGING RESOURCES AND
HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED
NEIGHBORHOODS. I ALSO WANT TO
NOTE THAT SEATTLE PARKS AND
RECREATION IS A LOCAL AND
NATIONAL LEADER IN FORESTRY
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. THE GREEN SEATTLE
PARTNERSHIP IS A MODEL THAT HAS
BEEN COPIED BY OTHER CITIES
ACROSS THE NATION, AND WE
RECENTLY RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL
RECOGNITION AS A UNITED NATIONS
ROLE MODEL CITY FOR OUR
COMMUNITY-BASED RESTORATION
FORESTRY PROGRAM. WITH THAT, I
WILL TURN IT OVER TO STEPHANIE
SHELTON.
>> THANK YOU. AS CHRISTOPHER
MENTIONED, PARKS COLLABORATES
AS PART OF A CITYWIDE
FRAMEWORK. WE ARE ORGANIZED
WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS
THAT WORK WITH TREES UNDER THE
URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PLAN,
AND WE WORK WITH THE OFFICE OF
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT
CLOSELY IN THAT WORK. SINCE
2007, THIS PLAN HAS CREATED AN
ORGANIZING STRUCTURE FOR
DEPARTMENTS TO ASSESS CURRENT
CONDITIONS, ESTABLISH GOALS AND
CHART A PATH TOWARD LONG-TERM
MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL
RESOURCES. SOME KEY COMPONENTS
I WANT TO COLLECT FROM THAT
PLAN ARE SETTING A 30% TREE
CANOPY AND EQUITY GOAL THAT WE
ARE HOPING TO REACH BY 2037 ,
CONDUCTING A CITYWIDE CANOPY
ASSESSMENT EVERY FIVE YEARS TO
MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARD THAT
GOAL, WHICH WE WILL TALK MORE
ABOUT SPECIFICALLY AROUND
PARKS, SETTING DEPARTMENTWIDE
REPORTING AND MONITORING
TARGETS, ESTABLISHING
INTERDEPARTMENTAL WORKING
GROUPS FOR COLLABORATION ON
TREES INCLUDING AN URBAN FOREST
CORE TEAM AND INTERDISCIPLINARY
TEAM THE PARK SERVES ON AND IS
VERY ACTIVE. THE MAYOR'S ONE
SEATTLE TREE PLAN WENT INTO
EFFECT -- EXCUSE ME, I'M GOING
TO GO BACK. I'M MISSING A
SLIDE. SO, I AM MISSING MY
FLIGHT ON ONE EXECUTIVE TREE
PLAN BUT I'M JUST GOING TO
READ A FEW COMMENTS AROUND THAT
BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT.
ACTUALLY, I AM ON THE RIGHT
SLIDE. THE ONE SEATTLE STREET
PLAN WENT INTO EFFECT IN 2023.
IT IS LESS THAN ONE-YEAR-OLD
AND OUTLINES A STRATEGY TO
PROTECT AND EXPAND TREE
PLANTING AND TREE CARE ON
PUBLIC LAND AND IT PROVIDES KEY
POLICY GUIDANCE FOR CITY STAFF
TO WORK WITH TREES AND A FEW
THINGS I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT
ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE ORDER
THROUGH A PARKS LENS, IT SETS A
MORE STRINGENT REPLACEMENT
REQUIREMENT FOR TREE REMOVAL.
IT SHOWS 3-1 WITH TWO TO ONE
REPLACEMENT FOR HAZARDOUS
TREES. RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY
PARTNERS AND OTHER CITIES HAVE
SHOWN US BEST PRACTICES FOR
ENSURING TREES GROW AND THRIVE
TO BECOME FUTURE CANOPY , IS TO
PROVIDE FIVE YEARS OF BEST
CARE. THE EXECUTIVE ORDER
REALLY EMPOWERS US WITH A
STEWARDSHIP DIRECTIVE COMING
EVEN MORE IMPORTANT WITH
CLIMATE CHANGE AND INCREASING
HEAT AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN
SPRING AND SUMMER AND CHANGES
IN HISTORIC RAINFALL PATTERNS.
>> WE ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION.
I WANTED TO LET MY COLLEAGUES
-- I KNOW THIS IS A LENGTHY
PRESENTATION, SO IF YOU HAVE
QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE
PRESENTATION PLEASE RAISE YOUR
HAND. COUNCIL MEMBER KETTLE,
YOU ARE RECOGNIZED.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR
HOLLINGSWORTH. SOMETIMES WE ASK
QUESTIONS AT THE END SOMETIMES
WE WANT TO CLARIFY AS WE'RE
GOING ALONG. AS YOU KNOW I JUST
MET WITH OSD AND OSC I SO I
KNOW THE PUBLIC COMMENT ARE
ONLINE AND HIM WELL PRIMED AND
MY MENTOR, IF YOU WILL, FORMER
COUNCILMEMBER ALEX PETERSON, SO
WELL PRIMED HERE, TWO
QUESTIONS. ONE ON THE PREVIOUS
SLIDE IS I RECOGNIZE WE HAVE
ALL THESE DIFFERENT PLAYERS
INVOLVED AND YOU KNOW, OFTEN
TIMES WHEN EVERYONE IS IN
CHARGE, NO ONE IS IN CHARGE. IS
THERE A FIRST AMONG EQUALS IN
TERMS OF LEADING THE CHARGE
BECAUSE I KNOW SDOT IS HUGE IN
THIS FOR LEADING THE
RIGHT-OF-WAY AND PARKS IS HUGE
FOR ALL YOU DO IN TERMS OF
LEADING THE TREE CANOPY BUT
THERE -- IS THERE A SINGLE
POINT FOR THE MAYOR TO GO TO
FIRST OR IS IT TRULY A COUNSEL
OF EQUALS?
>> GREAT QUESTION AND I'M HAPPY
TO ANSWER. I AGREE WITH WHAT IS
BEHIND THE QUESTION. IN THIS
INSTANCE, AROUND TREES, WE
ORGANIZE HERSELF WITH THE
OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND
ENVIRONMENT AS HOLDING THE
CONTAINER, IF YOU WILL, THEY
SCHEDULE AND MANAGE OUR
QUARTERLY MEETINGS. ALL OF OUR
DATA COLLECTION GETS ROLLED UP
TO THEM HISTORICALLY AND THEY
HAVE MADE A REALLY BIG LEAP IN
THE PAST SIX MONTHS AND HIRING
AN URBAN WIDE FOREST SERVICE,
SOMETHING THE CITIES WANTED TO
BE DOING FOR A LONG TIME. OUR
STAFF WORK WITH HER REALLY
CLOSELY AND SO YES TO THAT.
>> WHICH I THINK CAME ABOUT
FROM AN AMENDMENT, IF I
REMEMBER RIGHT, THAT FORMER
COUNCILMEMBER PETERSON HAD SO
ONE OF THE THINGS , ONE OF THE
DRIVERS FOR ME TO KEEP THE
CITY'S FEET TO THE FIRE ONE OF
THE CHALLENGES WE WOULD HAVE US
TALKING IN ONE DEPARTMENT WITH
AN ISSUE AND THEY SAY NO THIS
OTHER DEPARTMENT IS IN CHARGE
AND YOU GO TO THEM AND THEY
SAID NO IT WAS THEM AND COUNCIL
MEMBER STRAUSS AND I HAD THIS
HAPPEN WITHIN MY FIRST HUNDRED
DAYS. IT WASN'T ANYTHING WITH
PARKS, JUST WITH [ INAUDIBLE ]
AND THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TO
HAVE IT HAPPEN WAS QUITE
INTERESTING AND AS IT GOES TO
THE NEXT PAGE, NEXT SLIDE, IN
TERMS OF PLANTING CARE FOR
EXAMPLE, PARKS AND SDOT. QUEEN
ANNE BOULEVARD IS A PARK BUT
IT'S A BOULEVARD . SO THE PARK
IS A LITTLE OVER 100 YEARS OLD
SO THERE'S AN AGE ISSUE TOO,
SO THERE'S BEEN A MASSIVE SWAP
OUT OF TAKING TREES DOWN,
PLANTING NEW TREES IN MY
UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THERE
WAS GOING TO BE A THREE YEAR
WATERING PLAN AND I'M NOT SURE
IF THAT IS HAPPENING BECAUSE IT
DOESN'T SEEM TO BE HAPPENING
BASED ON MY JUST WALKING THE
DOG OBSERVATIONS AND SO A, IS
THAT SOMETHING YOU CAN SPEAK TO
IN TERMS OF UNIQUE PARKS IN
TERMS OF SOMETHING THAT HAS THE
SDOT PIECE TO IT AND HOW TO
ENSURE THOSE WATERING PLANS ARE
REALLY HELD UP TO?
>> THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
WE WORK CLOSELY WITH SDOT AND
IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE CASE THAT
WE HAVE THESE REALLY ELABORATE
MAPS THAT WE LOOK AT AS SOON AS
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ANY TREE
OR GROUP OF PRIEST TO FIGURE
OUT WHOSE JURISDICTION IT IS
AND IT GETS COMPLICATED. THE
QUEEN ANNE BOULEVARD AREA COULD
BE A SORT COULD BE PARKS.
INSTEAD BOULEVARD IS THE NEXT
PART, SO IN 2023, WE INITIATED
OUR TREE WATERING PROGRAM MORE
ROBUSTLY, AND I'M GOING TO TALK
ABOUT THAT PROGRAM A LITTLE BIT
AS WE MOVE FORWARD. I CAN'T
SPEAK TO SDOT'S WATERING
PROTOCOL BUT OUR NEW INITIATIVE
IS TO PROVIDE WATER FOR
FIVE-YEAR PERIOD WHEN THAT'S
GOING TO VARY DURING THE
GROWING SEASON BUT IT IS OUR
NEW PROGRAM AND INITIATIVE, TO
PROVE -- PROVIDE THAT WATERING
SO IF IT WAS A TREE PLANTED
THIS PAST YEAR, IT SHOULD BE
GETTING WATERING ON A REGULAR
BASIS.
>> I WILL ALSO ADD TO THAT THAT
WE'VE HAD PROBABLY A 30 YEAR
AGREEMENT WITH SDOT THAT GIVES
PARKS JURISDICTION OVER
BOULEVARDS AND SDOT
JURISDICTION OBVIOUSLY OVER
OTHER NON-BOULEVARD, NON-PARK
OWNED STREETS .
>> WHICH IS IMPORTANT LIKE IN
MAGNOLIA , AN AREA THAT MY
COLLEAGUE AND I KIND OF SHARE ,
AN AREA WHERE THAT CAN HAPPEN
SO APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU.
>> YOU BET.
>> SO, THE POLICY ALSO HAS AN
AWARENESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
WHICH MEANS WE LOOK AT A
SELECTION OF NATIVE OR CLIMATE
ADAPTED SPECIES. WE PROCESS
LARGER CANOPIES SPECIES AND
CONIFERS WITH THEIR FEASIBLE.
WE ALSO LEAN INTO RIGHT PLANT
RIGHT PLACE FOR CLIMATE
ADAPTATION AND LOOK TO
PRIORITIZE DIVERSITY. THE TREE
CANOPY IS LOWER HISTORICALLY IN
FRONT-LINE COMMUNITIES IN AREAS
OF DISINVESTMENT IN THIS POLICY
DIRECTS IS REALLY CLEARLY TO
PRIORITIZE I NEED EQUITY AREAS
THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE
RELATED IMPACTS OF HIGH HEAT,
SO THE PLAN IS HAVING US FOCUS
ON THOSE SPECIFICALLY, THIS
NEXUS. JUST AS RIGHT PLANT
RIGHT PLACE IS IMPORTANT FOR
SPECIES DIVERSITY AND CLIMATE,
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO HAVE
FLEXIBILITY IN THREE SIZES SO I
WANT TO CLARIFY THAT TREE SIZE
MINIMUM IS SPEAKING TO THE FACT
THAT THIS NEW UPDATE OF THE
POLICY ALLOWS US TO PLANT THE
RIGHT SIZE PLACE DEPENDING ON
TRADITION SO WORKING IN OUR
GREENHOUSES MODELING A BABY
DOUGLAS FIR TREE, THIS IS THE
SIZE OF TREE THAT WOULD
TYPICALLY BE PLANTED. ACETYLENE
-SIZED TREE. IN THE OTHER TWO
PHOTOS YOU ARE SEEING SOME OF
THE LARGER WHAT WE CALL STREET
GRADE TYPE TREES THAT ARE EIGHT
TO 12 FEET TALL AND IS A MORE
APPROPRIATE FOR URBAN LOCATIONS
AND DEVELOPED PARKS THAT TAKE A
LOT MORE STRESS FROM THINGS
LIKE SOCCER BALLS AND HEAVY USE
SO IT REALLY ALLOWS US TO COUNT
ALL THESE DIFFERENT KINDS OF
SIZE TREES TOWARDS OUR NEW
REPLACEMENT RATIO, WHICH IS
GOING TO BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR
US. THE LAST THING ON METRICS
REPORTING, WE HAD SOME GREAT
QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL ABOUT
HOW OUR NEW POST PLANTING TREE
CARE IS INCREASING SURVIVORSHIP
OF TREES IN THE SHORT ANSWER IS
YES, AND QUALITATIVE
OBSERVATIONS WE LOOK FORWARD TO
REPORTING QUANTITATIVE NEXT
YEAR SINCE WE ARE IN OUR FIRST
YEAR. ANOTHER GOOD NEWS STORY
FROM THIS NEW POLICY IS THAT WE
ARE NOW ABLE TO INCLUDE SMALLER
TREES AS PART OF OUR
RESTORATION WORK IN TERMS OF
ACCOUNTABILITY TOWARD MEETING
THESE REPLACEMENT RATIOS. SO,
COUNCIL MEMBER KETTLE, TO YOUR
POINT, JUST TO GIVE US AN
INDIVIDUAL OF SOME OF THESE
JURISDICTIONAL AREAS AND SOME
OF THESE COMPLEXITIES, BEFORE
JUMPING INTO A CITYWIDE TREE
CANOPY ANALYSIS, I WANTED TO
START WITH THIS QUICK GRAPHIC
VIEW TO HELP US BETTER
VISUALIZE THE TWO MAIN PARKS
MANAGEMENT UNITS WE WILL BE
TALKING MORE ABOUT. FROM LEFT
TO RIGHT IN THE LIGHT GREEN
BOX, THE LARGER UNIT AND PARKS
ARE NATURAL AREAS. MOST OF
THESE AREAS ARE FORESTED. THEY
LOOK LIKE A GREEN BELT AND
SLEEP -- STEEP SLOPES. THEY CAN
ALSO BE SHORELINES ALONG THE
LAKES AND STREAMS AND WE MANAGE
THESE FOUR DIFFERENT ECOLOGICAL
TARGETS AND I WILL JUST PLANT
THE SEED, IF YOU WILL, THAT
THESE AREAS HAVE BOTH VERTICAL
AS WELL AS HORIZONTAL CANOPY
COMPLEXITY. THESE AREAS
REPRESENT ABOUT 5% OF THE
CITY'S LAND AREA BUT HAVE AN
OUTSIZED CONTRIBUTION TO
CITYWIDE CANOPY OF 14%. MOVING
ONE OVER TO THE NEXT BLOCK, THE
DARK GREEN BOX SHOWS LANDSCAPE
PARKS ARE WHAT WE CALL
DEVELOPED PARKS IN THESE AREAS
MAKE UP ABOUT 4% OF THE TOTAL
CITY LAND AREA CAN CONTRIBUTE
ABOUT 5% TO CITYWIDE CANOPY.
THESE CAN INCLUDE MULTIPLE
PUBLIC OBJECTIVES LIKE ATHLETIC
FIELDS, PASSIVE RECREATION, FOR
LAWNS, TREES AND AMENITIES. THE
LAST BOX I WANTED TO MENTION IN
YELLOW IS RIGHT-OF-WAY TREES.
MOST OF THESE ARE SDOT
JURISDICTIONS BUT WE DO WANT TO
NOTE THAT PARKS MANAGES
RIGHT-OF-WAY TREES ADJACENT TO
PARKS PROPERTIES AND ON
BOULEVARDS. I WANT TO MOVE INTO
WHAT WE CURRENTLY KNOW ABOUT
THE STATUS OF TREE CANOPIES
CITYWIDE ON PARKS PROPERTIES
SPECIFICALLY, AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
FROM THE SLIDE ARE TO SHARE A
GRAPHIC THAT WAS TAKEN FROM
LAST YEAR'S PUBLIC TREE CANOPY
ASSESSMENT REPORT, THAT EVERY
FIVE YEARS THE CITY CONDUCTS AN
AERIAL TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT
AND THIS IS CITYWIDE ACROSS ALL
LAND-USE TYPES IN THIS KIND OF
SNAPSHOT GIVES US AN APPLES TO
APPLES PICTURE OF CANOPY TRENDS
OVER TIME ACROSS DIFFERENT
MANAGEMENT UNITS AND IS A
REALLY HELPFUL TOOL FOR GAUGING
OUR COLLECTIVE PROGRESS AS A
CITY TOWARD HER 2037 GOAL.
PARKS HAS TWO MANAGEMENT UNITS
INCLUDED IN THIS ASSESSMENT
SHOWN HERE IN THE GREEN BOX.
CITYWIDE, WE SHOWED BOTH LOSSES
AND GAINS IN MOST MANAGEMENT
UNITS BUT NET LOSS OVERALL AS
YOU'VE BEEN HEARING OF 1.7%,
ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF GREENLIGHT,
MEANING THAT OUR CITYWIDE TREE
CANOPY HAS DECREASED FROM THE
LAST ASSESSMENT IN 2016 AND
THEN THE TWO PARKS MANAGEMENT
UNITS WE SHARED CANOPY LOSS, AS
WELL AND WE ARE DIGGING INTO
WHY WE ARE SEEING THOSE NUMBERS
AND WHAT ACTIONS WE ARE TAKING.
>> WHERE ARE YOU SAYING THAT
.1% OR WHATEVER THAT FIGURE WAS
THAT YOU SAID?
>> 1.7% IS THE CANOPY LOSS
CHANGE FROM 2016 ASSESSMENT TO
THE 2021 ASSESSMENT, SO WE LOST
1.7% TOTAL, EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT
255 ACRES. CITYWIDE. CANOPY
ASSESSMENT IS A REALLY
IMPORTANT TOOL ON THE BEST
SINGLE METHOD WE HAVE TO TRACK
PROGRESS INTO DIMENSIONS ACROSS
DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT UNITS BUT
GOING DEEPER, WE WANT TO PULL
IN OTHER METRICS TO HELP US
UNDERSTAND HOW OUR FORESTS ARE
DOING ACROSS A WIDE RANGE OF
VALUES THAT WE KNOW THEY BRING
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND TO PEOPLE
AND COMMUNITIES WHO LIVE DEMO
WORK AND RECREATE IN THEM. TO
TEASE THIS OUT A LITTLE BIT
MORE, IN THIS IMAGE IS AN
EXAMPLE. PARKS TREES CAN BE
SEEN IN THREE DIMENSIONS IN THE
UPPER PHOTOS AND THEN BELOW
THEM IN A SIMPLIFIED WAY IS HOW
THEY APPEAR IN TWO DIMENSIONS
IN THE TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT
THE CIRCLES BELOW EACH PICTURE
AND HOW TREE SHOW UP AND PARK
SPACES CAN MAKE IT EASIER OR
MORE CHALLENGING FOR US TO
CONVERT ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
INTO ON THE GROUND MANAGEMENT
ACTIONS ACROSS DIFFERENT
LANDSCAPES. THE PHYSICAL
FOOTPRINT, IF YOU WILL, THAT
EACH TREE HOLDS AND HOW THIS
RELATES TO TOTAL CANOPY CAN
VARY DUE TO THE TYPE OF TREE
AND HOW IT IS PLANTED WHETHER
IT IS AN OVERLAPPING GROSS OR
OVERLAYS, OVERLAYS LIKE IN THIS
PHOTO FROM THE GREEN LAKE
ESPLANADE, OR WHEN IT IS A MORE
COMPLEX ASSEMBLAGE LIKE THIS
IMAGE FROM FOREST AND SEWER
PARK AND YOU CAN SEE HOW EASY
IT WOULD BE TO MEASURE CHANGE
WITH THE PINK FLOWERING CHERRY
TREES. IF YOU TOOK ONE PICKED
OUT A WAY YOU WOULD HAVE ONE
LEFT AND BE ABLE TO MEASURE
THAT BUT A NATURAL AREAS AND
SOME OF OUR DEVELOPED PARKS,
TREES OVERLAP IN THE CANOPY AND
IT IS REALLY CHALLENGING TO
TEASE OUT OUR MANAGEMENT
ACTIONS AND THE COST OF
PLANTING NEW TREES FROM THE
GAINS WE ARE GETTING . IN
SUMMARY, THE CANOPY IS AN
IMPORTANT YARDSTICK TO SEE
WHERE WE ARE GOING AS A CITY,
BUT WE SUPPLEMENT THOSE RESULTS
AND PARKS WITH ADDITIONAL
MONITORING SO THAT WE CAN
UNDERSTAND PROCESSES LIKE
FOREST REGENERATION,
BIODIVERSITY AS WELL AS
ACCESSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE IN
COMMUNITY CONSIDERATIONS.
STEPPING BACK ONCE MORE INTO
THE CANOPY ANALYSIS AND FIRST
LOOKING AT PARKS NATURAL AREAS,
I WANT TO PULL YOUR ATTENTION
TO THE LOWER TABLE ON THE
SECOND LINE, AND WE CAN SEE
AGAIN THAT NATURAL AREAS OR 5%
OF THE CITY'S LAND AREA, BUT
THEIR EXISTING COVER AND 2021
IS ACTUALLY 82%. OUR TARGET FOR
2037 IS 80% SO WE ARE ACTUALLY
CURRENTLY EXCEEDING OUR TARGET
CANOPY COVER IN THIS AREA, BUT
WE DID SEE A 5% LOSS FROM 2016.
CHANGES IN THIS MANAGEMENT
UNITS AND A BIGGER SIGNAL, IF
YOU WILL, THAT SHOWS UP SINCE
IT CONTRIBUTES TO 14% OF THE
CITY'S TOTAL COVER. PLANTING
IN THESE AREAS HAS INCREASED IN
RECENT YEARS BUT TREES GO
SLOWLY AND DO NOT YIELD MAJOR
CANOPY GAINS RIGHT AWAY. WE
CALL THIS A TEMPORAL LEG SO WE
USE OTHER METRICS TO HELP US
UNDERSTAND IF WE ARE ON THE
RIGHT TRAJECTORY. AS I SHOWED
IN THE EARLIER GRAPHIC, THE
ASSESSMENT MAY SOMEWHAT
OVERSTATE THE PROBLEM IN
SEATTLE'S DENSELY WOODED AND
NATURAL AREAS. THIS CANOPY
SNAPSHOT LOOKS FROM A TOP-DOWN
VIEW INSTEAD OF A VERTICAL
VIEW. FOR DEVELOPED PARKS, THE
LINE JUST ABOVE THIS, WE ARE
LOOKING AT A SMALLER OVERALL
CONTRIBUTION TO THE CITIES
CANOPY COVER BUT WE HAVE BEEN
LESS DIRECTED HISTORICALLY IN
SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS AND
RESOURCES TO ADDRESSING LOSSES
IN THESE SPACES UNTIL RECENTLY
SO WE SEE A NEED AND
OPPORTUNITY IN THIS MANAGEMENT
UNIT AND I'M GOING TO GET TO
TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.
>> COUNCIL MEMBER KETTLE.
>> CHAIR HOLLINGSWORTH, THANK
YOU. A QUICK QUESTION ON THIS
AND I BELIEVE YOU'RE GOING TO
HIT NATURAL AREAS LATER BUT
THIS SEEMS LIKE A GOOD
OPPORTUNITY. WE HAVE D-7
NATURAL AREAS LIKE ALONG
AURORA, SOUTH OF AURORA BRIDGE
AND I BELIEVE PARKS HAS BEEN
PLANTING SEEDLINGS AND THE
LIKE, BUT THEY'VE BEEN
TRAMPLED BY VARIOUS
INDIVIDUALS. WHEN YOU ARE
MAKING THESE EFFORTS TO
INCREASE CANOPY, WHAT
PROTECTIONS ARE IN PLACE THAT
CAN BE HELPFUL, BECAUSE IT'S
ONE THING TO PLAN A BUNCH OF
SEEDLINGS AND THEN HAVE THEM
ALL TRAMPLED TO DEATH .
>> YES, I WILL GET INTO SOME OF
OUR MONITORING DATA LATER BUT
WE DO FIND OVERALL THAT WE SEE
A POSITIVE TREND IN THE
SURVIVAL OF THE SEEDLINGS WE
PLANTED INTO YOUR POINT, WE
ALSO HAVE HAD DAMAGE IN CERTAIN
LOCATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HIGHLY
USED HER UNDERSTORY COMING OUT
OF THE PANDEMIC. WE'VE SEEN
CHALLENGES AROUND ENCAMPMENTS
AND SOME OF THE SPACES AND I
WOULD ALSO ADD THAT THE
PRESENCE OF SOME OF THESE OTHER
USES IN FORESTED AREAS HAVE
IMPACTED OR LIMITED THE AMOUNT
WE CAN HAVE VOLUNTEERS WORKING
IN THE SPACES, SO IT IS AN
ACTIVE WORK IN PROGRESS WITH
OUR ECT -- UCT TEAM IN TERMS OF
MONITORING AND OTHER USES.
>> THANK YOU, AND TAKEN THE
OPPORTUNITY AS I WE LOOKED AT
DEVELOPED PARKS BUT IF YOU WANT
TO INCREASE THAT NUMBER A
LITTLE BUT THERE'S A GREAT
LACE CALLED PORTO PARK IN
BELLTOWN TO ADD TO THAT NUMBER
AND THAT TREE CANOPY.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT. A KEY
MESSAGE HERE OVERALL AS WELL
THE 20 ASSESSMENT -- 2020
ASSESSMENT SHOWED PARKS
EXCEEDING TREE CANOPIES, BOTH
UNITS DID SHOW MEANINGFUL
LOSSES THAT CAN IMPACT THE
OVERALL TRAJECTORY AND LESSEN
THE SERVICES TREES PROVIDE TO
COMMUNITIES. WE'RE GOING TO
TALK ABOUT THE DRIVERS BEHIND
HIS LOSSES THAN MOVE IN TO WHAT
ACTIONS WE ARE TAKING. TREE
DEATHS FROM PESTS, DISEASES AND
STORMS ARE PART OF THE NORMAL
LIFE CYCLE OF TREES. CLIMATE
CHANGES ARE EXACERBATING THIS
IN NEW WAYS, SO IN RECENT
DECADES, AS I MENTIONED, IT
SHIFTS IN SEASONABLE RAINFALL
HAVE MEANT LONGER, DRIER
SUMMERS, HIGHER THAN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS HEAT
DOME EFFECTS WE ARE STARTING TO
SEE ON A REGULAR BASIS. STRESS
TREES ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO
PESTS AND DISEASES SO WE GET
THIS NEGATIVE IMPACT AND WE SEE
THIS QUALITATIVELY AT DIFFERENT
AGE CLASSES OF TREES AND SO WE
ARE ALSO SEEING SHIFTS IN THE
PRESENCE OF INSECTS AND
PATHOGENS BECAUSE OF CLIMATE
SHIFTS, SO WE REALLY HAVE A
PERFECT, IF YOU WILL, STORM OF
AN AGING TREE POPULATION,
STRESSED TREES AND NEWLY
ARRIVED AS WELL AS EXISTING
PESTS AND DISEASES. IN
ADDITION, WE HAVE WEEDY
COLONIZING SPACES WE ARE STILL
WORKING ON CONTROLLING, LIKE
ENGLISH IVY, AS YOU MENTIONED,
AND HIMALAYAN BLACKBERRY
KNOTWEED WHICH CAN CHALLENGE
TREE HEALTH AND PROCESS FOR
NATURAL REGENERATION. IN
DEVELOPED PARKS SPECIFICALLY WE
HAVE MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES THAT
CAN ALL REQUIRE AND COMPETE FOR
SPACE, AND THEY ALL PROVIDE
VALUABLE SERVICES TO
COMMUNITIES LIKE SPORTS FIELDS
AND COMMUNITY EVENT SPACES.
HISTORICALLY, WE'VE ADDED
SMALLER NUMBERS OF NEW TREES
AND NOT HAD AN ORGANIZED
PROGRAM DEVOTED TO DOING THIS
WORK, AND SO TREES THAT DIED IN
DEVELOPED PARKS WERE NOT
FORMALLY REPLACED. THEY DID NOT
REALLY HAVE LONG-TERM TREE
CARE. WHEN WE HAD RESOURCES WE
WOULD PUT THEM TOWARDS THAT BUT
THEN WHEN WE HAD TO TURN
TOWARDS PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES
WITH TREES WE WERE NOT
CONSISTENT IN OUR CARE.
HISTORICALLY. IN 2022, QUARTER
FOUR WE STARTED TURNING THAT
AROUND. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER
THROUGH DATA AND PARTNERSHIPS,
WE'VE LEARNED THE CRITICAL
IMPORTANCE OF POST-PLANTING
TREE CARE AND REPLACEMENT,
ESPECIALLY WITH THE IMPACTS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE. SO, THOSE ARE
SOME OF THE DRIVERS . WE'VE
ALSO BEEN ASKED WHAT WE ARE
REALLY SEEING IN TERMS OF
TRENDS IN OUR TREE MORTALITY
DATA SO I WANTED TO SHARE THIS
SLIDE. THE BLUE BARS AT THE TOP
REPRESENT REMOVALS DUE TO TREE
FAILURES BETWEEN 2016 AND 2024,
AND THE PINK POINTS ON THE MAP
ARE SHOWING LOCATIONS FOR TREE
REMOVALS GEOGRAPHICALLY. THIS
IS A SCREENSHOT TO SHOW YOU
WHAT THIS DATA LOOKS LIKE, SO
SOME TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS DATA
ARE, AND I WANTED TO NOTE, TREE
REMOVALS ARE DONE BECAUSE THEY
ARE RISKY OR HAZARDOUS TREES
THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED BECAUSE
THEY POTENTIALLY IMPACT PUBLIC
SAFETY. A RELATIVELY STABLE
OVER THIS EIGHT YEAR PERIOD,
NUMBER OF TREE FAILURES, AROUND
550 TREES ANNUALLY. TYPICALLY
THE ONLY TREES REMOVED, AS I
MENTIONED, ARE THOSE THAT POSE
A PUBLIC SAFETY RISK. THESE ARE
THE ONES NEW PLAYGROUNDS OR
ATHLETIC FIELDS OR SIDEWALKS
WERE MORE PEOPLE GATHER SO WE
ARE NOT REALLY SEEING
PROPORTIONALLY THE TREES THAT
MAY BE A NATURAL AREAS
REFLECTED IN THE STATA. TREES
IN THIS INVENTORY ARE
DOCUMENTED IN RELATION TO WORK
ORDERS THAT ARE CALLED IN BY
THE PUBLIC AND WE KNOW THESE
WORK ORDERS HAPPEN MORE
FREQUENTLY IN AREAS OF HIGHER
ADVANTAGE SO WE WOULD NEED TO
CORRECT FOR THAT INEQUITY IN
THE STATA IN TERMS OF MAKING
MANAGEMENT DECISIONS. SIMILAR
TO THIS, WHEN A TREE DIES , IT
HAS ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS AS IT
DECAYS FOR BIRDS AND OTHER
WILDLIFE SO WE'RE NOT REALLY
SEEING THE FULL PICTURE OF
TREES WITH THE STATA. WE HAVE
ESTIMATED 600,000 TREES IN THE
PARKS SYSTEM MANAGEMENT UNITS,
SO WE DON'T HAVE A CLEAR
PICTURE WHEN A TREE DIES IN A
FOREST, AS THE SAYING GOES, IT
DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE IT
INTO OUR DATA SET.
QUALITATIVELY, OUR MANAGERS ARE
SEEING SOME INCREASED
MORTALITIES IN OUR NATURAL
AREAS FROM SOME OF THE DISEASES
AND PESTS I MENTIONED DUE TO
CLIMATE CHANGE. WE ARE SEEING
CITY BARK DISEASE AND MAPLES.
COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE, YOU
MENTIONED QUEEN ANNE. WE SEEN
THE MAPLE AND CLEAN AND AREAS
AS WELL AS IN RAVENNA , ALONG
RAVENNA BOULEVARD BIRCH FOREST
HEMLOCK AND WESTERN RED CEDAR
DEATHS AND WE ARE WATCHING
THESE PATTERNS REALLY CAREFULLY
AND TALKING TO OTHER
SPECIALISTS ACROSS THE REGION.
SO I'M GOING TO TRANSITION
HERE FROM THE CANOPY ANALYSIS
TALKING ABOUT PARKS PROGRAMS,
THE TWO KEY PROGRAMS THAT WE
HAVE, WHERE WE OPERATE, WHAT
THEY DO TO SUPPORT TREE CANOPY
AND WHAT WE ARE DOING TO
SUSTAIN AND GROW THESE TWO
PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE TREE
CANOPY LAST WE'VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT. SO, ON THIS SLIDE I
WANTED TO START WITH TALKING
ABOUT OUR URBAN FORESTRY TREE
CREW. THIS IS A TEAM OF REALLY
AMAZING ARBORIST AND TREE
WORKERS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR
MANAGING TREES IN PUBLIC
SAFETY. THEY ARE FRONT-LINE
WORKERS WHO RESPOND TO STORM
IMPACTS AND PRIORITIZE TREE
RETENTION USING INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS FOR TREE RISK
ASSESSMENT. THEY'RE HIGHLY
QUALIFIED. THEY DO CORRECTIVE
PRINTING WHEN FEASIBLE AND
SOMETIMES HAVE TO REMOVE TREES
THAT ARE TOO GREAT OF PUBLIC
RISK. OR ARBORICULTURE LIST OR
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND
REVIEW OF NEW PROJECTS THAT
WORK WITH DESIGNS EARLY ON TO
SUPPORT FIND WAYS TO CONSERVE
TREES. THEY ALSO SUPPORT, MAKE
SURE TREES ARE PROTECTED DURING
CONSTRUCTION. WE ARE REALLY
WORKING TO GET AHEAD OF
EXISTING PESTS AND DISEASE
CHALLENGES THROUGH INSPECTION
AND MONITORING INCLUDING
BRINGING ON SUMMER INTERNS FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON TO
TRY TO GET AHEAD OF EMERALD ASH
BORES, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
ASHTRAYS WE HAVE IN OUR
INVENTORY AND WHAT SIZE THEY
ARE SO WE CAN GET AHEAD OF THIS
PAST OF IT SHOWS UP IN OUR
REGION. THEY ALSO MANAGE A
ROBUST DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM
WHICH INCLUDES INPUTS DIRECTLY
FROM FOR PERFORMING WORK IN THE
FIELD AND PUTTING DATA INTO GIS
THROUGH AN APP IN THE PHONE AND
THEN WE CAN ACCESS THIS AS
MANAGERS THROUGH OUR DASHBOARD.
OUR FOR STARBURST TEAM IS ALSO
ACTIVELY ENGAGED OVER THE YEARS
AS I MENTIONED IN PLANTING NEW
TREES IN DEVELOPED PARKS TO
REPLACE THE TREES THAT HAVE
FAILED BUT THE PROGRAM I'M
ABOUT TO SHARE ON THE SLIDE HAS
EMPOWERED THIS WORK TO GO
FORWARD AT A NEW LEVEL. SO, THE
GOOD NEWS STORY IS IN 2023, DUE
TO NEW FUNDING, WE HAD THE
FUNDS AND RESOURCES TO STAND UP
A NEW CREW OF FOUR PEOPLE IN
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE
STAFFED AN IN-HOUSE CREW THAT
WAS DEDICATED YEAR-ROUND BOTH
TO TREEPLANTING DURING THE
PLANTING SEASON THEN CARING FOR
OUR NEWLY PLANTED TREES DURING
THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR, SO
IN DEVELOPED PARKS, AS I
MENTIONED, WE USE THESE LARGER
STREET GRADE SIZED TREES AND WE
ONBOARD AT THIS CREW IN THE
SECOND QUARTER, 2023, SO THE
2023-24 WINTER SEASON WAS OUR
FIRST FORMAL PLANTING SEASON .
THE PROGRAM SET AN AMBITIOUS
75% TARGET OF PLANTING ALL NEW
TREES AND HIGH EQUITY AREAS AS
WELL AS PRIORITIZING AREAS IN
THE CITY THAT HAVE LOWER
EXISTING TREE CANOPY AND WE
KNOW THESE THINGS TEND TO
COOCCUR. IT IS ALSO WORTH
NOTING THAT SOME OF THESE HIGH
HEAT AND LOOK CANOPY AREAS THAT
YOU CAN KIND OF SEE IN THE
LOWER RED MAP ALSO OCCUR IN
PLACES THAT HAVE TRANSPORTATION
CORRIDORS OR INDUSTRIAL ZONES
IN AIRPORTS, SO TREE-PLANTING
SOLUTIONS MAY NOT ALWAYS BE A
TOOL THAT HELPS RESOLVE ALL OF
OUR HEAT ISLAND IMPACTS AND
SOME TYPES OF ZONING SCENARIOS.
PLANNING LOCATIONS FOR NEW
TREES CAN BE TIME INTENSIVE AND
INVOLVES MANY LAYERS INCLUDING
WORKING WITH UTILITIES, TREE
SELECTION, PARK DESIGN AND
HISTORICAL LANDSCAPES.
COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER
PARTICIPATION IS CRITICAL TO
THE SUCCESS OF TREEPLANTING
PROGRAMS AND WE REACH OUT TO
COLLABORATE WITH COMMUNITY AND
WE ARE REALLY WORKING TO MAKE
THIS A MORE ROBUST PROCESS IN
2025 . OSC IS ACTUALLY
INITIATING A CITYWIDE TREE
EQUITY AND REVIEW ZILLIONS PLAN
LATER THIS YEAR AND WE WORK
CLOSELY WITH THEM AND THEY
INCORPORATE COMMUNITY-LET
WORKING GROUPS THAT HELP US
BETTER INFORM HOW WE LOCATE
TREES EQUITABLY AND GET
COMMUNITY INPUT INTO THE
PROCESS. IN MAY OF 23, THE NEW
TREE CREW INITIATED ITS FIRST
SEASON OF TREE CARE PROVIDING
WEEKLY WATERING TO TREES
PLANTED IN PARKS AS WELL AS
MULCHING AND PRUNING AND AS I
MENTIONED, WE ARE DATA-DRIVEN
AND MONITORING TO ENSURE OUR
TREE REPLACEMENT POLICY AND TO
MAKE SURE WE LEARN FROM
SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES TO
MOVE THIS WORK FORWARD. WE HAD
SOME GREAT QUESTIONS LEADING UP
TO THIS PRESENTATION ABOUT
TEMPERATURE MITIGATION SO I
WANTED TO STEP OUT AND TALK
BRIEFLY ABOUT SOME OF THE
BENEFITS WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT
SEEING FROM THESE HISTORIC AND
NEW INVESTMENTS. SPECIFICALLY
IN 2022, GREEN SEATTLE
PARTNERSHIP PARTNERED WITH 12
OTHER CITIES NATIONWIDE IN A
COOLING CITY STUDY. WE SET UP
MONITORING STATIONS ACROSS
DIFFERENT KINDS OF LAND-USE
TYPES IN THE CITY INCLUDING
FROM FORESTED AREAS TO THE
BUILT ENVIRONMENT. WE HAD SOME
GREAT RESULTS , AS DID OTHER
CITIES WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS
AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH.
SOME TAKEAWAYS ARE THAT NATURAL
AREAS AND LAND SURFACES WERE
THE COOLEST. MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE CHANGES WE SAW IN
DEEPLY FORESTED AREAS WERE FROM
SEVEN TO NINE DEGREES COOLER
THAN PAVED URBAN AREAS. WE ALSO
LEARNED NATURAL AREA FORESTS
PROVIDE COOLER TEMPERATURES
THAN ISOLATED TREES IN THE
LANDSCAPE. DURING THE HOTTEST
TIMES OF DAY, MORE DIVERSE,
COMPLEX FORESTS WERE COOLER
THAN FORESTS THAT WERE LESS
HEALTHY. THEY WERE WHITTIER,
WHICH WAS INTERESTING. ONE OF
THE OUTTAKES TO ME IS A
CONSIDERATION TOWARDS OUR
DEVELOPED PARKS IS THAT IT
SUGGESTS THAT PIVOTING TOWARDS
PLANTING TREES IN CLUSTERS OR
GROVES IS GOING TO PROVIDE MORE
TEMPERATURE MITIGATION. WE
THINK THAT THE RESULTS REALLY
UNDERSCORE HOW CARRYING FOR
URBAN NATURAL AREAS IS A VITAL
WAY TO MITIGATE URBAN HEAT AND
THIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT
WHEN WE CONSIDER THE EQUITABLE
DISTRIBUTION OF TREES AS A
PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE.
TURNING BACK TO LOOK AT
DEVELOPED PARKS TREEPLANTING
PROGRAM, WE ARE VERY NEW IN
THIS PROGRAM IN TERMS OF
REPORTING SUCCESSES. AS I
MENTIONED, OUR FIRST YEAR TO
REPORT ON SURVIVAL METRICS WILL
BE FOR DATA COLLECTED THROUGH
THE END OF THIS YEAR BUT
ANECDOTALLY WE ARE SEEING ABOUT
10% MORTALITY AND MOST OF THIS
IS DUE TO VANDALISM IMPACTS.
PEOPLE WITH CARS BACKING OVER
TREES, OR OTHER ISSUES. THIS IS
IN LINE WITH OTHER
ESTABLISHMENT TRENDS IN OTHER
MUNICIPALITIES AND THE KIND OF
DATA WE ARE GOING TO BE
COLLECTING CURRENTLY AND GOING
FORWARD AND REPORTING UP
THROUGH THE ONE TREE PLAN, THE
NUMBER OF TREES WITH PLANT,
TREES REMOVED, TREE MORTALITY
AND THE CAUSE AND SURVIVORSHIP,
SO WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE ON THE
RIGHT PATH. CITIES HAVE TRIED 1
MILLION TREEPLANTING
INITIATIVES FOR DECADES AND
WHAT WE LEARNED IS THAT POST
PLANTING CARE AND STEWARDSHIP
IS REALLY THE CRITICAL FACTOR
TO URBAN TREE SURVIVAL, SO WE
THINK WE ARE DOING THIS WORK IN
A MORE THOUGHTFUL WAY. IN A
RAMP-UP YEAR, STARTING THIS
PROGRAM IN DEVELOPED PARKS, WE
SET SOME ROBUST TARGETS. AS I
MENTIONED, WE STOOD UP A NEW
CREW. WE COORDINATED WITH OTHER
PARKS, AREAS OF OUR PARKS
DEPARTMENT. THE TEAM WAS ON
BOARD. CONTRACTS WERE
ESTABLISHED TO SUPPLEMENT
WATERING AND TREES PLANTED IN
PRIOR YEARS WERE MULCHED AND
PRUNED AND WE SET UP SYSTEMS
AND GIS TO FACILITATE DATA
COLLECTION, SO IN THE FALL OF
THIS YEAR, NEW TREES LIKE THE
PICTURE OF ALL OF THE TREES ON
THIS FLATBED WORK COMING AND
ARRIVING IN OUR YARD AT BEACON
HILL EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS. IT
WAS EXCITING TO SEE THIS
HAPPENING AND OUR TEAM WAS
AVERAGING PLANTING BETWEEN FOUR
AND SIX TREES A DAY DURING OUR
FIRST SEASON. SOME REALLY QUICK
RESULTS FROM OUR FIRST YEAR
THAT WE WANTED TO SHARE. WE
PLANTED OVER 500 TREES IN OUR
FIRST PLANTING SEASON. THESE
TREES WERE PLANTED IN 48
DIFFERENT PARKS. THEY
REPRESENTED 53 DIFFERENT TREE
SPECIES. DIVERSITY IS
IMPORTANT. 83% OF THESE WERE
PLANTED IN EQUITY ZONES WHICH
IS AN OVERLAP OF LOW TREE
CANOPY AND HIGH EQUITY. LASTLY,
TO CIRCLE BACK, WE RECEIVED
SOME THOUGHTFUL COUNCILMEMBER
QUESTIONS ASKING US TO HELP
CONNECT THE DOTS BETWEEN OUR
PROGRAM'S WORK AND CONTRIBUTION
TO TREE CANOPY GAINS AND PARKS.
WE FOUND THIS INITIALLY A
REALLY CHALLENGING QUESTION TO
ANSWER WITH LIMITED DATA
COLLECTION AND THE NEWNESS OF
OUR PROGRAM, BUT WE DID DO A
LITTLE BIT OF MATH AROUND THE
FIRST YEAR OF OUR PROGRAM, AND
WE KNOW THAT TREES, DEPENDING
ON THE SPECIES AND LOCATION,
CAN TAKE ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 50
YEARS TO REACH FULL CANOPY
MATURITY SO THE SIGNAL OF THIS
WORK CAN BE SLOW TO SHOW UP BUT
AS I MENTIONED, WE EXTRAPOLATED
FROM THE NUMBER OF TREES WE
PLANTED IN OUR FIRST SEASON. WE
ASSUMED 90% SURVIVORSHIP
ADJUSTING FOR SPECIES CANOPY
SIZE DIFFERENCES AND CALCULATED
A NET GAIN OF 6 ACRES OF NEW
CANOPY AT AN AVERAGE 30 YEAR
MATURITY SO THIS ISN'T GOING TO
BE NEXT YEAR. 10 YEARS FROM NOW
IN 30 YEARS WE WILL HAVE 6
ACRES WILL FROM WHAT WE DID
THIS WILL THIS IS BACK OF
NAPKIN MATH BUT I WANT TO BE
CLEAR THAT WE CAN CONTINUE IN
THIS WORK AND HIT OUR TARGET OF
1800 TREES BY 1828 AND WE CAN
START THE NEEDLE BACK TOWARD
CANOPY IN THE MIDDLE --
MEANINGFUL WAY. IT'S GOING TO
TAKE TIME BUT WITH CONTINUED
SUPPORT AND RESOURCING OF THIS
PROGRAM WE BELIEVE WE CAN GET
THERE WITH THE STRATEGY AND
APPROACH. I'M GOING TO MOVE
INTO OUR SECOND PROGRAM . WE
HAVE TALKED A BIT ABOUT
DEVELOPED PARKS AND I'M GOING
TO FOCUS NOW ON OUR DEPARTMENTS
URBAN FORESTRY WORK IN NATURAL
AREAS UNDER THE GREEN SEATTLE
PARTNERSHIP. SEATTLE HAS A
ROBUST IN THE FIRST URBAN
FOREST RESTORATION PROGRAM THAT
ALIGNS MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS,
COMMUNITY RESTORATIONS AND
INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS. GSP WAS
FOUNDED IN 2005 AND IS
CONTINUING ITS ONGOING MISSION
TO RESTORE SEATTLE'S FORESTED
NATURAL AREAS. WE CONTINUE TO
GROW AND ADD NEW ACREAGE TO OUR
MANAGEMENT AREAS EVERY YEAR AND
WE ARE NOW WORKING ACROSS 2500
ACRES AND OVER 230 PARKS UNDER
A UNIQUE FRAMEWORK THAT
SUPPORTS COMMUNITY-LED FORESTRY
RESTORATION, VOLUNTEER
STEWARDSHIP, CONTRACTORS AS
WELL AS AN IN-HOUSE CREW. THIS
FRAMEWORK IS CREATED,
COORDINATED AND LED BY PARK
CITY STAFF WHO COLLABORATE ALSO
WITH 16 COMMUNITY PARTNER
ORGANIZATIONS. THE STRATEGIC
PLAN WAS ESTABLISHED 19 YEARS
AGO IN RESPONSE TO A
GROUNDSWELL OF COMMUNITY
CONCERN ABOUT AGING CANOPY, WE
THE UNDERGROWTH, AND THE LACK
OF CARE AND RESOURCES DIRECTED
FOR THE SPACES. IN 2027, THE
STRATEGY WAS UPDATED AND WE ARE
PREPARING IN 2025 UPDATE AND
RENEW THE VISION TO TAKE THIS
SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM FORWARD INTO
THE NEXT 20 YEARS. AS THE
COMMENTOR MENTIONED, WE STILL
HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND
ARE REALLY EXCITED TO CARRY
THIS WORK FORWARD. HEALTHY
FOREST REALLY INCLUDE LOTS OF
ATTRIBUTES BESIDE COVER.
BIODIVERSITY OF TREES, SHRUBS
AND GROUND COVER, THE PRESENCE
OF WILDLIFE. LOW WEEDY SPECIES
COVER AND ALSO WHAT WE CALL
STRUCTURAL DIVERSITY . IN
RESTORATION PRACTICE WE WANTED
TO CONSIDER THE VERTICAL LAYER
FROM THE SOIL ALL THE WAY UP TO
THE HIGHEST TREETOPS , ROBUST
AND HEALTHY FOREST WITHIN THIS
VERTICAL COMPLEXITY CONTRIBUTE
MORE STRONGLY TO LOWERING
TEMPERATURES, DESTROYING CARBON
AND INFILTRATING STORMWATER AND
ALSO TO CREATING SPACES FOR
PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE WHEN
COMPARED TO THE SHADE THAT IS
CREATED BY A SINGLE TREE, SO WE
WANT TO MANAGE AND MEASURE THIS
KIND OF HEALTH AND COMPLEXITY.
THE GSP PROGRAM PLANS AN
AVERAGE OF NINE TO 10,000
SEEDLING TREES FROM THE BABY
TREE IN THE PICTURE, EVERY YEAR
MOSTLY IN THE UNDERSTORY LAYER
BETWEEN EXISTING TREE CANOPY,
BUT THESE SEEDLINGS ARE NOT YET
REGISTERING AS A SIGNAL IN
THESE FIVE-YOUR CANOPY
ASSESSMENT SO IT IS DIFFICULT
FOR US TO TEASE OUT THE CAUSE
OF TREEPLANTING SPECIFICALLY
WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO TELL THE
STORY OF HOLISTIC
COMMUNITY-BASED FORESTRY
RESTORATION. REMOVING
COLONIZING WEEDS AND
SELECTIVELY CLEARING NON-NATIVE
TREES AND SHRUBS AND OTHER
CANOPY LAYERS ARE EXAMPLES OF
THE KIND OF STEWARDSHIP ACTIONS
TO HELP CREATE GAPS THAT EXPOSE
NATIVE SOIL TO ALLOW FOR A
NATURAL SEEDLING REGENERATION
PROCESSES, SO MANAGING THE
FOREST IN THREE DIMENSIONS OR
FOUR, EVEN, IF YOU WANT TO ADD
TIME, IS ALL PART OF HOW WE DO
THIS WORK. THE LAST BIG IDEA TO
SHARE ABOUT FORESTRY MANAGEMENT
IS THAT WHILE WE DO GET NEW
TREES IN FORESTS BY PLANTING
THEM, AND IT IS IMPORTANT WE
KEEP DOING THIS, HEALTHY FOREST
GENERATE THEIR OWN SEEDLINGS,
SO OUR JOB IS TO CLEAR OUT
COMPETING SEEDLINGS AND
OVERGROWTH SOW SEEDS CAN DO
THIS WORK TO GROW AND THRIVE IN
THIS IS THE LONG AND STEADY
WORK OF LABOR AND LOVE THAT IS
BEEN TAKING PLACE ACROSS OUR
URBAN FOREST. MEASURING FOREST
HEALTH TAKES A LONG TIME BUT WE
ARE SEEING SUCCESSES. HERE ARE
SOME OF WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN
OUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND VIEW
AND MONITORING. AS OF 2023,
LONG-TERM FOREST MONITORING
DATA HAS SHOWN US THAT WE HAVE
SEEN SPECIES DECREASED FROM 71%
TO 25%. WE HAVE SEEN NATIVE
PLANT SPECIES INCREASE IN HER
NATIVE SAMPLE PLOTS OVER TIME.
MONITORING HAS ALSO SHOWN THAT
WE ARE REGENERATING TREES MORE
RAPIDLY AS A RESULT OF PLANT
INSTALLATION AND THAT THE
DENSITY OF NATIVE SEEDLINGS
THAT COME IN ON THEIR OWN,
VOLUNTEERS, HAVE INCREASED FROM
138 TO 234 STEMS PER ACRE AT
SITES WHERE WE'VE BEEN DOING
ACTIVE RESTORATION , AND IT IS
THESE YOUNG, REGENERATING TREES
THAT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THE
LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND
HEALTH OF SEATTLE'S RAIN
FOREST. THE GREEN SEATTLE
PARTNERSHIP IS NEARLY TWO
DECADES INTO DOING THIS
IMPORTANT WORK AND REALLY
EXCITED TO CONTINUE MOVING
FORWARD. TO DATE, OVER HALF 1
MILLION PAID PARKS PARTNER AND
CREW STAFF HOURS HAVE
CONTRIBUTED TO DIRECT
RESTORATION ACTION IN OUR
PARKS. IMPORTANTLY, GREEN
SEATTLE PARTNERSHIP AVERAGES
30,000 VOLUNTEER HOURS PER
YEAR. THAT IS 1.4 MILLION
VOLUNTEER HOURS IN TOTAL SINCE
2005. THAT IS A TREMENDOUS
NUMBER. WE LEAD THE NATION IN
THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER HOURS
THAT ARE SPENT IN OUR FORESTS ,
AS A PERCENTAGE. STAFF AND
VOLUNTEERS OF PLANTED 340,000
SEEDLINGS IN THE PAST TWO
DECADES AS WELL AS GROUNDCOVER,
NATIVE SHRUBS AND FERNS IN
URBAN FOREST. WE REPORTED ON
SOME OF HER PROGRESS TOWARD
REMOVING WEEDS AND WE HAD A
QUESTION ALSO ABOUT IVY ON
I-FIVE WHICH I SEE COMING AND
GOING FROM WORK EVERYDAY SO I
WANTED TO SAY THIS WORK IS
ONGOING AND ALSO WE ARE PROUD
TO BE NEARING OUR 50,000
I.V.-FREED TREE. THIS IS A DATA
POINT WE RECORD, SO THAT IS
I.V. REMOVAL FROM EXISTING
CANOPY TREES AND I WANTED TO
NOTE THAT THESE ARE 50,000
TREES WE ARE CONSERVING THAT WE
MIGHT HAVE OTHERWISE SHOWED UP
AS PART OF OUR MORTALITY
NUMBERS AND SO, SAVING TREES IS
AS IMPORTANT AS TREES THAT WE
PLANT . IN SOME CASES, MORE,
BECAUSE THESE ARE LARGE CANOPY
TREES. THE COMMENTOR WAS
ABSOLUTELY ON TRACK THAT THIS
IS CRITICAL WORK AND WE NEED TO
CONTINUE IT. THIS YEAR, WE HAVE
164 ACTIVE FORESTS TOWARDS
WORKING ACROSS 75 PARKS AS
COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEER
LEADERS. GREEN SEATTLE
PARTNERSHIP ALSO FUNDS PAID
STIPENDS IN SOME CASES FOR
YOUTH AND ADULTS TO PURSUE JOB
TRAINING AND EXPOSURE TO BE
PAID A STIPEND AND THIS REDUCES
ECONOMIC BARRIERS TO
PARTICIPATION. THE GREEN
SEATTLE PARTNERSHIP SUCCESS CAN
BE LINKED BACK TO THE INITIAL
TWO-FOLD GOAL OF ROBUST FOREST
RESTORATION FOR GALVANIZING AND
INFORMED FOREST COMMUNITY. THIS
VISION CREATED A STRUCTURE FOR
PRIORITIZING COMMUNITY NEEDS
AND PARTICIPATION ALONGSIDE
RESTORATION ACTIONS AND GOALS.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND FOREST
STEWARDS HELP US ENVISION AND
GUIDE THIS WORK WHICH REALLY
ALSO ENGENDERS THE DEEP
ENGAGEMENT AND COMMITMENT TO
STAY ACTIVATED. PARKS GSP
ECOLOGY TEAM STAFF PROVIDE THE
CONTAINER TO COORDINATE THE
WORK AND PROVIDE TRAINING AND
SUPPORT AND IN SUPPORTING OUR
FOREST STEWARDS IN A ROBUST WAY
IS CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF
ONGOING ENGAGEMENT AS WELL AS
MEETING FORESTRY GOALS AND
THREE TARGETS. I WANTED TO NOTE
IN THE SECOND BULLET IN
PARTICULAR THAT DURING THE
PANDEMIC, OUR STAFF ON BOARDING
OF NEW STEWARDS WAS PAUSED TO
ENSURE THE NEEDS OF OUR
EXISTING STEWARDS IN THE
PROGRAM COULD BE MET. HOWEVER,
WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE THAT
THIS SUMMER WE ARE CURRENTLY
SCHEDULING A SERIES OF ON-RAMP
TRAININGS AND IN JANUARY OF
2025, WHEN YOU FOREST STEWARD
ORIENTATION IS BEING SET UP TO
MEET SOME OF THE DEMAND. REALLY
EXCITED THAT PEOPLE CONTINUE TO
WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS
PROGRAM AND WE WANT TO SUPPORT
THEM. AS CHRISTOPHER MENTIONED,
THE GSP MODEL HAS BEEN
REPLICATED BY 14 OTHER
MUNICIPALITIES IN THE REGION
SHOWING THAT THIS MODEL CAN BE
SCALED AND EXPANDED TO OTHER
CITIES NATIONALLY AND
INTERNATIONALLY. OUR
COLLABORATIONS REALLY MAKE US
STRONGER AND OUR PROGRAMS
DON'T REST ON THEIR LAURELS.
WE BRING AN ITERATIVE LIFELONG
LEARNING AND ADAPTIVE
MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK THAT HELPS
US IMPROVE AS WE EVOLVE. WE
WANTED TO SHARE, AS WE CLOSE
OUT THIS PRESENTATION, A MORE
GRANULAR LOOK TO RESPOND TO
SOME QUESTIONS AT SOME OF THE
BUDGET AND EXPENDITURES OVER
THE PAST 18 MONTHS ACROSS ALL
OF THE PROGRAMS WE'VE BEEN
SHARING. THE GRAY IN THE GREEN
REPRESENT PROGRAMS WE'VE BEEN
SHARING IN ON THE SECOND LINE
IS THE NEW CREW WE STOOD UP IN
2023, SO WE HAD ZERO
EXPENDITURES PRIOR TO THAT IN
THIS PROGRAM. I WANT TO
HIGHLIGHT THAT OUR ABILITY TO
STAND UP THIS PROGRAM AS WELL
AS ENHANCE GSP'S WORK AND THE
TWO BULLETS IN THE MIDDLE HERE
HAD TO DO WITH INVESTMENTS IN
CYCLE TWO FUNDS AND THOSE FUNDS
WILL CARRY FORWARD THROUGH
2028. WE HAVE MADE SOME
CONCRETE COMMITMENTS TO ACTION
AROUND THIS FUNDING AND WE
ANTICIPATE AND LOOK FORWARD TO
CELEBRATING THE PLANTING OF AT
LEAST 1800 TREES IN OUR
DEVELOPED PARKS AT THE END OF
THE CYCLE AND AN ADDITIONAL
60,000 TREES IN HER NATIVE
ARIUS PLUS ONGOING FOREST AND
TREE CARE IN THE HOLISTIC
THINGS WE'VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY
IN THIS WORK. I WANT TO
SUMMARIZE WHERE WE'VE BEEN.
WE'VE SHARED THE STORY OF
PARKS URBAN FORESTRY PROGRAMS.
WE KNOW THE CANOPY ASSESSMENT
HAS SHOWED US LOSSES BUT WE ARE
RESPONDING TO THOSE FINDINGS BY
GOING DEEP IN BUILDING ON OUR
ASSETS IN NATURAL AND DEVELOPED
AREAS BOTH. FUNDING HAS HELPED
US BEGIN TO TURN THIS STORY
AROUND. WE HAVE SET SOME CLEAR
GOALS BETWEEN NOW AND 2028, AND
OUR PATH FORWARD BUILDS ON WHAT
WE ARE DOING WELL AND MAKES
ADAPTIVE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PROGRAM WHERE WE SAW
OPPORTUNITIES TO DO BETTER. I
FEEL THIS WILL BE REALLY
POSITIVE TO CANOPY BOTH PARKS
AND CITYWIDE AND WE ARE LOOKING
FORWARD TO TRACKING AND
REPORTING BACK ON OUR PROGRESS.
THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SHARE THIS WITH YOU AND WE LOOK
FORWARD TO TAKING ANY
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS YOU MAY
HAVE.
>> THANK YOU, STEPHANIE AND
CHRISTOPHER. I WOULD LOVE TO
OPEN IT UP TO MY COLLEAGUES TO
SEE IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
I SEE COUNCIL MEMBER KETTLE
THEN WE WILL GO WITH COUNCIL
PRESIDENT NELSON. COUNCIL
PRESIDENT NELSON.
>> COULD YOU GO BACK TO SLIDE
SEVEN, PLEASE. I REMEMBER
LOOKING AT THIS SLIDE WHEN WE
WERE BEGINNING THE WORK ON THE
TREE THE LAST YEAR AND I WAS
THINKING TO MYSELF WELL, WE
SHOULD PRIORITIZE PRESERVING
TREES WHERE THERE ARE THE MOST
TREES, SO MY ATTENTION WAS
DRAWN TO THE PARKS AND NATURAL
AREAS AND DEVELOPED PARKS AND I
STRONGLY SUPPORTED -- I HAD
STRONGLY SUPPORTED THE
ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR I.V.
REMOVAL AND THE YEAR BEFORE
THAT, PARKS SPENDING PLAN SO
IVY HAS LONG BEEN THE PET PEEVE
FOR ME SO PERHAPS IT IS VISIBLE
UNLIKE THE BOAR WEEVIL, WHICH
IS UNDER THE BARK, OR THE
EFFECTS OF DROUGHT, ET CETERA,
SO HERE'S MY QUESTION. I'M
GLAD YOU ARE BEGINNING TO
FORMALIZE BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY
HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST LESS
FORMALLY BUT YOU'VE GOT A
MORTALITY MONITORING SYSTEM
NOW. THAT'S GREAT. DO YOU HAVE
A GUT IDEA WHEN IT COMES TO THE
RELATIVE IMPACT OF IVY ON TREE
DEATH COMPARED TO SOME OF THE
OTHER THINGS AND THEN I WOULD
PROBABLY HAVE A FOLLOW-UP
QUESTION.
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. IT
WOULD JUST BE A QUALITATIVE
OBSERVATION. I KNOW WE HAVE
SOME REALLY DEDICATED FOREST
STEWARDS ACROSS THE CITY WAS
KIND OF MADE THEIR LIFE'S WORK
TO TARGET I.V.-REMOVING TREES
IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE
PARKS THAT THEY CARE ABOUT. I
CAN'T GIVE YOU A PERCENTAGE OF
THE TOTAL OF IVY TREES WE'VE
TREATED VERSUS THOSE REMAINING.
I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO READ
-- BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK
TO YOU. IT IMPACTS TREES SLOWLY
SOMETIMES SO IT'S HARD TO KNOW
WHAT THE TIMELINE IS ON THAT
BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE
HAVE TARGETED AND WE ARE MAKING
HEADWAY, I BELIEVE.
>> YES, IT IS A SLOW DEATH AND
ONCE YOU DO SOME MITIGATION IT
COMES BACK SO IT SEEMS LIKE --
>> YES, IT IS NOT JUST A CUT
AND DONE OR EVEN A CUT AND
TREAT AND-ONE, AND BIRDS WE
LOVE AND ARE AN IMPORTANT PART
OF OUR WILDLIFE CONTINUE TO
BRING NEW IVY SEEDS IN.
>> OKAY, THAT GETS TO A COUPLE
QUESTIONS THE NUMBER ONE, HAS
THE CITY EVER CONSIDERED -- I
THINK I'VE SEEN THIS BUT HAS
THE CITY CONSIDERED GOAT
MITIGATION? AND I'M SURE YOU
GET THIS QUESTION ALL THE TIME,
AND THEN ALSO, REGULATING THE
SALE OF IVY WITHIN THE CITY BUT
YOU JUST SO THAT YOU KNOW,
SQUIRRELS BRING THEM IN ET
CETERA, SO I'M SURE YOU'VE
THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING AND YOU
ARE DOING AS MUCH AS YOU CAN,
BUT JUST FOR MY CURIOSITY.
>> I WILL SHARE FOLKS WHO DO
RESTORATION -- FOLKS WHO ARE
RESTORATION PRACTITIONERS HAVE
STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT SOME OF
THE PLANTS WE SEE FOR SALE IN
OUR LOCAL NURSERIES BUT THAT IS
CONTROLLED BY STATE BOARD, SO
WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL. I HAVE
SEEN A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER
OF SPECIES THAT ARE PROBLEMATIC
, INCLUDING GOAT WEED FOR SALE.
-- KNOTWEED FOR SALE. GOATS ARE
AN INTERESTING QUESTION. THEY
ARE REALLY EFFECTIVE FOR
BLACKBERRY. THERE ARE SOME
COSTS AND BENEFITS TO USING
THEM. THEY ATTRACT A LOT OF
PUBLIC INTEREST, WHICH IS KIND
OF A COOL THING. WHAT I CAN SAY
IS IF WE -- WHEN WE HAVE A
COMPLEXITY OF SPECIES IN ONE
PLACE, THEY ARE NOT SELECTIVE.
>> THEY WILL GO AFTER THE NEW
SEEDLINGS YOU PLANTED.
>> EXACTLY.
>> BUT ALSO, TO ADD TO THAT,
IVY IS ONE OF THE REASONS
VOLUNTEERS ARE SO IMPORTANT. IT
HAS TO BE HAND-ROOTED OUT. WE
DON'T WANT TO USE PESTICIDES
AND HERBICIDES IN OUR GREEN
BELTS AND NATURAL AREAS AND THE
MORE WE CAN GET MORE YOUNG
PEOPLE ENGAGED IN THE WORK OF
MOVING IVY, THE BETTER OFF WE
WILL BE FOR THE LONG-TERM.
>> IT'S A COMMUNITY BUILDER.
THANK YOU.
>> COUNCIL MEMBER STRAUSS, THEN
COUNCIL MEMBER KETTLE.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU,
CHRISTOPHER AND PARKS
DEPARTMENT FOR SUCH A GREAT
PRESENTATION. YOU ARE ON SLIDE
SEVEN. I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK
YOU -- THIS GRAPH REALLY SHOWS
IN NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTIAL
ZONES WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF
LOSS WITH THAT 87 ACRES, 1.2% ,
WHICH IS MORE THAN THE 10 ACRES
IN THE RIGHT-OF-WAY , AND LESS
THAN 111 ACRES IN THE PARKS
DEPARTMENT, SO WHEN YOU TALK
ABOUT THE TREE PROTECTION
ORDINANCE THAT WAS PASSED LAST
YEAR, THIS SLIDE DEMONSTRATES
WERE A LOT OF THOSE [ INAUDIBLE
] WE NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT
TREES WERE NOT CONTINUING TO BE
CUT DOWN IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES
AS THEY HAD BEEN . IF YOU
CHANGE TO SLIDE 10, THIS LEADS
ME TO THE NEXT POINT YOU'VE
ALSO ALREADY MADE WHICH IS THAT
WE ARE EXPERIENCING AN PARKS
LENS AND ON PRIVATE PROPERTY ,
ISSUES THAT ARE KILLING THE
TREES , AS THE COUNCIL
PRESIDENT SAID, ARE NOT ALWAYS
SEEN, SO AS WE CONTINUE, I'VE
HEARD SOME ARBORISTS CALL
SEATTLE THE LARGEST BOTANICAL
GARDEN IN THE STATE. NOT
NECESSARILY AN PARKS LENS. I
THINK THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DOES
A GOOD JOB WHEN CHOOSING THE
RIGHT SIZE RIGHT SPECIES , BUT
THIS IS WHERE WE GET TO THE
POINT OF OUR INVESTMENT TODAY
IS SO CRITICAL FOR BATTLING THE
CLIMATE CHANGE, YOU KNOW,
REALLY WHERE WE ARE IS IF WE
DON'T START PLANTING THESE
CLIMATE-RESILIENT TREES AND
START TAKING CARE OF THE TREES
LIKE SANDY WAS SAYING , THE
PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE, OR AS BOB
WAS SAYING ABOUT SANDY ANYHOW
-- WE ARE GOING TO BE FACED
WITH EVEN GREATER LOSSES. I
THINK OF DISCOVERY PARK NO PART
OF DISTRICT SIX. DO YOU
REMEMBER WHEN THE TREES WERE
PLANTED IN THE NORTH PARKING
LOT? I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 10,
MAYBE 15 YEARS AGO. WHEN THEY
WERE FIRST PLANTED IT WAS KIND
OF LIKE OH, WHAT ARE THESE
TREES EVER GOING TO DO FOR US
AND NOW, THOSE TREES HAVE GROWN
SO LARGE THEY CREATE SHADE ON
THE PARKING LOT. I THINK THE
POINT I WAS BRINGING UP ABOUT
BOTTOM SANDY IS IN THAT
FIVE-YEAR STEWARDSHIP PHASE,
SANDY'S ADVOCACY IS WHAT ARE
SOME OF THE PERSUASIONS --
PROVISIONS WRITTEN IN AND
AROUND NEW DEVELOPMENTS AGAIN
NOT IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT BUT
I BRING UP THIS SLIDE BECAUSE
WHAT WE CAN'T SEE TODAY , WE
ARE NOT ADDRESSING WHAT WE
CAN'T SEE TODAY, WE ARE GOING
TO BE IN A REALLY WORSE PLACE
IN JUST A FEW YEARS FROM NOW
AND SO THAT'S WHY USING THE
PARKS DEPARTMENT'S NEW CREW
THAT WE HELPED FUND LAST YEAR,
I GET TO THE POINT OF EVERY
YEAR WE NEED TO BE DOING MORE
AND INVESTING IN MORE AND
DIFFERENT WAYS TO CREATE A
LARGE WRAPAROUND SYSTEM OF
INCREASING AND PROTECTING OUR
TREE CANOPY. IF YOU COULD SLIDE
TO 14 OR GO TO SLIDE 14 FOR ME
, WHAT I REALLY APPRECIATED --
JUST ONE MOMENT, PLEASE. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. SO IF YOU CAN GO
ON SLIDE 14. THIS SLIDE REALLY
SHOWS THE FOREST FOR THE TREES,
IF YOU WILL, WHERE THE
DIFFERENT TYPE OF LAND WE ARE
CREATING CREATES THESE
DIFFERENT HEAT ISLANDS AND IF
YOU COULD GO BACK TO SLIDE 13 I
WILL BRING UP MY FAVORITE PARK
AGAIN WHERE YOU SEE IT IS ONE
OF THE MOST FORESTED AREAS IN
THE CITY AND IT IS ONE OF THE
LEAST HEAT-IMPACTED PLACES IN
THE CITY BECAUSE OF THIS CANOPY
. GOES BACK TO A GENTLEMAN I
INTERVIEWED IN BALLARD YOU
PLANTED IN URBAN FOREST IN HIS
BACKYARD FROM SEEDS, AND 30
YEARS LATER HE HAS SOME OF THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT TREES IN THE
CITY. HE IS ABLE TO KEEP HIS
PROPERTY COOLER IN THE SUMMER,
WARMER IN THE WINTER BECAUSE HE
PLANTS DECIDUOUS. TO THE POINT
I WAS MAKING BEFORE I GOT CUT
OFF BY MY GOOD FRIEND HERE IS
THAT EACH YEAR WE HAVE TO BE
INVESTING IN MORE AND DIFFERENT
WAYS. AS WE SAW IN SLIDE SEVEN,
THE PARKS LAND, THE PUBLIC
PROPERTY LAND THAT WE OWNED IS
WHERE WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE A
LOT OF RESOURCES AND SO I GUESS
I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION. I
APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. I WAS JUST
GETTING UP ON MY SOAPBOX BUT
THE COMPLIMENT I WILL PAY YOU
IS ONE THAT I HAVE ALREADY SAID
IS THAT THIS PRESENTATION IS
VERY CLEAR. IT HELPS US
UNDERSTAND SOME COMPLICATED
INFORMATION THAT IS NOT A
ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL BECAUSE AS
YOU SAW IN SLIDE 14, DIFFERENT
PARTS OF OUR CITY CONTRIBUTE TO
HEAT IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN THE
PARKS DEPARTMENT MANAGES, AS
YOU SAID, 12% OF OUR CITY'S
LANDMASS, SO JOB WELL DONE.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO
PLANTING MORE TREES WITH YOU.
>> THANK YOU . COUNCIL MEMBER
KETTLE.
>> THANK YOU. I THINK MY
COLLEAGUE IN BALLARD HAS BEEN
OUT AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTER.
HE'S PUT SOME FLAGS THERE AND
ACTUALLY NOW WE KNOW. THANK
YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER STRAUSS.
>> WELL, COUNCIL MEMBER KETTLE,
JUST FOR THE RECORD I WILL
PROVE IT HERE WHICH IS A --
THAT I AM AT MY DISTRICT OFFICE
HERE AT THE LIBRARY.
>> IT'S VERY NICE.
>> THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF
DISCUSSION ABOUT INVASIVE
SPECIES, IVY AND THE LIKE,
WHICH IS A BIG ISSUE
PARTICULARLY ON OUR SLOPES IN
DISTRICT SEVEN, AND ITS
IMPACTS. WHICH REMINDED ME THAT
THERE'S OTHER KIND OF INVASIVE
PIECES THAT COME IN WITHIN
DISTRICT SEVEN PARTICULARLY IN
THE QUEEN ANNE MAGNOLIA WORLD
IS THAT BUSHES LIKE
RHODODENDRONS AND HOLLY HAVE
TURNED INTO TREES AND SO YOU
KNOW, HOW IS THAT CAPTURED IN
TERMS OF THE CANOPY , AND I
UNDERSTAND CANOPY IS DEFINED
SOMEWHAT BY HOW ABOVEGROUND YOU
ARE GOING, AS WELL, AND IS THIS
SOMETHING YOU SEE I JUST HAD A
BRIEFING WE WERE TALKING ABOUT
THIS MORE IN RESIDENTIAL
CONTEXT BUT IS THIS AN ISSUE IN
THE PARKS AND NATURAL AREAS
WHERE YOU GET A BEAUTIFUL OLDER
RHODODENDRON THAT LOOKS LIKE A
TREE, ACTS LIKE A TREE BUT IS
IT REALLY A TREE AND IS IT
TAKEN AWAY FROM WHAT WE SHOULD
HAVE INSTEAD?
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION AND
I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON THE
METHODOLOGY USED. IT WAS A
LIGHTER ANALYSIS WHICH SENDS A
SIGNAL DOWN FROM AN AIRPLANE ,
IT BOUNCES OFF OF VEGETATION
THEN USES A LOT OF COMPLICATED
ALGORITHMS TO TELL US WHAT WE
ARE SEEING ON THE GROUND SO I
KNOW THAT WE -- I KNOW THERE
ARE THINGS PARTICULARLY, YOU
MENTIONED HOLLY THAT ARE
NON-NATIVE SPECIES THAT ARE
PRESENT AND MANY TIMES MIXED
INTO OUR NATURAL AREAS BUT I
THINK THE CANOPY IS NOT
NECESSARILY DISCRIMINATING IF
IT IS A TREE SIZE TITUS MY
SHORT ANSWER BUT AGAIN, I WOULD
WANT TO QUALIFY THAT AS ME NOT
BEING AN EXPERT IN LiDAR.
>> MY SECOND QUESTION IS WHAT
MAKES SEATTLE UNIQUE COMPARED
TO OTHER CITIES AND I'VE LIVED
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, IS ITS
EVERGREENS. I'M FROM WESTERN
NEW YORK BETWEEN BUFFALO AND
ROCHESTER. THE FLY IN THE
WINTERTIME, IT'S A GREAT WHITE
BROWN LESS AND LESS IT'S FRESH
SNOW THEN YOU FLY BACK IN THE
SEATTLE, YOU BREAK THROUGH THE
CLOUDS WHEN YOU HAVE THE
EVERGREEN TREES, WHICH IS
BEAUTIFUL , AND I'M CURIOUS IN
TERMS OF EMPHASIZING THAT IN
TERMS OF PLANTINGS OR
REPLACEMENTS BECAUSE IF WE JUST
DO DECIDUOUS TREES, THEN WE
LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER AMERICAN
CITY WHEREAS WHAT IS UNIQUE
ABOUT SEATTLE IS ITS EVERGREENS
AND I RECOGNIZE WITH CLIMATE
CHANGE WE MAY HAVE TO ADJUST ON
EVERGREENS AND I SAY THIS
BECAUSE I RECENTLY WITH MY
COLLEAGUE, CHAIR HOLLINGSWORTH,
BEEN DOWN TO THE WATERFRONT AND
WHEN YOU ARE DOWN THERE, THOSE
UNIQUE PIECES REALLY MAKE A
DIFFERENCE AND IT KIND OF
DRIVES FROM AN ECONOMIC POINT
OF VIEW PEOPLE WANT TO COME
HEY, THIS IS UNIQUE, THIS IS
DIFFERENT. THIS IS NOT SIMCITY,
AMERICA, WHERE EVERYTHING LOOKS
THE SAME AND I WAS CURIOUS
ABOUT YOUR VIEWS ON THAT
QUESTION BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE
I SEE MORE DECIDUOUS TREES
BEING PLANTED VERSUS VARYING
TYPES OF EVERGREENS.
>> YES, AGAIN, IT IS A LOCATION
QUESTION WITH WHERE EVERGREENS
GO COMPARED TO DECIDUOUS TREES,
FOR SURE, AND WE HAVE GOTTEN A
LOT OF COMPETING USES IN OUR
URBAN ENVIRONMENT THAT PRECLUDE
EVERGREEN TREES BECAUSE OF
SPACE ISSUES AND THAT CAN BE A
CHALLENGE. I WOULD SAY
ABSOLUTELY IN HER NATIVE
UNDERSTORY AND RESTORATION
EFFORTS IN OUR URBAN FOREST WE
ARE CONIFER-FORWARD. WHAT WE
SAW AFTER THE LEGACY OF THE
FIRST LOGIN THAT CAME THROUGH
IS THAT OUR CONIFER FORESTS
WERE EFFECTIVELY DECIMATED, AND
THE REGENERATION THAT HAPPENED
FOLLOWING THAT WAS LARGELY
DECIDUOUS LIKE SPECIES SUCH AS
MAPLE AND ALDER ARE MUCH MORE
DOMINANT IN OUR FOREST RIGHT
NOW THAN THEY WERE HISTORICALLY
SO OUR RESTORATION ACTIONS AND
MOST OF THOSE PLACES ARE
TRAINED TO RETURN TO A MORE
CONIFER- DOMINATED FOREST.
IT'S HARD TO GIVE A SHORT
ANSWER BECAUSE IT IS A COMPLEX
QUESTION BUT IN DEVELOPED
PARKS, WE LEAD WITH CONIFERS
WHERE THERE ARE NOT COMPETING
USES, AS WELL. THE OTHER
BENEFIT FROM CONIFERS, FROM AN
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDPOINT, IS
STORMWATER INTERCEPTION DURING
THE SEASON WHEN WE ARE HAVING
ALL OF OUR RAINFALL AND REALLY
NEED SOMETHING TO INTERCEPT AND
INFILTRATE. THAT IS WHEN
CONIFERS ARE THERE DOING THAT
GOOD WORK. SO, REALLY TRYING TO
PUT CONIFERS IN AND EMPHASIZE
CONIFERS WHEREVER WE SEE
OPPORTUNITIES.
>> OKAY, THANK YOU. IN MY LAST
IS NOT A QUESTION BUT A THANK
YOU. THANK YOU FIRST TO YOU
BOTH AND EVERYONE WHO HAS
JOINED YOU AND THE PARKS
DEPARTMENT FOR YOUR WORK IN
THIS AREA BUT I WOULD ALSO LIKE
TO SAY THANK YOU BECAUSE TO
YOUR POINT ABOUT VOLUNTEERS, I
KNOW THE AMOUNT OF WORK THE
FRIENDS OF McLEAN PARKS HAVE
DONE, FRIENDS OF DEVI ROGERS
PARK AND A HOST OF OTHER PARKS
THROUGHOUT DISTRICT SEVEN AND
IT'S NOT JUST LIKE THE FRIENDS
OF TYPES, AS WELL. SOUTH LAKE
UNION COMMUNITY COUNCIL, WHO
IS, BECAUSE THEY ARE PRIMARILY
FOCUSED ON LAND-USE BUT AS YOU
KNOW, SOUTH LAKE UNION IS
PRETTY MUCH DEVELOPED NOW, SO
THIS GROUP HAS TURNED ITS
SIGHTS TO PARKS, BE WARNED
BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY SMART
ENERGETIC AND RESOURCEFUL, AND
TO WORK SOUTH LAKE UNION PARK,
CASCADE PARK AND DENNY PARK,
AND THEY WILL BE A GREAT
RESOURCE TO YOU IN TERMS OF
TRYING TO IMPROVE THOSE THREE
PARKS AND I SHOULD ALSO NOTE
QUEEN ANNE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
PARKS COMMITTEE LED BY DON
HARPER, HE IS A GREAT RESOURCE
IN TERMS OF PARKS IN DISTRICT
SEVEN IN PARTICULAR QUEEN ANNE
COMMUNITY AND OF COURSE ANOTHER
PLUG FOR PORTAL PARK IN
BELLTOWN BECAUSE THEY NEEDED
AND THE CANOPY NEEDS IT BUT
ALSO TO WE HEART SEATTLE ,
WHICH I MENTIONED BEFORE IN
TERMS OF NATURAL AREAS AND I
DID THE ONE DAY OF SERVICE. I
STOPPED BY ON THE WEST QUEEN
ANNE GREENBELT KINNEAR PARK
AREA, INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK
TO FACILITATE THE RESTORATION
OF THAT NATURAL AREAS OF THANK
YOU TO WE HEART SEATTLE AND I
WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T
ALSO GIVE A THANK YOU BECAUSE
I'M SURE SHE'S WATCHING
BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN REFERENCED
ABOUT A HALF-DOZEN TIMES NOW
BUT THANK YOU ALSO TO FAMILY
SHETLER, WHO NO DOUBT IS
WATCHING, SO THANK YOU, SANDY.
>> I JUST WANT TO MAYBE MAKE
SOME REMARKS AS WE CLOSE ABOUT
THE FACT THAT OUR PARK SYSTEM
IS 137 YEARS OLD. THE WORK THAT
STEPHANIE AND HER CREWS ARE
DOING IS REALLY POSITIONING US
FOR THE NEXT 50 TO 100 YEARS.
YOU KNOW, THE IMPACT ON THE
RESULT OF ALL THIS WORK TAKING
PLACE RIGHT NOW MAYBE WON'T BE
SEEN UNTIL THE NEXT GENERATION
OF YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT I THINK AS
MANY COUNCILMEMBERS HAVE SAID,
IT IS IMPORTANT TO BEGIN THIS
WORK YESTERDAY, AND THAT IS THE
PATHWAY WE ARE ON, SO THANK
YOU, STEPHANIE, TO YOU AND YOUR
TEAM.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I WILL
EXTEND AN INVITATION TO THE
COUNCIL. I MENTIONED TO
COUNCILMEMBER HOLLINGSWORTH
THAT OUR STAFF WOULD LOVE TO
HOST YOU FOR A WALK IN THE
WOODS IF YOU'RE EVER
INTERESTED TO SCHEDULE
SOMETHING. WOULD LOVE TO HAVE
YOU OUT AND WALK YOU AROUND A
LITTLE BIT AND HUG SOME TREES
SO THANK YOU.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE
COUNCIL MEMBER RIVERA.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR. I WOULD
LIKE TO ECHO MY COLLEAGUES'
SENTIMENTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANT
WORK OF PRESERVING TREE CANOPY
ACROSS THE CITY. I KNOW THAT IN
DISTRICT 4, CONSTITUENTS ARE
REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT TREE
CANOPY . THEY ARE GOOD STEWARDS
OF TREES IN THE DISTRICT, AND
YOU KNOW, THEY VERY MUCH
RECOGNIZE ALL THE IMPORTANT
WORK THAT PARKS IS DOING, SO
REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR
THAT WORK AND CHRISTOPHER,
YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, YOU
KNOW. WE NEEDED TO DO THIS WORK
HUNDRED YEARS AGO, 50 YEARS
AGO, LIKE KEEP IT GOING. IT HAS
BEEN A LONG TIME COMING BUT WE
HAVE BEEN LOSING SOME OF THIS
TREE CANOPY AND WE ARE NOT
REPLACING THINGS QUICKLY ENOUGH
AND I THINK THAT IS PART OF THE
ISSUE, TOO, AND COUPLED WITH
CLIMATE CHANGE WE JUST CAN'T
KEEP UP, AND SO WE REALLY NEED
TO BE DOING THIS WORK AND SO
VERY MUCH APPRECIATE ALL OF THE
WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THE
PLANNING FOR THE TREE CANOPY
ACROSS THE CITY BECAUSE WE HAVE
ALSO DISCUSSED THERE ARE PLACES
IN THE CITY WHERE WE ARE JUST
NOT -- WE NEED TO BE, SO I
REALLY APPRECIATE THE
INTENTIONAL PRIORITIZATION THAT
GOES INTO GOING INTO AREAS THAT
HAVE A LACK OF TREE CANOPY AND
I KNOW EVERYONE ACROSS THE CITY
IS REALLY INTERESTED AND
SUPPORTIVE OF THAT
PRIORITIZATION , SO REALLY
APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT
GOES THERE, AS WELL, AND THEN
JUST YOU KNOW, BEING GOOD
STEWARDS OF THE PARK, IT'S
NICE TO SEE YOU , CHRISTOPHER,
FROM THIS WEEKEND. WE WERE AT
PATHWAY PARK AND THERE ARE A
LOT OF GREAT TREES BECAUSE THAT
IS RIGHT OFF OF THE BURKE
GILMAN TRAIL BECAUSE THERE ARE
SO MANY TREASURES IN THE CITY
OF SEATTLE. I'VE LIVED IN
SEATTLE 23 YEARS AND I SUPER
APPRECIATE HOW -- WHAT A FOCUS
AND EMPHASIS AND PRIORITY WE
GIVE TO PARKS IN GENERAL, AND I
FEEL REALLY LUCKY TO LIVE IN
THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY WITH FOLKS
THAT CARE VERY MUCH ABOUT TREE
CANOPY AND PARKS IN GENERAL,
AND I NOTICED SOMETHING THAT
ALL OUR CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM,
SO REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU.
KUDOS TO YOU ALL, AND I SUPER
APPRECIATE THE REPORT.
>> AWESOME, THANK YOU. WE ALL
LOVE TREES. ALLERGY SEASON IS
AMONG US AND SAVE THE TREES,
LESS KNEES. TREES CLEAN THE AIR
AND MY ALLERGIES HAVE GOTTEN
WORSE IN SEATTLE SO I WANT TO
SEE MORE TREES OBVIOUSLY AS WE
CONTINUE TO PROGRESS AND I KNOW
THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST
COMMENTING ABOUT THE WORK THAT
YOU WILL DO, WE KNOW THAT WHEN
WE PLANT NEW TREES AND
SEEDLINGS WE WON'T SEE THOSE
BENEFITS UNTIL 30 OR 40 YEARS
FROM NOW SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO
CONTINUE TO PLANT THOSE SO
THANK YOU, STEPHANIE AND
CHRISTOPHER, FOR THE
PRESENTATION. REALLY APPRECIATE
YOUR TIME IN ANSWERING HER
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> OKAY, WE WILL NOW MOVE TO
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO. CLERK,
WILL YOU PLEASE READ THE AGENDA
FOR ITEM NUMBER TWO?
>> AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO IS
COUNSEL THE 120797, AN
ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE
SEATTLE CENTER DEPARTMENT
AUTHORIZING THE SEATTLE CENTER
DIRECTOR TO EXECUTE A FOURTH
AMENDMENT TO THE FACILITY YOU I
-- USE AND OCCUPANCY AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE CITY OF SEATTLE AND
THE SEATTLE REPERTORY THEATER
AND RATIFYING AND CONSERVING --
CONFIRMING CERTAIN PRIOR ACTS.
WITH US TODAY ARE MARSHALL
FOSTER AND ERIC McCONAGHY FROM
THE SEATTLE CENTER.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
TODAY. WE ARE ALL EXCITED FOR
ARTS AND CULTURE AND HOW MUCH
IT MEANS TO OUR CITY AND THE
REPERTORY THEATER SO LOOKING
FORWARD TO THE PRESENTATION
TODAY SO THANK YOU. GO AHEAD
AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE
RECORD AND YOU CAN JUMP INTO
YOUR PRESENTATION.
>> SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU,
CHAIR. GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM [
INAUDIBLE ], DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT
SEATTLE CENTER AND HERE TODAY
SUPPORTING THE AMENDMENT TO THE
CURRENT FACILITY USE AGREEMENT
. I AM HERE SUPPORTING AND FROM
THE CITY OF SEATTLE, SEATTLE
CENTER AND ALSO TODAY HERE IS
JULIA LEVITT, STRATEGIC ADVISER
WITH THE CENTERS FOR
DEVELOPMENT TEAM AND JEFF
HERMAN, WHO IS HERE
REPRESENTING AS THE MANAGING
DIRECTOR , THE SEATTLE
REPERTORY. JULIA WILL SHARE THE
DETAILS ABOUT THE AMENDMENT TO
THE CURRENT FACILITY USE
AGREEMENT.
>> THANK YOU. BEFORE I GET
STARTED WITH THE PRESENTATION,
I WANT TO GIVE JEFF A CHANCE TO
INTRODUCE HIMSELF AND THE REP.
>> I'M JEFF HERMAN, MANAGING
DIRECTOR AT SEATTLE REP. I WANT
TO SAY WE'VE HAD A LONG
PRODUCTIVE AND FRUITFUL
RELATIONSHIP WITH SEATTLE
CENTER DATING BACK TO OUR
FOUNDING IN 1953. WE'VE BEEN
WORKING COLLABORATIVELY ON THIS
AMENDMENT AND LOOKING FORWARD
TO SHARING MORE ABOUT IT WITH
ALL OF YOU.
>> SO, THIS LEGISLATION IS A
PROPOSED FOURTH AMENDMENT TO
THE SEATTLE REP FACILITY USE
AND OCCUPANCY AGREEMENT.
SOMEBODY BROUGHT UP THAT FOURTH
AMENDMENT MAKES THEM THINK OF
THE CONSTITUTIONAL FOURTH
AMENDMENT. THIS HAS NOTHING TO
DO WITH SEARCH AND SEIZURE. IT
IS JUST THE FOURTH IN A SERIES.
THERE HAVE BEEN THREE
AMENDMENTS BEFORE THIS ONE TO
THE FACILITY USE AND OCCUPANCY
AGREEMENT. IN THIS PRESENTATION
I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THE
BACKGROUND AND IT IS A PRETTY
STRAIGHTFORWARD PIECE OF
LEGISLATION BUT IT DOES HAVE
SOME HISTORY BECAUSE THE REP
HAS BEEN PART OF SEATTLE CENTER
SINCE THE 60s. I WILL DISCUSS
THE TEXT OF THE AMENDMENT AND
THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION.
STARTING WITH THE BACKGROUND
SEATTLE REP WAS FOUNDED IN 1963
AND IS ONE OF THE OLDEST
RESIDENT ORGANIZATIONS ON THE
SEATTLE CENTER CAMPUS. THEY
OCCUPY THE BAGLEY WRIGHT
THEATER WHICH IS A BUILDING
THAT WAS BUILT IN 1983 AND IT
WAS THE FIRST NEW FACILITY
CONSTRUCTED ON SEATTLE
CENTER'S CAMPUS SINCE THE 1962
WORLD'S FAIR. IT IS ALSO THE
FIRST PUBLIC NONPROFIT
PARTNERSHIP UNDERTAKEN BY
SEATTLE CENTER AND SINCE THEN
SEATTLE CENTER HAS REALLY BEEN
CHARACTERIZED BY PUBLIC AND
PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. SEATTLE
REP HAS DONE OUTSTANDING WORK
OUT OF THEIR HOME AT SEATTLE
CENTER, INCLUDING BRINGING HOME
THE 1990 TONY AWARD FOR
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL THEATER.
THEY HAVE RUN MANY NATIONALLY
RECOGNIZED PROGRAMS THAT ENGAGE
THE COMMUNITY OUT OF THEIR
SPACE AND ARE REALLY A
CONTRIBUTOR TO THE VIBRANCY OF
THE ARTS AND CULTURAL HUB AT
SEATTLE CENTER. THIS AMENDMENT
DEALS SPECIFICALLY WITH SEATTLE
REPS AND THE CITY'S
MAINTENANCE FUNDS AND THE
PROCESS FOR SPENDING THOSE
FUNDS ON INVESTMENTS TO KEEP
THE BUILDING A MODERN
FUNCTIONING THEATER FACILITY
AND I WILL JUST GO THROUGH A
LITTLE BIT OF THE HISTORY OF
WHY WE ARE AMENDING IT. THE
1996 -- WHEN THE BAGLEY WRIGHT
WAS BUILT IN THE 80s, THE CITY
INVENTION THAT THE CITY WOULD
TAKE CARE OF THE BUILDING
SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE EXTERIOR
SYSTEMS, THE ROOF IN THE
CLADDING AND ALSO THE INTERIOR
SYSTEMS -- THEATER LIGHTING
SYSTEMS, THE STAGE, HVAC AND
EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. WHEN --
FAST FORWARD TO 1996 AND
SEATTLE REP CAME BACK TO
EXECUTE A NEW AGREEMENT WITH
SEATTLE CENTER BECAUSE THEY HAD
ADDED TO THEIR FACILITY AND
WERE GROWING WITH ANOTHER PART
OF THE THEATER AND AT THAT TIME
SEATTLE CENTER HAD WELCOMED
MORE RESIDENT ORGANIZATIONS
INCLUDING FOR EXAMPLE THE
CHILDREN'S -- SEATTLE
CHILDREN'S THEATER AND PACIFIC
NORTHWEST BALLET AND WE HAD
CHANGED OUR STANDARD FOR HOW WE
NEGOTIATED THOSE LEASES SO THE
CITY WAS NO LONGER TAKING
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INTERIOR
SYSTEMS OF THE BUILDING. THAT
WAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
TENANT AND THE CITY TOOK CARE
OF THE EXTERIOR. WE WANTED TO
TRANSITION TO THAT MODEL AND SO
THE 1996 AGREEMENT SET UP A
VERY CAREFULLY PROCESS-ORIENTED
TRANSITION WHERE THE CITY WOULD
CAN TRIBUTE -- CONTRIBUTE CITY
FUNDS INTO A MAINTENANCE AND
REPAIR FUND TO BE USED FOR
THOSE SYSTEMS THAT WOULD
CONTINUE THROUGH 2009, AND THE
REP WAS GOING TO PICK UP AND
START CONTRIBUTING LARGER AND
LARGER SUMS INTO ITS SEPARATE
MAINTENANCE REPLACEMENT AND
RESERVE FUND AND IT WOULD
EVENTUALLY TAKE OVER
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE
INTERIOR SYSTEMS. AS I JUST
MENTIONED, THE CITY'S ANNUAL
CONTRIBUTIONS PHASEOUT IN 2009.
WE STILL HOWEVER -- THIS IS
WHERE WE SAY THE BEST LAID
PLANS STILL SOMETIMES ARE
SUBJECT TO CHANGE THE SINCE
1996, A LOT HAS HAPPENED.
THINGS DID NOT PLAY OUT AS WE
EXPECTED. MOST NOTABLY, AND
YOU'LL SEE THIS ACTUALLY IN
THE TRAIL OF AMENDMENTS
PRECEDING THIS ONE, THE SECOND
AMENDMENT, THE THIRD AMENDMENT
AND FOURTH AMENDMENT NOW ALL
REALLY DEAL WITH REPERCUSSIONS
FROM BIG ECONOMIC TRANSITIONS
IN THE COUNTRY AND SO THE
SECOND AMENDMENT DEALT WITH
EXPENDITURES AND CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENTS AND MAINTENANCE
RESERVE FUNDS COMING OUT OF THE
RECESSION AND THEN I'M GOING
TO GO TO OUR NEXT FLIGHT AND
MORE RECENTLY, INVESTMENT IN
THE BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATER IN
2020, CITY COUNCIL IMPROVED --
APPROVED AN AMENDMENT THAT
ALLOWED SEATTLE REP AND OPTION
TO USE ITS MAINTENANCE
REPLACEMENT AND RESERVE FUND TO
FUND OPERATING EXPENSES LIKE A
RAINY DAY FUND BECAUSE THE
THEATERS WERE CLOSED. THE
GOVERNOR'S ORDER HAD SHUT DOWN
GATHERINGS, THEY WERE NOT ABLE
TO OPERATE SO THIS BECAME AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO USE IT
TO KEEP THE BUSINESS AFLOAT IF
THEY NEEDED TO. LUCKILY, THEY
MADE IT THROUGH. FEDERAL
FUNDING CAME THROUGH. THINGS
CHANGED AGAIN. THEY DID NOT
HAVE TO WITHDRAW ON THE RESERVE
FUND. HOWEVER, SINCE THE
THEATER WAS CLOSED BETWEEN 21
AND 22, SEATTLE REP MADE USE OF
DOWNTOWN DURING THE PANDEMIC BY
STILL MAKING CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENTS IN ITS BUILDING TO
THE TUNE OF ALMOST $4 MILLION,
WHICH THEY DISCUSSED WITH
SEATTLE CENTER . WE APPROVE THE
DESIGN. WE WERE ALL FOR THE
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BUILDING
BUT SEATTLE REP CHOSE NOT TO
SPEND MONEY OUT OF ITS SRT FUND
, OUT OF ITS MAINTENANCE FUND
BECAUSE THEY WERE RESERVING
THAT IN CASE IT NEEDED TO BE
USED FOR THOSE EMERGENCIES.
LOOKING AHEAD, THIS SUMMER,
SEATTLE REP IS QUEUING UP TO DO
A SECOND PHASE TO EXTEND THAT
RENOVATION AND RENOVATE ITS
LOBBY. IT NEEDS MORE
FLEXIBILITY TO ACCUMULATE AND
SPEND THOSE MAINTENANCE FUNDS,
AND SEPARATELY, SEATTLE CENTER
IS UNDERTAKING THIS LARGEST
FUNDED PROJECT AND ITS PLAN
THIS YEAR TO REPLACE THE
EXTERIOR CLADDING AND AGING
PORTIONS OF THE ROOF, WHICH ARE
AT END OF LIFE. JUST A QUICK
LOOK, BECAUSE IT IS LOOKING
GOOD NOW, THE FACILITY , IT
WILL HAPPEN DURING THAT $4
MILLION RENOVATION PROJECT,
THEY WERE ABLE TO IMPROVE MORE
EQUITABLE ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE
FACILITY, BRINGING THINGS UP TO
A.D.A. CODE , ALSO ADDING
IMPROVEMENTS LIKE
GENDER-NEUTRAL RESTROOMS,
UPGRADING FIXTURES, WATER
FIXTURES AND LIGHT FIXTURES TO
CURRENT SUSTAINABILITY
STANDARDS, UPGRADING THEATRICAL
EQUIPMENT AND REPLACING SEATING
THROUGHOUT THE THEATER. THIS
ORDINANCE AUTHORIZES THE
SEATTLE CENTER DIRECTOR TO
EXECUTE THE FOURTH AMENDMENT TO
THE FACILITY USE AND OCCUPANCY
AGREEMENT BETWEEN SEATTLE REP
AND THE CITY. PRIMARILY THIS
JUST ADJUSTS THE PROCESS FOR
HOW SEATTLE REP WILL MAKE
EXPENDITURES OUT OF ITS
MAINTENANCE REPLACEMENT AND
RESERVE FUND. IT DOES NOT
CHANGE THE TOTAL EXPECTED
INVESTMENT IN THE BUILDING PER
THE TERMS OF THE 1996 AGREEMENT
. IT WILL ALLOW SEATTLE READ
MORE FLEXIBILITY TO USE THOSE
MAINTENANCE FUNDS TO MEET THE
NEEDS OF THE FACILITY WHICH IS
STILL DETERMINED BY MUTUAL
AGREEMENT BETWEEN SEATTLE
CENTER AND THE REP , AND IT
WILL ALLOW SEATTLE CENTER TO
OFFSET INCREASED COST FOR THE
CIP PROJECT BY DIVERTING THE
REMAINING $120,000 FROM THAT
LAST 2009 CONTRIBUTION INTO ITS
CITY FUNDS TO ITS CIP PROJECT
TO REPLACE THE BAGLEY WRIGHT
THEATER ROOF AND CLADDING. THE
IMPLICATIONS OF THIS
LEGISLATION ARE THE SEATTLE
REPS MAINTENANCE FUND BELONGS
TO THE REP. IT IS MANAGED BY
THE REP IN COOPERATION WITH THE
CITY, SO NO CITY MONEY IS BEING
EXPENDED AS A RESULT OF THIS
AMENDMENT, AND WHERE THIS
AMENDMENT NOT TO PASS, THE REP
FUND MONEY IS NOT ELIGIBLE TO
BE SPENT OR REDIRECTED EVERY --
ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY.
SEATTLE REP WILL , IF THIS
AMENDMENT PASSES, SEATTLE REP
WILL DRAW DOWN THE BALANCE OF
ITS FUND TO REIMBURSE ITSELF
FOR THE FUNDS THAT INVESTED IN
THE FIRST PHASE OF ITS
RENOVATION PROJECT, THE $3.9
MILLION MAJOR RENOVATION AND
BEFORE THE END OF THE TERM OF
THE FACILITY USE AND OCCUPANCY
AGREEMENT, WHICH ENDS THIS
AGREEMENT SIGNED IN 1996 COMES
TO THE END OF ITS TERM AT THE
END OF MAY 2026, SEATTLE REP
WILL STILL SPEND AT LEAST
$918,994 ON MUTUALLY AGREED
BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATER CAPITAL
PROJECTS, WHICH EQUALS THE
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS FROM
THE 1996 AGREEMENT. SEATTLE
CENTER WILL ADD THE UNSPENT
$119,000 BALANCE OF THE CITY
FUND TO ITS CIP ROOF PROJECT.
IT IS A $6.5 MILLION PROJECT,
SO THIS IS A RELATIVELY SMALL
CONTRIBUTION TO A BIG POT, BUT
IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND
HELP US GET THAT PROJECT DONE.
THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF
OUR PRESENTATION SO WE WOULD
WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU
HAVE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. I WILL
PAUSE TO SEE IF COUNCILMEMBERS
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. COUNCIL
MEMBER KETTLE, QUESTION,
COMMENT?
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I
ACTUALLY WALKED THROUGH THIS
AND I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN
COORDINATED WITH SEATTLE CENTER
, DISCUSSIONS WITH MARSHALL
FOSTER, SO I USUALLY HAVE A
QUESTION BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I
WILL SKIP ANY QUESTIONS.
>> I'M GOING TO PLAY THE
LOTTERY SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE
ANY QUESTIONS. IT'S SHOCKING.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRAUSS.
>> THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO
THE SEATTLE CENTER TEAM. I LOVE
WHAT YOU DO . I LOVE THE
REPERTORY THEATER. IT'S A
PLACE I'VE SPENT A LOT OF MY
LIFE. I HAVE A NUMBER OF
QUESTIONS . I WILL RESERVE THEM
TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AFTER THE
COMMITTEE MEETING SO I WILL BE
ABSTAINING TODAY BUT THAT
SHOULD NOT INDICATE ANY WHICH
WAY. I JUST HAVE MORE QUESTIONS
AND WOULD LIKE TO ENGAGE IN
DEEPER DISCUSSION.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER
STRAUSS. COUNCIL MEMBER RIVERA.
>> THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK
YOU FOR BEING HERE IN FULL
DISCLOSURE, I AM A BIG FAN OF
THE REP. I WAS THERE THIS
WEEKEND, IN FACT , SEEING THE
JINX MONSOON MAJOR SCALES
PRODUCTION. VERY FUN, AND I
FEEL SO PRIVILEGED TO HAVE SEEN
IT COME FROM AWAY THERE BEFORE
IT MOVED ON TO THE TONY AND
VARIOUS OTHER AWARDS SO I THINK
THE REP REALLY IS A GEM. I HAVE
A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THE SRT
FUND . IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE
DRAWING DOWN THE REMAINDER OF
THE BALANCE OF THE FUND, AND SO
THEN WHAT HAPPENS, AND THE CITY
WILL BE DRAWING DOWN ITS
BALANCE OF THE FUND, AND SO
WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE TWO
FUNDS? AT ZERO BALANCE, DO THEY
-- I MEAN WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
>> SO, THE ZERO BALANCE IN THE
REPS FUND WOULD ONLY BE
TEMPORARY BECAUSE THEY ARE
STILL OBLIGATED BY THE LEASE TO
MAKE A $900,000 PLUS INVESTMENT
IN THE THEATER BEFORE THE END
OF THEIR LEASE TERM AND THE END
OF THE LEASE TERM IS VERY SOON
IN THE MIDDLE OF 2026, SO WE
REALLY SEE THIS AS GETTING US
TO THE END OF THE LEASE TERM.
ANY OTHER IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE
NEEDED IN THE FACILITY, IT'S
PRETTY CAREFULLY LINED OUT IN
THE FACILITY USE AND OCCUPANCY
AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR TO FIX IF IT
BREAKS , IF IT NEEDS REPLACING
AND WHAT THE REP IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR AND SO WE WOULD NOT HAVE
THESE FUNDS TO DRAW FROM BUT IT
DOESN'T MEAN WE WOULD NOT MAKE
THOSE IMPROVEMENTS BUT THE CITY
MAKES IT PART OF OUR CIP
PROGRAM AND THE REP USES ITS
OWN FUNDING.
>> I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.
>> BUT, AFTER JUNE 1st, 2026 WE
ARE ACTUALLY ALREADY IN
DISCUSSIONS ABOUT OUR NEXT
PHASE OF AGREEMENT, WHICH WOULD
PROBABLY BE WRITING A NEW
AGREEMENT FOR THE FUTURE AND
HOPING THAT THE REP WILL BE
WITH US FOR ANOTHER SEVERAL
DECADES.
>> SO IN OTHER WORDS, YOU'RE
STILL OBLIGATED UNDER YOUR
CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT TO HAVE
THE BUILDING IN WORKING ORDER
REGARDLESS AND YOU HAVE FUNDS
THAT ARE NOT IN THE SRT FUND
THAT YOU CAN USE TO DO THAT
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
LEASE AND 2026 AND THEN THERE
WILL BE A RENEWAL FOR HOW YOU
KEEP THE BUILDING UP-TO-DATE.
>> RIGHT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON.
>> ERIC, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU
WOULD LIKE TO ADD, OR ANY
COMMENTS? USUALLY YOU ARE THERE
IS A GREAT RESOURCE. I DON'T
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU BUT
THERE IS NO CENTRAL STAFF MEMO
OR ANYTHING SO IS THERE MORE
INFORMATION WE SHOULD HAVE?
>> THANK YOU FOR ASKING. ERIC
McCONAGHY, SEATTLE CENTRAL
STAFF. I'M HAVING GREAT
CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLKS FROM
SEATTLE CENTER LEADING UP TO
THIS. I UNDERSTAND THEY WERE
REALLY OPEN TO HAVING
DISCUSSIONS WITH COUNCILMEMBERS
BEFORE THIS TO GET QUESTIONS
ANSWERED IN ADVANCE. I'VE
LOOKED OVER THE MATERIALS TO
MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS
ATTACHED AND IN ORDER.
CONSEQUENTLY I DID NOT HAVE A
RECOMMENDATION OR MEMORANDUM UP
HERE BUT IN SEATTLE CENTER IN
THE REP OF COURSE I DON'T HAVE
ANY OTHER OUTSTANDING CONCERNS
OR COMMENTS. THANK YOU FOR
ACKNOWLEDGING ME. I APPRECIATE
IT.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCIL
PRESIDENT. JUST A QUICK
COMMENT. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY
TO GO TO THE SEATTLE REP. FIRST
OFF, I THINK THEIR BRANDING IS
PHENOMENAL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SERIOUSLY, I DON'T KNOW WHO
DOES IT. I'M ALL INTO LIKE HOW
WEBSITES FEEL, THE BRANDING,
HOW IT DRAWS PEOPLE IN. YOU ALL
DO A PHENOMENAL JOB OF BRANDING
IN YOUR WEBSITE BUT I WAS ABLE
TO GO SEE FANNY . IT WAS
PHENOMENAL. IT'S LIKE ONE OF
MY FAVORITE HEROES, CIVIL
RIGHTS ACTIVIST, ONE OF MY
FAVORITE PARTS WAS FANNY LOU
HAMER ALSO STARTED A FORM
DURING THE LATER PARTS OF HER
LIFE TO CREATE, YOU KNOW,
MOVING PEOPLE AWAY FROM
SHARECROPPING AND TO LAND
OWNERSHIP AND SOVEREIGNTY IN
THE SOUTH, WHICH WAS HUGE BUT
ANYWAYS , JUST KNOW THAT A PART
OF OUR DOWNTOWN ACTIVATION PLAN
AND BRINGING PEOPLE TO THE
CITY, HOW IMPORTANT THE ARTS
AND CULTURE ARE GOING TO BE FOR
PEOPLE TO COME TO SEATTLE AND
NOT JUST ONLY ARCTURUS, BUT ARE
LOCALS COMING TO SEATTLE AND
SPENDING MONEY AND
UNDERSTANDING OUR CITY AND THE
ECONOMY SO I JUST -- ARTS IS A
MAJOR PLAY TO OUR CITY, SO AND
I LOVE THE BRANDING PIECE.
>> MY MARKETING TEAM WILL BE
THRILLED TO HEAR THAT.
>> WILL THEY? OKAY. YOU DO
EVERYTHING IN-HOUSE?
>> YES. WE'RE LUCKY. VERY
TALENTED TEAM.
>> PLEASE DO EXTEND TO YOUR
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT TEAM
WHOEVER THEY MAY BE, MY
APPRECIATION BECAUSE MY SON'S
SCHOOL HAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF
SOME OF YOUR PROGRAMMING , AND
I HAVE, AS WELL, AND I KNOW
THAT YOU ARE VERY GENEROUS AND
YOUR SUPPORT OF OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS IN TOWN SO THANK
YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> IF I CAN PIGGYBACK ON WHAT
COUNCIL PRESIDENT WAS SAYING, I
KNOW YOU WILL DO A LOT TO MAKE
SURE YOU ARE PROVIDING ACCESS
TO FOLKS WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO
OTHERWISE AFFORD TO ATTEND THE
THEATER, AND SO AS A KID WHO
GREW UP AND THAT WAS SOMETHING
I NEEDED, I REALLY APPRECIATE
ALL YOU DO TO MAKE THE THEATER
ACCESSIBLE TO OTHERS WHO WOULD
NOT OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO
APPRECIATE IT, AND YOU REMIND
ME, COUNCILMEMBER
HOLLINGSWORTH, THAT I SAW IN
THE HEIGHTS THERE WRITTEN BY A
FELLOW PUERTO RICAN AND IT WAS
PHENOMENAL AND YOU KNOW, NOT TO
SAY FOR THE AMOUNT OF STAGE.
IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU ALL ARE
ABLE TO DO IN TERMS OF
MAGNITUDE WITH THE SPACE THAT
YOU DO HAVE, SO IT'S REALLY AN
AMAZING THEATER , LIKE I SAID
EARLIER, A GEM, SO THANK YOU
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO
PROVIDE THAT ACCESS.
>> THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, I SAID
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION
BUT THIS DISCUSSION IS
HIGHLIGHTING THAT OF MY
COLLEAGUES ON THE DAIS IN THE
COMMUNITY , OF BEEN TO GET THE
FULL TOUR BECAUSE I'VE BEEN
THERE MANY TIMES MYSELF, TO GET
YOU KNOW, THE TOUR OF THE
SPACES AND THE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
AND ALL OF THAT IS VERY WELL
WORTHWHILE AND GIVE ME AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH THIS
BEFORE AND SO REALLY APPRECIATE
THAT TOUR AND I RECOMMEND IT TO
MY COLLEAGUES HERE ON THE DAIS.
>> THAT'S GREAT. WE WERE THERE
-- VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU THERE
AND IF ANY OF YOU WANT TO COME
OVER AT ANY TIME WOULD LOVE TO
WALK YOU THROUGH THE BUILDING.
>> THIS IS PHENOMENAL BUT
ANYWAYS OKAY SO I MOVE THAT THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS PASSAGE OF
COUNSEL BILL 120797. IS THERE A
SECOND?
>> SECOND.
>> MOVED AND SECONDED TO
RECOMMEND PASSAGE OF THE BILL.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS? SEEING
THAT THERE ARE NONE, PLEASE
CALL THE ROLE. FOR
RECOMMENDATION THAT THE COUNCIL
PASS COUNSEL BILL 120780.
>> COUNCIL MEMBER STRAUSS
>> ABSTAIN
>> COUNCIL MEMBER KETTLE
>> AYE
>> COUNCIL MEMBER RIVERA
>> AYE
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON
>> AYE
>> CHAIR HOLLINGSWORTH
>> AYE.
>> FOUR IN FAVOR, NONE OPPOSED,
ONE ABSTAINED.
>> THANK YOU. THE MOTION
CARRIES IN THE COMMUNITY
RECOMMENDATION THAT THE BILL
PASSES AMENDED WILL BE SENT TO
THE JUNE 18th 2024 CITY COUNCIL
MEETING. THANK YOU, EVERYONE,
FOR JOINING US TODAY. I
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND
LOOKING FORWARD TO SUPPORTING
THE SEATTLE REPERTORY THEATER.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU. MY COLLEAGUES
HAVE ANYMORE ITEMS OF BUSINESS
FOR THE COMMITTEE? I WILL MAKE
SURE I LOOK ON RESUME.
>> WELL, I MEAN -- I WILL TELL
YOU LATER BUT I HAD A REALLY
GREAT MEETING LAST NIGHT WITH
THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. HAPPY TO
FILL YOU ALL IN LATER BUT I
THINK THERE IS A GOOD ROAD
AHEAD OF US.
>> AWESOME, THANK YOU. LOOKING
FORWARD TO HEARING THAT. AND
SEEING THAT THERE IS NONE, THIS
IS GOING TO CONCLUDE THE JUNE
1220 24 MEETING OF PARKS,
PUBLIC UTILITIES TECHNOLOGY.
NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED JUNE
26, 2:00 P.M. AND I ALSO WANT
TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY
BROTHER. HE JUST HAD HIS FIRST
BABY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
ANTI-JOY LOVES YOU. THANK YOU.
NO FURTHER BUSINESS . THIS
MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 3:41
P.M.