Rally Friday protested recommendation for maintenance facility in Hamlin Park

Residents rally against use of Hamlin Park
for Shoreline Maintenance facility

By Diane Hettrick

The Shoreline Public Works department wants to consolidate all its operations in one location. This would include large commercial vehicles, decant, salt and sand for snow and ice operations, dumpsters and bins for bulk materials storage. Also a fuel station and wash facilities for large commercial vehicles.

At the July 31 City Council meeting study item on the topic, staff recommended Hamlin Park.

Hamlin Park lies between 15th NE and Shorecrest / Kellogg schools on 25th. It is forest, rather than a park, full of walking trails, and deeply loved and heavily used by the community.

The sites under consideration were:

1. North Maintenance Facility on 25th NE next to Brugger's Bog. It is deemed to be too small and too close to critical wetlands and a stream.

2.  Ballinger portal. This is land next to the now finished Brightwater portal. It lies on Ballinger Way in the business district and is unused.

3.  Ronald Wastewater on 175th and Linden. Some equipment is kept there now, but the site too small for a consolidated facility.

4.  Keough Park. This is a large and mostly unused park that lies right next to I-5 at about N 167th.

5.  Buying unspecified property in Shoreline.

Not considered was an offer by North City Water District to co-locate at their new property at 155th and 15th NE at the site of the former Northwest Church.

The site plans include space to house facilities for Seattle Public Utilities water in Shoreline, in spite of the fact that negotiations for Shoreline to take over that part of the water district stopped when Mayor Murray was elected in Seattle. See previous article.

The decision is up to the City Council at this point.