So I am going to post all of the comments collected from the Westcrest Park Mini Summit as is and unedited except for a few spelling corrections.
When you see topics listed more that once, it's because we received more than one comment card on that topic.
The comments are broken down by category, like Parking or Off-Leash Area, etc.
D.M.
Westcrest Park Mini-Summit
Sponsored by the Highland Park Action Committee
June 22, 2009
Moderator: Dan Mullins, HPAC Chair
Guest included:
Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin
James Bush from KC Council President Dow Constantine’s office.
Robb Courtney, Parks Division Director
Ron Angeles, Delridge Neighborhood District Coordinator
SPD Officer Adonis Topacio
Westcrest Park Mini-Summit Issues: Greenbelt Comments:
- Continuous Trail from Westcrest trails to Highland park Way.
- Trail Signage.
- Restore the native habitat.
- Organize school outings to increase positive use.
- Preserve and restore the forest by removing invasive plants & planting native plants.
- Link walking trails of West Seattle (Feet First) to Westcrest Park with signage.
- Are there resources for birds in danger? The area has a big diverse bird population that needs to be saved.
- Maintain biking impact on trails.
- Organize neighborhood groups to do greenbelt restoration.
Greenbelt Comments cont.
- Build a camping area where lewd activity is. Could be separate area from Dog Park but still connected.
- Extend off leash area to include walking trails thru areas.
- Goats to clear invasive plants.
- Build a trail to Highland Park Way from Westcrest through the greenbelt.
- Bike Trail. It would be great to take it from Westcrest through greenbelt to tails downtown.
- Clear area for public orchard.
- Goats for clearing blackberries.
- Maintain trail system, connect trails, and remove social trails.
- Eradicate berry vines.
- Clean up brush on North side of water reservoir to decrease overnight camping & drugs.
- Invasive blackberry & Scotch broom also need removal.
- Remove invasive plants.
- Ask local Boy Scout troop to assist with trail development and marking.
Westcrest Park Mini-Summit Issues: Illicit Activity Comments
- Popularity of Off-leash Park has significantly reduced illicit activity. Still more to be done. Dumping in park is way down.
- Lighting to enable night time/ evening use of park. More activity in evenings, more visibility to keep crime down.
- Need to continue to find ways to increase productive uses of the park. More activity and visibility will drive out illicit activity.
- Add more uses to Westcrest that would bring in neighbors, not just people from other parts of the city.
- To reduce activity, return the: Leashed” area back to Off-leash area.
Illicit Activity Comments Cont.
- Create white wall space to encourage healthy artistic expression and get the graffiti on the wall and not on the houses.
- Small office for volunteers or staff.
- Add off leash activities to trail areas, more activity in woods reduces illicit activity there.
- More Patrols. Citations?
- Open off leash dogs to illicit areas to discourage.
- Volunteer group to patrol area’s use for illicit activity.
- Improve trail system, encourage legitimate usage. Is there now a regular schedule for pruning/clearing brush by Parks Dept. on “cruising” trails or was this just a one-time project?
- Allow dogs on the trails they will keep illicit activity to a minimum.
- Regular patrols thru lot w/ occasional walk into woods. Better lighting in parking lot.
- Signs posted to discourage lewd activity.
- Better lighting that’s solar charged.
- Have police, park rangers & animal control the forest daily.
- In 15 years of walking the trails, only came upon illicit gay male activity once.
Westcrest Park Mini-Summit Issues: Parking Comments.
- Parking for Off-Leash area spills over onto Cloverdale and the lot by the horse barn, which crowds out users of the playground.
- North (Cloverdale Lot has much more demand than the capacity of the existing parking area supports.
- More off-street Parking
- More signs to where Park Parking is.
Parking Comments Cont.
- Cloverdale needs real sidewalks. It is not safe for pedestrians.
- No Parking Signs on SW Henderson & 8th Ave near gravel area and place boulders or sidewalk. Get rid of gravel across from 815 SW Henderson St.
- Cloverdale cannot support increased traffic resulting from a larger parking lot.
- The Parking lot on SW Cloverdale for the off leash area has been maxed out.
Can the number of spaces be increased?
- Do not want park users parking in the neighborhood.
- Parking.!!!Not Enough.
- 7th Ave SW & SW Cloverdale needs to be a controlled intersection. At a minimum a yield for westbound traffic on Cloverdale, but preferably a 3-way stop. It’s a dangerous, blind intersection.
- Need more parking. Winter icy roads, very dangerous street to North Parking lot.
- Need more light and parking spaces.
- In the south end of the park is a gully. The broken concrete could be used to fill that gully, overlaid with fill and topped with horse manure.
- When you develop the park make sure you improve the roads leading to it.
- Parking on north side:
1) Close N. Parking lot and increase lot on s. end. Or:
2) Widen Cloverdale from 7th Ave SW, East of N. parking lot to accommodate 2 lanes of traffic and parking for one side.
Westcrest Park Mini-Summit Issues: Off- Leash Area Comments.
- Lack of maintenance for dog park infrastructure. Fences. Surfaces. Water.
- Absolutely No Pit Bulls allowed at the off leash park.
- Additional Parking needed.
Off- Leash Area Comments Cont.
.
- Damage by dogs in area east of off leash area.
- No Pit Bulls in off Leash Park. Very dangerous.
- Keep dogs in the Off Leash Area, not on the trails.
- North Seattle has a “Destination” off-leash park @ Magnusun Park. South Seattle has nothing comparable. West crest has the capability to support off-leash improvements to be such a destination.
- Widen the parking lot entry road (North end off-leash parking) 2. Yield sign crest of hill at Cloverdale & 8th & 9th.
- The Westcrest off-leash area is a gem in the Seattle parks family. We need to ensure other uses don’t impact this much in demand capability of Westcrest.
- Restore forest edge in the off leash area.
- Repair bag holders for dog-poop.
- Lights in the dog park!
- Max limit for # of dogs each person can have in park. I suggest 3.
- City must find more off-leash areas.
- More Parking.
- Lights in the park for winter months for evening walks with dogs.
Westcrest Park Mini-Summit Issues: New Reservoir lid Comments:
- Outlook, Viewpoint area. Picnic area. Walking Path.
- Gym with swimming pool.
New Reservoir lid Comments Cont.
- Low Maintenance asset, to make sure it looks good beyond the levy/project
- Small outdoor amphitheatre for: Music in the Park” in the summer
- If playfields brought in, Noise must be controlled.
- Open Area with running (jogging) track. Possible water fountain. Work out stations.
- Must be patrolled by SPD on July 4th. No Fireworks.
- No development of baseball, etc. play areas that limit general (Picnic) recreation use by others.
- No athletic Fields please. Yes pea patches!
- Tennis Court?
- Really like the new park over the lid on Capitol Hill If not that fancy, perhaps some kind of jogging fitness trail. Take advantage of view of downtown.
- Create a multi use ball field, including a cricket pitch, Bring active immigrant communities to the park.
- A family restaurant with view deck. Educational Facility.
- FAA antenna towers and art sculptures.
- Walking Paths.
- Open space. No sports complex.
- Baseball fields on Reservoir.
- Celebrate diversity of the neighborhood
- Tennis or Volleyball court.
- Lighted walking track with recreation use in center.
- Airplane viewpoint at NE corner! Boeing Field, Sea Tac flight line, FAA Tower informational displays.
- BBQ Grills and Picnic tables.
- Turf on lid , multi purpose with lights.
- Concerts in the park.
- Open Space. Pea Patch. View Points. More Trails. No additional car traffic.
- Water feature such as fountain or waterfall.
- Public sculpture area with benches and picnic.
- Pea Patch.
- Pea Patch.
- Pea Patch.
- Pea Patch.
- Pea Patch.
- Pea Patch.
Westcrest Park Mini-Summit: Safety Issues Comments.
POSITIVE:
- Lights.
- Sidewalks.
- Widen the trail so 2 people can walk side by side. Use fluorescent marks on the trails.
- Improve the safety of pedestrian access to the park. Example: Crosswalks at Cambridge & 6thAve SW, Child signs.
- Sidewalks and curbs on Cloverdale to and from Dog Park.
- Allow horses at the park!! This will increase good traffic & allow a great recreational activity.
- Activities that encourage neighborhood park usage. Use of city’s REACH Team to aid homeless population.
- Strengthen pedestrian connections between park and neighborhood.
Safety Issues Comments Cont.
NEGATIVE:
- Maintenance staff has an excuse for everything.
- Maintenance staff needs to get out of their truck.
- Trim up tree trunks to reduce homeless living.
- Mounted patrol at the park.
- Remove and clean up encampments above Detroit Ave in the WDGB.
- Homeless guy sleeping on bench. Someone to police area or do walk-throughs to see if they need help or resources.
- Increase trail lighting.
- Make trails more open & patrols.
- Current: I walk/jog the trails east of the off leash area. Many dogs (most) are off leash. Lucky that all have been well behaved.
- Need safe and clean toilet facilities.
- I live on corner of 6th and Cloverdale. Cars sliding into my property when roads are icy.
- Get rid of the Stage area. It is only used as a drug-meeting place.
- 4 th of July patrols. Last year there was a fire in the grass & soooo much trash.
- Clean up broken glass from hard surfaces daily.
- Possibility of security Camera in 2 parking lots at Westcrest Park to defer burglary.
Westcrest Park Mini-Summit Issues: Misc. Comments.
POSITIVE:
- Skate Park.
- Outdoor movie series in the park.
Misc. Comments Cont.
-
- Connect the park to neighborhood pedestrian access.
- Crosswalks, trails, etc.
- Serve as hub for emergency preparedness, example, Trailer with supplies.
- Add environmental learning activities to this incredible natural forest resource.
- Create a community based recycling program, e.g.: Volunteer driven.
- Do a major upgrade to the playground equipment to draw families (a la Madison Park Playground).
- Create kid-oriented activities in the park to increase family traffic.
- Public Art Project, one that attracts visitors and is interactive.
- Skate Park.
- Do Park Ranger-led nature walks. E.g. Bird watching.
- Kaboom! Playground project Destination.
- Swings for “Big Kids” (adults)
- Neighborhood camp out in the park, tents, outdoors movie, BBQ.
NEGATIVE:
- Poor maintenance of plants, weeding, trash, etc.
- Tell boss Nickels not to put a jail next to the West Duwamish Greenbelt.
- Need restoration of high use areas in wooded areas of park.
- Link into Feet First and Nature Consortium. Get funding for signage!!! On east side of Delridge.
- Maintain Trails, sidewalks in Highland Park
- Move the SDOT yard chain link fence back to top of berm.
- Restore sidewalk along SE side of Highland Park Way and mow & blow at least once per month.
- Maintain Westcrest to at least the same standard as Lincoln Park, if not Alki.
- Current, Walked through the park on Sat afternoon, lots of families using playground.
- Might need “Power Ladder” in the playground.
- Too much traffic on Trenton St. It’s Being used as Main Street. Westwood should be residential only. Henderson should be main one to be used.
- Programs to enhance wildlife i.e.: birdhouses, nature walks.
- Possibility of security cameras in parking lots at Westcrest Park to defer burglary.
- Ivy is killing much of outlying areas of the park-it must be controlled
- Close the social trail in the forest and clearly define legitimate trails.
- Pick up litter, used condoms, & drug paraphernalia from forest on a daily basis.
- With huge layoffs & change in Mindsets, what about an area /day where people can barter for goods and services.
