We received an appeal from Mindy Terence of the Loyal Heights Block Watch. The appeal concerns the impending possible closure of one of the two Ballard Community Centers due to the looming Seattle Parks and Recreation budget crisis. Mindy has created an online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/bcclhcc/petition.html Please read, and if you agree, consider signing the petition. More extensive coverage of the budget crisis and links to other articles is available on the Crown Hill Neighbors website at http://crownhillneighbors.org/wp/2010/04/seattle-parks-recreation-budget-crisis/
Tag Archives: crisis
Seattle Parks & Recreation Budget Crisis
Seattle Parks and Recreation Dept is facing a budget crisis. There is a $2.5 million shortfall this year, and this may force a closure of one or both of Ballard’s Neighborhood Community Centers (Loyal Heights Community Center at 2101 NW 77th, or Ballard Community Center at 6020 28th Ave NW).
In part this may be due to the opportunities for new and improved parks afforded by the two Parks Levy funds approved by voters. Establishing new parks adds to the base of parks the department must maintain, but adds no funds to maintain them once built. The current city budget situation aggravates the situation by cutting the budget to service and maintain all parks city-wide.
The City is holding budget hearings to solicit public input on the whole city budget:
2011 Budget Public Hearings
Wednesday, April 28, 2010Â ANDÂ Tuesday May 4, 2010:
Wednesday, April 28 at New Holly Gathering Hall
7504 32 Ave South, Seattle, 98108
5Â PM Sign-in
5:30 PM Public Hearing
Tuesday, May 4, 2010 North Seattle Community College Cafeteria
9600 College Way North, Seattle, 98103
5 PM Sign-in
5:30 PM Public Hearing
In Tim Gallagher’s resignation letter as the Director of Parks and Recreation, he states:
Voter approval of several recent levys shows the tremendous public support for parks and recreation, unfortunately operation and maintenance resources have not been provided to the department to match the public’s request. The result is a park and recreation system that is now unsustainable and in jeopardy of collapse.
NPR’s Gary Davis interviewed Tim Gallagher this morning (April 28) and you can hear or read a transcript of the interview here.
More information on the community centers is available in the MyBallard article, and the King 5 article The Seattle Times article covers Gallagher’s resignation and the budget crisis.