The people behind the idea for the little park that took nearly two decades to come to fruition are being recognized by city for their volunteer efforts.
The East Ballard Community Association has received one of the Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Denny Awards for outstanding volunteer service for their work in creating Gemenskap Park on 14th Ave NW. The awards are given to volunteers, “who donate precious time and energy to improving Seattle’s parks and recreation programs.”
The idea for Gemenskap Park was broached the early 2000s by members of the East Ballard Community Association. With a vision in mind to transform 14th Ave NW into a green space, the group applied for a Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund grants for the visioning and planning process. They later applied for and received funding from the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Opportunity Fund, designed to support community-initiated projects.
“Today, because of the dedication of EBCA members, we have a new park that converted two blocks of 14th Ave NW from existing roadway and parking median to a linear community park, providing green space and green infrastructure that incorporate safety improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles,” Seattle Parks department says.
Other Denny Awards were given to Leslie Whitman from the Amy Yee Tennis Center, Sharon Baker for her habitat work at Lincoln Park, Timothy Crosley of The Licton Springs Blog, Lhorna Murray for her advocacy work with Magnuson Park communities, and Maisha Barnett for her park and greenspace advocacy.