Attachment 1: Seattle's Parks and Recreation 2011 Development

Kathleen Conner
DPR RCO Development Plan 2011 RES ATT 1
July 25, 2011
Version #1
Specifically for the 2011 Development Plan Update, two public meetings were held on
March 16, 2011 at Jefferson Community Center (south Seattle) and March 23, 2011 at
Bitter Lake Community Center (north Seattle). Meeting announcement flyers were
distributed to all the Community Centers (26) and other parks buildings, community
councils, district councils, blogs, and an e-mail list of over 3,000 names of individuals,
community groups, and others. Press releases were sent to the media and blogs including
the City of Seattle’s Ethnic Media Contact list. The meetings were also included in the
City-wide calendar of meetings. “Twitter” and the Seattle Parks Facebook page were
used to advertise and remind folks of the meetings. Despite the broad advertisement of
these meetings, participation was limited to approximately 21 persons at the first meeting
and 10 persons at the second meeting. Taking an informal poll at the meetings, staff
learned that some of the participants heard about the meetings from the Parks Facebook
page and blogs.
At these public meetings, Parks used an interactive “dot” exercise in which each
participant was asked to rank their three highest priorities for outdoor recreation with
color coded dots. They were also asked to use other dots to indicate their preferences for
additional facilities to meet recreation demand and for other things such as maintenance
of the parks. The top three priorities and preferences for additional facilities were
identified (see the Demand and Need section of the Plan).
Another tool that Seattle Parks used to prepare the Development Plan was a short survey,
using Survey Monkey. Although it was primarily an on-line survey, hard copies were
available in multiple locations. Ultimately, the on-line portion of it was the most
successful. Approximately 480 persons took the survey which asked questions about
park and recreation usage, priorities, how well the current facilities meet the needs of
Seattle, and what Seattle should focus on with grant funding. Appendix C is a recap of
responses to the surveys and meetings.
A final component of Parks’ public involvement strategy was to make direct contact with
groups that don’t often attend traditional meetings in Seattle. Using telephone and e-mail
contact, Parks staff reached out to about 15 community organizations that provide
services to immigrant, refugee, and non-English speaking groups. Many of these
organizations got the word out about the planning process to their members. This
resulted in more folks knowing about the process and giving these groups a direct contact
in the Parks department. Staff is hopeful that many of these citizens will be involved as
the process moves forward.
In early June, the Board of Park Commissioners held a briefing and public hearing on the
draft plan. The Board made a recommendation on the Plan to the Acting Parks
Superintendent in late June. These meetings were televised and the public was
encouraged to send written testimony. The Mayor and City Council will review the plan
and the Council will be asked to pass a resolution adopting the plan. That is likely to
occur by September, 2011.
2011 Development Plan
12 ATT 1 to DPR RCO Development Plan 2011 RES