Scott emails earlier today: “Any news on when the new park will open?”
Yes, thanks to Donna Hartmann-Miller.
In the Maple Leaf Community Council newsletter being delivered door-to-door now, she writes the park will open, in part, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27. “Exact time may be adjusted,” she says.
“There will most likely be some areas of the upper area that will remain fenced, but most of the paths, the sports court, the shelter and some of the grassy areas will be available for our use.”
For the full story see your newsletter. There are details on what’s there – including a planned crosswalk at Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 83rd Street – and what’s not – including some picnic tables and grills.
Hartmann-Miller is a member of the community’s council’s Executive Committee, and chairs its parks committee.
Our earlier report on getting the park open is here.
Thanks Donna and crew for the great work to get this open! When I heard they were considering pushing the opening to next spring I was disappointed, but MLCC and neighborhood advocates came through. Thanks everyone.
Lets all be thankful for a great new space in our community. More importantly, lets all be on the lookout for graffiti the first few weeks they’ll be out. The sooner we remove the tags the less likely the will return.
Hubbard Park skatespot is two years overdue. Now THATS embarrassing. Its routine for parks to let grass fields rest part of the year. New or old. Kudos to Donna and her team for a homerun on this one.
Thanks for creating a wonderful space! I am excited for it to open.
How exciting. Will be a well used, fun place to hang out for all of us from now on!
Well, it is a bit later than I think most had hoped for, but it isn’t embarrassingly late (other parks in Seattle who were scheduled to be done before ours have still not even gone out for bid).
Actually, the establishment of grass and other plantings are most important in the first few seasons. If the soil becomes compacted, the roots cannot establish themselves fully; if grass is uprooted in small areas by dog claws, it can also disrupt the root system; if young blades of grass are bent, they will also not achieve their best ability to be healthy. When grass isn’t given the best chance to establish itself in its early stages, it can grow in poorly for years to come, allowing for weeds to infest it easier and more thoroughly and allows undesired pests to thrive.
This grass in particular needs to be given it’s best possible start because it is growing in a situation where it cannot be given fertilizer if it is weak or grows poorly.
These few short months of limited traffic on the reservoir grass very well could pay off 5 to 10 years from now. This extra time can very well provide this turf with the conditions it will need to thrive for decades under what could be heavy use rather than begin to falter a few short years.
In any case, the Maple Leaf neighborhood has waited over 70 years to have access to this property, so I hope we all will enjoy celebrating it and enjoy our new park once it does open.
Thanks for the update. It would be great news if it weren’t so ebarrassingly late. Does Parks really think that 5-10 years from now it will matter to the condition of the grass whether the delay to open during The Great Summer of 2013 was worth it?