Center City Parks Task Force

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Task Force Report

This report presents the findings and recommendations of Mayor Greg Nickels’ Center City Parks and Public Spaces Task Force, charged with making recommendations to the Mayor on strategies to revitalize and activate the city’s center city parks and public open spaces.
 » Downtown Parks Renaissance Report
    Executive Summary*(401k PDF)
 » Full Report*(2.4 M PDF)

Parks will brief the Board of Park Commissioners at their regular meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 23.

Open House, Public Meetings and Comments

On Thursday, April 12, 2007, Parks staff will brief the Board of Park Commissioners on the park use guidelines.
 » briefing paper*(232k PDF)
 » use guildelines*(90k PDF)
 » more information

The task force met 16 times between October 2004 and March 2005, and held an open house and public meetings in January 2006.

ABOUT THE TASK FORCE

The charge of the Center City Parks Task Force is to advocate for the parks, implement strategies for park improvements, and guide the expenditure of funds proposed in upcoming capital and operating budgets for the operation, maintenance, and improvement of six center city parks.

The Mayor will ask the Task Force to complete these tasks by August 2005:

• Recommend management strategies to improve maintenance and expand programming in the member parks.
• Review and make recommendations for streamlining the rules that hinder "activating" the parks, i.e., rules against vending and other commercial activities that may help enliven and invite visitors to each park.
• Coordinate the interests of all stakeholders who conduct potential park activities and who want to participate in the initiative.
• Help the groups interested in playing a role in the management and operation of center city parks to build their capacity to do so.
• Collaborate with potential park management and operations groups on strategies for enhancing safety in center city parks.

Task Force members are a representative of the Center City Seattle Association, a member of the Board of Park Commissioners, a representative of the Mayor's Office, a representative of a center city business, and a representative of a center city neighborhood.

The Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, a representative of the Center City Seattle Association, and a representative of the Center City District Council will co-chair the Task Force.

The 2007 Parks operating budget includes funding for one position that increases Parks' capacity to implement the proposal, and funding in the Capital Improvement Plan to make improvements to Occidental and Freeway Parks.

• Victoria Schoenburg is the manager of Parks' new Center City unit. Its first year goals are:
  • To generate sustainable, ongoing programming (Parks has $150,000 in the 2007 budget for this purpose).
  • To develop capacity in neighborhood organizations to support community-generated programming and "ownership."
  • To maximize resources and find economies of scale in marketing, multi-park events, shared equipment, and other areas.
  • To revise policies and streamline permitting processes to support efforts to increase use of Center City parks.
  • Develop a long-term action plan to include capital improvement projects, ongoing communication with the Center City Interdepartmental Team, and wayfinding.
  • Keep working with the Seattle Police Department on coordinated security efforts.
• Parks will work with the Center City Parks Task Force to form an ongoing Center City Parks committee, representing center city neighborhoods, business groups, and park interests, that will meet regularly to advise Parks, create a running event calendar, offer robust events, develop a funding review process, and work on efficient combined efforts.
• Parks will use the budgeted $150,000 to make funds available for partnerships with community groups for ongoing, small-to-medium-size programming. It will focus on Occidental, Steinbrueck, Freeway, and Hing Hay parks, and will gather and take advantage of the resources each party brings to the table.
• Parks will contribute $25,000 toward the cost of a programming coordinator whom DSA will hire. This person will work with downtown community groups to generate programming.
• Parks will hire a parallel programming coordinator who will focus some multi-park programming and on parks that have greater programming challenges due to size, location, geography, or lack of an organized community group.
• All this work will encompass event promotion through the web, and joint marketing, publicity, and promotion. A whole section of the 2007 Parks Summer Guide has been devoted to events and programming in Center City parks. (http://www.seattle.gov/parks/events/centercity.htm)

Meetings Meeting Agendas  - 10-14-05*  - 10-21-05* Meeting Summaries  - 02-18-05*  - 03-11-05*  - 04-01-05*  - 05-06-05*  - 05-27-05*  - 06-17-05*  - 07-08-05*  - 07-29-05*  - 08-19-05*  - 09-09-05*  - 09-30-05*  - 10-14-05* *Note: To view a PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download it for free at www.adobe.com.

BOARD MEMBERS

Timothy Gallagher
Superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation
Parks Department Co-Chair

Kate Joncas
President, Downtown Seattle Association
DSA Board Representative Co-Chair

Catherine Stanford
Former Director of Real Estate, Pike Place Market PDA Co-chair

Christopher Williams
Deputy Superintendent, Seattle Parks and Rec.
Parks Department Executive Staff

Bonnie Berk
Berk & Associates Consultant

Michael Regnier
Berk & Associates Consultant

Bruce Bentley
Seattle Citizen
City-Wide Representative

David Brewster
Executive Director, Town Hall
At-Large Neighborhood Representative

Jordan Royer
Mayor's Strategic Advisor, Seattle Parks and Rec.
Mayor's Office Representative

Ron Sher
Seattle Citizen
At-Large Business Representative

Tina Bueche
Metropolitan Improvement District
MID Board Representative

Christopher Williams
Director of Operations, Seattle Parks and Rec.
Operations Subcommittee

Eric Friedli
Director of Partnerships, Seattle Parks and Rec.
Programming and Special Events Subcommittee

Peggy Emerson
Director of Field Operations, MID
Operations Subcommittee

Anita Woo
Communications Director
Programming and Special Events Subcommittee

Dewey Potter
Public Information Manager, Seattle Parks and Rec. Communications