Letter to the Editor: Insist that park maintenance be a priority
Monday, January 10, 2022
Shoreline's Parks Proposition 1 proposes wonderful additions to Shoreline’s parks including new space. What it does not address is the continual maintenance that our parks need and deserve.
My backyard faces Hillwood Park. Friday night someone burned down the port-a-potty. The park had restrooms that were closed when Einstein Middle School began remodeling almost three years ago. The City agreed to allow the construction company use of the park and its facilities while Einstein was undergoing its transformation.
The old restrooms were closed and a port-a-potty was installed in the parking lot. In return the construction company and school district agreed to resurface the tennis courts and build new restrooms. The tennis courts were resurfaced nearly a year after construction was completed. The restrooms have yet to be added. Teachers and students have been using their new building for over a year. How long must the neighborhood wait for the promised restrooms?
At this moment my husband is using our leaf blower to clean the tennis courts. After they were resurfaced at the end of this summer the parks department abandoned their upkeep. My husband has tightened the nets when needed and sweeps or blows debris from the courts at least every other week.
We’ve witnessed court users bring their own tools, brooms and leaf blowers, so that they may finally use these courts that were not available for two and a half years. Yes, people do use tennis courts in the winter! Right now the weather might be cold, but the snow has melted and the sun is shining. It’s a new year and city parks offer a place for residents to recreate.
While Prop. 1 is offering more recreational facilities for Shoreline, voters need to look at how our parks are maintained now and how the city plans to maintain them in the future. Hillwood Park has had downed trees and debris in its creek for years. The summer maintenance crew mowed around these hazards. Park users continue to roll logs around, building bridges and dams. Park maintenance should be the City’s responsibility. Please insist that maintenance be a priority.
Cheryl Mathisen
Shoreline
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2 comments:
I totally agree with Cheryl Mathisen. If they can't maintain the spaces that we have, why the heck are they wanting to tax people more to expand. It shows that they are not spending their own money. Sad they want all these things then have no way of paying for these. With inflation, taxpayers are hit enough. This is not the time. Take care of what we have. How about saving for a rainy day...then we'll talk,
Well perhaps the issue is the "maintenance" the city chooses to do - for several years in a row, they have managed to send crews to our little local park (Northcrest) to cut back the blackberry vines just when the berries are ripe. Go figure.
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