LFP City Administrator's Report - City seeks to acquire park land

From left: Mayor Johnson, Deputy Mayor Stanford with US Senator Maria Cantwell. 

Report to the LFP City Council from City Administrator Pete Rose
May 28, 2016


Meetings in Washington, D.C.
A City delegation also including Environmental Programs Manager Aaron Halverson attended seven meetings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (in six buildings) on May 18th to seek information about current legislation and to seek advice on the best approach and positioning of the City to qualify for federal surface water, water quality and transportation programs.

Regional Training
Public Works Director Zenk and City Administrator Rose attended a regional training entitled “For the Love of Cities”. The main presenter was Peter Kageyama, a consultant from Florida. Also, there were presentations by Kenmore, Sequim and Renton, cities who have worked with the presenter. The premise of the program is that while it is acceptable to provide good public services to the public, there is a synergy that occurs when there is thoughtful and creative engagement between citis and their public that results in a more heartfelt connection. There were well over 100 attendees, and the greatest energy in the room was when each table was challenged to come up with a program that would capture the public interest, for a budget of less than $500.

An artist developed a white board that captured all presentations in “real time”. The Leadership Team will go over the notes from this program and look for opportunities to apply it locally.

Park Lands

17450 37th Ave NE (Big Tree Park)

On May 20th, the City's Environmental Programs Manager, Aaron Halverson, and Community Volunteer Coordinator, Cory Roche, presented the application for a Washington State Recreation Conservation Office grant to acquire the property at 17450 37th Ave NE (Big Tree Park).

The City will have another opportunity to present the project in August and a decision on project prioritization will be made after that presentation. There are approximately 90 other project applications for this funding that the City's project is competing against. Funding will be appropriated by the State Legislature the next budget cycle. Final funding decisions for specific projects will be made in May-July 2017.

Half of the funding needed to acquire the property has already been awarded by King County as a Conservation Futures Grant. The total estimated cost of the acquisition is $540,150.

Property at 40th Pl NE and 45th Ave NE

On May 10th, Environmental Programs Manager Halverson assisted the Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation to present an application to the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office for Land and Water Conservation funding.

If awarded, the funding will be used to acquire the Seattle City Light owned parcel on 40th Place NE at near the intersection with 45th Ave NE. This 5.6-acre parcel of mature forest is bordered by residential development and has easy access for local and regional residents. It includes urban forest, rolling hills, a stream, several types of wetlands, and areas of steep slope. The site is both a biodiversity area and a priority aquatic habitat area, as defined by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The primary use of this park will be natural area conservation, with passive recreation in the sensitive areas, which comprise most of the site. The Land and Water Conservation grant program is highly competitive and final funding decisions will not be made until June 2017. The City and the Stewardship Foundation will have another opportunity to present the grant application in August 2016.