Op-Ed: Support the Fircrest community center with an email
Monday, January 16, 2017
Fircrest Activity Center |
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a gathering place that could be the "heart" of our south-end neighborhoods?
A pool and community center where neighbors could come together, in turn giving more cohesion, safety and a sense of community to us all?
Well, Rep. Cindy Ryu has generously offered the opportunity to apply for a community grant that would give us the ability to create such a place on the Fircrest property!
A refurbished pool and activities building would provide countless opportunities for south-end neighbors as well as for Fircrest residents, from swim lessons to water therapy, from cooking classes and catering for neighborhood groups to theater and athletic events, from book clubs and language classes to game nights and cultural events, from senior activities to teen and children's programs.
Adding a pea-patch and outdoor concert area on the lawn near the activities building would give neighbors the opportunity to garden, to picnic while listening to music, and to otherwise get fresh air and exercise.
We south-end residents currently have no communal gathering space to speak of. Many of us do not have the financial ability, the time, the transportation to travel to other City of Shoreline resources, most of which are in the north and west. Our neighborhoods are rich in diversity but financially not so much. We need our own community center and that's exactly what Rep. Ryu's grant could provide!
We will be writing and submitting the community grant application this coming week. The more community support we can show, the better our chances of the application being approved and funded.
If you'd like to help create a gathering place in the heart of Shoreline's southern neighborhoods, feel free to use the draft letter of support here for ideas for your own letter.
Please email your letter for inclusion with the grant application materials we will submit to Rep. Ryu this coming week.
Thanks, all! Together we can make wonderful things happen!
2 comments:
While this seems like a wonderful idea on the surface, the devil is in the details. What is Shoreline *giving up* in exchange for the promised amenities?
The canned letter slips in a call for support for the "Fircrest Master Plan", which from memory involves quite a bit of upzoning (on state lands set aside for vulnerable care residents) and opening up that space to.... yet another... "Urban Village" and film industry "ShorelineyHood". Perhaps that master plan has changed since I last checked, but there is much that needs to be looked into here, prior to haphazard support and blindly forwarding on this spam-mail.
To Whom It May Concern:
My son has autism and really needs this pool. He used to use it when he was little and when it closed it left a huge void in his therapy. Please bring it back.
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