Seattle Press on Line - Arboretum Planners Heard, Heeded Critics

Arboretum Planners Heard, Heeded Critics

By Unknown Writer #6

Apr 04, 2001 -- Only slightly overshadowed by the Boeing blowup, the Washington Park Arboretum Master Plan took center stage last week at a City Hall public hearing where citizens voiced their concerns, criticisms and compliments on the plan's Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Located on 230 acres of public land southeast of the University of Washington, the Washington Park Arboretum is considered a "special purpose park" serving a dual function as both a public park and an arboretum. People come from near and far to see and learn about the extensive plant collection unique to the Arboretum and to visit one of the "top ten" formal Japanese gardens outside of Japan. It's also a city park that is used by locals for everything from bicycling to bird-watching. This is a popular park that serves a big community. Balancing the needs of every user proves to be a complicated challenge.

Not nearly as controversial as an earlier plan that was criticized for its touristy and exclusive Buchart Gardens-like design (with the possibility of admission charges), the meticulously prepared revised version demonstrates a genuine attempt to address and balance all the conflicting and compatible functions of the park.

Kudos to tireless efforts of park advocates and dedicated members of the Arboretum Park Preservation Coalition who waved red flags and objected to an original plan, released in 1997, that would have compromised many of the cherished features of this Olmsted legacy. Even Debra Andrews, the Executive Director of the Arboretum Foundation (which is one the organizations responsible for initiating the original plan) agrees the revised plan benefited from citizen input. "We've made big adjustments in direct response to citizens' concerns, such as moving administrative offices outside the park and abandoning plans for a controversial 5,000-square-foot building." She also adds that the contested fence issue "died a little death and is gone forever."

Some critics are still wondering where the $43 million necessary to implement the plan will come from. So far only $2 million of public money has been set aside from the Pro Parks levy with another $1.1 million from the Shoreline Park Improvement Fund (SPIF). That leaves $40 million yet to be raised by the Arboretum Foundation through a combination of private funding sources and state and federal grants.

The plan will take at least 20 to 30 years to implement and, even though no major donor has been identified, Parks Department spokesman Don Harris correctly points out that having an acceptable plan in place makes it a lot easier to ask for money.

The plan cannot proceed without them and, as the Arboretum is a regional park that serves both people who live within and beyond city limits, expecting Seattle taxpayers to foot the entire bill for this ambitious undertaking is asking too much.

Although private funding is needed to implement the plan, these in-kind contributions do not necessarily carry rights of ownership. This park is a publicly owned asset, and, before major contributions are accepted, the stewards of our public land (Mayor Paul Schell, City Council and Parks Superintendent Ken Bounds) need a tactful reminder that donors do not become owners just because they give lots of money.

One element missing from the new plan is clear and explicit language that allows every willing citizen to participate in the decisions, both large and small, that affect this public park. Successful and controversy-free implementation depends upon the public's trust in a governance structure that includes and encourages citizen participation in the every stage of the planning process.

Six long years of planning and, with a little more fine-tuning, the Washington Park Arboretum Master Plan will be worthy of City Council approval.

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