No sorry.
SPR Boardroom: Alright. I'm gonna go to publish meeting to order. Well, by Number One before we get started. I'd just like to acknowledge and affirm the indigenous sales of original caretakers or waters and landscape, who nurture and achieve today's parkland. We honor their legacy with gratitude and appreciation, and will safeguard their knowledge and stewardship as enduring treasures to promote community welfare.
SPR Boardroom: cultivate inclusive expressions and nation recreation, and commit the land acknowledgement for each consuming generation with that I'm gonna go ahead and start with a round of introductions. I am the Co. Chair of the Board of Parks and our commissioners representing District 3. I'm filling in for Justin at the moment, who will take over shortly. When you guys here, go ahead and start here with Philip Phillip, Maine, Commissioner District 7,
Joshua's Seaford Commissioner at large.
SPR Boardroom: Amy Broadcas, Commissioner District 6, Stafford Bay's Commissioner, District 7,
Jessica, farmer, Commissioner at large. and I'm Apd as the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation.
SPR Boardroom: David's county sale works recreation with the South. Ben Berzo Sale parks and recreation.
Pasqual Contreras: Yes, Hi, possible controllers member at large
SPR Boardroom: with that before. Move on we must approve the minutes from the some fourteenth meeting as well as the agenda, for today. Is there a motion on the floor.
SPR Boardroom: So
SPR Boardroom: second, all those in favor
SPR Boardroom: any of us. or abstain
SPR Boardroom: motion carries with that Benjamin. Please take it away with Polycom.
SPR Boardroom: So it's my personal project. So, Commissioners, I have an announcement that your fellow Commissioner Andrea Stewart, unfortunately enjoys Stewart Wahal, she has to be stepping down.
SPR Boardroom: or Commissioner she's
SPR Boardroom: or does. She got a new job intended? Unfortunately, she can't do both.
SPR Boardroom: and so wanted us to make that announcement tonight. So sure. Well.
SPR Boardroom: just talking about just wanted to.
SPR Boardroom: And if you haven't heard she's been working at the Seattle International.
SPR Boardroom: Benjamin dot versa
at scale, and that is
SPR Boardroom: on the agenda as well, we're gonna go in the order. Folks reached out to me today. And so first signed up is Moxie and unless we were in the room. I do not see Moxie
SPR Boardroom: in the media room, so we're gonna keep going.
SPR Boardroom: So, Cindy. Thanks everyone. I appreciate your service. I was on the hard board at Green Lake for many years. II know many of you are here as volunteers, so I'm Sandy Shetler, and my comment is in relation to parks, being in
SPR Boardroom: violation of multiple laws based on the proposed pickleball courts at Lincoln Park. The State Gma, as you know, requires all cities to have a comprehensive plan which includes a parks plan with community input.
SPR Boardroom: Seattle's parks plan expired in August. and it did not include pickleball in that plan. since it was not in the expired plan. And there's no new plan. This project puts Seattle in violation of State law
SPR Boardroom: by continuing to push this illegal and very unpopular project. Parks is putting the city at substantial risk for legal challenges and potentially jeopardizing state funding.
SPR Boardroom: Our attorney has a letter which has been sent to her. I only have 3 copies, but I can. It's kinda nice to read the hard copy, but I can also send you the Pdf, so. Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Yes, exactly. Yes.
SPR Boardroom: that's interesting.
SPR Boardroom: Good evening. I'm
SPR Boardroom: My comment is in reference to the so called wildlife study. In like the park.
SPR Boardroom: I've researched and documented the wildlife in the park for decades.
SPR Boardroom: I'm concerned with the way that Parks is framing the study
SPR Boardroom: and the continuous nature that they are presenting all of the information about these ports to the public. I'm involved in that study, and Shepherd is is part of that colleagues.
SPR Boardroom: We're reluctantly participating in it. Because.
SPR Boardroom: it's not parameters established, and the timeframe in which you can do a scientific sound study is completely unreasonable.
SPR Boardroom: the study is also not part of the budget or the grant for all courts, but, according to my public records.
SPR Boardroom: is already almost $6,000 for the budget for any outside studies, such as the wildlife studies and the noise studies you web
several concerns about that. Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Great
SPR Boardroom: Denise.
SPR Boardroom: Hi! I'm Denise, Dan. I'm an artist and writer and co-director of sale, nature, Alliance.
SPR Boardroom: and I started Seattle Nature Alliance like 1213 years ago. when I began to see
SPR Boardroom: the trend of the Parks department to be adding more active uses into natural areas.
SPR Boardroom: And so that started off Zipline. and since then have established some really good working relationships with the folks at thank you, Park, most of on and retired as of the pandemic.
SPR Boardroom: But in I know the part
SPR Boardroom: I know what life is. And when
SPR Boardroom: this, these 2 projects came up, the dog
SPR Boardroom: park projects at football
SPR Boardroom: proposal came out of nowhere.
SPR Boardroom: No, no prior planning that the public is aware of.
SPR Boardroom: They kind of came out of nowhere and had a very short time period, limited period.
SPR Boardroom: And these 2 things have really really concern for a number of environmental, all all things that I have shared environmental problems. But today I just wanna talk about
SPR Boardroom: the impact that it's gonna have on community and for people. and
SPR Boardroom: the idea of inserting active uses into a space like this in Lincoln Park that is so central to the way the park is being used.
SPR Boardroom: is is just going to be devastating. You know, it's it's not just a matter a matter of the square footage that's gonna be taking up. It's the overall radiating impact of all. But also
SPR Boardroom: okay.
SPR Boardroom: the
SPR Boardroom: So basically, I think this violates a really key tenant of good recreational planning in in a park, particularly in a natural area park, in that
SPR Boardroom: it is going to end up negatively, impacting the very thing that people love about
SPR Boardroom: beautiful setting, the incomparable, just the the magnificence of that spot, and how it works for the public, how they use it, how they love it.
SPR Boardroom: how it's constantly. And it's going to
SPR Boardroom: basically
SPR Boardroom: remove all of that is going to.
SPR Boardroom: It's going to really impact the beauty and the peace and the wildlife that are there. It's going to fence people out.
So last amount of noise
SPR Boardroom: and it's going to benefit
SPR Boardroom: mainly. Just pick a baller, or in case of the dog cart stops.
SPR Boardroom: So all of that has to be there currently, which is
SPR Boardroom: most popular use of of any use in the part of more people. Verse people, people, ages of all backgrounds, currently using that space are going to be
SPR Boardroom: asked to go elsewhere. And it's going to be daily
SPR Boardroom: to select. Okay? Nice.
SPR Boardroom: Okay. Next up. We're going to go over to the online group
so that might click her back.
SPR Boardroom: And here is my first, sir. There it is. Sarah Nolan going to
SPR Boardroom: give you permission to talk?
SPR Boardroom: you have permission to unmute yourself before you start. I'm going to confirm with you. Just real quick. Is Brett also there with you? Yes, he is
SPR Boardroom: okay. So I will time you for 2 min, and then, at the conclusion of 2 min, I'll let you know, and and I'll give bread the permission to talk there.
Sarah Dolan: Okay, thank you. Thank you again. Okay.
Sarah Dolan: Am I begin
SPR Boardroom: right?
Sarah Dolan: My name is Sarah Dolan. I live about 6 blocks away from the park, and I'm there at least once a day.
For walks with my husband.
Sarah Dolan: We adore the natural space that it is, and I'm here to tell you that. I appreciate here sees noise, study, but I think there needs to be a full noise. Study done.
Sarah Dolan: One of my friends is on the lake as we go City Council, and they did both. A noise in a parking study before, due to lawsuits. Unfortunately, and I think we need at least the same for our park, which is a regional park
Sarah Dolan: of incredible beauty, serenity and it's it's my time to be quiet. Time to be to walk in the park.
Sarah Dolan: Pickle ball is about 70 decibels. If if you don't know already very loud, and it's it is a very highly intensive noise that is different than it's it's a it's akin to something backing a truck backing up, or an a annoying noise.
Sarah Dolan: so I guess
Sarah Dolan: the the the the parks department thinks they're gonna regulate having paddles that are extra quiet which have not yet been invented yet. By the way, and I can tell you right now that there's no way, unless you have someone standing there that you're gonna be able to have quieter paddles. You know, people are gonna come with what they have. They're not buying new paddles
Sarah Dolan: and then abatement is very difficult around fencing. Very expensive, hugely expensive to the tune of like $50,000 for one piece around a park.
Sarah Dolan: so you can look at the lake as we go study for that. That shows you that neither paddles nor Bateman seemed to really help maybe 10 decibels at most. And I can tell you from my own experience, that I watch owls from there, and there are about 160 species of birds in the park here. She can tell you about that, and the owls go to the trees that are around this, and that will be disturbing the owls as well as our resident
Sarah Dolan: bald eagles. We have 2 of them that I saw just last night
Sarah Dolan: in the park that go to the trees above these this field.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, Sarah, that through 2 min right there. I'm gonna ask you to switch over to Brett.
SPR Boardroom: and I will give you permission to unmute again.
SPR Boardroom: Alright and, Brad, whenever you go ahead and unmute, and you have 2 min.
Sarah Dolan: Thank you. Good evening. Thanks for taking us
Sarah Dolan: most every day. The Fauntleroy Ferry backs up to and through Lincoln Park on any decent weather day, with 0 sporting events in the Park and 0 picnic Shelter group rentals. Both Lincoln Park parking lots are completely full.
Sarah Dolan: Now Lake Oswego, Oregon, converted 2 tennis courts into 6 pickle ball. the same as the proposed material storage site, conversion into 6 pickle walls, and one.
Sarah Dolan: Their parking studies showed that 25 spaces were used for peak, pickleball, and 182 spaces over a day of play. Now the Lincoln Park. Parking has 141 spaces total.
Sarah Dolan: You can't even see the proposed courts at Lincoln Park from where you would like to park your car, and you can't see your car getting burglarized from where you would be playing on a court that will be in the shade and covered with debris.
Sarah Dolan: Parks should build or lease an indoor space so that taxpayers will get their full dollar value, and everyone will get real playing time.
Sarah Dolan: Let's see a legitimate parking study. And please take a hard look at all the vacancies up in Westwood village. Plenty of parking.
Sarah Dolan: Nice neighborhood. Looks like a good fit. Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, thank you very much, Bret. 1 s
SPR Boardroom: so
SPR Boardroom: alright, and Diana Spence. I do not see a last name, but I'm going to assume here. This is Diana Spence. You now have permission to unmute yourself, and you'll have 2 min to talk.
Diana: Go ahead. Good evening. How's my volume? Okay, thank you so much, Benjamin. Thank you for the link at the last moment, too. Appreciate that.
Diana: My name is Diana Spence, my husband and I live in West Seattle, about 1,500 feet
Diana: from the proposed site of the pickleball courts.
Diana: and we enjoy pick a ball just we don't want it there in the park. Our main position is is environmental.
Diana: I don't know if you've been to that site, but there are what are called exceptional trees
Diana: that surround the Pickleball Court. They surround it, they overhang it.
Diana: They. There are routes that are already coming up through the asphalt on the court, or it's not a court. It hasn't been a court for years.
Diana: and
Diana: in I think it was. I had March of
Diana: 2023 Mayor. Harrell issued an executive order and a proposed new legislation to support and grow Seattle Tree canopy.
Diana: So I'm just going to quote very quickly from his speech, and he said, trees are essential to our efforts to combat the impacts of climate change
Diana: and to build healthy communities.
Diana: We must act now to get back on track toward meeting our tree canopy goals and build the climate forward future we want to see. So those trees surround the the pickle proposed site.
Diana: They they just they couldn't stand there. If if the pickleball port courts go in
Diana: the first time somebody falls
Diana: or or rolls on a cone, a pine cone, there will be a lawsuit, and those trees will go. So
Diana: really,
Diana: just
Diana: that is what I wanted to say, and I appreciate the time to do. So.
Diana: Okay, thank you so much, Sam.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, taking one last look here, I still did not see Moxie.
SPR Boardroom: And so with that, I believe public comment period is concluded.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you. Thank you so much. Everyone. We appreciate your
SPR Boardroom: right? Well, all of those issues are ones that we also take to heart. Just a reminder.
SPR Boardroom: We will not be removing any trees as part of this project, but we are also committed to doing the study, even if it's outside of the initial budget to really kind of understand
SPR Boardroom: impacts any for the wildlife.
SPR Boardroom: And also Commissioner. Just let me know, too, we were just announcing, in case you had heard. But our fellow, your fellow Commissioner Andreas, doing well. She sat down due to a new job, so she got a great new job, so just wanted, you know.
SPR Boardroom: or as I understand what, we'll be sending her. Thank you.
Superintendent's program.
SPR Boardroom: Okay? So II don't know how you all feel at camp where you can still say Happy New Year. So after next after this month, then you can't say it, but so happy New Year. I hope you all enjoy
SPR Boardroom: your holidays and time of family and friends, and also thank you for the cold weather spell that, Seattle. I gave me to experience my first winter here.
SPR Boardroom: We had a debate. At work. If it was so cold out it was. Gonna be that cold. Would you rather be that cool in Seattle with snow or so? A lot of people were like, What do you guys?
SPR Boardroom: It was pretty cool. I was waiting for the snow, and
SPR Boardroom: just now but we did have a few impacts. we work really closely with the school district, and we had some sub, you know, freezing weather to our system, minimal impact overall. But you may have heard. And I learned, always learning the park system.
SPR Boardroom: Several of our synthetic seals. Experience this phenomenon that happens
SPR Boardroom: during sometimes the cold weather where the ground can actually work up and actually happened in my garage to my door, which I didn't know it. Oh, it works because it's so cold. So I've been assured that our fields will come back to normal. But we did have to cancel some of our play and things because we had these phenomena of cold.
SPR Boardroom: But we've gone through it pretty well, and always prepared with our other city partners that should be gets more intensive full or snow for, you know range where they're prepared to support the community. And this whole system is needed.
SPR Boardroom: We've also had a variety of city council turnover. So if you've been following the local
SPR Boardroom: city news, I believe this is the largest
SPR Boardroom: portion in city council and so many new Council members all at once. So there's 16 Council members. On the Seattle City Council, including Tanya, wove
SPR Boardroom: was just affirmed by the Council to fill the vacancy of Council. Member, Scada went on to the County supervisor or council member role. So she's been confirmed. The new Council President was selected. That's Sarah Nelson.
SPR Boardroom: and we will also have a new Parks committee. That's now going to be called the Parks utilities and technology.
SPR Boardroom: and maybe
SPR Boardroom: and we just send that the Council Member Joy Collinsworth is going to be the chair
SPR Boardroom: of the parts. Utilities and technology committee. And she is really
SPR Boardroom: excited for her position. And we are going to be doing formal presentation, all of them new Council members as well as the city council, on our departments. But we've already met her and our staff has started to work with her staff, and we're really excited for that partnership. So just wanted to do those updates with park Rangers, and really excited to announce that we
SPR Boardroom: got a successfully got a geographic restriction lifted. I don't know if you all remember, but the Rangers, due to a long standing labor agreement with the police guild has only been allowed to operate in the downtown period of Seattle.
SPR Boardroom: and although we have authority to hire up to 28 Park Rangers, we really key to the success of the program will be our ability to be in all parts of the city cause. That's where all of our works are. And it was a challenge for us last year, but it was a lot of our work, and successfully passed. And so now the geographic restriction has been lifted, and we're gonna work on hiring our next
SPR Boardroom: rangers additional 14 as well as the manager. And then we get a plan of how we can create city by
SPR Boardroom: support of our community centers in our parks and really excited for that. And so we'll give you more of an update on that. Just wanted to let you know about that. Also, you know, we've had several discussions here, the commission and in the news about the Dlm. Garden
SPR Boardroom: at Cal Anderson. We did work after proper notice period, and work with our city partners. To remove the garden, and we purpose it back to its original intent. However, I do want to give you an update. That part of the commitment.
SPR Boardroom: that the Parks Department made, as well as Mayor's office, was to convene a task force of local community
SPR Boardroom: members to determine what would be the best way to still memorialize some kind of trivia. And
SPR Boardroom: yeah, we've had some very positive community meetings, and we'll have more to share with that coming up. But that was positive that we still want to be very committed to honoring the intent of that space and that part of our history here in Seattle and the world itself. While we were purpose in the garden back to its original use. We are definitely still committed, and already having meetings on what can be the next memorial spot in the city somewhere on that
SPR Boardroom: later. I did. Wanna also talk about our tribal summit. So we just about 6 months ago, the city of Seattle hosted the first ever tribal summit with the local tribal nations that represent this area. It was the first time the city of Seattle that ever had a formal tribal summit
SPR Boardroom: with what our sovereign nation in as as tribal
SPR Boardroom: governance. Here in the United States, and we have so much, so more work to do, and one of the outcomes of the very successful trials city travel summit
SPR Boardroom: was the desire for individual departments to have follow up with the tribal nations. To share the work that their department does, and also create a space for learn from tribes and also potentially
SPR Boardroom: create ideas of how we could lead
SPR Boardroom: to have better relations. And so we just finish a tribal summit as the first department City department, to have the follow up
SPR Boardroom: with some really great conversations. With 4 of the major tribes in the area. And we're gonna be digesting, coming back with some action items and some ideas that I would love to bring to the Commission on ways that we can use our touch on the community to really in and highlight the tribes
SPR Boardroom: and the main takeaway of many, many things that we talked about was just the ability and the importance of all the tribal members to continue storytelling
SPR Boardroom: and telling their story and their history. And you know, in parks I you know we we pride ourselves here and be stewards and caretakers of the land, but we very much honor that.
SPR Boardroom: Not only the original caretakers, but this still today caretakers of the land and the sea are all around us with our tribal partners. And so I'm really committed to
platform
SPR Boardroom: meeting our departments in this space, and how we can continue to support cultural activities. Naming
SPR Boardroom: park spaces that have traditional Indian names, we wanna, you know, look at also having names with our traditional park names. Helping to do storytelling or cultural involvement, even some ideas about creating. You know, Indian fire.
Annie Hindenlang: I'm sure I can try
SPR Boardroom: in the environment and other things that we could help support the community. So Parks, I think, is a perfect place to do that. And so we're going to be doing that. And then we had
SPR Boardroom: We were thrilled to honor. We brought back something called the Danny Awards which have been long standing awards. That kind of fell off, I think, around the time of the pandemic.
SPR Boardroom: And it's where we honor community volunteers give up their time. And we created a space that they were able to come together, and
SPR Boardroom: we had some really really great award winners. You can see the people in the photo. And so just to give you an idea. Snapshot of a variety
SPR Boardroom: on today. Muller is wearing a cap photo. And she represents Seattle urban nature guide system, and she's been leading walks and guiding active education in nature for over 17 years.
SPR Boardroom: And these are just volunteers. But these are people that are fantastic volunteers because public things that they're, you know, official park representatives because they care, and they know when they lead out in ways that we couldn't do. And so I think that's fantastic.
SPR Boardroom: There's Eric Espin Horse. He's a member of the friends of Dead Horse Canyon, and serves the communities that bring your beach, skyway, and Lake Ridge, which are some of our most under served communities in Seattle, and does outdoor recreational opportunities in that portion of the city.
SPR Boardroom: And then our equity champion was the friends of Hutcheson playground.
SPR Boardroom: Which were bunch of families and kids came together. And we've been
SPR Boardroom: using them as community members. To really involve, be involved, actually designing a place and really designing a whole area. Almost kind of from scratch. It's a unique
SPR Boardroom: group that Hutchinson has formed, and
SPR Boardroom: they are just so excited. And the kids have got the experience to see. Like to plan something that's coming. I think it's gonna be a memorable experience for them.
SPR Boardroom: And then we honored brilliantly for written our they were the 2 of them, our current volunteers at our Metalbert Pool.
SPR Boardroom: and team life centers, and they both do events annually with the polar bear plunge and also help run some of the swimming programs. And they've grown up in recreation throughout in there and have participated programs. And now our role models to other leaders, and they were fantastic.
SPR Boardroom: And then we gave an award to the Rainier Beach distance running program, the press country team. And I learned that there are all kinds of kids and coaches in this program that basically teach kids in Rainier beach in that area about running and the benefits of running. And a place to do that and have programs to give them shoes and running equipment.
SPR Boardroom: Basically the power of that sport that
SPR Boardroom: doesn't require a lot other than training effort and choose but a life skill that you can learn and do anywhere. And all this there are always kids and runners there, super exciting. So just wanted to touch that. I also wanted to, just on a more serious note. You may have heard that we had a very tragic event 2 days ago. There was a death of a 14 year old
SPR Boardroom: in West Seattle at one of our
SPR Boardroom: community team Life Center slash areas. It's very close adjacent to, I think, self high School in West Seattle. This is somewhat of a still ongoing investigation, at least are working on it. But
SPR Boardroom: which is tragically A boy was shot and died.
SPR Boardroom: and our staff was
SPR Boardroom: really right there. Involved, and also trying to get life-saving skills
SPR Boardroom: and help the child, and so
SPR Boardroom: just wanted to let you know that couple of things. One.
SPR Boardroom: We're holding our staff very near, and here and we have some excellent
SPR Boardroom: what we call the Ap programs, or sort of wrap around services to help employees deal with trauma and to make ourselves available to support them.
SPR Boardroom: I'm doing a listening session with them tomorrow.
SPR Boardroom: And we're also assessing all of our centers to to see, you know, to ensure that we have as much security
SPR Boardroom: as possible in place. What's tragic about this? And just wanna highlight, too, is that you know
SPR Boardroom: it's surprising and shocking to me. But it's still it's not illegal. Community center.
SPR Boardroom: And one of the legislative priorities for the mayor's office this year is to
SPR Boardroom: among about 10 other top things, is to continue advocacy for gun safety regulation. It's really shocking, too. Is that a lot of our community team licenters, and community center
SPR Boardroom: are built right next to Parks, and so you know, we had a tragic event like this last year at Garfield, and if you're just a member of the public, and you come onto that campus. You have no idea that it's not part of the school. This is, it looks like it's an addition. Another part of the school. And well, you can't take a gun into the school. And unfortunately.
SPR Boardroom: it's just a small snapshot of of this endemic problem and a problem that's facing our city. So just ask that you continue to hold our staff near and dear to your heart, and just know that we are working, support them as well as support the public. And then, of course.
SPR Boardroom: just wanted to announce that.
SPR Boardroom: Okay.
SPR Boardroom: excellent.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah. So some of our
SPR Boardroom: A,
SPR Boardroom: so we also have some. Is there a slide on our new organization? Or is this, I think? Here, I'll just speak to we've created a new branch within the department called Parks and Recreational Services.
SPR Boardroom: And I'm pleased to announce, if many of you know, and I think, have worked with Daisy Katagi who has served as our recreation director for many years, and Daisy is actually grown up in parks and rec caller parks and Rec, because she's been attending programs and has been working for the department for so many years. And so I'm really pleased to appoint Daisy to be a deputy superintendent
SPR Boardroom: and she's gonna serve of our parks and recreational services branch which is gonna hold all of recreation as well as community services. Rangers, activation emergency operations. And really, highlight amplify recreation because it's really a key part of what we do. And then she will continue to be the main liaison with our who's our other community partner in
SPR Boardroom: providing recreation here in the city of Seattle. So we started off with the polar bear, and
SPR Boardroom: and so we continue to do that. With swim Seattle. We had our first swim Seattle community workshop at the Medgar Evers Pool and the Garfield team live center to educate 21 teams on water safety and to raise awareness about drowning prevention. And the essential of both and lake safety. And this sparked an interest to continue these types of programs. And continue to have discussions in this program. Many people continue to remind me that.
SPR Boardroom: Not only is it important to teach kids to swim, certainly in the pools, but given sort of an extra duty here in Seattle that lake swimming is a very real
SPR Boardroom: hello
SPR Boardroom: risk for people who don't know how to swim, but also requires extra just skill, set and knowledge. That's when we in a lake can be different than swimming in a pool. So we're committed to doing both, since we are the city of water.
SPR Boardroom: And we had the get moving of recreation for all program. These are grant applications that help support. Our efforts to get people moving and more healthy and also support some of our Seattle Park district monies. And those are currently going on their deal with February 15 and get moving funds. Culturally, also fun, culturally relevant physical activities in communities where
SPR Boardroom: there are health disparities and so recreation for all funds, new, innovative, innovative and culturally relevant recreational programs that are tailored to individual communities and support all kinds of programs like rainbow recreation and Yoga and kids programs and programs for seniors. And so
SPR Boardroom: we're excited to to do that. Speaking of rainbow recreation. This is a option. Going on throughout the city for community members who are 50 plus there's no one in this room.
SPR Boardroom: maybe. Identify as Lgbtq and their allies to engage and connect. And so we encourage community members to learn about this rainbow recreation. We have information about it.
SPR Boardroom: On our website. And registration is going on now. So please share that. And this is a great way that we're not only supporting Lgbtq, but we're also supporting our aging population. And that's super important for help as well as just community. And so we're excited about that.
SPR Boardroom: And then on citywide athletics. Currently in recreation, we're in the midst of our youth basketball season, serving up to 3,000 youth. Adult athletics is also in the winter session, and we have. We're offering adult flag, football.
SPR Boardroom: basketball, and adult roller. Derby. Drop it. Yeah, exactly good skater name.
SPR Boardroom: And then I wanna share continuing in our
SPR Boardroom: some of our before and after photos which were always great. So winter, spring, summer, while our ground maintenance staff are always busy and working hard to maintain and beautify our city parks. Here are a few of the hundreds of their recent tasks. So on the left photo
SPR Boardroom: there's new safety striking at Sea press, park and kudos to paint shops, quick response to slippery concerns by putting downtown
SPR Boardroom: and helping to create a more permanent space there to make it safe in the upper middle photos. The planting of our annuals takes place, and our produce planted beautiful annual flowers at Jenny Park here, and at
SPR Boardroom: to look from a place in downtown Seattle. Which you can see and there's always a great space, but continuous planting is necessary in our city with our weather. So we respond to that. In the upper right photos, is some clean ups of illegal dumping, and you know our staff sometimes encounters hazardous and
SPR Boardroom: illegally dumped materials in our park grounds and waters. Unfortunately, some of our community members treat our parks, as you know, areas to dispose of trash, and so picture carefully removed from like Washington in Madison Park. So
SPR Boardroom: damage. So, taking care of our land.
SPR Boardroom: and then in the lower right. For feeding removal continues, here's some pictures at Miller Park, Rainbow Sign, and for contacts, and 2023, our crews
SPR Boardroom: completed 1,683. For me, removal work quarters, 80%. 6% of all graffiti work orders were finished in 6 business days, or less so overall. Last year our facility shops completed 18,429 work orders, which is an all time record high
SPR Boardroom: and also, and, thanks to our find it and fix it. App, which is a way for community members. If they see things such as this, picture, upload the app. And on average we're responding not 6 days. So really important to do that. But who knows them?
SPR Boardroom: So our planning and capital development branch I also wanted to announce the organizational change. So if you remember, being our deputy superintendent over the planning Capital Development Branch with Mike Schwindeller.
SPR Boardroom: and in consultation with the superintendent's office to attend to some family matters. Mike has stepped down from that position, but Annie Schaefer.
SPR Boardroom: is stepping up to be the deputy superintendent of the Planning Capital Development Branch, which will also include the Seattle Conservation Board as well as our golf operations. So.
SPR Boardroom: and in having Annie moved there previously, was over operations. Both operations is what was restyled into the parks the Recreation Community Service branch. So Andy will still be involved. This is where Andy originally came from.
SPR Boardroom: background education. So just wanted to announce that some successes in this department we have recent paid openings at South Park Community Center play field. So there's still some
SPR Boardroom: chatter out on the field that you're not starting this project. But we are. And it's just came in, and they're very favorable. And so just wanted to. Let you know we have issue now, and notice. Proceed with the South Park. Positive project construction is set to begin
SPR Boardroom: in early February. So this was a long awaited project
SPR Boardroom: and finally started. So at greater garden greater gardens. Renovation of our rest room, which was damaged by an arson incident. Recently had a positive bid opening, and then the Hiawatha Community Center major maintenance and facility, upgrades and accessibility. Improvements will be going on there as well. So these are 3 big bits that have come back.
SPR Boardroom: We have a property at 1125, Harvard in near Volunteer Park, which is which was a gift that was given to the city and the park department from the bullet
SPR Boardroom: family and the whole estate. So there's a historic home, and there's also quite a large garden area. So we are trying to determine what would be the best use of that property and site. Many community members have been asking about it. So we're gonna be holding a public meeting to begin dialogue on January seventeenth. With members of the community,
SPR Boardroom: likely will be some sort of passive recreation, maybe some sort of garden or something to support the environment. But again, we want to have this conversation with the community. And that will be happening on January seventeenth.
SPR Boardroom: I please report that little Saigon construction give you an update. This is the new park site under construction, which is well underway. This is off of Team Street, near the International China district and was at an old, I believe
SPR Boardroom: Arts program, which is
SPR Boardroom: although but it is I know that it was a
SPR Boardroom: and on the board, and so construction will be starting on that. and then an update on the Sprs dot i. 90 trail and junk in station access, lighting staircase system. This multi agency project, coordinated by the Seattle Department of Transportation, installed lighting and a new staircase on trail, and several parks in the I 90 corridor rail station in Seattle Central area pictured. Here is the new staircase.
SPR Boardroom: You can kind of see it there, although
SPR Boardroom: and at the end of Hiawatha Place. It will open to the public at the end of January, and other partners included Seattle City, White public utilities for the new staircase. Washington State Department of Transportation sound transit as funding partner and so that is coming up. And just to give you a year and
SPR Boardroom: data Update on our planning capital and development team. We completed 44 projects this year and planning studies and 2023 estimates that equates to 109
SPR Boardroom: 1 million dollars worth of project. So kind of 90 million, and so on. Thanks to the hard work of that branch, 109 sorry 1 million dollars.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, our policy and financial brands which is headed by Deputy Superintendent Michelle. Then again, we do all of the events scheduling
SPR Boardroom: that you can see here as a reminder. We also do the event scheduling. But we do the programming for fields of all scale public schools. So it's a complicated and quite a high demand for use of our space in the city. But our athletic and events scheduling unit made a number of improvements to help streamline several registration processes from public.
SPR Boardroom: It's always been a challenge as a consumer. And if any of you are consumers, or how to do that, you know, it can be challenging. But athletic scheduling is enhanced now by our Gsi mapping tool to reflect updated information about all of our Svr athletic courts and fields. Synthetic grass lit and nonlet
SPR Boardroom: and we'll provide more detail field information across our system to make it easier to register event. Scheduling will post promotional materials at Svr sites and our community centers with a QR. Code. So everyone walking by can quickly gain access to information, reserve a particular space. So that's an improvement.
SPR Boardroom: see, there's a QR. Code there to better accommodate many reservation requests for summer day camps. Event scheduling will begin a new lottery system this year. Applications submitted between January first and 30 first will be entered into the lottery. Subsequent applications will be reviewed on a first serve basis. So
SPR Boardroom: it's sounds a little unique, and it is, but it also alleviates some concern that you know. If you didn't make it in on the first date, or you were working, or you weren't able to call, you can kind of be based out and really challenging. So for now
SPR Boardroom: we're gonna have a system with a larger area, people that get in applications and then do a lottery to make it more of a fair process. Our new automated online technic application is now live, and it provides. Customers will customize response, and it's been translated so far into 7 languages, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Somali, Korean, and
SPR Boardroom: and this is again for picnic shelters and sites which are very popular for families in any event. So we're continuing to do that. And I'm continuing to work with our staff on
SPR Boardroom: my goal to also get us an app
SPR Boardroom: for registration. So more to come on that
SPR Boardroom: for contracting the request for proposals for seasonal concessions for the 2024 season is open
SPR Boardroom: at 22 locations and 20 parks, and the rfp. Will close on February sixth. So this is really an opportunity for local businesses. You know.
SPR Boardroom: anyone who has great idea and can be can respond to a concession. We really want to get that information out. We activate support local business communities, minority women own businesses. There's an opportunity for everyone to do that. And it's what makes the parks fun and unique and offers unique things coming up so that
SPR Boardroom: and then
SPR Boardroom: upcoming events. So they're gonna be some breakfast going on February eleventh. That's better, like Community Center and March third at Loyal Lights Community Center
SPR Boardroom: there will be an open mic poetry night, February second March first.
SPR Boardroom: February second, and march first, both at Miller Community Center will be open mic poetry night. So if anyone's interested in open my poetry. Night.
SPR Boardroom: march first. Seattle, open swim. We're doing, continuing a focus on 3 families as part of that program, and that'll go on every and then we're already planning for the spring 8 times, which will be at the end of March a little bit more. So just wanted to give you some
SPR Boardroom: update. And I think that's the end of the report.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you. As always, unbending to you, I will say
SPR Boardroom: correction. On the summer tenth. I did, Daisy. Wonderful! Said music redundant tragic about that shooting. And if anyone's curious set a bill 5, 4, 4 would allow localities to ban firearms in specific parts. And there's other things to about public areas.
SPR Boardroom: Just something to watch it made it the ways it needs. And then I do have one request for your team with this new council. Ap is just to keep this group informed about updates comprehensive plan as it applies to us. And also the budget discussions. I know it's gonna be tough.
SPR Boardroom: And yeah, we worked hard on that psychology plan. And we do have an interlocal agreement on 4
just being a top moment.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: In there. Yeah. And actually, if I can
continue to emphasize that last point right like that.
SPR Boardroom: a big part of when the park district was signed to existence that
SPR Boardroom: there's a lot of concern that we use to all be general fund
SPR Boardroom: and obligations. And that's that's really not the intense.
SPR Boardroom: Do the things that the park district was to do and and not to kind of allow
SPR Boardroom: the underfunding of the services. That are
SPR Boardroom: right. Yeah, right?
SPR Boardroom: Okay,
SPR Boardroom: yes. And more discussion on that and more of an update, maybe in the next meeting citywide. So we're just assessing all that come back to you next meeting.
Okay.
SPR Boardroom: 2 quick ones. One in regards to team Life Center, Southwest. And I know that particular area, Seattle, there's a lot of different entities around that area, right
SPR Boardroom: team, Life Center Pool as well. Right?
SPR Boardroom: It'd be great just to hear back, perhaps at the next meeting, what your conversations brought back, because, understanding that, you know, gun violence is a city wide multi department issue that we're trying to solve. Our communities will just be great to understand, like how to work together to see what we can do in the areas that we do have control of to help. You know.
SPR Boardroom: next question is more of an operational question. I know we have tons of spaces where people can get to help beaches and go swimming, and I also know, having been a person that jumped like a lot when I was younger.
SPR Boardroom: question is, do we maintain areas around those dots in terms of what's underwater? So just out of curiosity. Yeah, we do, actually. And I was just having a conversation with our team. About that. We do do maintenance near dots, because we're also finding recently.
SPR Boardroom: sometimes to a lot of fishing line in addition, now coming in not only damaging like wildlife and birds and stuff, but also creating like hazards in the water. So we actually are.
SPR Boardroom: yes, the answer is, yes, that's and we're even thinking of
SPR Boardroom: maybe some sort of how we can get like a little bit of a public service announcement. Now about wanna have people using
SPR Boardroom: the shores for fishing and things like that, but
SPR Boardroom: kind of like, you gotta take that stuff with you. And I know during the pandemic was, Doc. Fishing has really taken off yeah past couple of years. So breakpoints
SPR Boardroom: one last question. Thank you. Go go. Bruce's.
SPR Boardroom: Excuse me, the mayors hiring freeze. So good question. My understanding is there are certain categories
SPR Boardroom: positions that kind of fall under public safety. So right now, I don't believe that there will be an impact to our partners or hiring just really good news. It's also Monday to your plans. So public safety. I believe that we're gonna be okay.
SPR Boardroom: awesome. And looking at some here trying to get us back to it. You wanna do some opening remarks for our next agenda for parks and open space plan. Absolutely. So the next item is a briefing on the draft. 2024 parts of open space plan will be expiring.
SPR Boardroom: The plan serve several purposes. It inventories the city's park system, including land facilities, review city demographics, recreation, participate participation needs and defines a level of service standard and also identifies capital projects and prioritizes funding for park development, and
SPR Boardroom: Kevin and Annie
SPR Boardroom: Kevin is here.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah.
SPR Boardroom: Evening. Our Commissioners name is Kevin Berg, and I'm a senior park planner and planning community or Capital
SPR Boardroom: Development branch. And so Annie Hinden Lang is also on the call here, and she's the manager. So here tonight to as a piece set of briefing on how we come along, and to to develop the 2024 parts of open space plan.
SPR Boardroom: What do you use to play out there?
SPR Boardroom: There? No, there. We got up at the top here for the screen share. So simply. okay, well, sorry.
SPR Boardroom: So oh, I see right here.
SPR Boardroom: there's always some.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, there we go.
SPR Boardroom: Okay? So today's briefing is what see? The plan, at least today will be distributing that to the board and the public on February 9.
SPR Boardroom: So there's no very early 2023.
SPR Boardroom: So, as you see up here, we're gonna introduce the plan, the park and open space plan to the board, and
SPR Boardroom: we want to come out front. Say that at least 2024 plan. This is a minor update to the previous plan. The twenty-seventh. I knew there was a reason I brought that in case you haven't seen it.
SPR Boardroom: So this is the previous plan
SPR Boardroom: that was printed. I'm we're still deciding whether whether or how many pop. So printing, since everyone's got electronic. And so there's a couple of reasons which I'll cover here as to why we're just doing a minor update, at least for this. Go round
SPR Boardroom: and also covered through. Walk through the contents of the plan.
SPR Boardroom: and then actually see on the bottom. Here you'll be seeing the back here on February 20 s, and then March fourteenth. That's as we move through a public hearing. And then actually on March fourteenth, when you'll be making a a recommendation whether to adopt the plan.
SPR Boardroom: So
SPR Boardroom: so, as Ap mentioned, purpose of the plan is not only Seattle Parks, but all Park departments in the State of Washington. If they want to be eligible for recreation, conservation office funding, they need to complete Pay
SPR Boardroom: park, an open space plan, or some communities called the Parks recreation, open space plan.
SPR Boardroom: and those usually have a 6 year horizon or planning horizon. So
SPR Boardroom: all communities, once they develop the plan. If there's a whole list of all the communities state and those Rollover constantly as to when they're due
SPR Boardroom: as one of the
SPR Boardroom: People who commented earlier public comment. Yes, our plan expired in August of 2,023.
SPR Boardroom: And so, because this is really an inventory and analysis keep this in line
SPR Boardroom: for state funding.
SPR Boardroom: There's not any real harm that it's expired. It's really more that
SPR Boardroom: we wanna get back in line as soon as possible, because, as
SPR Boardroom: I believe, it was talked about tonight, or someone asked about it. One Seattle comprehensive plan that another department, the office of
SPR Boardroom: planning and community development. They're working on that right now.
SPR Boardroom: although I understand that it's been delayed, possibly until the end of this year for actually getting approval.
SPR Boardroom: So we want to try and align those as best as possible.
SPR Boardroom: So since I showed you the previous plan was adopted in 2017,
SPR Boardroom: and also, as Ap mentioned, yeah, that's right. That's right. You can see, the objectives are, of course, an inventory and document. Our existing parks and facilities review any changes in population which we know is change, but also the demographics and also recreational. And then, you know, reviewing all the hard work that you mentioned on the
SPR Boardroom: Sale Park district
SPR Boardroom: Financing Plan review that to input that information into
SPR Boardroom: this iteration of the particle and space clinical.
SPR Boardroom: Yes.
SPR Boardroom: How do I get back here?
SPR Boardroom: That wasn't what I wanted to do. This computer.
SPR Boardroom: Big question.
SPR Boardroom: Okay? I thought that was my laptop at home.
SPR Boardroom: Okay.
SPR Boardroom: okay, very good. Yeah. I think that's probably good idea. So the purpose of the park and Open space plan. There's many things that's valuable department and also in the branch signat, and that is, of course, it guides long term planning, build guides capital development.
SPR Boardroom: They'll guide asset management, which is for most of branch. I'm in that covers a lot of things minor and major repair of our facilities and also property acquisition. And then also this parking open space plan helps with prioritize individual pieces.
I think.
SPR Boardroom: As I mentioned earlier, the proposed approach is to try and get partner space plan more aligned with not only the sale, part district finance planning effort which will be coming up, but also to
SPR Boardroom: aligned with the one scale. Comprehensive plan. And so what we're looking at is that with this minor edition of A, it'll be like 2025. That will be kicking off for the next effort, and that will be a much more involved effort.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, there we go.
SPR Boardroom: So public engagement for the plan.
SPR Boardroom: It's already mentioned. We did coordinate with Opcd. Or the office of Planning community development when they help some of their initial
SPR Boardroom: outreach, and that was in late 2022 and early 2023,
SPR Boardroom: and that was really helpful in
SPR Boardroom: it's an open house setting. We were able to put up boards and ask people about what they wanted to see in parks. We got a lot of feedback on that.
SPR Boardroom: and then, while we hired consultant to help us draft. The plan took a while, and then we had our first virtual public meeting in mid-may of 2023, and we also set up a specific
SPR Boardroom: or an online engagement of specific website or people pinning for their comments. And then, finally, in May and June of 2023, we help public meetings at different community centers around the city. In fact, that's a photo from yes, sir, Community Center, and it shows 2 of our newest planners there. And
SPR Boardroom: Jordan. So
SPR Boardroom: everyone had. Everyone had a good experience, and we got a lot of comments back between the one Seattle participation and also our own open space is open space or open houses, and there were 60 things recorded in more than categories.
SPR Boardroom: some of the things we did differently in the 2024 plan. First, we updated as some of the things we mentioned population.
SPR Boardroom: the report population consensus. And we also analyzed different data or newer data on recreation participation trends. And we also came up with a new level of service which I'm going to cover on that
SPR Boardroom: another slide here.
SPR Boardroom: in case there's questions about the public engagement. We did go out and try to reach out to as many community organizations to really get a lot of
SPR Boardroom: engagement. And you heard this early tonight that there are 7 languages that the city tries to translate all of our public engagement materials. And that's what we did for
SPR Boardroom: Department Open space plan. We also did some advertising or Northwest Station Weekly and South Seattle edible.
SPR Boardroom: and then we had interpreters at community centers, or at least the open house at community centers where there was going to be
SPR Boardroom: more language diversity. So that was like a Dell Ridge Yesler and asshole.
SPR Boardroom: So, getting to the new level of service standard. This is something that all of the park and open space plans throughout the State they develop. There's guidelines from the Recreation Conservation Office on how to develop a level of service standard.
SPR Boardroom: And it's not on this slide, but used to be a lot of park departments. And there's a national group called the National Recreational Park Association, and more than 10 years ago, level services based on a ratio like oh, there's got to be so many full 100,000 people.
SPR Boardroom: athletic field and Rpa actually transition, so that they recognize that cities of different sizes might have different needs for 100,000 people, and then eventually, they have now gone away from that standard and also the State of Washington. Encourages cities not to use that type of standard
SPR Boardroom: and so that's why they're going to come directions. And so in 2,017, it was based solely on acreage. How much acre we all release, and that was acres per 1,000 people, and at the last partner of Space Plan it was about 8.2 acres per 1,000 people, which
SPR Boardroom: something that hadn't been done before. But I like a lot of history. So we looked at the growth of the city in terms of its actual land size, and also the park system, and it was interesting to see how it was over time
SPR Boardroom: of
SPR Boardroom: the acres per 1,000, with actually much less for most of the period until about the eighties and nineties, when there were more park levies, and there was a lot more land acquisition. And that's when we started raising up to the 8 or 8 acres for 1,000 people.
SPR Boardroom: But what we wanted to do now 2024 plan is, we're going off of Gis mapping and being able to measure walkability or the walking threshold from parts, park facilities. And so we think that it's much more meaningful, and that you try. You really get a feel for where people
SPR Boardroom: or how we can access a part, and it also aligns with particularly CD, the one Seattle plan that they're developing. So there's a 5 min walk ability, guideline within what used to be urban villages now called urban centers. And then there's a 10 min walk ability, guideline for the
SPR Boardroom: for outside of urban buildings or urban centers.
SPR Boardroom: If you haven't seen the mapping before this is an example on the right hand side. That's actually the entire city. And it's showing various shades, green, really dark green spots. Those are actually park facilities.
SPR Boardroom: the kind of
SPR Boardroom: less start green. That's where the 5 min walk sheds are, and then the lighter screen. That's where the 10 min walk sheds are. And then when you don't see any color. That's of course, where there's so far outside it's it's there's no service there. And so you have that map, and then you couple it with gaps and walk ability, and then you start to see where, for the long term we should be looking at trying to acquire property.
SPR Boardroom: And so the really dark areas that you can see in the center graphic, that's within urban centers and the kind of less lighter orange or peach that's outside urban centers. And so that actually, the the middle graphic there, that's actually a regular feature. So you can see that there are
SPR Boardroom: definitely some gap areas down in that area. Start on that, Mac. What are the purple outlines? So I'm sorry the those are the urban centers. Okay?
SPR Boardroom: And then the polls and policies. I won't go through and read all of these, but they're the same as they were in the 2017 plan, and when we released the draft plan. What people see is that we align or we're trying examples for each policy. Our future capital improvements will be those goals and policies.
SPR Boardroom: And then the Park facility inventory. Just an example of a map that we had the open houses. Of course it's showing where the parks are located in this. Actually, some of the walkability.
SPR Boardroom: the recreation trends the needs of analysis. When you see the draft plan you'll see a lot more graphs like this, and they're showing participation rates. And they're showing also data from the State. Actually, this recreation conservation office where they're trying to chart number of activity days for different recreation activities. That's what you see in the blue line for 20,
SPR Boardroom: yeah, for 2020, and the oranges for 2015. And of course it's showing a lot of growth, and what that should be telling us is where we should be developing.
SPR Boardroom: So the next steps here, of course, we're at February 20, fifth, and the briefing. We're looking at February ninth for release of the draft plan, and that's when the common variable began. And then February sixteenth, with all kind of major actions that might affect plans. We have a state environmental policy at checklist that that already drafted, ready to go, and February 22
SPR Boardroom: back. I'll be back here again for the public hearing.
SPR Boardroom: and then March ninth. The comment period closes
SPR Boardroom: and then March fourteenth. You'll be draft plan
SPR Boardroom: we'll also have had time to make any provision based on public comments, and then, by March 22 the superintendent approve it along with your approval, and then we'll look forward to
SPR Boardroom: getting into Ourco through their so thank you for listening. And I would imagine, if you have any questions. Second.
SPR Boardroom: have any questions. Try and answer those.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you. Kevin.
SPR Boardroom: Sure, yeah, II personally, I love the switch of this.
SPR Boardroom: That trick from like something completely
SPR Boardroom: arbitrary to something that's really just seemed meaningful, really because it starts to put put the research right where the people are.
SPR Boardroom: You know, I think you can like history and see a lot of ways in which you know, a thousand
SPR Boardroom: an acre per 1,000 can be sort of fudged to do sort of tick a box. And so this new qualitative measure, I think, is going to benefit as we move forward to a lot of different ways of thinking about how the city goes.
SPR Boardroom: hey? I just had a couple
SPR Boardroom: a question and maybe a recommendation. I think I'm a math nerd. So II look through all of your appendices. I one of the things that always throws me off. Sometimes these gaps is like.
SPR Boardroom: like, maybe there's a layer of land user zoning that could be added on there, because, for instance, the industrial lands really shoot out as like
SPR Boardroom: like Central Seattle. So it's you know, Soto area looks like.
SPR Boardroom: you know, this complete zone of danger and trouble, and not all, every map. But when you take into Consideration Harbor Island, it's not zone for residential whatsoever.
SPR Boardroom: you know. So maybe maybe there's a way to sort of. Adjust those maps a little bit sort of fine tune in a little. But then
SPR Boardroom: to that point some of the gaps you identified, I guess one of the questions I have is our future capital projects that are funded lined up to
SPR Boardroom: address some of these gaps, and if not. and if we're not building New parkland or acquiring parkland. I guess it's a you won't have to answer about. How? How am I? Second thing about closing gaps?
SPR Boardroom: Well.
SPR Boardroom: yeah, I guess I'm here to answer the question. I was policy direction. But you know the
SPR Boardroom: the property management unit
SPR Boardroom: is always looking for land to acquire. It's
SPR Boardroom: oh.
SPR Boardroom: what you'll see in the draft plan. And it actually was the 27 plan that they operate on more of a opportunity basis. It's it's not like we are a hundred 20 years ago, when the old said brothers came here, and we're looking to develop part plan. And
SPR Boardroom: you know
SPR Boardroom: I like history. Your map. Nerd. I have my remote map collection from the sixties at home, the the roadmaps from different gas stations. I don't know if we have those, but anyhow, I like history. And you know, looking at how the old sets came about, you know, there was a lot of open land, and even it was a challenge, then to purchase property. You know the whole. The
SPR Boardroom: if you're really into the whole history of how like Washington Boulevard came about, it was really difficult, actually for the city, because they had to condemn their properties and all of that.
SPR Boardroom: But the main point is that for the this updated plan, I went to property management, asked them, okay, how much property we purchased since 2017 2018.
SPR Boardroom: And it's still was about 21 acres. It's just that a lot of it was in the green belt, or it's rather small small pieces that kind of add to the green belt.
SPR Boardroom: It's you know, we're state of the city right now to go and find another.
SPR Boardroom: Well, the military isn't giving up any more land. They already gave it up. But you know that level of land that's really difficult
SPR Boardroom: to get that a lot of the comments in that we've seen in the Park and Open space plan. A lot of people really would like to see more Mini parks. And on many parts our standard is, it's usually 10,000 square feet
SPR Boardroom: which, based on dual residential zone. That's 2 lot, generally 2, 2 lots, 2 of the residential. So and so maybe many parts are less than that. I mean, we have an undeveloped park.
SPR Boardroom: Right next to Roosevelt High School. It's between
SPR Boardroom: 60 Sixth and 60 Fifth Street, and it was because of there was a
SPR Boardroom: kind of a slum Lord developer, and then the city finally put them out of business and and sold a lot of property and through. I don't know a couple of I'm not sure of all the chain of events, but we actually have a piece of property there, and it's probably about 10,000 square feet.
Annie Hindenlang: The I can answer your question real quick. When we are presented with properties, either from other departments, or if the pu, the public honestly often brings properties to us for acquisition. We consider ones that are in our gap area and also in our highest equity index area. Most seriously.
Annie Hindenlang: If and almost always, we try to focus on properties that are are in the gap areas. And the equity index actually is adjusted for that issue. You brought up about the industrial lands kind of skewing things. Just so, you know, so I'd be. Lo! I'd love to talk to you about maps if you want but
Annie Hindenlang: So if it. If a property comes in that is not in a gap area, but it's in an equity priority area, then we will still pursue it. But I think what Kevin was trying to get to is that, obviously, land is very, very expensive. And in some of the areas where we need, you know New Parkland, especially the downtown. It's at a premium. So we have an excellent property team that's always searching and taking in requests. But our 2 priorities are gap areas and equity areas when we're looking at acquisition.
SPR Boardroom: And it's straight. It's kind of funny how it goes, because I don't know. I've been around Parks way too long 23 years, but my name's out there, and sometimes I get strange phone calls, and I got a call from a broker just last week.
SPR Boardroom: wondering if we were still interested in the property
SPR Boardroom: that's in West Seattle, near West Crest Park, and it it would fill a gap in a green belt area. But I'm I'm not sure of the equity, so that things like that happen. It's it's not unknown.
So
SPR Boardroom: just to request that as we move through the process. For those steps happening in between our meetings, like when the draft plan is released for public comment.
SPR Boardroom: just to add on to the comments earlier.
SPR Boardroom: yeah. So I just love, love, love, love, love their love of service. I was thinking about that a lot, cause we're gonna hit our 8 for 1,000 really, really soon, with the way populations grow. And I think it's much more meaningful. And I just like to give props to the entire park staff. I think they really prioritize gaps and equity, not just in land acquisition. But
SPR Boardroom: I was in an arts and parks panel wrapping up today. That was our top priority, especially from the there is where we under serving, and where are the gaps and parks in our services, I think for decades, our community center program
SPR Boardroom: has prioritized equity areas gaps, too. So just big props on that. And it's a big challenge just wanting to get harder to take to develop. Yeah, I mean, we'll get there. Just take a little while.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Right next, Justin Hellier and Tiana Scott will be introducing a new format for brief updates on high priority initiatives sort of mission moment for calling Seattle shines.
SPR Boardroom: For each of these updates we'll spend about 10 min learning a little bit more about a part of the organization new programs and services we are working on and hearing from staff directly working in those areas. Today, we will focus on community center expansion and operating hours. And for that gonna turn it over to Justin and Tiana.
Justin Hellier: Hey there, I like, Annie can't turn my! Oh, maybe I can turn the camera on. Nope, so sorry I'm not there with you. I just in the last little bit of an infection. So I didn't think, yeah, I didn't think you'd wanna see me in person. But so those of you who are members of the of the Park district oversight subcommittee. Know me? We've been working together,
Justin Hellier: and so what I get to tell you about tonight is we're starting, as as Ap said, we're starting kind of a new way of showing you what we've been up, what? What cycle? What's happening with cycle 2 and kind of how we're how we're building up to that. So we're starting. What we'll do with these right is is give you a little snapshot of the budget and kind of the commitment we made as a part of cycle 2 in terms of performance.
Justin Hellier: and then ideally most of the time introduce you to a staff member a little closer to the front line. Who's who's working on this stuff?
Justin Hellier: So in this case you were, promised T. The amazing Ts. Scott, it is actually her father's birthday. So we let her go. But I recorded what she was going to tell you. So you do get to see a video of Tia. So let me share my screen. Or Benjamin, you look like you were. You were about to do it, so I don't know sure.
Justin Hellier: Well, let me let me jump in
Justin Hellier: awesome. So let me know if you could see that. So
Justin Hellier: basically, in a nutshell, what we are looking at here is our. We organize from the cycle 2 perspective as my as my park district performance oversight. Subcommittee knows very well, we organize our cycle 2 financial plan and in lines of business and detailed lines of business. So in this case, we're taking a look at the detailed line of business of community centers
Justin Hellier: about a 17 million dollar adopted budget in 2023. So a little bit little bit more than that in 24
Justin Hellier: and the the one big public way we measure their performance is 60,000 annual operating hours. So essentially, if you added up every hour that a community center is open over the course of the year. Our target, our kind of level of service we're trying. We're budgeted to get to, and that we expect our our teams to get to is 60,000
Justin Hellier: for the sake of time. I'm not gonna show you the cute video. But our communications team has done an awesome job making quick videos about some of the the cycle, 2 initiatives. So we'll make sure you get that link and can watch it yourself. But the big thing we did in Cycle 2 for community centers. There were a few things, but one of them, a big one, was an investment to expand operating hours by 8%, right? So to expand to that 60,000 level
Justin Hellier: with a big focus on evening and weekend access. Now, many of you, of course, were on the Commission, and helped think through exactly how much we should invest where? So you may, you may remember this, and Tia let me know. She actually came to talk to you. A little less than a year ago about the strategy for doing this, so just excited to say.
Justin Hellier: We've done it. And I get to Happy to show you a short video of tia, explaining kind of what that what that process was like. So let me just grab that
Justin Hellier: and
Justin Hellier: share my screen again and press play, and tia like I said she couldn't be here tonight. But is is so. She's the manager over all of our community centers,
Justin Hellier: and, you know, started as as of the Van Asshole Community Center Coordinator, and has done many things since. So really excited to have her lead in our community centers, and to give you a a little sense of what? What this expansion has been like.
Justin Hellier: Evening. It's great to have this opportunity to update this group on the progress we've made in expanding hours.
Justin Hellier: We shared our proposal with this group last July 2023, and I'm excited to share that on September eleventh, 2023, we successfully expanded public hours at all of our identified locations.
Justin Hellier: Additionally, we return all available community centers to their pre pandemic public hours. So what does this mean?
Justin Hellier: We increased public hours at 8 locations across the city, giving communities more access in the evenings and weekends. We created additional space for the community to gather, recreate, and access our facilities at times and days that they have not historically had access.
Justin Hellier: we were able to hire more staff, decreasing the number of vacancies and key positions while utilizing the ability to reallocate staff from sites that are currently closed due to capital improvement projects.
Justin Hellier: We've had challenges.
Justin Hellier: We continue to have staffing challenges as we compete with delayed hiring processes, competitive wages
Justin Hellier: and staff feeling the impacts of the pandemic. Our plans, moving forward are more intentional community engagement and outreach
Justin Hellier: increase in partnerships and programming and assessing staffing vacancies and the impacts of recent fiscal announcements.
Justin Hellier: What I'd like to highlight is Del Ridge Community Center
Justin Hellier: Delras community Center in West Seattle added an additional 23 public hours, expanding to include evenings and weekends.
Justin Hellier: Historically, Del Ridge communities
Justin Hellier: did not have any access to recreation services beyond 6 pm. And on the weekends, currently, we've expanded hours to include being open Monday through Friday to 9 pm. And also being available on Saturdays.
Justin Hellier: Thank you for your time.
Justin Hellier: Awesome. So on a normal day and at future meetings, I think what would happen now is you'd have Tia and myself there within you could ask some questions. Since she is out celebrating her dad right now, you don't get to do that. But if you do have questions about community center operating hours expansion. We can relay those and get an answer back to you.
Justin Hellier: But yeah, sort of just wanted to take a moment to celebrate. Kind of a cycle to win and we'll we'll do a series of these, probably about one a month, where we kind of take a look at something we said we would do in Cycle 2 that we've taken a big step toward, or maybe that we've accomplished. Share that with you, and ideally have some of the some of the staff who are doing the work there to tell you a little bit about it and answer some questions.
Justin Hellier: So thanks for thanks for having me
SPR Boardroom: awesome. Thank you, Justin. Great presentation commissioners, any comments, questions. Well, just just a really quick one to iterate that II really love these these mission moments, and it's it's great to hear about. It's great to hear about some of the the winds. II have a just, a very, very general question, which is about
SPR Boardroom: labor market conditions compared to what we were talking about late last summer, and has it become easier to hire? Is there a little bit more slack? And in labor markets? Are we still experiencing
SPR Boardroom: very similar conditions in terms of difficulty and and filling positions. You know, we're still having some challenges in hiring, especially in some of our trade.
SPR Boardroom: Positions. Like, you know, our plumbers. Lifeguard is still a challenge. But these are also essential services. And so those are some of the things that in this sort of
SPR Boardroom: partial hiring fees we're still going to be advocating for exemptions. To continue the process in this area cause while we will have to, you know, tighten up in certain areas there are critical things that we have to continue to score like restrooms and community centers on that.
SPR Boardroom: the lakes and the beaches and the pools, and so forth. So it still remains somewhat of a challenge. You know there's some some rebound that is coming for local economy. But there's also still a challenge to hire people. However, I will say that we have. We did a significant amount of hiring this past year. Which is fantastic. A lot of that was from the cycle, you know.
SPR Boardroom: funding allowing us to do that as well as back filling and filling something. So I'm so thankful that as we're entering into this next phase of of operational efficiencies that we were able to on board so many people. So that that's a blessing.
SPR Boardroom: Thanks. Just a hello, Justin. Thanks for caring for the mission moment. Really appreciate it.
SPR Boardroom: So the forecast.
So.
SPR Boardroom: Hi, Justin, it's Jessica.
SPR Boardroom: this is great. I love this format. I was curious. If there's any kind of a public communications component to these little Mission moment highlights to tell people about the cycle to accomplishments.
Justin Hellier: Kp, you may have other thoughts, this exact format. Not necessarily. But I think most of the topics we bring you here. We first, you know, columns has just been finishing a series of videos that they'll be. They'll be pushing out. And then, as we work on the annual report, I think that a big focus of it'll be kind of
Justin Hellier: you know what we said we would do in Cycle 2, and where we're at and accomplishing those things. So not not this exact format, but those the same topics will bring in, I think. There's a couple of different ways they'll be. They'll be coming out, and there may be, maybe other stuff Ap knows about or is cooking up that I don't even know about.
SPR Boardroom: Well, I was just thinking that actually, when we were watching that just thinking the exact same thing here that we need to tell these stories more into short formats to the community. Just, you know, a reminder that we're delivering things. And and I know our Comp's team has this new strategy just to mention one was us doing like in the field videos, also, maybe just doing like testimonials, also from community members, about a new development, and then reminded all that it ties back
SPR Boardroom: to, you know the cycle and to the part district funding, because I think we also need to be prepared for Cycle 3. And first, we are strategizing on that now. But the more that we tell these stories, you know, we just allow the opportunity for people say, Oh, never! You didn't do anything. There's like.
SPR Boardroom: yeah. And I think that great job with like before and after photos, and like they really do on social media. Great job getting photos out there. But I think, yeah, video content is so
SPR Boardroom: so they
SPR Boardroom: we could do a
SPR Boardroom: Justin. I also wanna just give kudos to the team. I know that when these extended hours went out and they went up for public comment. They had help, one at multiple me centers around the city, and I went to the one at Delrud, where they, you know, had this great
SPR Boardroom: public outreach event. They put up all these posters and said, what hours of the day would would you like to see hours and types of activities? And they really were intentional about gathering community. Input and it's just awesome to have watch that effort come from an idea, and that he, you know, the Mpd. 2 cycle to then going out and getting that public feedback. So then implementing. And then here we are now, seeing those hours roll out of Product
SPR Boardroom: city and you know, I really wanna take a moment to point that out, because many times we hear about places that we may have not hit the mark again. You know that our eyes are cross, our teas, but we also need to celebrate things that we're doing great, right?
So just wanted to point that out. So great job.
Justin Hellier: Alright, awesome. Thank you. All.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, looks like we're 5 min ahead of schedule. Okay? So any old and new business, any comments or any topics that commissioners, or if you want to bring up this time.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah, just one note that I saw an email in my inbox in the last day or 2 from our about the fund of the fun, and it was just kind of a save the day. I think it was like April thirtieth, or something. But keep your eye out for that. That's a really great event. And I think
the primary fundraising focus this year was this one Seattle initiative. So
SPR Boardroom: I only join me for breakfast on. Probably come to the end of the meeting.
Okay?
SPR Boardroom: And like, I mean.