Friday, November 13, 2009

Westcrest Park Mini-Summit Sponsored by the Highland Park Action Committee

I haven't posted all of this information before because HPAC had a committee that was going to put it in a spread sheet form, but due to illness that won't be happening for a while.
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.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Westcrest Park Update

Our guest speaker at HPAC this month was Susanne Friedman from The City of Seattle’s

Dept. of Parks and Recreation. She is in charge of the Westcrest Park design

project. She described the process by which they will pick a design team and how

the feedback from our Westcrest Park Summit last summer, will be considered into

design. The Parks Levy has put aside 3 million dollars for our park project from

start to finish. They are reducing the size of the reservoir by more than half, but

the West Seattle Reservoir Lid Project is separate from the Parks Levy. 3 million

may seem like a lot now, but after paying for the design and going through the

permitting process and grading the site, building and buying plants, etc. It’s going

to go fast. Everyone was asking about public art and Susanne said that they have

yet to determine how much money there would be for public art on this project. I

have been asked to be part of the community team overseeing the choosing of the

design firm, so I will keep HPAC informed. I know how important public art is to

this group and I will remind the designers of it. If you have questions you can write

me at: chair09@highlandpk.net.


Nicole’s Local Business Spotlight: Highland Park’s Station 11 of the Seattle Fire Department

Nicole’s Local Business Spotlight was a little different this month, taking the

opportunity to honor some of our local heroes that work hard keep our

community safe. She invited one of the crews from Highland Park’s Station 11

of the Seattle Fire Department to join us. Lt. Russ Wiseman introduced his

crew and told us about all of the things that firefighters do daily in the

community.

Nicole announced a tour for all HPAC members of the facility on

SW Holden St. on Nov.21st at 11:00.

We are also looking for volunteers to

prepare and deliver a home cooked meal and care package to the crew on Nov.

13th.

Contact Nicole for details at

n.mazza9@gmail.net.


Some Notes from our October 28th meeting:


Although I was gone last month, I heard great reports about the September,

HPAC Candidates Forum. It was amazing to be able to read about it on the West

Seattle Blog while I was in Spain. I heard from several members that Rory Denovan

did a great job moderating and kept all of the candidates on time and moving

forward. Thanks to Rory, HPAC Vice Chair Nicole Mazza and all who helped out.

At our Oct. meeting we discussed the formation of a new Highland Park Small

Business Club. (Thanks to Deanie S. for the great idea) Our goal is for our local

businesses to support each other by sharing our knowledge and experience, to

increase our awareness and participation in local issues, and to help improve our

community. We are looking for some business owners to help start this club.

These founding club members will help us to:

Establish a club name

Adopt a Constitution

Determine meeting locations and times

Adopt club bylaws and committee structures

Elect a club board and its officers

Establish any club fees or dues

To become a Founding Member of this new Highland Park business group, please

contact: Dan Mullins • chair09@highlandpk.net


Highland ParkNeighborhood Status Report

Ten years ago the Seattle Planning Commission drafted a series of Neighborhood Plans

for the many neighborhoods in the greater Seattle area. At that time our relatively small

neighborhood of Highland Park was grouped in with our neighbor Westwood.

The City Planners offered all of the neighborhoods the opportunity to give input on what

they wanted to see happen to their individual communities in the next twenty years.

Some neighborhood groups jumped at the chance to have a say in what the future would

bring to their communities—others did not.

In the past decade all of Seattle’s neighborhoods have changed. Some of the neighborhood

organizations have made sure that growth matched the vision of the original plans, while

also realizing that sometimes the original goals change. Unfortunately Highland Park

neighborhood was never very involved in the process and we don’t have a strong, forward

thinking growth plan.

The Highland Park Action Committee is a group of concerned citizens and small business

owners who believe in Highland Park and want to see the community grow in a way that

will benefit families and small business.

During June and July, many neighbors joined in local meetings and hundreds of others

participated in online questionnaires to review the Draft Neighborhood Status Reports

and to comment on changes—good, bad, and unexpected—that have occurred since

Seattle’s Neighborhood Plans were written in the late 90’s. We explored growth,

transportation, housing, economic development, utilities, neighborhood character, open

space and parks, public services and public safety.

The City Planning Commission has compiled these comments and we are now ready for

phase two. View the report:

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/Neighborhood_Planning/Overview/


Highland Park Small Business Owners!ATTENTION

WHO ARE WE? We are a group of small business owners and concerned citizens from the

Highland Park neighborhood that have decided to join together and form a local business

and merchants group. Our goal is to support each other by sharing our knowledge and

experience, to increase our awareness and participation in local issues, and to help improve

our community.

The Highland Park business sector is made up of mostly small, privately owned businesses.

Whether you own a restaurant, a beauty salon, an auto shop or light industry, we all have

something in common. We all want to succeed and to grow and we want to feel that we have

the support of the City, the County and the State government.

WHY JOIN? Individually it is often difficult to feel part of the community, but experience

tells us that if we join together, our knowledge base will grow, our voices will be louder, our

network will grow, and we can really get some important things done.

INTERESTED? We are looking for some business owners to help start this “club.” These

founding club members will help us to:

Establish a club name

Adopt a Constitution

Determine meeting locations and times

Adopt club bylaws and committee structures

Elect a club board and its officers

Establish any club fees or dues

WHO’S ELIGIBLE? We will not limit membership in the club on the basis of gender, race,

color, creed, or national origin or impose any condition of membership requirements.

Our goal is to bring our neighborhood together. If a neighbor from White Center or Westwood

or anywhere else wants to join, we will welcome them, but our focus for now is the Highland

Park business neighborhood.

HOW IS HPAC INVOLVED? The Highland Park Action Committee has a long history

of working for the benefit of our neighborhood. We’re glad to help this new group of HP

business owners get started, so they can become an ongoing and self-supporting organization.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please go to: www.highlandpk.net

CONTACT: To become a Founding Member of this new Highland Park business group,

please contact: Dan Mullins • chair09@highlandpk.net

YOU ARE INVITED to meet some of the great people that make up this neighborhood:

HPAC meeting times

Fourth Wednesday of each month at 7pm

Highland Park Improvement Club • 1116 SW Holden St.


Thursday, October 15, 2009

Attention Green Seattle Volunteers and Supporters,

Green Seattle Volunteers and Supporters,

You are invited to join your community forest stewards for a day of tree planting and park restoration!

WHEN: Saturday, November 7th; 10 AM - 2PM (rain or shine)

WHERE: Cheasty Greenspace and many other forested locations across Seattle.

Locations include: Carkeek, Golden Gardens, Ravenna Park, Burke-Gilman Trail, Discovery, St. Mark's Greenbelt, Leschi Overlook, Seward, Maple School Ravine, East Duwamish Greenbelt, Westcrest, Lincoln, Camp Long, Orchard Street Ravine, and West Duwamish Greenbelt

WHY: Green Seattle Day is a fun opportunity for you and your family to help keep Seattle green by planting native trees and shrubs in a park near you.

HOW TO HELP:

  • Register to volunteer on Nov. 7th at a Green Seattle Day site.
  • Organize a team from your work or community to participate.
  • Help us spread the word to more people.

More information and to register click here.

Please contact us if you have any questions: info@greenseattle.org / 206-905-6906