SPR Boardroom: Like that.
SPR Boardroom: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the June 12th Board of Park Recreation Commissioners meeting. I'm Ryan longish I wanted to just ask themselves quickly, and then we'll move to land acknowledgement and then the 1st item on our agenda, which is councilman. So.
SPR Boardroom: Aman, you want to answer? 5.
SPR Boardroom: Everybody. I'm John Flynn, with District 3.
SPR Boardroom: Christopher Williams. Meeting of the Staff Seattle Parks
SPR Boardroom: Police Chisholm District 4. Stafford Mays District 7.
SPR Boardroom: A high scale customer engagement, Ben Burtzo from Seattle parks and recreation.
SPR Boardroom: We're just doing Commissioner's introductions real quick. Hi, I'm tricia diamond. Thank you. Tricia.
SPR Boardroom: want to start with a land acknowledgement. Seattle parks and recreation acknowledges and affirms indigenous coast salish people as original caretakers of our waters and landscape who nurtured and shaped today's park.
SPR Boardroom: We honor their legacy with gratitude and appreciation, and will safeguard their knowledge and stewardship as enduring treasures to promote community welfare, cultivate inclusive expressions of nature and recreation, and commit to land acknowledgement for each ensuing generation.
SPR Boardroom: Oh, and then we have a quorum here. So we have 2
SPR Boardroom: consent items, the meeting agenda and the meeting minutes. Are there any questions or concerns about it
SPR Boardroom: all in favor of approving the consent? Agenda consent? Agenda has.
Phillip Meng: Perfect.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you, and so wanted. Oh, and Philip, really quick! Can you introduce yourself before it started?
Phillip Meng: Hi, everyone. I'm so used to the to the 6 o'clock 6 o'clock time. Philip. My name is Commissioner District 7. I should also councilmember. Hollingsworth saw you had you at Ctap earlier this year. It's great great to see you again.
SPR Boardroom: All right, all right. Well, I'm going to start out by doing 2 things I want to set the stage for. Why we're here with Councilmember Hollingsworth. Historically, the Park Board has had an opportunity to meet the Parks Committee chair. It's currently councilmember Hollingsworth. This is kind of an informal opportunity for Councilmember Hollingsworth to share her vision.
SPR Boardroom: or how she'd like to work with the park board and her vision for working with the department, and
SPR Boardroom: we hope there will be some time to have an exchange of conversation after Councilmember. Hollingsworth says a few opening remarks, and now I'd like to introduce Councilmember Hollingsworth, and say a few words about her, so she's a proud representative of Seattle's 3rd Council district.
SPR Boardroom: She's a 4th generation Seattleite. She's a local high school basketball Star, and we're fortunate to have as the Parks Committee chair. We feel fortunate and blessed to have your steadfast support.
SPR Boardroom: I've been in the department for 33 years, and I've been going to council meetings for a long time, and councilmember Hollinsworth always treats us really well, and we really appreciate that Council member, Hollinsworth. So with that I'll turn it over to councilmember Hollinsworth.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Thank you. Thank you, Christopher. So appreciate that introduction, especially highlighting the basketball.
SPR Boardroom: Nice.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: The most important thing. I don't care what else I do. I want people to know I'm just playing
SPR Boardroom: So.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Thank you. I I 1st have to apologize. I was scheduled to be there in person, especially for our 1st meeting and our introduction. I got held up on
CM Joy Hollingsworth: a safety walkthrough at Jackson Street, and I wouldn't have made it down there in time and didn't want to hold up the meeting. So I ran back to my house and jumped on the computer. So I I apologize because relationships mean a lot to me. And I I wanted to meet everybody in person. So just I, I will make it for another meeting, so I can meet everyone in person.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: and so thank you for this opportunity. Really, really appreciate number one, the Commissioners you all
CM Joy Hollingsworth: giving your time and dedication number. That means that you love parks. You love spaces. You love everything that it can do for us, and then you also want to serve and make sure that you know we're stewarding. We're good stewards of the environment, and then of the the Parks system as well. Also, Parks has been phenomenal to work with the past year. I mean, I've been on council for about 16 months. Now it seems like an eternity.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: But 16 months now, and we have a phenomenal superintendent who is incredibly attentive, knows the Parks knows the system really celebrates. You know, the open spaces, and obviously the historical context with Christopher Williams. I know he's been there for like what 50 years
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I'm just playing.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I was here in the homesteads.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: but been there for a long time, and Paula and you know I have the opportunity to work with Jacob Thorpe and Andy. And all these people have been really, really great. So
CM Joy Hollingsworth: definitely giving them a shout out there a couple a couple of things. That I I will highlight in in terms of what I see could be a great vision for Parks. But also this is not my vision. This is what I've heard from different people in the community and District 3 particularly, but I represent, you know, I'd say I serve and represent District 3. But the whole city.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: The 1st thing is is making sure that we have access for kids. And you know, having the parks have this incredible programming for our youth and for our kids. You know, I've always talked about how my dad worked for the Parks department 35 plus years, and so very familiar with that, and how he just really
CM Joy Hollingsworth: really embrace the piece of having the spaces for our kids, for families to enjoy. And and that piece.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: The second thing that I've heard from people is also like just the accessibility and programming piece. And I know that Parks has worked really, really hard of organizing structure. So people know, like when events are or when sell. You know, when certain activities are happening or when programming's are happening late night activities for kids like, you know, those those pieces I know have
CM Joy Hollingsworth: are going to develop over time and continue to increase. But I've heard that from folks as well. The 3rd piece is as we are growing as a city, and we are welcoming people.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: and the and we are having more population in our city, really protecting these open spaces is incredibly important.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: And I've heard that from a lot of people like having the pocket parks or having, just, you know talking about how important the oporetum is, or Seward Park, or Discovery Park, or all these pieces. I've heard that from a lot of folks how important that is to them to continue to protect those spaces, but also to make sure that we're having little neighborhood pocket parks and open spaces for people to enjoy because oftentimes
CM Joy Hollingsworth: they don't. You know, we build these houses so skinny and so small that their backyard are these parks, you know a prime example is Cal. Anderson is a lot of people's backyards or their front yards on Capitol Hill. Just the density in our city and in 1st Hill a lot of these parks. Those are some of the most densest places that we have in the city.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: North of San Francisco. Those little parks are incredibly important to people. So we've we've heard that as well. And last, but not least, I've heard a reclaiming of
CM Joy Hollingsworth: community connected to parks where they're taking ownership of it. So beforehand a lot of times. We at the city we always hear like, well, the city needs to clean this up. The city needs to do this. The city needs to do that.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: and I. We often miss the opportunity for us to do it ourselves as well. And so for the community to take ownership of our sidewalks, of the cleanliness of our streets. The city can only do so much, and so when you have ownership and and
CM Joy Hollingsworth: ownership and connection to certain parks like you want to keep it clean. I've met so many people that are like, Hey, I go pick up trash at my park, or Hey, I started a work party where we prune invasive species at a park, or Hey, I got a group together, and we learned about, you know, these different types of trees, and we're going to prune them and manicure them and make them nice. I think you know. Just kind of refocus back to that some type of ownership that we are the.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: You know we are the best keepers of our environment. The city can only do so much, and that we kind of need to take ownership as well. And so those are the 4 key key pieces. The relationship that I would love to have with you all is
CM Joy Hollingsworth: number one. You all represent different districts. So it's important that you all are elevating. Obviously the parks in your district, because oftentimes I can only visit so much and hear so much. And I've I've been all throughout the city at different parks. But you all really have a block by block, really.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: key focus on certain areas in your district that are important, that you all are going to elevate. Obviously have been elevating in this space and then also accessibility. I want to be accessible to you all. If you all have an idea that you want to bring to the table. If you want to hear a presentation in our committee. Right? If you have a concern right? This I want this to be a partnership. I don't want you all to see
CM Joy Hollingsworth: this as a 1 way street. I I want to hear your ideas. I want to take them to council, so we can be able to have
CM Joy Hollingsworth: you know, feedback, we can be able to do presentations. We can be able to create some type of thing where we are. You know, having those ideas presented at the table, and figuring out how we move forward. So I will stop there, because that might have talked to your ear off but just wanted to lay the groundwork on what I saw, a cool vision for the parks and and the relationship that I wanted in the relationship I want with you all.
SPR Boardroom: Council member for introductory remarks. You're comfortable. I'd like to open up some commissioners to ask you some questions and
SPR Boardroom: have a chat chat.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: For sure, and please call me joy. I know you got, but just call me joy. Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Alright been thinking about. Hey, John Flynn? From your district?
SPR Boardroom: I guess I'm curious. We this year have heard a lot of community feedback primarily around
SPR Boardroom: the Madison Park Wetlands pickleball discussion, the Environmental Learning Center discovery and trying to restore that. And then some persistent
SPR Boardroom: commentary about the Denny Blaine park environment and trying to make that more friendly to the community with
SPR Boardroom: enhanced parking, enhanced trash collection, enhanced facilities for Parkdoers, etc. I'm curious. Is that what you're hearing as well at the subcommittee or any of those surprises to you, and I'm just curious how well well we probably have not been proactive about as the board coming to you and saying we are really hearing about this repeatedly, you know, should it get to the subcommittee. But, anyway, are those already on your radar, or should we give you some more info on some of those offline.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: No great great question. So there were 3 parks there. The 1st one was you said.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Art pickleball. Yeah, yeah. So that's that's on our radar we've met with.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I want to say both sides. But all, both sides of the neighborhood like, whether it's people that are for or people that are like, Hey, we want to protect the wetlands. So we've been continuing to engage and meet with those. And I know that Parks Department has been really receptive of. Hey? We're gonna have those meetings, and and just try to like, you know.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Figure out what's the next steps? So I don't. I can't speak into what is the next steps. I know that when I spoke to the superintendent ap! That that was on the radar, and I know maybe Christopher can speak to this, but I know that that is on our radar. The second thing is the second part you asked was about was it Denny Blaine?
SPR Boardroom: It was the up at Magnus, at a.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Yeah, discovery. So yeah, so just today, Council, we voted to restore that program to put it on the levy for the family educations levy. And so that program will be sent to voters that will be included in the family educations. Levy package because we thought that that was a
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I voted yes for it, because just thought that that was an incredible program to continue to have for our youth and our kids. And we heard a lot of feedback about just like the gifts of Discovery Park and Magnuson or Sewer Park all these camp long, all these incredible programs. So we've heard from that about saving that program, and 3, rd the Denny Blaine, the gift that keeps giving.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I know that there is a current, a lawsuit against the city, so I can't speak on that, but I can speak on some of the requests that we asked Parks that we've that we've gotten great feedback from which is the trash mitigation. So I know that they're picking up 3 times a week, and we've asked for another trash. Can
CM Joy Hollingsworth: also the bathroom situation, figuring out another port a potty in that piece. We've also heard about the parking situation and working with sdot to figure out what's or some type of mitigation that we can do there. We also had a meeting with the Seattle police chief
CM Joy Hollingsworth: and friends of Denny Blaine, Lavender Rights Project as well, and some Lgbtq plus groups. We had that with the mayor's office
CM Joy Hollingsworth: 2 weeks ago, where we talked about the interaction with Spd and Denny Blaine, and you know we are working on some pieces to help mitigate some of the issues that we've we've heard from from Denny Blaine with Spd. Our Park Rangers, who have been down there since last year in the springtime since we requested them. So those are on our radar, and we're actively working to address them.
SPR Boardroom: Thanks, Kevin.
SPR Boardroom: Hi, my name is Amar, and I'm District 5. But I appreciate you for joining us today. I just wanted to say, like, I love
SPR Boardroom: the the idea of Neighborhood Park ownership.
SPR Boardroom: I think that's huge. I think about that in my neighborhood.
SPR Boardroom: in one of the areas I'm connected with it. Are there any parts in particular in your area that you're really connected with, or like?
SPR Boardroom: Touch your solar part in some specific way.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: The A. The what was was a question like, is there a certain part that touches my soul?
SPR Boardroom: Yeah, part part community, center program.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Yeah. Late. Night. Late. Night programs. Okay.
SPR Boardroom: Like.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I will I that kept me off the street. Not that you know. My mom would have whooped my ass if I this is recorded
CM Joy Hollingsworth: my bad. She would have thanked me if I was out right.
SPR Boardroom: Bye-bye.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: The late night programs. Right? Man, I just I remember Rainer Beach late night. We had it Rainer Community Center. It was up at Vanessa. They had one over in West Seattle, where there were police officers, but all.
SPR Boardroom: So.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: It had staff pizza, and I think the the biggest thing that we miss the mark on. Often when we talk about. Should we have police or no police, or should we have this person or not? But it's trusted adults. That's what kids need. I don't care what type of
CM Joy Hollingsworth: representation they are are in in terms of the the adult right? It's the trusted adult piece. I could tell you, a trusted adult that I had as an officer or trusted adult that I had at a city staff right where we had people that were working late night that were cooking hot dogs for us, and making sure that we were fed at night and staying off the streets, you know.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: 1112 o'clock, and doing different, you know, good stuff, and and staying out of trouble, so it would be late night, and last year we increased some food funding to make sure that funding went to parks for the food the food piece for late night. I think Parks has done a great job of keeping that program alive, and then continuing to expand it for more more weekends. So that would that would be my program.
SPR Boardroom: That's amazing. I actually, I actually volunteer on the weekends at the late night in my area. So I really appreciate that part of it here.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I need to volunteer, Christopher, can you? I need to do. I just kind of just go volunteer. Are there certain.
SPR Boardroom: We can hook you up.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Cool. Okay, I need to go volunteer. That's something that I'm really passionate about. So thank you for that question.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah.
SPR Boardroom: Hi, joy! Thanks for being here. I'm curious to know your perspective on the Park Ranger program and the potential to expand it.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I love. I love the Park Ranger program. I got some of the feedback from people. That they feel they feel safe. I've been getting feedback with people saying, Hey, it's it's lovely to have a park Ranger, and having, you know, knowing that, hey? If something's going down, or we can be able to talk to someone, or they're helping monitor certain stuff that it's not a police officer, right? That it's somebody different. That is a
CM Joy Hollingsworth: a form of a safety. And I've heard about people wanting to expand the program. The feedback I've gotten has been positive. I don't know how, if you all have gotten feedback about it? But what I have gotten is that it's been a very positive engagement with the the Park Ranger program.
SPR Boardroom: Thanks. Yeah, that's consistent with what I've heard. And I would love to see more of it and broader spots across the city.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah, I think sometimes it's a little bit anecdotal. If you happen to be in a park where they show up, you have an impression, but because they can't be everywhere all the time. You might go a whole summer without ever seeing a park ranger in your park. Theoretically so, I think there's just the more we can increase the visibility and the staffing. And then just so, you know, we've pushed as part of our feedback into the annual report to make sure that Parks is evaluating the effectiveness of the Park Rangers
SPR Boardroom: against, you know, some real goals like reducing calls to 911 reducing graffiti. They probably still need to be developed, but to make sure that the intent of the Rangers, which is make the park safer and more welcoming, you know, how can we show that's working. So we've been working with the staff to try to think about that a little deeper.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Understood. Yeah, I would love. I was one time at randomly at Golden Gardens, and I saw some park rangers there, and I was like, oh, that it just.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: you know, it created that sense of there's someone to go to if something happens. And this was over the summer, and the people that do connect with them if they see them. Great and so I hear I've heard from the same stuff that you all heard that people would like to have more of a Park Ranger presence
CM Joy Hollingsworth: to see people and and have them more. So that that's something that I think is consistent, and something that I think we need to continue to work on and fund from the city, and I'll be working with Parks on that, and working with you all too as well, but I would love to see that increase more.
SPR Boardroom: Just building up on that in West Seattle, and it's been great to see the expansion of the care team there as well. And there's always opportunities for
SPR Boardroom: Rangers on Alkai. Summer season has started is up and running and there's lots of good opportunities to provide positive support and coaching to try and keep those Spd calls down as well. So it's been a favorite topic of the board to sort of push for how we can do more with the program. It's great to hear that you're
SPR Boardroom: supportive as well, Phil, so you had your hand up.
Phillip Meng: Thanks. I really appreciate Council Member. I really appreciate your your comments on on late night programs, especially since we very, very occasionally get get a public comment on afternoon, evening, late evening programs here. I think I remember some pretty spirited conversations about Ping Pong.
Phillip Meng: I also understand that this is subject to staffing and resource. Constraints want to get your thoughts on how we can better, how we can better address those to keep these great programs around.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Yeah, it's a great question. I mean, I'll tell you this one thing. I was really surprised about and and thought it was a great model is in our environmental program. How many volunteers that you really utilize the volunteers? For
CM Joy Hollingsworth: for a lot of their services? I'm not saying, this whole program needs to be on volunteers. But I'm just saying like I was really impressed with the amount of volunteers that help, you know. Do the manpower for the people power. Sorry people power for this program. And so you know. Besides the the funding fee piece.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I know there's also opportunities for a public private partnership, and I say that where I don't mind going asking for a certain program to be designated, and talking to a big company to say, Hey, can you fund these things, or Hey, your services? Your donation, or whatever funding for the city, is going to go directly for this and so, you know, volunteer services, public private partnerships, I think, is is
CM Joy Hollingsworth: is going to be helpful. And then, I think, getting the parents involved. You know, a lot of times there's so many parents. When Garfield was going through their one of the most
CM Joy Hollingsworth: traumatizing times last year, with all the gun violence happening. There were so many parents that were like joy.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: What can I do? Can do? I need to volunteer. Where can I go? What do you. We will stand outside the school and help make sure kids get to their
CM Joy Hollingsworth: get to their car, get to, you know the bus, stop safely, or whatever, and I think there needs to be a call to to parents. There's some parents that they work all day. It's hard they don't have any money, you know. There's certain things, but they're like, Hey, I can go do 2 h
CM Joy Hollingsworth: at late night to watch the kids and offer some type of connection generationally right, where I can be the mom at the community center, or the uncle, or whatever I think we need to, because that that was so much more in our community where a lot of people, the whole neighborhood watched these kids right? The whole community watched. If you were acting up, you know, big mama down the street was going to call your mama and say, Hey, I saw such and such acting up on the corner.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: and we just don't have that anymore because of the connectivity in our in our community. And it's super siloed. So I think more. If we can work with the schools putting out a call, saying, Hey, we're looking for a couple volunteers from our parents who can work at late night and working with the Parks department and the school. I think we can come up with some ideas, because I know a lot of people that would give away a lot of volunteer time
CM Joy Hollingsworth: to be able to to help staff some programs and and just be volunteers.
Phillip Meng: Thanks, so much.
SPR Boardroom: No! She covered everything.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: We just need some more big moments for these kids, and we'll be.
SPR Boardroom: Well, I'll I'll say one thing, though, Joey, since you grew up in Seattle, what's the one part
SPR Boardroom: that surprises you that you'd see more improvement on. You want to see more improvement on.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: In the park, in the park system, or just in general.
SPR Boardroom: Let's say, in the park system.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: In the park, in the in the park system. One thing I want to see more improvement on, that's a great question. Everything. No, I'm just flying.
SPR Boardroom: We need money.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: We money money, honey? Okay, so okay. So let me tell you this. I I will say this, and I don't know if how we improve on this. But this is something that I want to really tackle with. The comprehensive plan is
CM Joy Hollingsworth: that I would like to see more people be able to live in the city, that work here that do the ground maintenance jobs that do the everyday jobs that do the you know, the the I call it dirty hands clean money jobs. Because I'm gonna tell you this Garfield playground used to stay meticulously clean
CM Joy Hollingsworth: because those people who lived in Seattle worked there, and their kids played there right, but they were only able to do that because they were able to afford to live in the city, and it's not to say that our parks are our grounds. Crew is phenomenal. Okay? And I recognize that they have to deal with a lot of stuff differently
CM Joy Hollingsworth: than what someone had to do 30 years ago. Right? We're putting our our parks department people on the front lines of a lot of social issues, a lot of cleanliness issues. Just re, you know, a lot of stuff.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: And so as a city, we can help alleviate some of that pressure by making sure that we're handling the social issues so they don't have to maybe encounter someone that's in a tent that it's the only place they can be at, and they have. We have to go. Put them in an uncomfortable position, right? Because they have to navigate this social issue, that the city can be able to house that person or people that are going through mental health crisis. Or you know the school that's right. Next to this to the Park, and they're leaving all this trash out there. And
CM Joy Hollingsworth: you know there's just a whole bunch of stuff right? And so it's a number of things making sure people can live in the city where they're working. They can afford to live here and where they have, you know, some type of connection to that park. So they're like, you know, we're trying to make it super clean. And then they also don't have to be able to.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: you know, navigate certain social issues because they didn't have to do that 30 years ago. 20 hell, 1015 years ago, you know. So
CM Joy Hollingsworth: that's 1 of the improvement that the city can do to make sure that our our parks department can be able to continue to do their job.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: And and I'll say this last, but not least, I played golf at Jefferson. Well, now, it's called Bill Wright complex.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: I think every kid should have opportunity to to be able to access either tennis, golf, any type of sport that is not traditionally like in their backyard, because that just set me on a different path, having clubs at the age of 5, and hitting balls at at well, at Jefferson, at Bill Wright complex, and, you know, hitting it over the fence and hitting all the cars parked along beacon. No, I'm just playing, but being able to play different
CM Joy Hollingsworth: different sports. I I think that's an improvement to just the access for kids to have different opportunities, whether it's skateboarding, tennis, golf, Frisbee Rugby, I don't care lacrosse
CM Joy Hollingsworth: swimming, you know, just to continue to have that access. And I think, I think Parks Department does a a really good job of that. And I think we need to keep getting better with the access to it. With technology, you know, apps and all that cool stuff.
SPR Boardroom: Last question, joy!
SPR Boardroom: I'm on again. What do you think is like a unique opportunity that we have as the parks board or in parks upcoming within the next year or 2.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Can. Can you repeat that one more time? I'm sorry.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah, I was. I said, what do you think is like one unique opportunity that we have like a unique opportunity that we have as the parks board as or our parks have in the city. In the next upcoming year.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Yeah, I think one big, unique opportunity that we have is. And this is kind of boring. But it's in the comprehensive plan, like we are designing what the city is going to look like for the next 20 years. Right? And so it would be great. You all give us feedback, and you don't have to know all the ins and out. But you say, Hey, joy! This is what we want to protect with parks
CM Joy Hollingsworth: for green spaces. You know, we build so many houses. But we need to have this many canopy for trees or green spaces, or we need to make sure that we're protecting. You know, these areas for people. So we can enjoy the national, the natural wildlife. Because I'm gonna tell you this, whatever we pass this year is going to have an impact 2030 years from now.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: because we're still living in with the constraints that were 1015 years ago, that they passed with the comprehensive plan. And so we have opportunity to design. Say, Hey, this is what's important to us, for I think that's 1 of the biggest
CM Joy Hollingsworth: opportunities that we have for Parks is to making sure that we're protecting the green spaces. For for our, for our our city. Because, let me tell you this, we have amazing. We have. We have so many massive, cool parks
CM Joy Hollingsworth: that are dope small ones, too. But like we have a really great unique park system in Seattle, where I know people come all over the world to like, you know, Marvel, or look at how we manage our park system. And so I want to continue to keep that in the comprehensive plan.
SPR Boardroom: Since you mentioned the comprehensive plan, I'll put the one plug in there, for we talk a lot of the government plans about these community centers and connections to transit and housing one of the things that you mentioned reserving Parkland. We also think about how people can access those parks easily a lot of times we think about getting people to transit or getting people to home or getting people
SPR Boardroom: to shopping. We sort of assume that they can get to the park in their neighborhood, and there's lots of opportunity when we have these destination parks to also think about how we utilize them effectively, not just the neighborhood parks, but that we have opportunities for people to be able to use in those larger resources we have because they're spread out through the city. They're not always the easiest to get to from transit
SPR Boardroom: perspective. And they're not necessarily going to be next to a large community center or housing. So one thing I think I'm passionate about seeing us think about how we use those assets. We have really, effectively, and be able to get people to the program.
SPR Boardroom: It's more of a transportation challenge than rear parks problem. But I would call that out.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: No, thank you. Thank you for that. And that's something that we often you know, in transit, they're always thinking, okay, how do we get people downtown right from
CM Joy Hollingsworth: housing to downtown. We do a lot of how do we get to downtown and g line downtown? And I don't think we take into account? How do we get to a park? How do we get to a beach? You know? How do we get to these really really great places that we have in our in our district. And how do we prioritize people that don't have cars that are walking and biking, and and those pieces, and I think it's it's important as well. So thank you for calling that out.
SPR Boardroom: Anybody have anything else for you?
SPR Boardroom: What's your name?
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Easy Money.
SPR Boardroom: Well, thank you so much for your time, and we would love to chat with you again in the future, and hopefully we'll see you again sometime soon. Thank you so much for joining us.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Thank you so much. Thank you for your service as well to our city, and please send me your ideas that you all have for the comprehensive plan. And if you have any ideas for potentially a great meeting, a committee meeting more than happy to take it. We have limited time right now between when budget cuts off, but more than happy to consider something for 2026, and on while we're making the schedule, especially beginning of the year where it's slow. So send me your ideas. Okay.
SPR Boardroom: It will take you up on it.
SPR Boardroom: Please. Do.
SPR Boardroom: Okay.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Please know.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Awesome.
CM Joy Hollingsworth: Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: So that is our 1st second agenda. Item. Next one is public
SPR Boardroom: comment. And let's see, we have a number of folks in the room and
SPR Boardroom: online. So we're running a little bit ahead of schedule, which is great. Let's
SPR Boardroom: trying to see if folks can limit themselves about 90 seconds or so, minute and a half, just trying to love to hear from everyone. So let's try for that.
SPR Boardroom: We can go ahead and do that. So we're gonna call folks up in the order that when you contacted me and requested for public comment, if you are online, I see you all in the digital room there, and so I will call on you.
SPR Boardroom: If you're in the room easy enough. Go up to the podium. You'll have 90 seconds there. If you are online, I will need to give you permission to unmute yourself, and you will still need to do that. I cannot give you permission to. I can give you permission, but I cannot unmute you. You need to do that, and then you'll have your 90 seconds from there, so we'll go ahead and kick things off with Paul.
SPR Boardroom: Sounds good. My name is Paul Davison. It's my privilege to serve as Vice President of the Puget Sound Senior Baseball League. Let me prepare a statement that provided that hard copy via email
SPR Boardroom: just to provide the cliff notes, we're a nonprofit org. In our 36 season we have 1,100 members. About 500 of those people are Seattle City residents.
SPR Boardroom: we have baseball for all ages. So we have divisions for people 18, and up all the way up to, you know, 60 plus division and retiree division, where the average age is 74.
SPR Boardroom: So we need quality fields for all those people who love playing baseball. And so, you know, regarding the repurposing of the 90 foot baseball field at Magnussen to do pickleball. We'd like to see that as a baseball field as originally intended.
SPR Boardroom: it's been extremely difficult for me to get the schedule, together with the dates that we get, we used to get a lot of dates from Seattle parks. The number of dates and the quality of fields has diminished, and you know we would happily donate to see, you know, a field that
SPR Boardroom: we've had to extend and play games in Gig Harbor and Tacoma schedule here, and it's really due to the exceptional growth of youth baseball in the area. So the demand for the fields is exceptionally high. And you know, just finish by saying that baseball has been around for 100 years, plus. It's here to stay, and the baseball community in Seattle needs quality fields sooner than later. So
SPR Boardroom: you get an a plus for using your time.
SPR Boardroom: Peter Domini. Alright! You have permission to unmute yourself.
SPR Boardroom: Peter. Can you unmute 3, 10.
Peter Dunwiddie: There! Can you hear me?
SPR Boardroom: Yes, yes, there it is!
Peter Dunwiddie: Hi, thank you. My name is Peter Donnerthy. I'm a conservation biologist and affiliate professor at the University of Washington, and I believe that decisions about pickleball courts at Maxon really must be grounded in sound science. The opponents for this project have seriously misrepresented key facts regarding noise birds and wetlands, and I want to address those 3 points.
Peter Dunwiddie: First, st claims that pickleball noise reach 120 decibels, which is the level of a jet taking off, are blatantly false. The correct figure is under 70 decibels, like the passing car, so this has been grossly misrepresented on their petitions, and is widely quoted.
Peter Dunwiddie: Sound also diminishes quickly, especially behind the 15 foot berms that are separating the current parking lot from the wetlands.
Peter Dunwiddie: and I challenge any of you to stand at the wetlands, while a friend hits a pickleball in the parking lot. You won't even hear it.
Peter Dunwiddie: Second, the Magnuson wildlife is typical of urban parks where wildlife thrives alongside people.
Peter Dunwiddie: No noise, sensitive species are sighted by the opponents, because none are present. Many of the birds that thrive there thrive because of the human activity which deters predators like crows and feral cats.
Peter Dunwiddie: and finally, the wetlands are not a rare and unique ecological asset, as been claimed. Rather they are an array of ephemeral man-made ponds, many of which dry out in the summer they no longer support the diversity of dragonflies and another false claim. Those are long gone, but they do. Host. A fauna of introduced pet store turtles.
Peter Dunwiddie: voracious bullfrogs that actually eat ducklings, exotic fish, and, yes, a diversity of birds that will continue to happily thrive if the current parking lot is replaced by a pickleball complex.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, thank you, Peter. You did go a little bit over, so I had to cut you off there. Thank you. And we're happy to take any written comments in addition, which you can send in to pks_bprc@seattle.gov. Thank you so much. And, Frank, you're up next. Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: This this won't be as it sound kind of grumpy, because I cut some of all the good stuff out. I don't attend with Seattle metro pickleball. Your own data will tell you that reservations for outdoor pickleball courts has skyrocketed the last 4 years 311% in the last 4 years yet, despite that, Seattle Parks hasn't added a single pickleball court to your system since 2022.
SPR Boardroom: There were plans to add pickleball courts to tennis courts at Solstice Park. But the tennis community said Not here, and Sbr listened and backed off, and then there were plans to add, 6 dedicated pickleball courts to Lincoln Park, and the birds connect. Community said, Not here, and Sbr listened and backed off. And now there's the Magnuson plan, and once again you will hear from people that say, not here.
SPR Boardroom: but after years of triple digit growth and 7 years of studying pickleball growth and years of not adding a single court, despite the growth and years of telling. No to pickleball.
SPR Boardroom: It's time now for Seattle to finally say, yes, pickleball. Madison Park is the place for you and for your community. Thank you very much. Yes, that's me. Hi. My name is Lane Ritter. I'm a retired naval officer. I came back to us after 16 years of serving overseas. And I figured I realized that I had cancer
SPR Boardroom: anyway, after 11 surgeries. American fighters.
SPR Boardroom: as long as the press have no community but Pickleball gave me that community. This also started my friend Wendy. She works at the penitenture. She's a late thirties woman, and she's also the same. No friends, not nobody. She was new here, so she found community in pickleball. Same with my friend Dana. He's 80 years old. His wife just passed away, and so are his friends are passing away.
SPR Boardroom: He was lonely alone, and people in that community.
SPR Boardroom: So this is more than just a sport. This is something that can transform lives. This is something that can save lives, because for me
SPR Boardroom: I felt that power. I felt that strength of belonging, of being a part of something that I can be my authentic self
SPR Boardroom: without having to pretend or armor off and pretend to be someone. I'm not because it's okay. It's okay in this sport, if you're like an old tennis player, or you're like no sport in your life, anyways. So I hope that you can consider this project because it can transform lives just like to transform Wendy. That made this class says
SPR Boardroom: playing pickleball when smashing a plastic ball at your friends is more fun than their. So please.
SPR Boardroom: I would like to have to be considered.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you. Thank you for your service, Bill Farmer.
SPR Boardroom: Hey, Brian, can I take 30 seconds to answer John's question about amendment 6. It's your time to use. So you want for public testimony. I get 90 seconds. Okay? So maybe we can talk later. Bill Farmer, friends of athletic fields. I could talk about and play fields and our concern about field users being left out of that whole conversation. But
SPR Boardroom: had a good conversation with Annie Sheffer the other day. Christopher. Thanks for arranging that, and I feel like we have some hope that things will be addressed in a positive way.
SPR Boardroom: Personally, I don't have any against pickleball but there's already an approved baseball time, whatever they want to put the court so.
SPR Boardroom: I want to play off of that. Field. Users are a huge partner with parks. Parks provides a field. We rent them.
SPR Boardroom: I think there's 4 million dollars in revenue that came in from field users in the parks. They're huge. I think I've tried to count. It's really hard. 60,000 citizens are active. Rec. And that doesn't count all the parents and everybody that's associated with that
SPR Boardroom: I asked Tom Byers decade ago to get field users to come and have a conversation with you all, because trying to say something here in 90 seconds is impossible. So we're huge. We there's so many people, and it's such a great partnership.
SPR Boardroom: You have a partnership group. It's all with people, with contracts, with you and buildings, or whatever
SPR Boardroom: field users. Sports leagues are huge partners, but we don't recognize field users.
SPR Boardroom: We have a funny relationship. So I, Ryan, I I talked to Justin before can we get it.
SPR Boardroom: have a meeting where we can actually talk meetings. Okay, let's see what we can do about that. Thank you. Appreciate the time
SPR Boardroom: next up, William Suarez
SPR Boardroom: will Suarez.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, I don't see William online, so we can always circle back. He arrives, Neil Rem, the rough plan.
SPR Boardroom: I don't see Camille in the room, either. All right.
SPR Boardroom: Okay. You know you have permission to unmute yourself.
Keena: Thank you. I wanted to bring forward a concern about what is becoming elitism because of the lack of pickleball courts in our community.
Keena: Pickleball is really attractive. You'll hear today because it's accessible to anyone physically, to some extent, historically, financially, you just need a paddle that's actually changing in Seattle because the growth of pickleball and the lack of courts, it's now necessary to have the means to jump online 2 weeks ahead of time. Reserve a court pay for that court. If you want a place to play with your friends.
Keena: which is going to mean fewer and fewer people are going to experience the health benefits, the social benefits, the isolation getting away from the Seattle freeze, as well as the fact that our courts are being rented for clinics and leagues and other things. So the scarcity of courts is meaning that if you don't have that time and that proactive nature and the money to reserve your courts, you may not be playing our public courts aren't really that public at that point
Keena: they're being taken by others.
Keena: Excuse me, I think it's a real shame that everybody, no matter what your socioeconomic situation is, won't be able to benefit.
Keena: and I would encourage us to think about the Magnussens courts. It would be a huge release valve for some of this, and ensure that your financial situation isn't your means or your mean, that you can or can't, access opportunities to play pickleball in our community.
Keena: Thanks for listening.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you so much, Edwina.
SPR Boardroom: They love me 90 min, but I mean 90 seconds. But here goes. My wife and I moved here to the Seattle area a year ago, and we moved here because our son is settling here. We guys have grandchildren. So we moved here early and
SPR Boardroom: moved here from Dallas, Texas, you know.
SPR Boardroom: Big size briskets.
SPR Boardroom: Surprisingly, Texas has more pickleball courts than Seattle, Dallas, Texas has more pickleball courts than Seattle. That's like saying there are more
SPR Boardroom: taco trucks in France than they are in Mexico, but you know, and and this is the birthplace of pickleball. But anyway. So
SPR Boardroom: anyway, we
SPR Boardroom: moved to Seattle. One thing that we did not expect was the Seattle freeze. I mean, that's that is like it's like people are walking down the street with head canceling, ear clothes, and they're trying to avoid eye contact. It's so weird. But with the pickleball community.
SPR Boardroom: people have ingratiated us into their lives, and it has made us feel so welcomed.
SPR Boardroom: I wrote this little thing real quickly. I'm gonna scroll down.
SPR Boardroom: Courts are overcrowded people are waiting in line like it's a Taylor store.
SPR Boardroom: We love the game. We also love to play without leaving reservations that feel like a Mount vernier
SPR Boardroom: campsite in at the Fort be
SPR Boardroom: Magnuson Park Project is perfect place for this. It has space and accessibility and potential to become a national park. Imagine terminus new programs.
SPR Boardroom: international play. And yes, it's just absolutely thank you for signing up
SPR Boardroom: 8 years old. A kid was
SPR Boardroom: from 8 years old to 81. It's just a phenomenal score, and if you haven't tried it, I'm 1 of those people. Okay.
SPR Boardroom: Alright, Kate, let me give you permission to unmute yourself.
Kate Beck: Hey, everybody! I'm Kate Beck, and I like to say pickleball players are aggressively friendly like they will welcome you. They will call you from the side of the fence to come in and play with them. I started organizing women about 3 years ago, and I have over 500 middle aged to senior women that I organize, and
Kate Beck: women like to play, and and men like to play with similar skilled, similar, gendered, similar aged people, and with our small footprints of courts it's really impossible to have that kind of organization like a baseball team. You wouldn't put an 8 year old
Kate Beck: with an 80 year old, or a tech bro with a senior woman like myself, and the Magnuson project gives us the ability to do the leagues and the
Kate Beck: you know the leagues and the trainings, and the clinics, and and all of that kind of diverse programming that we could possibly have. I am strongly in support of the Magnussen project.
Kate Beck: Thanks.
SPR Boardroom: Right.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: 2 years ago the pickleball community circulated this petition. That's gathered almost 2,400 signatures was called the 24 by 24 campaign, and it called for the development of 24 public dedicated pickleball courts by 2024.
SPR Boardroom: We picked the number 24 based on research. We had conducted nationwide, including Dallas, that showed that the average number of dedicated pickleball courts for cities our size was 24.
SPR Boardroom: Since that time. This is what's happened.
SPR Boardroom: The Seattle Parks Department did create 24 dedicated pickleball courts at Woodland Park. They resurfaced existing tennis courts there to hold the 1st ever National Pickleball tournament.
SPR Boardroom: 2 weeks later every single one of those courts was killed and returned back to newly resurfaced tennis courts.
SPR Boardroom: Later that year the Parks Department, as frank reference promised the pickleball community 6 new dedicated pickleball courts to be built on the old tennis court surface at Lincoln Park. That was created. They were created to go in in the fall. It was planned for that, but with colder weather it couldn't happen, so said they would happen in the spring, and subsequently those were killed also.
SPR Boardroom: Last summer we again looked at the national data and saw that the average number of dedicated pickleball courts, among other cities, had risen per city, but not in Seattle.
SPR Boardroom: We did uncover, though one clear leadership role that the Seattle Parks department has played and awarded them this trophy this summer, which is for the fewest pickleball courts across the nation, dedicated pickleball courts in 2024. It's the worst in the West.
SPR Boardroom: We would love to retire this trophy. Nobody wants this, none of us, and none of the parks department, and one way to retire that would be to develop the courts at Magnuson Park. It'd be 25 there that still won't get us to average, but it gets us close, and we'd be happy with that. Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Preacher, is this read?
SPR Boardroom: All right. You have permission to unmute yourself.
Reid Fultz: Hello! Can you hear me?
SPR Boardroom: Yes. Yeah.
Reid Fultz: Alright and nice to meet everyone. My name is Reed Folds. I'm 31 years old and moved to Seattle about 5 years ago, right at the start of the pandemic.
Reid Fultz: Like many others, I struggled with isolation, anxiety, after moving across the country to during such an uncertain time.
Reid Fultz: but over those past few months something unexpected made a huge difference in my life, and that was Pickleball.
Reid Fultz: In just 3 and a half months. I've lost 40 pounds. Thanks to playing regularly, but more importantly, it helped me break through. The Seattle freeze has been talked about a lot today
Reid Fultz: I've met an incredible welcoming community through the sport
Reid Fultz: people. I now see multiple times a week, not just to play, but to connect pickleball is special because it's flexible. It can be competitive or casual, social or focused.
Reid Fultz: That versatility makes it accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. It's not just exercise. It's community building.
Reid Fultz: In fact, demand has been so high that I've actually had to start a group of 20 plus players just to find court space. And we're not alone.
Reid Fultz: Madison Park, with its size and existing infrastructure, is the perfect place. To meet this growing need
Reid Fultz: adding course at magazine wouldn't just serve pickle players. It would create a space for people to move their bodies, make friends and improve their mental health. I know this because it's done all of that for me. In just a short amount of time.
Reid Fultz: Thank you for your time. And considering this opportunity to grow something that is truly positive for our city.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you so much.
SPR Boardroom: Gonna rely on you all to stick to your 90 seconds because we're running a little bit behind. So we've got a couple more people. Lauren Hill.
SPR Boardroom: My name is Lauren Yale. Thanks for this opportunity to talk. I was part of the project advisory team for the sports Westland complex. I've been on Magnussen Park Advisory Committee, for I'm not on it now, but I was on that for 4 years I served as chair. I was also part of the 2,012 Magnus Park Strategic Development Plan, and I'm pro pickleball. I think
SPR Boardroom: pickleball is great. I want to play pickleball. This location is the worst possible location that they would up it in Magus Park for pickleball.
SPR Boardroom: There are other locations. This as part of the master plan, which is a city ordinance. There are 4 more sports fields to be built in Anderson, 2
SPR Boardroom: lit, and this is one of the lit synthetic fields. There sports fields need a big place to be. Pickleball courts are little squares. They can be placed different places around the park. Maybe there's 4 here. Maybe there's 6 here. They can be in a line. They can be scattered sports fields. You need a big place, and also all this field is shovel ready. Compare it for land use.
SPR Boardroom: But there's great places it could be it could be behind the grid in parking lot W. 4, and there's adjacent grass field. I don't know why that wasn't. But there's behind building 30 right now, where the Conservation Corpus Park, their vehicles. There's next to building 2, the Mountaineers club another big site they could. There's building 2. And then, finally, there's
SPR Boardroom: the old tennis courts that are adjacent to the sports meadow. I mean, those are going to be wet mats, but when 2030 years, I mean those would be pickle card pickle ball courts within a couple months.
SPR Boardroom: Give you permission to unmute yourself.
Dianne R: Yes, I'm here. Good good afternoon, and you'll be glad to hear this is not about pickleball.
SPR Boardroom: Perfect.
Dianne R: I'm calling I I'm a district 3
Dianne R: a resident, and I live.
Dianne R: I live near the Leche fishing pier, which is at the East, Jefferson and Lake Washington Boulevard. Intersection. North is the Madrona Park Beach.
Dianne R: and the last major beach and park renovation was done in this area in 1995. It was a major upgrade to the beach play area, and it went all the way down to the North Leshy, Marina parking lot, and they did plantings. They did bushes, they did trees, and they wanted to do a whole lot more, but the neighbors said no, because maintenance was maintenance was an issue.
Dianne R: but at that time the beach got volunteers from Madrona Community Council, Lesha, Improvement Council, the Department of Neighborhoods, and the the park was maintained by a full-time park employee. One woman did that whole area. Every day she retired.
Dianne R: and most of the volunteers that used to maintain the park aged out, and from what I understand, the Parks Department was supposed to take over maintenance of the beach play area, as you all know, it fell into disrepair. So in 2019 October, December, they proposed this this renovation that went on that was shelved and Covid happened, and I just came past the park again tonight from the bus.
Dianne R: and it's a mess. It's really bad weeds and that kind of stuff. Anyway. The project itself is in a to be determined status for the for the beach play area. And so I was, I was thinking, it's a naturally beautiful area. You've got a view of Bellevue.
Dianne R: Okay? Well, what I what I'm calling to say is, I'd like to save you some money
Dianne R: and suggest that instead of a major installation or makeover, you just leave it natural. You make it low maintenance, and you put some colorful garbage cans in the area and keep the 500 k. Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Alright. Thank you very much.
SPR Boardroom: I'd rather have a paddle in my hand. So hey, thanks for having us. I used to sit around these tables. So I had 30 years, 35 years in parks and recreational experience. I've been there done that played every sport, learned every sport, been pretty good at most sports. But what pickleball! Come on, come on! What pickleball has done
SPR Boardroom: to me.
SPR Boardroom: I'm here to support the 25 courts of magazine.
SPR Boardroom: Madison already has baseball, softball, all the other sports that everybody said you shouldn't have. There. We all got in. There's plenty of room for more people to play
SPR Boardroom: I have. I'm also the founding member of diversity and inclusion and pickleball which is which we created 3 years ago to make space for more people of color to play the game. When I 1st started playing 3 years ago, they all looked like me, which wasn't a problem, but it was a problem.
SPR Boardroom: And now we can see more equitable use of the pickleball courts. And now we see not enough use of the pickleball courts, because some people can't get on. What we have to do now with our diversity and inclusion in pickleball is actually pay Seattle Park. The red courts. So people of color can come play.
SPR Boardroom: because what we're doing is creating no access
SPR Boardroom: to those who don't have the wherewithal to have money enough to pay for the courts to get on there that more courts and banks would open up some other courts to be more free
SPR Boardroom: and more accessible to those who won't have access, because the way pickleball is going is about money.
SPR Boardroom: If you can't afford to play, you won't be playing, but this is one of the only sports that doesn't cost anything to play. You come in with a paddle, you can get it free. People give them away all the time. The balls don't cost anything. Okay, I hear you. The courts aren't open, though, so we really need some more access at Magnussen, if possible. Destination Park, Magnussen, pickleball. Are you kidding me all over the world they would come
SPR Boardroom: music.
SPR Boardroom: Hello.
SPR Boardroom: thank you for taking the time to hear us today. I understand that creating a pivotal Mecca in Magnus and Park to some of you seems like an outrageous idea. You may feel like people. Players are selfish with their demands.
SPR Boardroom: insensitive towards neighborhood noise ordinances. This particular proposal is probably the most civic-minded one ever initiated by the propellers.
SPR Boardroom: Have you ever felt like the sports you enjoy? Are generally youth-based, male, dominated or blindly, blindingly. White. Pickleball's other name is Accessibility. Pickleball is for everyone. It is the 3 headed Avatar of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
SPR Boardroom: Just yesterday we played with an aspiring kick. Butt, 80 year old, and his dad and we played daily with people in their seventies and eighties. It's truly a public sport. It is a noble sport to have in a public park.
SPR Boardroom: Of course, we need more pickleball courts to include more people, tennis players included. Did you know 90% of the pro pickleball players are tennis players, and they still actively play tennis. There are so many. Once Nemesis tennis players. Why why are these tennis players supporting pickleball.
SPR Boardroom: because it is a young, clean engine that drives a happy, collaborating community.
SPR Boardroom: Pickleball makes people healthier in all senses of the word. It improves one physically. It gives one confidence that the old adage is true, that if you work hard it will show fast.
SPR Boardroom: It keeps people exercising outdoors together. We're not trying to make Seattle great again with a Mega people court riding on the incredible popularity sport. Seattle is great when its people listen to each other, understand the other's perspective and work things out. I believe in Seattle and its people. We need these courts for the public.
SPR Boardroom: No, William and Camille rep all right, no meal, or William great individual.
SPR Boardroom: 5, 16. Acu aclu. Ask for Spd to enforce the laws.
SPR Boardroom: Isn't that what everyone wants? Chapter 18.12. Part code
SPR Boardroom: Spr. Rules we require bathing suits, and babies must wear plastic pants or diapers designed for swimming.
SPR Boardroom: I supposedly called park enforcement. I'm a fat, ugly cunt whose husband doesn't want to fuck me is what she said.
SPR Boardroom: Yes, I'm fat. Yes, I have a cunt, but I didn't call parking.
SPR Boardroom: There was a joint left over.
SPR Boardroom: He has a verbal, no contact order for the park to attend.
SPR Boardroom: Somebody ripped out rose bushes in the park.
SPR Boardroom: Who knows who did that?
SPR Boardroom: I contacted Amy Lindemoth about that to ask a reply.
SPR Boardroom: Here's a couple fondling breasts and rubbing penises in the park. Spd didn't show up, and they left.
SPR Boardroom: Here's some cute graffiti. No Pervs, no cops. Funny how that doesn't work.
SPR Boardroom: Maybe this is for his Instagram account.
SPR Boardroom: She showed up to the park with a child and had no idea. This is what was going on garbage in the Park.
SPR Boardroom: This was last night Spd. Per
SPR Boardroom: S. Fd. Fire on the beach.
SPR Boardroom: Sfp. Said. It's not illegal to have a fire on the beach, and that I should politely go down and ask
SPR Boardroom: Park Goers to put out the fire.
SPR Boardroom: They handed us this, and said, you should do the research.
SPR Boardroom: The fire department should know the codes.
SPR Boardroom: I asked for a new sign to say, no fires on the beach. To my knowledge it's only at Alkai and Golden Garden Beach.
SPR Boardroom: Here's the fire pit.
SPR Boardroom: No Ring Fire Department did not go down to the beach last night.
SPR Boardroom: There's somebody planting stuff on the beach.
SPR Boardroom: It's it's allowed this park.
SPR Boardroom: It's a disgrace. It's a nuisance. It needs to be closed.
SPR Boardroom: and I'm done being polite! I yelled at the Seattle fire department last night for 5 plus minutes is
SPR Boardroom: passing the buck. As to who's responsible, it's not Spr. It's not Spd. It's not the city.
SPR Boardroom: get it together, come to the park and see what happens there. Thank you.
SPR Boardroom: Beautiful.
SPR Boardroom: Next meeting agenda. Item, I believe, is, yeah. I will try to go through these really quickly. Yeah. So I won't acknowledge all the public comment, because it is the topic of the presentation.
SPR Boardroom: So why don't we get to the next slide, please.
SPR Boardroom: Okay. So home, I park is a fairly new park in the international district.
SPR Boardroom: and we recently held a resource fair there to bring resource providers, together with people who need services. It was an opportunity for people who maybe spent a good portion of their day in the park to be connected with service providers. It was also a good opportunity for those service providers to meet one another and to understand the scope and size of the problem at Homeland Park.
SPR Boardroom: We also shifting gears. Here graduated 31 young people of a 10 week program called Leap.
SPR Boardroom: which is an acronym for learning, empowerment and development. And basically 100% of the youth that participated in this program. They did it. This program taught facilitation skills, conflict, resolution. And one thing I really think is important is self intervening behavior, skill for young people. This is sort of the art of having a young person intervene in their own behavior before they get in trouble.
SPR Boardroom: So that was a very successful program. 10 of these youth have already found jobs.
SPR Boardroom: we're looking forward to the full winter months when we will start another class next slide, please.
SPR Boardroom: Juneteenth is coming. And did we get that right? Okay, why don't we get to the next slide.
SPR Boardroom: Okay? So the big day of play is our marquee programmed
SPR Boardroom: for the park department. It really is a focus on passive. I'm sorry, active recreation where we bring the community together. Maybe people who haven't experienced parks in a way that they really understand what we do and the opportunities for public recreation. It is a day filled with
SPR Boardroom: games, excitement, food, and it really is just kind of our marquee marquee event to introduce the community to their local partner creation system. It's a lot of fun, and we invite you to join us on August 16, th
SPR Boardroom: at radio play field from 12 to 5 PM. Next slide, please.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, so
SPR Boardroom: my slides are not lining up with your with your talking points. But I'm gonna weed it here. So
SPR Boardroom: So we've got summer day camp programs. Yale Parks is the biggest provider of out of school youth programs during the summer months and
SPR Boardroom: over the 11 weeks of summer we will provide
SPR Boardroom: 1,000 h of recreation programming for youth all over Seattle.
SPR Boardroom: Summer starts in our
SPR Boardroom: department technically, the 1st day after school. That's out, which I think is the 23rd this year, and then, okay.
SPR Boardroom: and then you can go. Families can sign up a young person to
SPR Boardroom: taken a free swim lesson at any one of our summer beaches. You can go online and figure that out. And that really is kind of a rare opportunity to learn how to swim outdoors at your local beach, and of course we've got some beaches at Green Lake.
SPR Boardroom: Seward Park, Mount Baker Beach, and all we ask is that you go online and register next slide, please.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, this is
SPR Boardroom: The Amy family foundation is also offering free tennis lessons every Saturday during the month of June. And again, you can go on our website and sign up to bring your young person to their 1st tennis lesson. Probably that top picture is of a young person
SPR Boardroom: probably holding a racket for the 1st time. Who knows? They may become a future pickleball player.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, so this is a time of year when we focus on peak maintenance or department.
SPR Boardroom: and you know there are a couple of buzzwords here. Park beautification. One of the things councilmember Collinsworth was mentioning. Is not everybody has a backyard, so people deserve?
SPR Boardroom: You would see beautiful landscapes across the city. This is a picture of some sign beds being maintained to really a high level of maintenance.
SPR Boardroom: And then here our park system is literally in a massive inventory of trees. And what you see here in these lower slides is the maintenance gap providing supplemental water for trees. And that's important because our trees struggle to survive
SPR Boardroom: during consecutive 70, 80, 90 degree days in the summer. So we really appreciate that work. Staff does
SPR Boardroom: next slide, please.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, so I want to give my friend Bill Farmer some credit here. Soundview Playfield has been on our books for completion.
SPR Boardroom: or maybe
SPR Boardroom: 6 or 7 years, and it has always been cut in the last minute. And it was really Bill Farmer championing. Hey? When are you going to get this done? That led us to not cut this? I think one of the things that is amazing about our department is, we are
SPR Boardroom: maybe one of the best park and recreation best funded park and recreation departments in the country. It's been something like 471
SPR Boardroom: dollars per capita in the city, and it's never enough. We always seem to have reductions, and that really is based on the demand for services and capital projects like this. So it's really great to get this project off the ground after so many years of hits and starts. And I will just say here, with so many
SPR Boardroom: advocates here to talk about either athletic fields or pickleball, that your advocacy shows up in projects like this, so hang in there.
SPR Boardroom: This other slide here is of a young man named Griffin Rust, and he has completed a Eagle Scout project
SPR Boardroom: he designed and constructed canine agility course. At Woodland Park Beach area. And he wrote the grant, he decided. Rather he designed the agility course structure. We
SPR Boardroom: facilitated the volunteer organization that pulled people together to do that, and really showed a lot of leadership. We're really proud to have young people like Griffin Rusk in our community. So we hope he gets his Eagle Scout America.
SPR Boardroom: Okay. Next slide we are.
SPR Boardroom: we received 3.1 million dollars in the last Tranche of Park district funding to build off leash areas at Othello playground and West Seattle stadium. We also have 3 other off leash areas, either in various phases of planning or underway like the Georgetown Flume
SPR Boardroom: South Park Community Center
SPR Boardroom: and Smith Co. So we're happy to report that after a lot of years of planning and discussion.
SPR Boardroom: These are finally under the okay. So last slide. And I think that's all I have.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah, we're awesome.
SPR Boardroom: We've got juneteenth events.
SPR Boardroom: Alright.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, so let's give you a heads up about what's happening.
SPR Boardroom: so the department is basically going to be closed for Juneteenth. Most of our buildings and facilities that offer programs are going to be closed. Those include all of our recreation programs.
SPR Boardroom: community centers, team centers, environmental learning centers, indoor swimming pools, the Green Lake small craft center, Mount Baker rowing and sailing center, and Amy Tennis Center will all be closed. There is an opportunity for people to enjoy outdoor public recreation at all of our parks, of course, which will all be open. Outdoor swimming pools, Seattle, Japanese garden and volunteer park conservatories will be open.
SPR Boardroom: and then our pre season. Beaches will also be open for use at Metrony Beach and West Greenland beaches. Our boat ramps will be open, all of our spray parks will be open
SPR Boardroom: like Inner Bay Park, Bill Wright and the sale golf courses will also be sounds good.
SPR Boardroom: There you go.
SPR Boardroom: I think there's in
SPR Boardroom: that I was told about that. I'm not okay. My son told me about it so that could be, and and it may be a private.
SPR Boardroom: We don't have any
SPR Boardroom: Juneteenth events as it is paid day off for city staff. Now the city at large will have events that are put on by other city departments
SPR Boardroom: to some degree we participate in.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah. So we do have a big role in pride. We take, we're typically the only city department that
SPR Boardroom: designs and builds a float. In fact, the mayor rides on our float during the Pride Parade, and we, of course, do the permitting at Cal Anderson Park.
SPR Boardroom: So we have a big pride. Yes, thank you for bringing that. And I do have a tiny bit of information about the Juneteenth event. It is in Seward Park on Thursday from 11 to 4. But it is not an Spr. Event, it's it is sponsored by Spv. And it
SPR Boardroom: everybody else is an interesting group.
SPR Boardroom: If any of the Commissioners any follow up for sure any questions.
SPR Boardroom: I did have a question on the Madison project. Do we have an opportunity coming up to ask questions from the project manager for that effort. I feel like we've heard a lot of commentary. But I thought it was further in the future. Okay.
SPR Boardroom: I have a second quick question. About the off leash areas. I entered the Ravenna Park
SPR Boardroom: project was being studied for off leash. Is that off the docket now? Or yes. So we have a portal on our website where people can propose additional off leash areas to the ones I've identified where you can make a recommendation
SPR Boardroom: on an off leash area. Just go to our website. And you can type in.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, there's already a study in place for that one. Well, there's a study over on the right handy.
SPR Boardroom: Yes, yes, okay.
SPR Boardroom: Got it. Thanks.
SPR Boardroom: I sent 2. Follow ups on what you've been there. I really was glad to hear that the resource
SPR Boardroom: I'm not sure whose idea that was, but it's a great idea. And if it is successful. I encourage to think about if we you are having challenges in other parts, whether there's ways to do a resource outreach coordinating so and then I I have not heard about the leap partner before.
SPR Boardroom: is that something that is, you know, is one of other. So it is part of our team program. And our mentorship program is a priority for the mayor. And you know, so
SPR Boardroom: I think, what's unique about this program. It is not a cookie cutter approach kind of program for youth, you know, that we know, come from different communities. So the program, I think it's really been tailored for the kids that live in that community. And
SPR Boardroom: I think we're looking for creative, similar ways to replicate and serve the needs of kids that roughly have kind of similar needs. And you know who leads the training and how they relate to the youth makes a big difference. So we're kind of experimenting with different approaches to reach.
SPR Boardroom: Add on to that used to be a feeder pool to the High School internship program at Microsoft. I used to run that program, so we used to use
SPR Boardroom: right on.
SPR Boardroom: It's not
SPR Boardroom: nothing else we'll move on to.
SPR Boardroom: And I'm here to introduce the Madison Park pickleball project and the project manager, Orteza Barrus,
SPR Boardroom: 1st and foremost, we need increased capacity for pickleball, and we need dedicated courts for both pickleball and tennis.
SPR Boardroom: We.
SPR Boardroom: We started introducing her system with dual strengthen. And it's problematic.
SPR Boardroom: In some places it works effectively. But when there is a need for multiple courts in the community on the courts. It's difficult to shift from one sport to another. I just came from Jefferson picking my daughter up.
SPR Boardroom: There's a huge tennis community of jumpers surrounded around the courts. There's a social aspect to tennis, just like there is in pickleball. Multiple courts are important. Another big criteria for citing courts is not paving green open space. We have surged
SPR Boardroom: for hours and hours, Gis, looking for impervious surfaces to play sports on bigger ball and tennis
SPR Boardroom: Magnussen is unique in that. There is a parking lot that is used by an outside entity
SPR Boardroom: that leases the parking lot. I was the project manager of the Madison sports fields and weapons projects. So I'm in imminently familiar, or to answer any questions I'm going to let Marteza take it from here.
Morteza Behrooz: Okay, thank you, Andy. Hello, everyone.
Morteza Behrooz: My name is Morteza Beruz. I'm a senior capital project coordinator with the Parks department.
Morteza Behrooz: Thank you, commissioners, and thank you, Deputy Superintendent
Morteza Behrooz: Christopher Williams, for having me tonight. This slide deck that I'll go through will hopefully give you an overview of a little bit of the history and where we are and where we are potentially going with the pickleball project.
Morteza Behrooz: the Citywide pickleball planning studies that occurred between 2021 and 2023
Morteza Behrooz: yielded results that we've built on leading to the final location and the selection of Parking E. 5 in
Morteza Behrooz: the overall north side of Seattle and Magnussen Park. Specifically.
Morteza Behrooz: the topics being discussed here are listed as the location, scope, schedule, budget, engagement and design. We'll talk a little bit about scis which stands for supplemental environmental impact statement.
Morteza Behrooz: which is a legislative process that we are currently focused on
Morteza Behrooz: the citywide pickleball planning process. As I mentioned, started in 2021,
Morteza Behrooz: and over the course of the next 2 years, up to 2022, where we presented in a virtual public meeting in May, resulted in the selection of certain areas of the city and certain parks to house future pickleball.
Morteza Behrooz: and on August 11th of 2022, there was a presentation to this board.
Morteza Behrooz: which resulted in a recommendation from the Board for Parks to proceed with the concept development at Magnuson and Georgetown, Playfield.
Morteza Behrooz: These 2 sites were selected among the number of sites
Morteza Behrooz: located in the North and south areas based on objective stats and other aspects that were examined by our
Morteza Behrooz: planning staff.
Morteza Behrooz: The Magnuson Pickleball Park location, as you can see in this image, which is a master plan image from from the 2,006 study
Morteza Behrooz: selects a site identified with the orange box
Morteza Behrooz: also known as Parking Lot E. 5.
Morteza Behrooz: And this master plan
Morteza Behrooz: will have to be amended. That is understood. And that is the process we are currently
Morteza Behrooz: in at the moment is to amend the master plan that was approved in 2,006 to allow for
Morteza Behrooz: pickleball to happen in this location as identified with the orange box.
Morteza Behrooz: There is also opportunity to increase the utilization of existing diamond play fields
Morteza Behrooz: on Sandpoint way as identified with the Purple Polygon.
Morteza Behrooz: The Magnuson Pickleball Project scope includes new pickleball courts, lighting and fencing spectator seating.
Morteza Behrooz: There's accessibility features associated with these improvements and obviously landscaping amenities associated with the improvements.
Morteza Behrooz: the overall projected schedule. We are currently within our design phase and our supplemental environmental impact statement phase.
Morteza Behrooz: We anticipate that the scis be completed by the end of this year.
Morteza Behrooz: and present it to council for approval.
Morteza Behrooz: In December of 2025 end of this year.
Morteza Behrooz: or no later than January of 2026.
Morteza Behrooz: The
Morteza Behrooz: permitting and bidding will require 3 to 4 months. Construction phase we anticipate to complete. By the end of December of 2026.
Morteza Behrooz: However, those dates are
Morteza Behrooz: for 25, or 24, plus one, as we've been calling it, for the full build out in terms of the design, and the Master Plan amendment.
Morteza Behrooz: but for only 9 courts. For the 1st phase of construction which we think we currently have funding for
Morteza Behrooz: to give you an overview the high level cost of sort of
Morteza Behrooz: order of magnitude that we're looking at for this development. Every 3 court module that we build will be approximately $300,000.
Morteza Behrooz: A 9 post-tension courts with fencing option would be about 900, therefore.
Morteza Behrooz: including site, servicing and restoration and site furnishings and lighting
Morteza Behrooz: adds up to approximately 2 million dollars with future phases. Tbd. The future phases being beyond the number of courts
Morteza Behrooz: of 9 that we have for the 1st phase
Morteza Behrooz: a little bit of an overview on what engagement has occurred. In 2024 we met with the community in September of 2024. There were mail outs, and people were informed. Many people showed up to this event.
Morteza Behrooz: We also presented again in November of 2024,
Morteza Behrooz: at Magnuson, at the Community center.
Morteza Behrooz: And again there were mail outs associated with this and webpage advertisement as well
Morteza Behrooz: overall. What we've been trying to do at the staff level is to create an objective series of
Morteza Behrooz: studies and outcomes, starting with public outreach
Morteza Behrooz: assessments internally by professional planners within the Department and with the help of our professional consultants
Morteza Behrooz: conducting initial site assessments and then ultimately landing on what is a preferred site at Magnuson Park.
Morteza Behrooz: Our project design has evolved around a number of options. The image, you see.
Morteza Behrooz: is by and large parking, E. 5. The South End, also known as Concept 6, as was presented to the community in September and November of last year.
Morteza Behrooz: This option is a 24 plus one court, which is a full build out
Morteza Behrooz: the battery, of course you see at the top, being the north side of the parking lot is the 1st phase that is envisioned.
Morteza Behrooz: For the funding that we currently have.
Morteza Behrooz: It is noteworthy to mention that a million dollar community donation has been made to the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association and now secured with Seattle Parks Foundation for pickleball at Magnuson Park.
Morteza Behrooz: and I would encourage people to refer to the website to understand the story behind that donation.
SPR Boardroom: Just clarifying question is that 1 million dollars included in the project fund? Or is that for potential future
SPR Boardroom: expansion.
Morteza Behrooz: There is 2.6 million currently appropriated.
Morteza Behrooz: and the 1 million dollars donation is on top of that.
SPR Boardroom: Got it. Thank you.
Morteza Behrooz: It is also important to recognize the the construction and methodology associated with the selection of this site. There is no excavation associated with this location.
Morteza Behrooz: The courts really built over top of parking lot with post-tension concrete slabs
Morteza Behrooz: which will result in savings in embedded carbon. As you may know, every shovel we put in the ground releases a lot of embedded carbon into the atmosphere, and this option will also prevent that from happening.
Morteza Behrooz: A little bit of a background on the supplemental environmental impact statement. As I mentioned earlier, this is a legislative process that we are going through.
Morteza Behrooz: We are required by law to explore
Morteza Behrooz: and investigate formally the environmental impacts
Morteza Behrooz: with regards to our development. In order to be able to appropriately amend the master Plan
Morteza Behrooz: noteworthy that a lead agency may decide that there are no reasonable alternatives to a proposal.
Morteza Behrooz: and that no action alternatives are available. However.
Morteza Behrooz: analyzing only one action alternative is not recommended, and therefore we have explored an alternative location which I will describe shortly.
Morteza Behrooz: A brief history of the environmental impact study. In 2,002
Morteza Behrooz: a study was conducted which resulted in the 2,006 master plan. And there was
Morteza Behrooz: community input during that process, meaning amendments were made to the original master plan and the final environmental assessment
Morteza Behrooz: was released and subsequently a master plan created in 2,006 and official, made official in 2,006,
Morteza Behrooz: the 2025 draft supplemental environmental impact statement, however, will supplement the aforementioned studies.
Morteza Behrooz: And so the idea here is that this new study.
Morteza Behrooz: which is a supplemental study, will compare and analyze the impacts of the No action alternative and other action alternatives, including an off-site alternative.
Morteza Behrooz: And this slide is demonstrating what those alternatives are
Morteza Behrooz: at the top left. You have no action alternative which is keeping the parking lot, as is
Morteza Behrooz: action. Alternative number one is the master plan, as approved in 2,006.
Morteza Behrooz: Action alter number 2, also known as option. 6 is the new
Morteza Behrooz: configuration of Pickle 24 plus one pickleball courts in Parking, E. 5, and actually alternative number 3,
Morteza Behrooz: which is technically the 4th alternative being explored under the new supplemental environmental impact statement is the location west of arena sports at the north end of Magnuson Park
Morteza Behrooz: you can see an enlargement of that area in this slide.
Morteza Behrooz: The red box identifies that off-site alternative location on the west side of arena sports.
Morteza Behrooz: and you can see the east parking lot associated with arena sports in the same image as well
Morteza Behrooz: noteworthy that the East parking lot is typically at capacity during peak use times
Morteza Behrooz: a little bit of an enlargement of what that area could potentially look like with a maximum number of approximately 13 courts.
Morteza Behrooz: This is a rough facility, fit subject to further study, however, this will allow
Morteza Behrooz: our external consultants, who are doing the environmental impact statement to proceed with their studies for this particular alternative as well.
Morteza Behrooz: Meanwhile Staff are busy as well with a citywide strategy for outdoor racket sports in general.
Morteza Behrooz: the results of which will be released later this year.
Morteza Behrooz: and this strategy will provide a global solution for racket sport, court management, maintenance and distribution
Morteza Behrooz: also provide some options and solutions and recommendations for funding and future Mpd. Cycles.
Morteza Behrooz: Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
SPR Boardroom: Thank you, Martaso.
SPR Boardroom: Anybody have any questions?
SPR Boardroom: I do wanna make sure I was tracking that with all the various alternatives. So the option that displaces the current baseball field.
SPR Boardroom: That's not the top option or anything right.
Morteza Behrooz: I'm sorry. Can you repeat that a little bit louder? Please.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah, I'm I'm familiar with this general area soccer. There's on there twice a week, and I know that baseball field. And I always see people playing on the baseball field. Where does that line up in the queue of all the alternatives? That's not currently
SPR Boardroom: the top option, right? We're talking about option 6. That's the so the baseball.
SPR Boardroom: this baseball field is currently not there. This is the master plan. Currently, this is a parking lot, and there's a baseball field.
SPR Boardroom: And then there's 2 baseball. Oh.
SPR Boardroom: but the the purple and orange diagram is great.
SPR Boardroom: Yeah, yeah, right here, currently, there's 2 little League diamonds here and
SPR Boardroom: there is potential for rectangle one or 2 rectangular fields and baseball diamonds in this area. So when we build the next rectangular field at Magnussen. We're going to explore how that could be developed
SPR Boardroom: and how we could leverage us, funding for that rectangular field with grants to further develop those baseball fields with the plans being explored right now, just parking, removing the promised future field. Yes, yes.
SPR Boardroom: And then my questions around parkings. Maybe we're trying to
SPR Boardroom: what do the studies show in terms of
SPR Boardroom: future parking capacity with the removal of some of the lots under either the Arena sports plan or the preferred plan.
Morteza Behrooz: The environmental impact study.
Morteza Behrooz: The legislated study does not require us to study parking count.
Morteza Behrooz: That's an important aspect of understanding the future needs of Parking and Magnussen. That being said, the location proposed
Morteza Behrooz: in parking, E. 5 only occupies half of the parking lot area approximately, and therefore there's
Morteza Behrooz: parking immediately adjacent to the courts, and there's also spillover parking to the west of that which is currently a maintenance yard that has been discussed as a potential
Morteza Behrooz: if needed area for overflow parking the areas
Morteza Behrooz: adjacent to the arena in the north end.
Morteza Behrooz: We are recognizing that the east parking lot is highly used, and at capacity.
Morteza Behrooz: However, through some qualitative information, we recognize that the west of the arena
Morteza Behrooz: is not as utilized, and a potential area to add pickleball.
SPR Boardroom: And could you clarify one thing on the same thread
SPR Boardroom: on the parking situation with proposed facility?
SPR Boardroom: That comment about there being parking immediately available. Is that true? With the the 1st 9 build out? Or is that still the case with the full?
SPR Boardroom: 25, of course.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, there's the 25 laid out. Thank you. And then
SPR Boardroom: not only will we have this parking, but this cross. This trail leads to the parking on the water that is often underutilized.
SPR Boardroom: And then the other question was that lot, that maintenance lot that's immediately adjacent to that.
SPR Boardroom: Has that been explored for development in general, whether pickleball, a feature diamond.
Morteza Behrooz: It has not, however, discussing parking counts. It has been mentioned among our consultants as a
Morteza Behrooz: potential area for overflow parking.
SPR Boardroom: And then
SPR Boardroom: good! Why don't you help us just with a sort of process point? Thank you for coming and presenting this right? I understand they're doing the state environment. Now, what are can you give us a sort of sequence of what are the next steps for that environmental impact statement, particularly for this board. But then overall
SPR Boardroom: is there is there action that we need to take at at some point in time?
SPR Boardroom: and also I I,
SPR Boardroom: there is gonna have to be some type of vote at some point to amend the master plan. Correct.
Morteza Behrooz: That is correct.
SPR Boardroom: We don't have to do. We have an advisory role in that at all.
SPR Boardroom: I think that'd be good. Yeah. So we will come back to you at some point. Once we get through this process for a briefing, a discussion about recommendations.
SPR Boardroom: a recommendation to amend or to amend the recommended
SPR Boardroom: okay, and then what should the public be doing to offer their commentary? Where you ask right now, what? What's the most effective way to provide that? And you provide a little bit of sort of we've had number of folks in the room want to engage in this? Wanna make sure that they're heard in the commentary is registered, not just here, but as part of the overall process. If you give a brief overview of the best way for them to do that.
Morteza Behrooz: Absolutely just one quick note on the previous question.
Morteza Behrooz: There is a 30 day comment period, also required by the Eis process.
Morteza Behrooz: and as soon as our draft study is ready it will get published on the state website
Morteza Behrooz: and the state portal.
Morteza Behrooz: and that triggers a 30 day period, during which we are obligated to conduct a community
Morteza Behrooz: session and presentation at the 2 week milestone
Morteza Behrooz: and at the end of that one month period
Morteza Behrooz: we then collect all comments received.
Morteza Behrooz: So we can potentially plan on presenting to the Board separately. But a public meeting is due by law.
Morteza Behrooz: That being said the best role, I think that people can play public or board is advocacy, for what they believe is right with
Morteza Behrooz: folks that they believe are most appropriate. That always goes a long way, our
Morteza Behrooz: portal, our website is available. Our projects are typically available on the Seattle
Morteza Behrooz: dot, Gov website. If you, if you, for example, Google a park location.
Morteza Behrooz: the park website will pop up. And whatever projects associated with that park are ongoing, there will be a link to those projects on that website. And that's where you'll find contact info and how people can basically reach out. We also have a project sign posted on 65th
Morteza Behrooz: on northeast 65th Street adjacent to the parking lot with contact information. And I hope we've updated that already. I put a reorder in. But those are the best ways that people can reach out to us, and they've and I received
Morteza Behrooz: an abundance of comments from people
Morteza Behrooz: both in support and in opposition. And I've logged those. So I expect that that will continue to happen through this process.
SPR Boardroom: I wanted to clarify. So we will do a public hearing here, which is a little different than people coming in to.
SPR Boardroom: Speak to public testimony. It is a formal
SPR Boardroom: on the record hearing, and I just wanted to call that out because that really is the opportunity for the community to
SPR Boardroom: weigh in and express your feelings to the superintendent, for that will be used
SPR Boardroom: this information for you with more than later recommendation later this summer or fall. When do you think we'll come back and be ready today?
Morteza Behrooz: We anticipate. That would be in in end of September early October is our projection at this point.
SPR Boardroom: Great.
SPR Boardroom: And this is a reminder, folks. All the active recreation drains into the wetlands.
SPR Boardroom: The wetlands really depend on that hydrology.
SPR Boardroom: and have been designed to even hold
SPR Boardroom: a lot of the right of ways. Go into storm filter systems.
SPR Boardroom: related question Andy. So we we have had a lot of
SPR Boardroom: in person testimony about concern over the wetlands that the city spent 7 million dollars to enhance them
SPR Boardroom: decade ago. Can't remember how long ago that was, I guess, maybe for mates and Andy, like what's Parks point of view on
SPR Boardroom: the impact to the wetlands, and why the preferred alternative is still a budget. And I think that'll be important, too, as we go forward to just acknowledge that that was a consideration. And yeah, explain the reasoning. We're really passionate about that. Having done that project in 3 separate phases, we are trying to grasp as much water as possible from every area of the park.
SPR Boardroom: Whole principle of the master plan was to for active and passive recreation fuel, the native environment, the natural environment that's created right? I mean, it's an artificial environment.
SPR Boardroom: It's done super well. But we feel like this. Additional active recreation supports the intended master plan, I think. And
SPR Boardroom: really the Eis.
SPR Boardroom: you know, the whole purpose of us doing the supplemental is to support that claim right. I think the main main factor is noise.
SPR Boardroom: We are working to to mitigate more of this, and
SPR Boardroom: you know best. Mitigation for noise is covering.
SPR Boardroom: but we don't have a financial resources to do that right now. Someday it may be covered with a bubble or something. You know we've been brainstorming all sorts of ideas, but
SPR Boardroom: it isn't pollution generating like it is. Now, you know, right now well, draining for a parking lot for that half the parking lot
SPR Boardroom: goes through a bifiltration switch. So the water going into the weapons. But that'll all be evaluated.
SPR Boardroom: Okay, good. What is the Us. Require to be assessed in terms of noise, isn't it? Mostly on community impact? It is okay.
SPR Boardroom: We just encouraged to make that as robust as possible, even if it's not specifically required by State law, I think it'll be very helpful.
Morteza Behrooz: It is, it is required. Yes, and it's being explored.
SPR Boardroom: Got it any questions.
SPR Boardroom: I have another question, but we feel comfortable with the
SPR Boardroom: the plan shown there that there'll be adequate parking, because there's lots a lot of them already. So really full.
SPR Boardroom: that being further evaluated, yeah,
SPR Boardroom: the benefit in part to this project is playing pickleball in the wintertime, because
SPR Boardroom: we'll have a number of courts covered
SPR Boardroom: with coverings, and then the plan is to add coverings over time as fundraising permits, and the parking lots along with water.
SPR Boardroom: Don't have enough activation. In fact, we've got a lot of illicit activity going on amplifying sound. So these people are there and take, there's a beautiful trail through the partially through the
SPR Boardroom: that's great. People are going to use their cars. But ideally, this helps activate
SPR Boardroom: the problems with magnussen are in areas where there's not enough activation. This is an area that needs some activation.
SPR Boardroom: And the other area, frankly, is towards the north end, you know, around hangar, too. So
SPR Boardroom: it's kind of a balancing the environment. The advice, I mean, yeah.
SPR Boardroom: And then the last question I had here is mentioned that there's already been over a million dollar.
SPR Boardroom: Is it a pledge, or is actual money actual money? Oh, my question is more broadly around.
SPR Boardroom: what the parks
SPR Boardroom: is it? Is there a sort of a process or amount of money, or thing that would allow you to? If this
SPR Boardroom: moves forward, they allow you to move
SPR Boardroom: faster. Or how is that money intended to be used? It's seems like it's for a later phase, right for this phase
SPR Boardroom: appropriations, I thought. Appropriations plus the donation. Oh, included. Okay, that's what I'm sorry. That's what I was trying to understand. The donation goes to support this phase. Correct? Got it? Okay? And that's in part why the estimate is done in those modules. 3 cookouts for X amount. So that more, there's more fundraising. You know exactly what the targets okay, we like to focus
SPR Boardroom: fundraising towards actual construction.
SPR Boardroom: Okay.
SPR Boardroom: are there locations identified as alternatives for post baseball field? Are there other spots where that well, the existing base, the existing Little League diamonds that are along Saint Point Way right here.
SPR Boardroom: These could be upgraded. They're not shown as being upgraded.
SPR Boardroom: But when we put in this rectangular field right here at the same time, will
SPR Boardroom: do a feasibility study of combined and rectangular field.
SPR Boardroom: Hello, thank you very much
SPR Boardroom: for the presentation. Yeah, just before we adjourn in a couple of confirm our next meeting time. Are we on stuff for
SPR Boardroom: June 26 is on the calendar? I think that was still showing up for everyone. So we'll see everyone in July. And then also.
SPR Boardroom: when is the Perks annual report gonna be released? I will check in with it with Jeff, and try to get that.
SPR Boardroom: Know that the meeting is coming up on June 24, th and then one last thing I just mentioned. But
SPR Boardroom: I happen to attend a another community meeting the freight board. But one of the things that they did that I really liked, and would like to encourage other commissioners to, as well as they shared some of what they were doing in the community, and their observations, and sort of being able to bring back connections with that they made with whether it be staff or
SPR Boardroom: events that are going on. So we're all out there right now. We're all active. But if you do have anecdotes or story to tell, or any type of recognition of somebody who did something special, please. It's Andy. It's Andy's crew at the Genesee Park.
SPR Boardroom: because you're you're doing the new.
SPR Boardroom: So O'day High School left their football all their plays there.
SPR Boardroom: Your crew pick them up.
SPR Boardroom: I got the call. I went to pick them up. They told me they sold all the place that was just awesome to see. There's what there was several 100 kids registered running around playing tennis and just population
SPR Boardroom: 23rd in advance of the subcommittee meeting on June 24, th
SPR Boardroom: yeah. So and Justin did. Note, you know, if you want to listen in online, or we'll try to. So we'll see there's nothing else.
SPR Boardroom: We're good.
SPR Boardroom: Thanks for joining.
Morteza Behrooz: Thank you all. Bye.