News in the Neighborhood

Mayor Paul Schell and Ballard District Council president Stephen Lundgren, who was on hand to receive $57,306 in neighborhood matching funds for the Sunset Hill Community Garden.

Ballard and Lake City picked up some much-needed cash in the latest round of awards from the city's Neighborhood Matching Fund. The Mayor announced an award of $57,306 to Groundswell NW for construction of the Sunset Hill Community Garden in Ballard; the North District Neighborhoods' Stewardship Committee scored $150,000 for acquisition of land in the Lake City civic core.

Groundswell NW, the Ballard Open Space Coalition and the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation acquired the Sunset Hill property at Northwest 58th Street and 30th Avenue Northwest in March, 1999. According to Ballard District Council president Stephen Lundgren, the park is located in a rapidly growing residential neighborhood. The Sunset Hill park will include a passive park and a p-patch.

"This is the largest open space acquisition we may see in Ballard for some time," said Lundgren.

The Lake City Civic Core grant will help Lake City neighbors purchase a parcel of land at 12538 27th Ave NE, near the current library. The neighborhood committee will donate the land to the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation in order to retain Albert Davis park and provide additional parking for the library expansion.

"The money helps us leverage funding for civic center improvements," said Cheryl Klinker, a member of the North District Neighborhoods' Stewardship Committee. "With it, we can pick up parcels north of the library expansion, so we won't lose Albert Davis park."

The Mayor also announced a proposal to increase the Neighborhood Matching Fund from $3.75 million to $4 million this year. The Mayor has forwarded legislation to the City Council that requests an immediate addition of funds to the program; the Mayor intends to increase the matching fund program to $4.5 million by 2001.

"One of the programs I'm most proud of," said the Mayor, "is our neighborhood matching fund program. It builds a sense of community. When I ran for office, I promised to triple the program from $1.5 million to $4.5 million; we'll be asking City Council to approve $4 million immediately. We've accomplished 250 projects this year, and all of these projects make a difference in every neighborhood, all across Seattle."

The Department of Neighborhoods Neighborhood Matching Fund is a competitive program with several levels of funding available. Large project awards (requests of more than $10,000) are considered twice a year. Smaller awards are made every two months. The City Neighborhood Council, a team of community representatives from throughout Seattle, reviews each large project proposal. The next application deadline for the Large Projects Fund and Small and Simple Projects (requests up to $10,000) is July 17. For more information, contact the Department of Neighborhoods at (206) 684-0464 or go to www.cityofseattle.net/don/.

Parks Announces Closure of Volunteer Park Off-Leash Area

The Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation has decided to close the Volunteer Park off-leash area, citing damage to 21 specimen trees within the area from soil compaction and dog urine. Three years of dog pee and pounding dog feet weakened the trees, creating the opportunity for secondary mite infections as well as bacterial and fungal growths. The off-leash area will be closed in mid-July.

"We hope the damage isn't irrevocable," said parks department spokesperson Dewey Potter. According to Potter, the two independent arborists hired to assess the health of the trees have recommended that the parks department give the trees a rest. The trees are valued at $440,000.

Additional pressure to close the site comes from Citizens for the Protection of Volunteer Park; the park advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against the City claiming the off-leash area is a public nuisance and citing damage to the trees. City ordinance makes it illegal to allow an activity in parks that destroys park assets, including grass and trees. The ordinance gives the parks superintendent authority to close a site if necessary for the preservation of the natural environment, public health or safety or if problems arise which cannot be resolved jointly by the parks department, Animal Control and COLA (Citizens for Off-Leash Areas). COLA is the city's designated steward of Seattle's off-leash areas.

The parks department will open a smaller interim site to the south of the present off-leash area. The parks department may close the Volunteer Park off-leash area permanently if voters approve a $223 million parks and open space levy in November. The funding package includes $1.3 million for development of a site under I-5 south of East Howe Street.

Name a New Lake Union Park

The Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation invites you to offer your ideas for naming a new park in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle.

Names submitted will be considered, and the Naming Committee will recommend one to Parks Superintendent Ken Bounds. The superintendent will make the final decision.

The new park is near Lake Union, along the 2800-2900 blocks of Fairview Avenue East. Just across from Fairview Avenue, Waterway 11 offers public access to the shoreline of Lake Union. The new park has many northwest native plantings and blooming perennials. It also incorporates the undeveloped Shelby Street right-of-way, which has been used as P-Patch garden plots since 1981.

The committee will look at certain criteria when choosing the name: geographical location, historical or cultural significance, and natural or geological features. You can try to get the park named for a person, but that person must have been dead for more than two years and have made a significant contribution to parks or recreation in Seattle.

Name suggestions must be submitted in writing, with an explanation of why your name is best, by June 23. Send your suggestions to: Department of Parks and Recreation, Attn: Park Naming Committee, 800 Maynard Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98134-1366; by e-mail to marylou.whiteford@ci.seattle.wa.us; or by fax to (206) 233-7038. For more information, call 684-7388.

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