Following the success of the January 12th parks acquisition meeting, Seattle Parks & Recreation and Seattle City Light (SCL) are negotiating a transfer of the Morningside Substation site (35th Avenue NE and NE 86th Street). Wedgwood’s neighborhood park is on its way!
One issue has slowed the transfer. A gas station existed on site prior to the SCL’s ownership, so an environmental site assessment is currently underway to evaluate the risk of contamination. We expect this assessment should be completed soon and the Parks Committee awaits the results in order to better understand the acquisition timeline.
As described at the January 12th meeting, the Parks Committee wanted the transfer completed by the May 9th Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) Small and Simple Grant deadline. This grant would fund hiring a consultant to host public meetings, prepare a site plan and develop a cost estimate for park development. It would also provide documentation for a 2012 Opportunity Fund application. The Parks Committee has a completed and reviewed application to submit for the May 9th deadline. While the transfer process may not be complete by then, the other aspects of the grant are strong enough that the Parks Committee feels that submitting now is the best way to maximize future funding opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Parks Committee is also seeking Parks Department support for other ways to move park design forward, including utilizing volunteer design professionals, applying for the NMF September deadline, paying for Parks Department staff review time, and more.
The timeline laid out during our January 12 WCC park acquisition public meeting is evolving, but the project continues to move forward. Wedgwood’s neighborhood park acquisition is a community effort. To get more information and become more involved in the project, please email » the Parks Committee. Otherwise, share your comments below!