Firepit Will Not Be Removed

Seattle Parks and Recreation posted this information on their website:

Laurelhurst Firepit to remain open (March 4)

Over the years, many community members have shared concerns about vandalism and unattended fires at the Laurelhurst firepit. When Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) recently proposed addressing these concerns through the removal of the firepit, many community members reached out to say that they were not pleased with this plan. 

We heard from many of you about how this firepit still serves as an important community gathering location and how it holds lots of value to the Laurelhurst community. So for now, SPR will not be moving forward with plans to remove the firepit. 

We will continue to listen to and respond to public concerns, and will follow the community’s lead on how we can best support community-building efforts and safety in this neighborhood. 

If you have comments or concerns about the firepit, please email pks_info@seattle.gov.

Seattle Parks Department published on their Parkways website on January 24th about removal of the Laurelhurst Park firepit. 

However, Parks did not inform the Laurelhurst Community Club about their decision until February 10th, a few minutes before their monthly Board meeting. And neighbors found out about it, through each other as there was no information posted on any neighborhood websites. 

A neighbor pointed out that it is interesting that Parks published that the firepit would stay on Nextdoor the day they published the information on their Parkways site. But when they were going to remove the firepit, Parks didn't publish this information on Nextdoor. Neighbors said it seemed quite evident that Parks was trying to follow through with the removal under the radar, without the neighborhood knowing about it, without seeking any input from the community or contacting LCC or the Blog to get the information out. 

Rachel, Parks spokesperson, told the Laurelhurst Blog that Parks shared the information on their blog, their websites, Twitter and Facebook. Rachel is incorrect, as the information was not on the LCC website and LCC told the Laurelhurst Blog that they just found out the decision the same day as their recent LCC meeting last month. The Laurelhurst Blog found a post on Park's Twitter and Facebook, but not until 3 days after their Parkways post.

Rachel also told the Laurelhurst Blog when they were moving forward with the firepit removal:

Both community members and staff who have worked at Laurelhurst community center have expressed concerns over the years of the dangerous activity that happens at the fire pit. In response to these concerns, we proposed the removal of the fire pit.  The concerns are unattended fires or lit embers, drinking, vandalism, littering, and fires happening outside of the fire pit. These concerns were shared with our grounds and community center staff over years and so we don’t have a written record.

The Laurelhurst Blog asked Rachel about the complaints received - how many, when and nature of the complaints and Rachel she said that Parks had not documented one single complaint over the years to support the information she posted in her Parkways media release post.  Yet these undocumented comments were what closure of the firepit was based upon.

Parks also never solicited feedback from the community regarding their sudden decision that has an impact on many members of the community and beyond, though Rachel said she did ask for feedback, which is not accurate. Neighbors commented Parks when word got out, not the other way around.

Neighbors commented following the most recent media release:

It seems Parks was really trying to close the firepit and do it under the radar, as there are so many avenues to get information out and quickly. 

Parks also didn't mention in their latest media release they a neighbor hand deliver almost 500 signatures from an on-line petition started by a long-time neighbor who said "A vocal minority has the parks department closing down the fire pit in Laurelhurst Park. Please sign this petition to save the fire pit!" 

It is surprising that the the public had to initiate contact to Parks, once the public found out about parks's very quiet action.   

Parks should have solicited public input from the neighborhood,  some of us have lived in Laurelhurst since 1970 and are not in favor of removal!!

In 2007, the fire pit was in jeapordy of being removed, and LCC supported the recommendation of some neighbors to remove it. Seattle Parks' Royal Alley-Barnes presented her plan at an LCC meeting for the removal and recommendation of replacement with a portable unit. LCC suggested that the Community Center Advisory group have an opportunity to weigh in on this decision. 

A group of neighbors were very vocal against removal of the fire pit  asked for a formal public process to weigh in on the final decision. The group said that there was lack of public input and that there a certain uniqueness of the urban fire pit as well as a decades-long history and tradition of the fire pit.

Concerning us of firepits in the City, the Seattle Municipal Code 18.12.270 - Fires states:  

It is unlawful (a) to ignite or maintain any fire or to participate in igniting, maintaining or using any fire within any park except in a designated stove or fire ring or (b) to ignite in any stove or fire ring any household rubbish or other material banned from outdoor burning by air pollution control regulations, or (c) to ignite or maintain a fire in any fire ring during any stage on an air pollution episode declared by the Puget Sound Air Pollution Control Agency. All fires within parks are prohibited between the hours of eleven p.m. (11:00 p.m.) and six a.m. (6:00 a.m.).

The Seattle Parks and Recreation website says: 

Light fires only in designated fire pits. Burn only clean firewood like bare, clean dry cordwood (chemically treated wood like lumber releases a strong-smelling, dirty smoke into the air and burning pallets can leave nails and debris on the beach) Douse your fire completely with water before leaving. Dispose of trash and ashes in the containers provided for each.  Be considerate of others – no amplified music Alcohol is not permitted in Seattle parks. 

In addition, the Laurelhurst Park closes at 10pm daily and everyone is required to leave at that time.  Residents are encouraged to call 911 to report disturbances, especially those after 10pm in the Park.

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Fire Pit To Be Removed

Seattle Parks Department published this information on January 24th about removal of the Laurelhurst Park firepit. Parks did not inform the Laurelhurst Community Club about their decision until February 10th, when a representative attended LCC's Board meeting. Neighbors are just starting to find out this week.

Parks public relations post:

Saying goodbye to the Laurelhurst Fire Pit
January 24, 2020 by Christina Hirsch

Seattle Parks and Recreation will be removing the Laurelhurst Fire Pit in the coming weeks. Over the past 5 years, we have seen an increase in more aggressive fires and unattended fires. Staff have also reported fires being ignited by youth under the age of 18 without adult supervision as well as users burning trash or unclean wood. In addition, neighbors have complained each summer about the smoke and the use of the pit, including issues around trash and alcohol bottles being left in the area. 

We are sad to see the fire pit go, but we want to be responsive to the community’s concerns as well as the health and safety concerns noticed by our staff. 

Do you have fond memories of the Laurelhurst Fire Pit? We’d love to see pics of how you’ve enjoyed the fire pit over the years! Please share pictures or your favorite memories by tagging “SeattleParks” on Twitter or “Seattle Parks and Recreation” on Facebook. 

The Laurelhurst Blog contacted Christina copying several others Parks employees on the email and said:

We have some questions about your 1/24 Parkways post:

• Is this the only communication to the public about this? What if someone doesn't read Parkways? Neighbors are just finding out about this. 
• It appears that Parks is keeping this quiet as no one knows about this and just wants to quickly and quietly remove the firepit.
• Who made the decision? 
• Were any neighbors contacted or the Laurelhurst Community Club?
• When will the firepit be removed? 
• You said  - "Over the past 5 years, we have seen an increase in more aggressive fires and unattended fires" - what is the evidence of this - can you please let us know how to access this information
• You said "neighbors have complained each summer about the smoke and the use of the pit" - what is the evidence of this - can you please let us know how to access this information
• You said "we want to be responsive to the community’s concerns as well as the health and safety concerns noticed by our staff" - where are these concerns documented?
• What are the "health concerns? 
• When are staff at the park? Our Blog staff is there throughout the day and have only seen Parks personnel cleaning the bathrooms and picking up trash at the garbage cans around the park. The Blog Staff has on occasion seen garbage around the pit. There seems to be 1-2 calls to the Fire Department over the last 2 years.
• If people have "fond memories" why would you ask them to share pictures on Twitter? It seems contradictory

Christopher Williams, Superintendent of Parks, mistakenly replied all to the email, but didn't remove the Laurelhurst Blog on the email and he said: Let’s huddle today CW."

Rachel, Parks spokesperson responded:

Thanks for reaching out. Both community members and staff who have worked at Laurelhurst community center have expressed concerns over the years of the dangerous activity that happens at the fire pit. In response to these concerns, we proposed the removal of the fire pit, but first wanted to hear from community about this change. 

We have shared this information on our blog, on our website (both Laurelhurst park page and Laurelhurst CC page), on twitter, and Facebook. We met with the Advisory Council at Laurelhurst Community Center on Feb 3, and at a Community Club meeting on Monday (2/11).

Rachel is incorrect, the information is not on the LCC website, the last time the Laurelhurst Blog checked, and LCC told the Laurelhurst Blog that they just found out the decision the same day as their recent LCC meeting which occurred on Monday, February 10. 

The Laurelhurst Blog found a post on Park's Twitter and Facebook, but not until 3 days after their Parkways post.

The Laurelhurst Blog sent another email to Rachel saying:

LCC learned about the removal just before their Monday meeting.  Neighbors don't read any of the social media you have put this very important news on. The Advisory Council is comprised of members that are your staff and a few neighbors and neighbors don't attend that meeting.

Why didn't you contact us to publish the info? There is no info on the LCC site - at least on their first page. There are many more ways you could have gotten the word out - sent an email out through LCC's Constant Contact resource, but none have been done, only information published on your Parks site, of which very few people read. 

Also why hasn't Cara, Laurelhurst Community Club Recreation Coordinator, sent out information?  

Rachel responded:

We are still continuing to hear out community on this proposed changed and do not yet have a date for removal.

Today the Laurelhurst Blog sent another email:

We are following up as we have not received a response. We look forward to hearing from you with specifics in response to our questions.  

Rachel responded today saying:

We have no timeline for removal, and please direct folks to email us with any concerns. The best place to do that is pks_info@seattle.gov.

The Laurelhurst Blog responded:

We are directing ourselves to you with our concerns!  Please answer our questions. Thank you.

And no response has been received again.

Comments on the Parks Department Facebook page said:

I saw people using it for the first time last summer and it was so idyllic. Neighbors having a little evening fire making s'mores. Sad to see it go. 

This is outrageous. Utter failure of leadership starting with Jenny Durkin. 

It's always sad that a few can spoil it for hundreds of others

The Laurelhurst Blog also contacted Cara, Laurelhurst Community Center Recreation Coordinator, who said;

Rachel, the Seattle Parks and Recreation Communications Manager, will be able to answer your questions regarding the fire pit.  

Mike Wayte, a long time Laurelhurst resident has started an on-line petition saying:

A vocal minority has the parks department closing down the fire pit in Laurelhurst Park. Please sign this petition to save the fire pit! 

In 2007, the fire pit was in jeapordy of being removed, and LCC supported the recommendation of some neighbors to remove it. Seattle Parks' Royal Alley-Barnes presented her plan at an LCC meeting for the removal and recommendation of replacement with a portable unit. LCC suggested that the Community Center Advisory group have an opportunity to weigh in on this decision. 

A group of neighbors were very vocal against removal of the fire pit  asked for a formal public process to weigh in on the final decision. The group said that there was lack of public input and that there a certain uniqueness of the urban fire pit as well as a decades-long history and tradition of the fire pit.

In response to whether arks Public Involvement Policy, LCC stated, at the time, that Parks formal public involvement policy applies to proposals to 1) acquire property, 2) initiate funded capital projects or 3) make changes to a park or facility, LCC added that it's unclear whether the policy applies to the situation of removing and/or replacing the fire pit.

LCC also added, at the time, that citizens certainly have the right to ask for additional public process. But whether a public meeting is held is up to the Parks Superintendent.  

The Laurelhurst Blog has received many emails from neighbors against the removal of the fire pit. Here are some of the comments: 

We have lived in the neighborhood for decades and have just learned about Parks' decision. Why wasn't the community notified via an on-line communication that neighbors read, such as this Blog, or LCC. We don't know anyone that reads "Parkways." Parks seems to have made this decision and is doing their best to not let anyone know. Doesn't Parks represent the neighborhood and its interests? 

We are very disappointed with Parks that they would act alone without any communication to the neighborhood to close this gathering spot which has been used for generations. Where is the evidence that Parks is referring to in their Parkways post?  

We have used the firepit through many generations of our family and were surprised to hear that suddenly it is being removed. Seems it would be due diligence to provide statistics on all that Parks is saying about its concerns - health, etc. We have never heard of these types of concerns over the many, many years we have lived in the neighborhood. 

It really seems that Parks is acting completely on their own and keeping all the information under the radar so that no one finds out, regardless of whether neighbors agree with the decision or not. 

It is really upsetting that Seattle Parks and Recreation that serves and promotes community has made their own decision with no neighbor input and on top of that, has not used any social media that people actually read to get the word out widely.   

Can there not be a public input process on this important decision? It appears that Parks has made the decision completely by themselves without publishing any specific information that they refer to in their Parkways post.  Does it really exist or is it just lip service and a PR spin? 

Other neighbors said:

We are glad to see that the firepit will be removed. In the summers mostly, groups hang out there till quite late, after the Park has formally closed. We have never heard of any safety issues ever or unattended fires, but we will be glad that it will be quiet in the park. 

I walk the park every day and have seen garbage around the firepit and always pick it up. The debris from the fire is never outside the firepit and we don't have concerns about fires that are not put out. But it seems that sometimes there are groups who may not be managing themselves well at the fire pit. So maybe it is a good idea to remove it.

Parks Department contacts:

Rachel Schulkin: Rachel.Schulkin@seattle.gov or (206) 684-8020
Christopher Williams, Superintendent: Christopher.Williams@seattle.gov
Cara Brown: Cara.Brown@seatte.govGeneral
Parks general email: pks_info@seatte.govAssociated Recreation Council (ARC): www.seattle.gov/Parks/Arc

To sign Mike's petition go here.

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Please contact the Laurelhurst blog at laurelhurstblogger@gmail.com with comments or information you receive from Parks Department representatives.

Tonight Laurelhurst Community Club Board Meeting

Tonight at 6:30pm, the Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) is holding its monthly Board meeting, open to all neighbors, at the Laurelhurst Community Center in the Fireside Room. 

Here is tonight's agenda:

6:30pm Welcome 

Removal of the Laurelhurst Firepit, Cara Brown, Community Center Coordinator and Justin Cutler, Seattle Parks and Recreation Director

ADMINISTRATION · Minutes
· Calls/Concerns from Neighbors · Treasurer's Report
· Announcements

7:20

· Metro Planning Changes for Bus Routes

· Crime Prevention/ Public Safety

· Helicopter Landings Update

· Talaris Update

· Tree Ordinance Update

· Centennial Celebration Planning

8pm Adjourn

Interesting History Of Water Fountains At The Park

Seattle Parks and Recreation has begun their routine winter preparation of parks in Seattle. This includes shutting off drinking fountains to prevent pipes from freezing, including the ones at the Laurelhurst Park.

The bathrooms outside of the Community Center will remain open throughout winter.  

Of interesting note, one of the drinking fountains in the park is part of over one hundred public artworks in parks and facilities across the City.  


The drinking fountain, named "Seattle Scatter Piece" is shaped like a boat and made of concrete and marble (rock). 

A Public Art website says about the piece:

Artist Mark Lere's uniquely sited sculptural vessel thematically connects four Seattle neighborhoods through the repetition and transformation of an iconic image of a boat placed on public property within each neighborhood: Beacon Hill Reservoir, a viewpoint at Interbay, Laurelhurst and Bitter Lake.  

These reiterations of the boat form, created from concrete, are designed to be united figuratively by the viewer's voyage from site to site. This journey constructs a full picture of the boat.  Lere's sculpture began as a simple line drawing of a boat overlaid on a map of Seattle.

The Seattle City website says:

Lere’s sculpture began as a simple line drawing of a boat overlaid on a map of Seattle; the corners locate the sites of the artworks. Each of the artworks sites incorporate a part of the boat and other elements. The project was begun in 1981 and completed in 2005.   

Lere was chosen through an invitational competition to select a publicly owned site for a project proposal.  Due to the complexity of his proposal and the number of approvals required by the city, the project took many years to achieve by the time it was completed.

Click through the interactive map to take a virtual tour of the public artwork.  Go here for more information.

Sign Up Now For Floorball At The Community Center

Registration is underway for the new Floorball program at the Laurelhurst Community Center.  

Register online, in-person at the Community Center Monday through Friday 9-2pm or by calling 684-7529.  The  program will take place at the Laurelhurst Elementary School gym.

 

Here is information:

Experience the newest, most innovative, fastest, fun, low-cost and safest version of off-ice Floor Hockey in the world through the revolutionary sport of Floorball.   

Floorball is an all-inclusive game for everyone.  Come learn the fundamentals of how to play this fun sport with Emerald City Floorball.

Ages 3-5

#24267  10/24-11/21  Thurs 4:30-5:30pm  $84

#24270  12/7-12/28  Sat 10-11am  $84

Ages 6-8

#24268  10/24-11/21  Thurs 5:45-6:45pm  $84

#24271  12/7-12/28  Sat 11:15a-12:15p  $84

Ages 9-11

#24269  10/24-11/21  Thurs 7-8pm  $84

#24272  12/7-12/28  Sat 12:30-1:30pm  $84

Magnuson Wading Pool Fire Damage Repaired

Nearby Magnuson Park wading pool opened on Saturday, along with many others in Seattle.

Magnuson wading pool has been repaired since a bonfire in the wading pool caused $1,500 in damages that required cement surface repair, grate replacement, and filter replacement.


Seattle Parks and Recreation said:

We need the community's help because this is the third instance of vandalism over the past year. A social media campaign is underway to help spread the word on protecting our parks. There have been multiple reports of vandalism at the Magnuson Park Wading Pool. During the summer season, it means the wading pool is closed for extended periods of time while parts are on order and repairs scheduled.

More information is available on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter posts and the Seattle Parks and Recreation website.

Go here for a list of operating dates and hours of each wading pool. Wading pools are open on sunny days when the temperature is forecast to be 70 degrees or above.

Magnuson Park wading pool damage

Burke-Gilman Trail Repairs Underway

Seattle Parks and Recreation published this information:

Seattle Parks and Recreation begins work on 39 sections of the Burke-Gilman Trail in northeast Seattle

Seattle Parks and Recreation(SPR) is working on repaving 39 sections on the Burke-Gilman Trail in northeast this month.   

The work will take place between 30^th Avenue NE and the King County/Seattle border near NE 145^th St. Work is scheduled to be completed by late summer. 

This project will repair sections of the trail, remove areas of asphalt in disrepair, remove invasive roots that are causing upheaval, and replace those sections with new asphalt. Additionally, with funding from the Seattle Department of Transportation(SDOT) bollards at 24 intersections along the trail will be removed and sections impacted by bollard removal will be paved. The contractor will work on one section at a time, from southwest to northeast to reduce the impact to trail users.  

Cyclists and pedestrians will be detoured around the construction area onto side streets. 

For more information, go here.