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Another park while they cut funding for the centers?

(30 posts)

Started 1 year ago by lifeisamazing
Latest reply from Edog

lifeisamazing

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What does anyone know about this? I was talking with someone a few months back who was heavily involved with the Loyal Heights center about having to close up some of their services because of lack of funding meanwhile new parks are going in. I asked why that was and he said that someone puts "more parks" on the ballot and of course we all think more parks are a good thing so vote yes. I called the city offices and was told that legally they have to put all this money earmarked for parks into parks and can't reroute it into keeping the after school programs and low cost child care services etc going at the centers that already exist. Seems weird.

Posted 1 year ago #
PlantLover

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I do some work with City Parks so I will try to answer, but because I don't work FOR Parks, take it as from someone who only sort of knows.

The Parks Levy went to building new parks and making improvements to existing ones. These are capital/building projects. There was no money in there for operations, or the day to day running of community centers, parks maintenance, etc. Because the city is going broke, Parks has taken a direct cut to their operating budget and have had to lay people off, reduce maintenance, and reduce community center hours. So they can continue to build and expand parks, but they can't maintain them. Crazy? Yes!

And the rumor is that they are expecting a giant slash in 2013, so expect more if hte economy does not improve dramatically this year.

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeisamazing

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Thank you. Wow, it makes me crazy when things are .... let me think of the word... stupid. Ya, that's it. Anyone have any ideas on things we could do to get through to the someones that could do anything about this?

Posted 1 year ago #
BuffaloHawk

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I could care less if everything else runs out of funding as long as we continue to build bike lanes ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
marigold

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PlantLover is pretty spot on. The last Pro Parks Levy that we overwhelming voted yes on indeed included zero $$$ for park maintenence.

lifeisamazing----Contact the Parks and Green Spaces Levy
Oversight Committee here: (you just missed last night's meeting!)

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/levy/oversight.asp

Posted 1 year ago #
onederfullone

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The way things are going, parks will be closed, even the brand new ones.

I would guess to fix the mess we'll decide to increase fines for use of closed parks to pay for extra patrols.

Why do we allow for this insanity? Why can't we decide to let private volunteer effort maintain ALL of our parks?

Oh, because it's racist...

Color me tired of the vernacular...

Why not let students maintain parks, like I did, back when it wasn't illegal?

Oh, because it's racist...and anti-union.

Why not require community service of all felons in our prisons, like, when it was the norm?

Oh, because it's racist...and anti-union...and the ACLU would sue us.

Progress is so very effective, isn't it?

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeisamazing

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HA Hawk, everyone has their priorities.
Thanks for the info. I'll try to make the next meeting One.

Posted 1 year ago #
Mondoman

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Sounds similar to the situation with the nice new libraries we've built recently (capital budget), which have had to cut hours, acquisitions and staffing because of a lack of operating funding.

Politicians tend to like to have things built that they can point to as their legacies, so often skimp on maintenance and operations in favor of new building. For another example, look at our city road maintenance budget, which over the last 20 years has not even been enough to keep us even with additional wear, much less catch up and restore the roads to good repair.

Complain to the City Council and Mayor's Office -- they're the ones responsible.

Posted 1 year ago #
nwcitizen

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Too true Mondoman. There is a firewall between capital funds and operating funds and all too often the voters vote for capital projects with no provision for funding to operate same. Or they vote for neat things like smaller class sizes and then don't include the funding to make that possible.

Posted 1 year ago #
boatgeek

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It's sometimes legally difficult to put operations money and capital money on the same levy. It can be done, but it's not very common. It's also way easier at any level (zoo to state) to get capital money in grants or levies than operations money.

Posted 1 year ago #
eric

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1der, how are any of the things you said due to concerns about racism? why would a citizen volunteer park service be racist somehow? i don't follow.

Posted 1 year ago #
onederfullone

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Apparently, you don't follow. Sorry.

Posted 1 year ago #
Dweezil

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I was about to ask the same thing re: racism. Thankfully, Oneder cleared it up...

Posted 1 year ago #
ballardpilot

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How about that great new "park" on 14th. More BS from the professional BS artists. It's a STREET, not a damn park.

Oh, by making it more painful to drive in Ballard, that makes it worthwhile. Check.

Posted 1 year ago #
oldguybc

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14th is real wide, had lots of buddies that went to St Alphonsus, we used to sled down the center strip in the winter, I always thought that 14th was supposed to be the Ballard Bridge terminus on the north end and that someone probably screwed up and built it so that it came out on 15th, but you're right, ballardpilot, 14th could probable become a park all on its own, hell, rip up a little concrete and plant some trees, presto, a park...

Posted 1 year ago #
SmartsyArtsy

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Quandries like this really underline the need for voters to understand EVERYTHING about whatever they end up voting on. I struggle with this, and often hold back my vote because I lose patience with the double-talk and omissions.

I understand what happened with this from a legal standpoint. No doubt the question is can situations like this be corrected; they obviously cannot be backed out.

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeisamazing

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I just read through and realized I was reading too fast the last time. I meant to say thank you to Mari regarding the info on the meetings.

Posted 1 year ago #
great idea

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I may be in the minority here, but I say build more parks while we can. I know the community centers are well used and important, but since they have nothing to do with the funding of new parks, I say still build them.

I would rather have more new parks than more new buildings if that's the real choice.

Posted 1 year ago #
PlantLover

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The Seattle Parks Foundation has released a proposal to fund maintenance and operations for Parks. It was co-authored by former Parks Superintendent Ken Bounds. You can read it at http://seattleparksfoundation.org/project_Sustaining_Parks.html. It could provide some stability in the future. You will likely be hearing more about it in the future.

I think great parks help make a great city and I am glad that so many people here support them!

Posted 1 year ago #
great idea

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the period got stuck to the end of your link Plantlover.

thanks for sending it along!

Posted 1 year ago #
PlantLover

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Thanks for pointing that out, GI. Sorry about that! But do read the study - some really good and creative ideas are in there. As a city we need to have these discussions.

Posted 1 year ago #
marigold

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Great link PlantLover, many thanks!

Posted 1 year ago #
onederfullone

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Plantlover- perfect link sans period.

I'd suggest that we shift all of the current union labor funding for park maintenance to non-profits.

They will face a challenge we cannot afford.

Anybody pay the five bucks for 'friends of the parks' on tab renewal last year?

http://www.wta.org/trail-news/press-room/press-clips/lawmakers-eye-5-car-tab-fee-to-keep-state-parks-open

Double it, send it to non-profits, it may work.

Anything less becomes another parks levy, including a pay increase for unsustainable labor costs, imo.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/discoverpass/

This becomes more of a user fee, which is fine, but it won't change what we all pay for building parks, access to parks. To visit Woodland park Zoo, you pay for it, whether by one pass, or a year pass, you pay for it, again.

I'm tired of paying twice, three times, for what exists for our investment.

I'd offer a nipple card. You can display it proudly on your car, get preferential treatment at all public places, while the rest of us use what we've paid for.

Nipple is an accurate picture for what our parks and public lands have become.

Stop this nonsense. The adopt a road program works well, but hasn't stopped a single dollar of road maintenance from being extracted. Another gas tax is required, again.

rant off.

I lied, what pisses me off more than anything is the picture on the link plantlover provided, sans period, that shows two trash cans and litter strewn about.

More money will change that??

Give me a break.

Posted 1 year ago #
great idea

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"what pisses me off more than anything is the picture on the link plantlover provided, sans period, that shows two trash cans and litter strewn about.

More money will change that?? "

yeah, can't you see that the garbage cans are full, or have you already directed your browser to the nipple imagery you seem to crave daily?

for many of these parks, probably the greatest 'maintenance' is emptying all the garbage cans, sometimes on a daily basis. if this work isn't done, crap gets strewn about just like at Ballard Commons Park.

more money = cleaner parks.

Posted 1 year ago #
onederfullone

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No, more money does not equal cleaner parks, we spend more than ever, and our parks are dirtier, or closed.

period

Posted 1 year ago #
Edog

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And people say I've been cranky recently. Listing to Onder today has me thinking he is having a bad reaction to the State of the Union. Dude you need to chill. Just close you eyes and think of Reagan. After all the 80s was a better time for all you 30 percenters.

Posted 1 year ago #
onederfullone

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speak truth to power, or grab a nipple.

Posted 1 year ago #
Edog

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Wait whose grabbing the nipple, the people who pay 15 percent, or the 30 percenters who pay 12.5? I'm confused!

Posted 1 year ago #
onederfullone

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confused, lol, color me surprised.

If you pay anything, earn anything, you are not nipple applicable.

If your angst is with tax code, do something about it, already.

Posted 1 year ago #
Edog

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Oh, I am, you 30 percenter. I'ma gonna make you pay!

Posted 1 year ago #