The birth of Discovery Park three and a half decades ago wasn't an easy one, and it has faced many challenges since then, current and former city officials said at a birthday celebration for the park on Sunday, Oct. 21.
A former military base, the land was turned over to the city for free, thanks to the efforts of the late Senator Henry (Scoop) Jackson, said Mayor Greg Nickels. "We're not so lucky today," he said, noting that it will cost the city $11.1 million to buy the Capehart military housing complex and turn it into parkland.
There were many people at the ceremony who helped create a park that's "large enough to get lost in," the mayor acknowledged. "Of course, Discovery Park is the only park we've never had any controversy about," he joked. Joking aside, the people of Seattle are passionate about the park, Nickels said. "We care about this place."
Christopher Williams, interim superintendent for the parks department, agreed. The park is a great example of Seattle Parks and Recreation working with citizens, he said. Williams also noted that around 18,000 children have taken advantage of environmental education programs at the park since 1975, and he said the park has gotten a hand this year with more than 9,000 volunteer hours. "That is significant any way you measure it."
Mike Ruby, a former parks superintendent, credited Magnolian Bob Kildahl and the late Judge Donald Vorhees for creation of the park. Ruby also said he wanted to get his facts straight because Kildahl, described as one of the founding fathers of the park, was sitting in the front row.
Ruby also spoke of one of the many controversies at Discovery Park, the one where the federal government wanted to set up an ABM base in the park. The proposal led to the formation of the American Alliance of Scientists, which with the help of Scoop Jackson was able to convince the army to drop the idea, he said.
That was after the ABM command center had already been built, but the federal change-of-heart was significant for another reason, according to Ruby. "It may be the first park that made government policy," he said.
Ruby also said the completion of Dan Kiley's master plan for the park was only a beginning, mentioning there were a few golfers interested in turning part of Discovery Park into a golf course.
Paul Frandsen, the first manager of the park, described being there again as "a sweet walk down memory lane." But a literal walk through the park revealed that it is still subject to controversy when he met a couple of people who told him they thought the Capehart complex should be turned into low-income housing.
Frandsen also remembered dealing with United Indians of All Tribes Foundation founder, the late Bernie Whitebear, and being able to come to an accommodation with him when he and other American Indians successfully claimed part of the park property for themselves.
The first park manager also gave a nod to Magnolian and park advocate Heidi Carpine, recalling that the two went to the same church, where she'd buttonhole him about park concerns.
Frandsen mentioned that he read a recent and pertinent news story about Central Park in New York City. The story included a map of the park showing the locations of all the proposed uses that had come up over the years. "It was full," he said of the park.
It was a comment Kildahl picked up on after the ceremony. Various interest groups have proposed at least 125 non-park uses in Discovery Park since it was created, he said. "If they got half of them, there wouldn't be a park."
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