Thanks to the massive Pro Parks Levy approved back in November 2000 by Seattle voters, Magnuson Park soon will undergo an ambitious, $12-million renovation project that includes the installation of four new athletic fields, 23 acres of restored wetlands and a clutch of new walking trails - this, just as soon as the Army Corp of Engineers completes its permitting process for the wetlands.
Magnuson Park manager Charles Ng said he's hoping the permitting process is wrapped up later this year, which would allow the parks department to bid the project early next year and begin construction sometime in the middle of 2008.
"We're kind of in a holding pattern on that," Ng said by phone last week, adding that the permit is all that's required to begin the second phase of the project.
The first phase, completed early this year, included demolition of the old Navy commissary adjacent to where the wetlands will be constructed, as well as the installation of a $2.7 million unlit sports meadow made of natural turf.
"Getting our permitting has been challenging," Parks spokesperson Joelle Ligon said last week. "We actually hoped to be in construction this year."
PAY NOW, ENJOY LATER
Phase Two isn't the only thing being held up by the Navy Corp of Engineers; according to Ligon, there is also the issue of replacing the park's aging powerlines, which are prone to service failure and expensive to repair.
"When we start doing work on the wetlands," Ligon said, "Seattle City Light is going to come and start repairing those lines for us."
The problem with the lines, which were installed during the first phase of park construction in the 1970s, is that they are "direct-buried," meaning they are not encased in protective materials. At this point, Seattle City Light deemed the lines beyond repair.
What this means for park goers this summer is that, for the third year in a row, Magnuson will have to do without electrical service.
"Because there's no power," Ng said, "we can't let people use the restrooms." Instead, park users will have to do with temporary sani-cans and hand-washing facilities.
Ng acknowledged that the lack of facilities "tests our users' patience," though he suggested folks to view the temporary inconvenience in terms of the overall improvements once the project is completed.
For the time being, the parks department will double the amount of portable facilities on site, which includes the availability of hand-washing stations. "The only solution right now is putting [in] extra Port-a-Potties and giving people the information," Ng said, "and letting them know ahead of time" about any changes.
"We're trying to accommodate and support people," Ng said, adding that this means ensuring facilities for the disabled users are also accessible. "It seems to have worked last year. If we find that we get requests for more [facilities], we'll put more in. I think it's handled the crowd so far."
Parks spokesperson Ligon chose to put a quasi-educational spin on the park's lack of electricity, joking that "it's kind of a throwback to the days when there was no power, and that it's "kind of a historic experience on Lake Washington."
THE BIG PICTURE
Ligon suggested that, when it comes to a temporary lack of electricity at Magnuson Park, "the bigger issue is the renovation going on" - meaning the four new ballfields, street improvements to the Northeast 65th Street entrance, as well as the installation of wetlands and new park habitat.
Ng said the idea of the renovation is to address two different - though not mutually exclusive - types of needs identified by park users.
First is the need for more athletic facilities, he said. "There are four fields, based on the funding," Ng pointed out, which include rugby, soccer and two baseball fields, one for adults and the other built to Little League regulations.
Synthetic turf will cover the lighted fields, save for the outfield portion of the baseball fields, which will be composed of natural sod.
According to Ligon, there are several factors playing into the decision to go with artificial turf. "We tend to put those in a lot of our new fields because they're cheaper to maintain, and they can be used throughout the year," she said, adding that "believe it or not, they're better on the environment."
Synthetic turf requires no watering, no mowing and no use of chemical fertilizers, which create runoff that can pollute the water.
The park's Master Plan requires mitigating against the impacts of future construction efforts, which includes the installation of athletic fields. In this case, Ligon said, the parks department will build eight acres of passive parks, which include a new system of trails, as well as the aforementioned construction of 23 acres of new wetland and habitat.
The wetlands will be located near the northeast corner of the former site of the commissary, and the new passive park land will be constructed in the space now occupied by the central parking lot near the tennis courts.
Ng said part of that project will include trails allowing pedestrians to skirt the perimeter of the new athletic fields, and at the same time "it leads you through the wetlands." The trails, Ng said, will not disrupt any of the natural habitat, which will be described for visitors by interpretive signs placed along the pathways.
The park entrance along Northeast 65th will receive an upgrade as well, with that portion of the park being made more pedestrian-friendly through the installation of a walking path along the road.
A PUBLIC BENEFIT
It is this combination of athletic fields and so-called passive park land that fulfills dual needs identified by the parks department.
"This is part of the Magnuson Park Reuse Plan that's been adopted by the City Council, so it's consistent with that," Ng said. "We want to have a coexistence of active and passive enjoyment for our citizens. It just makes this park even more attractive and appealing than it already is."
Ng said it was an incredible opportunity for the park to acquire the Navy property through recent military divestitures.
Nonetheless, he added, "new acquisition means new headaches," in that the parks department, unlike the Navy, is now required to bring the buildings up to state and city codes.
"We didn't get the facilities in top condition," he said. "[The project] needs major resources to upgrade them."
Still, Ng said, he's optimistic about the changes going on at Magnuson. "It's an exciting time," he said of the renovation project. "Overall, it's going to be a benefit for all citizens."
For more information on Magnuson Park's Pro Parks project, visit www.city ofseattle.net/parks.
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