The year in review: 2012

Madison Park as oasis within the urban jungle

Commentary by Bryan Tagas

You know you must be living in a pretty tame neighborhood when the biggest controversies affecting your community over the course of a year are whether an unsightly park fence should be removed and whether an out-of-scale business sign should be downsized.  Yet those were the things that got us (or rather some tiny fraction of us) agitated in 2012. Proving once again---if further proof were needed---that our little end-of-the-road enclave down here is, well, comfortably isolated.  We like it like that.

No Blood in the Water:  To the consternation of the local establishment (if our community council can legitimately be so called) and of some local condo owners, Swingset Park during the summer lost its view-blocking, blackberry-bush entwined, chain-link fence. This momentous teardown occurred only after much teeth-nashing on both sides, with the "Save Our Grandchildren" old folks ultimately losing out to the "Give Us Our Water Access" inlanders. Everyone seems to be okay with the situation now---and no kids, as far as we know, have yet been maimed on the jagged rocks the fence was supposedly protecting them from. Nevertheless, the neighborhood's reputation for civility surely took a hit (at least with certain City employees who were on the receiving end of a few inappropriately chosen brickbats). The the whole imbroglio, however, did serve a useful purpose in proving that, yes, we Madison Parkers are able to generate genuine indignation about something that is truly important to us: property values.

Sign of the Times:  Though the community council was unable to have its way on the fence issue, it did manage to score when it asked Wells Fargo to do something about the supposedly loud and obnoxious sign it had installed this summer at its branch. Our civic leaders (as well as some of the in-line-of-sight neighbors of the branch) were torqued by the bank's non-conformance with community sign standards. The large, lighted, red, orange and black sign was just not in keeping with the character of the "village" we're promoting down here.  After weeks of hesitation Wells caved and replaced the offensive sign with a much more subdued and tasteful version. Now if only the council could work its will as easily on getting Constance Gillespie's "Black Hole of Madison Park" fixed up. Talk about not conforming to community standards!

Gone But Not Forgotten:  The biggest story of the year was undoubtedly the demise of the neighborhood Tully's, which was shuttered (well, temporarily papered over) after the company declared bankruptcy in November.  It seems that the Madison Park location was just not economically viable.  The reasons for this aren't entirely clear, though high rent has been raised as a possibility.  We wonder if perhaps many of Tully's regulars might have spent a lot more time on the premises than they did money (but that's just idle speculation).  And no, we don't know what's next for the currently vacant Tully's space, though we're asked about it almost daily.

Also calling it quits last year were women's clothing store Ropa Bella, Park Place Deli, and Spa del Lago.  New to the neighborhood in 2012, however, were NW Sports Rehab, Aegis Living, and Guesthouse.

Madison Park as Crime Scene:  Every month, in order to write the blog's Police Blotter, I call up the public information officers at the Seattle police department and quiz them about various criminal incidents that took place in the neighborhood over the past month. The officers and I are often amused about what generally passes for crime in this little cul-de-sac of ours.  Yes, compared to say, Laurelhurst, our incident level is modestly high, with a fair number of car and house break-ins each month, plus a a car theft or two. But compared to the surrounding neighborhoods of Capitol Hill and the Central District, we can consider ourselves relatively crime free in Madison Park.  We experience very few of what the SPD terms "crimes against persons."  These include homicides, robberies, and assaults.

Which is not to say that we didn't have our criminal moments in the past year, usually weird ones.  Take, for example, the case of the guy who caused an altercation in the neighborhood bar, asked to have the police called, and then was promptly arrested for possession of a gun. Then there was that other strange gun incident where the students of Bush School spied a jogger running with a gun, supposedly for protection. That was the same month when someone used a beer bottle as a weapon in street brawl along E. Madison. A couple months later a suspicious man was caught carrying an illegal knife, though he had apparently didn't have time to make any use of it in our neighborhood. Not caught by police, however, was the Peeping Tom who, at least briefly this summer, made life uncomfortable for some at The Edgewater.

Also on the creepy side was the strange case of the man with a log (though that incident actually look place in the Arboretum, which was also the scene this summer of the vandalism of the Gateway to Chile plantings). And speaking of wanton distruction, a couple of  neighborhood buildings experienced serial vandalism during the year, with the Wells Fargo branch being hit numerous times by rock throwers and graffiti artists, and Constance Gillespie's building experiencing a similar fate (minus the graffiti).

Also this summer, some of us got to share in the excitement of an actual police chase, as multiple squad cars descended on the neighborhood to catch some adolescent car thieves (who when caught were promptly released to their mommies). There was also an attempted car jacking reported during the year. And then, of course, there was that other shocking crime: the theft of the parade clown's unicycle (never recovered, as far as we know).

This crime summary is not for the purpose of minimizing the impact of crime on those victims in Madison Park who experienced the theft or damage of their property (or even the terror of confrontation) during the past year. During 2012 we often reminded readers to be vigilant and take anti-crime precautions. Judging by the circumstances of some of the break-ins that occurred, however, it is clear that not everyone listened.

And the other news:  The biggest Madison Park story for nature lovers last year was the return of Eddie the Bald Eagle's mate to the nest high above Broadmoor Golf Course. It's a story first reported on this blog (thanks to that prefers-to-remain-anonymous neighbor and loyal reader who provided the first pictorial evidence).  The news was later picked up by the major media when Montlake's Larry Hubbell got some great shots  (that's his photo above) of the new couple and, later, the fledglings (who ultimately flew away--as they were fated to do).

Another big story in 2012 was the giant tree in the Washington Park enclave which bit the dust (well, the concrete) during a non-stormy evening this summer. For days, the downed tree provided quite a show for the looky-loos.

On the tragic side last year was the death, due to cancer, of longtime Madison Park businesswoman and civic booster, Martha E. Harris.

I end this review with what was probably the most impactful set of events for Madison Park that took place in 2012: the defeat of the anti-520 forces and the beginning of construction of the new floating bridge.  As Madison Park Blogger readers know (because they are well and truly informed), the new bridge will be much wider, a lot taller, and signficantly more romantic than the old one:

And that's the way it was.

Lola McKee's contributions honored

Anonymous donor funds park bench at Swingset Park

She was called the neighborhood's "unofficial mayor", the "matriarch of the Park", and a lot of other laudatory things during her long tenure as a Madison Park community leader.  But at age 87, Lola McKee, longtime owner of Madison Park Hardware (which she sold in 2010), has slowed down a bit. Though still a resident of the Park (where she and her husband originally came to live in 1956), she's no longer an automatic attendee at the various neighborhood meetings and civic functions where her presence was once assumed and her personality so strongly felt.

We understand that Lola doesn't get out much anymore, but if she choses to do so she can now sit on a bench installed in her honor at Swingset Park and enjoy the newly invigorated Lake Washington view from an easy-access spot near the sidewalk.  The bench, a generous gift of a Madison Park resident who wishes to remain anonymous, was installed by a Parks crew last month and is situated just north of the bus stop at 43rd Avenue E. and E. Lynn Street at what is officially known as "Madison Park North Beach."

The benefactor had this to say about why he chose to commemorate Lola's contributions to Madison Park in this way: "I, like so many I know, so much respect her integrity, her community spirit, leadership, generosity, and good will." He adds that Lola's operation of Madison Park Hardware also exemplified her love and support of the neighborhood. "At the hardware store, it was all about the customer," he says, "long before Amazon made that their mantra." She always was thinking, "How can we better serve the customer with quality products at reasonable cost?"  Not to mention carrying items of low turnover that most stores would not bother with but that she felt someone in the neighborhood might sometime need.

He tells the story of meeting Lola at her store some 40 years ago and asking if she had a particular item in stock. She told him, "If I don't have it, you don't need it!"  But when it turned out that she didn't have the particular item (which was actually a jacket button, not hardware), she found a source that helped get him the match.

Lola was asked if she would like to be photographed for this story sitting on her bench, but she declined because of modesty, according to her daughter, Cookie. We know what she would have said to us if we had asked in person: "Oh no, a shot of me would break your camera!" Because that's what she always says.

Lola's bench is one of two new benches to grace Swingset Park since the fence was removed in late summer. The other bench, along the sidewalk to the south, has this inscription on the plaque set into the concrete base: "Dedicated to Coconut Roman Emperor Dream Maker Valentine - 2012."  At least one other new bench is slated for installation at Swingset Park. The collection of donations for the installation of benches at City parks is a program of the Seattle Parks Foundation, information for which is available here.

Geese Poop Park?

When opponents of fence removal at Swingset Park expressed concerns about the possible influx of interlopers to the park once the fence was down, they were probably thinking of Capitol Hillites, residents of the Central District, and other such inlanders. And when marshaling their arguments, the proponents of fence removal were clearly focused on the benefits of providing greater access to the water and not the other thing (providing greater access to the land).

But in what's certainly an ironic case of unintended consequences, it seems that the primary new users of Swingset Park—now that the fence is gone—are Canada Geese. The missing fence, a longtime “visual barrier” to the water, turns out to have also been (at least for our avian summer visitors) a too-tall physical barrier between the Lake and the shore.  With the fence now history, the geese have discovered the park---and they're loving it.

Of course there are some nasty implications to this turn of events. Geese poop now pretty much covers the grassy area of Swingset Park to a depth of ten or fifteen feet inland from the water. As you might expect, this situation has not gone unnoticed, especially by those who wander into the area to check out the shoreline, admire the new view, walk the dog, sunbathe, or launch one of those kayaks that the anti-fence forces perhaps thought would become a fixture of the park (actually, we've yet to see any kayak launchings, but we're not on site 24/7 either).

Anyway, some residents are concerned. One of them, Bill Allen, in an email to other neighbors and the Madison Park Community Council, has suggest that Seattle Parks erect a low-level wrought-iron fence that would impose a physical barrier but not create a visual barrier.  Say, isn't that something we once recommended?  It was considered a too-expensive option at the time, so we suspect that is still the case.  No word yet on whether Seattle Parks is willing to reopen the issue.

For those who have yet to go down and enjoy the ambiance of Swingset Park in its new mode, we suggest a visit.  From the sidewalk, at least, the view is great.  If you want to get a closer look, however, we can only advise:  watch your step!

[Photos by William Allen]

So which looks better?

This...

...or this?

The temporary fence came down today; and whatever you call it, Swingset Park, Dogrun Park, or the official name, Madison Park-North Beach, this neighborhood amenity on the Lake has certainly been transformed. We leave it to you to decide whether the removal of the old fence and its attendant blackberry bushes was a good policy move by the Parks people or not.  But in terms of aesthetics?

We understand that crews will be out soon to mow the grass along the line where the temporary fence was positioned. After that it's just a matter of watching the new plantings maturing---and getting used to the new view.

Change comes to Swingset Park

No untoward incidents reported

Given the outsized negative reaction of certain Madison Parkers to the idea of removing the park fence, we anticipated that the arrival of the take-down crew at Swingset Park last month might have prompted some kind of reaction.  But as it happened, no protesters arrived on scene waving placards reading "Save the Children!" or "Blood will be on Your Hands!" So far as we know (and surely we would have heard) no one threw themselves in front of the construction equipment in order to stop the desecration. With due deliberation, Parks workers calmly removed the fence and carted it away:

Though a new fence has been erected, it's temporary and designed simply to keep the public out of the construction zone. To this point, weeds and blackberry bushes have been eliminated at the site and crushed rock has been installed in front of the rip rap. Plantings, as well as driftwood and rock features, will be added over the next few weeks, with work expected to be completed by the end of the month.

[Lower photo by Trent Jackson.]

News of the 'hood

'Why us?'

Employees of our local Wells Fargo branch may well be asking themselves that question after the Bank's windows were smashed in an overnight incident last week. This is the second such act of vandalism at Wells Fargo this year. But given the larger notoriety of certain other national banks (JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America for example), what justifies Wells Fargo as a particular target?  Wells was also singled out by the Occupy Seattle protesters during their downtown march a couple of weeks ago. Of course it's possible that this local crime is just a random bank smashing, unpolitical in nature.

The incident, which took place last Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, occurred within hours of our posting on vandalism in the neighborhood.  According to a resident living near the Wells Fargo office, Seattle Police took their time Wednesday morning going over the scene and taking a lot of photos.  No immediate word on whether anarchist symbols were spray painted on the building, as was the case when the Bank's windows were broken in January.  This incident may have been captured on on the branch's heavy-duty camera, though seasoned vandals would be unlikely to expose themselves to that kind of scrutiny unless disguised:

Aggravated assault with a weapon

On Saturday, Madison Park was the scene of an unusual crime involving a weapon, in this case a bottle of Bud Light.  An "Unpaid Intern" at The Stranger got the story ahead of us yesterday; and frankly, we could hardly do a better job of describing the incident. The posting, entitled "Never Get Between a Man and his Bud Light" can be found here. Presumably the bar involved is McGilvra's.


Rehashing the fence debate

We received a press release from Seattle Parks last week making it official that Madison Park's famous fence at Swingset Park is coming down, with the work expected to be completed by the end of June.  Meanwhile, Crosscut's Knute Berger, who served as a pro-fence-removal resident on the Park's advisory committee for this project, describes from an insider's perspective the interaction between the residents and the Parks people over how the fence was to be removed.  His take on the whole thing can be found here.


No more retail for Villa Marina (at least for now)

It looks like Lakeside Capital Management has given up, at least temporarily, on finding a new retail tenant for the space in the Villa Marina building that was vacated last month by Ropa Bella, the women's clothing store.  Although Lakeside, the building's landlord, was unwilling to confirm the story, we've heard from reliable sources that the space will soon become an office, rather than a new retail location.  It is possible that this is just a temporary situation, with a retail tenant still the ultimate goal.  So far, it has proven difficult to bring retail onto 43rd Avenue E., though Park Bench Gifts in the same building is gamely holding on.

[Madison Park's Wells Fargo branch is located at 4009 E. Madison St., Swingset Park is located at 2300 43rd Avenue E., McGilvra's is located at 4234 E. Madison St., and the Ropa Bella space is located at 1928 43rd Avenue E.] 

The fence is coming down--and soon

The recalcitrants go down fighting

Ever since the Parks Board voted in December to take the fence down at Swingset Park (Madison Park North Beach), the only real question remaining was when. Now that question has been answered.  Seattle Parks confirmed to us late last week that the planning process has been completed, the neighborhood has been given its opportunity to provide input, and it's time to move on. The fence will be pulled down and trucked away by a Parks crew sometime this month.

Getting to this point has not been easy. The Parks Superintendent, in accepting the Parks Board recommendation last winter, mandated that before the fence comes down, the community should provide input on what comes after. To that end, a committee with a supposedly equal number of anti- and pro-fence-removal Madison Parkers was established to advise the Parks staff on landscape restoration at the park. Two meetings of the committee were held, the most recent occurring last Tuesday.

While the first meeting was reportedly collegial, the second and final meeting was something less than that. Though a Parks staffer reported to us simply that "the meeting yesterday did not go well," that was apparently an understatement. According to multiple witnesses, the meeting ended with one of the anti-fence-removal members telling a Parks staffer that many people in Madison Park consider members of his department to be "something lower than fecal matter." It has also been reported to us that during the course of the meeting an anti asked a Parks staffer what their name was so that he could make sure he spelled it right on the lawsuit he intended to file. It was that kind of meeting.

Other members of the committee, however, later dissociated themselves from the ill-mannered behavior of their fellow Madison Parkers, and in multiple emails praised the Parks staff for its professionalism and responsiveness. They expressed support for the process and seemed dismayed that any members of the committee could have mis-understood the purpose of the group. It appeared, one committee member stated, that certain other members would only be satisfied if a new fence were installed to replace the old one.

That, however, is not the plan.  This is the plan:

According to Parks staffer Susan Golub, once the fence is removed a Parks crew will begin installing the plantings and other natural materials that will act as a low barrier where the lawn comes into contact with the existing rip-rap. The first order of business, actually, will be to remove the blackberry bushes, but once that has been accomplished up to three different planting schemes will be employed:

Instead of a hedge or low fence, there will be logs, one-man rocks, aggregate, and driftwood at various locations along the ridge, as well as plantings of potentilla, gaultheria shallon (a leathery-leaved shrub),  Kinnikinnick (a low-creeping shrub), spirea (a small deciduous shrub), grasses, and other low- and medium-sized plants.  In other words: no view-blocking shrubbery and no new trees. The idea is to preserve as much of the existing lawn as possible and prevent erosion.  The aim of the whole project, after all, is to restore "public access" to Lake Washington.

It's the official view of Seattle Parks and Recreation that this is a done deal. All that remains is to carry out the work. As far as we're aware no one is seeking an injunction, so presumably the new Swingset Park will be unveiled in all its "unobstructed" glory sometime before the Summer rush begins.  Quite clearly, not everyone will be pleased.

[The Parks Superintendent and the Development Division Director will formally present the plan to the Madison Park Community Council meeting on Monday, May 7 (7 pm at the Madison Park Bath House), for those interesting in hearing the details and seeing the plan up close. Swingset Park is located at E. Lynn Street and 43rd Avenue E.]

Fence-removal process moving forward

It's been over two months since the Parks Board voted overwhelmingly to take the fence down at Swingset Park (aka Madison Park North Beach); but the fence, of course, is still there--just as useful and lovely as it ever was.  So, we wondered, what's the hang up? It seems that it's taken a bit more time than anticipated to get the process underway, since the Board committed to allowing the neighborhood to give formal input on how the fence is removed and what it's replaced with--if anything.

Seattle Parks & Recreation spokesperson Dewey Potter recently confirmed the makeup of the "working group" that will advise Parks on the process. The members are Knute Berger, Kenan Block, Edward Clark, Gail Irving, Colleen McMonagle, Shan Mullin, John Pettit, and Sam Smith.  This is supposed to be a balanced mix of people who were opposed to fence removal and those who were in favor. According to Susan Golub, one of two Parks staffers assigned to work with the neighborhood, "the timing [of fence removal], as well as what vegetation will be planted are subjects the working group will tackle." Two meetings will occur, she said, to discuss the issues and formulate a recommendation, the first to take place on March 6.  Once this process had been completed, "Parks staff will proceed to take the fence down."  In theory then, Swingset Park should be fence-free in time for Spring use.

The public will be invited to attend both meetings of the Working Group, Golub confirmed.  The exact time and location has yet to be determined.

This fence to be removed

Parks Board makes its recommendation

After serving for more than 60 years as a safety barrier (and, in the opinion of many, an eyesore), the chain-link fence at Swingset Park is about to become a thing of the past. That, at least, is the position of the Board of Park Commissioners, which this evening voted 4-0 (with one abstention) to recommend to the Superintendent of Parks & Recreation that the fence and its attendant blackberry bushes be removed. The Board also recommended that the Superintendent "confer" with the community concerning both the implementation of its recommendation and the creation of a vegetation-management plan for the park. It's the Board's intention that this interaction with the neighborhood occur prior the fence being taken down.

Theoretically, the Acting Superintendent, Christopher Williams, could reject the Board's recommendation. But this seems unlikely given that it was Mr. Williams' own department that initiated the proposal, developing the briefing paper which provided background and justification for the removal the fence. Williams, who attended the Board session, gave no indication that he would be doing anything other than carrying out the wishes of the citizen panel, stating that among the issues he may be discussing with people in the neighborhood are "volunteer stewardship activities" and "maintenance" of the park once the fence is removed.  Several Board members acknowledged concerns about safety at the park, asking that the parks department explore such options as a low hedge to replace the fence and a more-limited fence to enclose the immediate area around the swingset.

The outcome, though not unexpected, appeared to be a disappointment to the 10 to 12 Madison Parkers who attended the Board session.  It was clear from comments made by Board members that they felt the weight of the community's input and sought to justify both the Board's process and ultimate recommendation. After the Commissioners reached their decision, Board Chair Terry Holme told those assembled that the issue had been "a challenging one for the Board--and we take our challenges seriously."  He noted that the Commissioners had read all of the input, had instituted a "rigorous" process of review, and had taken longer to reach a conclusion than was typical for such proposals.  He noted that although the neighborhood's concerns were taken into consideration, the Board has a responsibility to serve the entire parks system and to consider each park as part of the whole. In this case, he said, he felt that the park was not meeting its full potential and will be a better park because of the recommended changes.

During the Board's discussion, it was noted that each of the Commissioners who were present had visited the park to see the situation firsthand (one Commissioner was absent from the meeting for medical reasons).  Board Vice-Chair Diana Kincaid, who made the motion to remove the fence, stated that "public waterfront is incredibly valuable and precious" and suggested that there are other locations fairly immediate to the park where such activities as kids' soccer practice could take place. Another Commissioner, Jackie Ramels, stated that there are other parks in the system, including the one at Alki, where the drop off to the water is significantly greater than at this park, without the parks department feeling the need to have any barriers in place. In the end, the desire to ensure "waterfront access" won out, with only one Commissioner, John Barber, expressing reservations based on child safety (his was the one abstention).

[Swingset Park is located at E. Lynn Street and 43rd Avenue E.]

December happenings

'Christmas Ship' and flotilla arrive December 17

As regular readers of this blog know, there is officially one and only one Christmas Ship--all of the rest of the boats following in its wake each year are simply holiday hangers-on.  Just so we don't get an irritated email from Argosy Cruises (which owns the "Christmas Ship" trademark and hates to see it misused), we're reporting unofficially that "The Christmas Ships" will be arriving at the Madison Park Beach two weeks from today: Saturday, December 17, at about 4:55 pm.

This year the on-boat live musical entertainment will be The Dickens Carolers, while the on-shore refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Madison Park Business Association and Community Council, Park Shore Retirement Community, and Starbucks.

As always, you better get there on time or you'll miss the show.  The ships will start heading north at about 5:15 on their round-about voyage back to Kirkland.


'Tear down that fence!' revisited

The simmering debate over the proposed removal of the chain-link fence at Swingset Park moves into a new phase next week, with the Board of Park Commissioners meeting on Thursday, December 8, to formulate a recommendation to the Parks Superintendent.  The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm in the Parks Administration Building, 100 Dexter Avenue N. The Commissioners will not be taking any further input from the public at the upcoming session, but that probably won't stop a lot of interested parties from Madison Park from showing up to hear the deliberations.  No word on whether lakeside condo owners will again be chartering bus to get residents to the meeting.

Those interested in hearing about the fence-removal issue from the Superintendent himself will get a more convenient opportunity to do so when Christopher Williams, the acting Superintendent, attends the upcoming Madison Park Community Council meeting on Monday, 7 pm, at the Bath House.  The last time a representative of the Parks Department appeared at a Community Council meeting, the results were judged less than satisfactory.  This event, like the last one, is likely to be jam packed.


Another 520-design feedback session

The public is invited to weigh in on some "preliminary ideas" for the new SR 520 corridor between I-5 and the edge of Lake Washington. The feedback session will be held on Wednesday, December 7, at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), 4-7 pm.  It doesn't appear that the Washington State Department of Transportation has posted these design concepts on the 520 website as yet, but there is a lot of other background information there, including the presentation made at a public session held in early November (to access, click here.) Perhaps even more interesting, in view of the fact that the actual floating bridge design has yet to be finalized and graphically portrayed in a side view, is the fact that WSDOT at some point posted the "SR 520 Bridge Architectural Design Principles" online, which we just discovered.  Interesting reading (and lots of illustrations) for those who care to take a look.


SR 520 tolling:  is it really going to happen?

Originally, tolling on the 520 floating bridge was to have begun last spring.  We all know what happened thereafter (though with no one losing their job, as far as we're aware, over what has become one gigantic black eye for everyone involved).  Ironically, the electronic tolling system is called Good to Go, though at least on SR 520 it has proven to be Not-Good-Enough to Go to this point.  Supposedly before the end of the month the glitches will have been fixed and the money will start rolling into the State coffers.  It figures that you can't sign up for Good to Go at the present time, due to another "system upgrade" currently underway.  That upgrade should be in place and the site back in operation by 7 am on Monday morning.

Parsing the fence debate

Madison Park as cul-de-sac

Commentary by Bryan Tagas

You'd probably have to live in Madison Park for a few years to truly appreciate the quiet, steady rhythm of life down here at the end of the road. We sit conveniently removed from much of the wear and tear of typical urban living, having little serious criminal activity in the neighborhood and not much in the way of social discontent.  Our socio-economic circumstance and relative isolation make us, perhaps, a bit more insular than other Seattle neighborhoods. We're hardly likely, for example, to follow the lead of those Capital Hill anti-Big Bank protesters who last week threw bricks through the windows of their local Chase Bank branch. And, as longtime resident Ed Clark puts it, it would be surprising to see Madison Park generate a big turnout for a meeting to discuss something really serious, like homelessness. But we are able to get 100 people to a hearing across town to discuss the removal of a neighborhood fence.

The Commissioners meet

It was standing room only last Thursday evening when the Park Commissioners convened in Denny Park to consider the staff proposal to take down the fence at the "Madison Park North Beach." Let's cut to the news first:  the Commissioners will not be making a recommendation to the Parks Superintendent at least until they discuss the matter at their December meeting.  And while it's true that the staff recommendation to remove the fence was pretty definitive, Acting Parks Superintendent, Christopher Williams, told those assembled, "We don't have a decision made. We are looking to hear creative solutions."

The Commissioners then got an earful from what was mostly an audience composed of Madison Parkers opposed to fence removal, though not everyone from the neighborhood spoke against the proposition.  In addition to Mr. Clark, who said he felt the "safety" issue was being overblown, there were two or three other residents who spoke in favor of fence removal.  Everyone else was either opposed to the idea, opposed to the process used by the Parks Department, or both.

David Graves, Senior Project Planner, presents his recommendation

For most in attendance, the principal issue was the safety of children and others using the park.  It was noted that the fence was installed for what was originally considered to be a good purpose: protecting kids playing near the water.  Not only is the rip-rap dangerous, many argued, but the water is treacherous at that point as well.  Some were a bit heavy handed in their commentary, one claiming the the Commissioners themselves would be personally liable for any injuries or deaths resulting from their decision.  Others focused on the change in usage of the park that would result from the fence removal.  Without the protection of the fence, for example, little kids will probably no longer be able to use the field for soccer practice.

Sam Smith makes his point

One of the most cogent non-safety arguments made by those testifying concerned the fact that there's already significant public access to the water in Madison Park.  This park at E. Lynn St. provides a different kind of recreational opportunity and different potential uses from what is available at the other public spaces in the neighborhood. It is more of a "passive" park, as opposed to "active" Madison Park and its beach just down the road. Removing the fence at the Swingset Park just to get direct access to Lake Washington accomplishes no worthwhile purpose, they maintained.  No one will want to swim there (especially if aware of the 48" sewer overflow pipe at that location), and launching kayaks from the rip rap (and later getting them out of the water) would be problematic at best.

It had been rumored that the guy behind the whole fence-removal idea, Patrick Doherty, is an avid kayaker intent on using the park for that purpose. But when he spoke at the hearing about "access" at the park, he said his concern was primarily about the "visual access" to the Lake that the fence and its overgrown blackberry bushes were impeding. He said he'd like to see the Lake become "perceptually accessible" at that site.  Many agreed with him about the blight caused by the overgrown fence, asking that the Parks Department simply remove the vegetation or do both that and replace the existing fence with a less-imposing one.

Parking and traffic congestion were also introduced as concerns, with one resident noting the potential negative impact on area property values if the "North Beach" is opened to additional public uses.  A political note was made by another resident who reminded the Commissioners that Madison Parkers vote and that when the next bond levy occurs, "the Parks Department is going to need all the friends it can get."

When the session ended after about two hours it could not be said that the views of Madison Park, or at least of those neighborhood residents who cared enough to give them, had not been heard.  The impact of all this may be evident in December when the Board of Parks Commissioners meets again to debate the issue.  In the meantime, those who still wish to give their input may do so through December 2 (details here).

All in all, in my opinion, Madison Parkers presented themselves before the Commissioners as an articulate and concerned citizenry, legitimately upset about a process that began with a staff recommendation rather than through a dialog with the neighborhood. The legitimate concerns about safety, parking, congestion, and appropriate park usage were perhaps more persuasive when raised by people who did not have personal property interests as their principal motivation.

More than one resident stated that the neighborhood understands that this park belongs to the City and not to the neighborhood. But there was also a clear pattern of NIMBYism under the surface of much of the testimony, a perhaps inevitable reaction to the fear that more of the madding crowd will be coming down here to enjoy the public spaces in our midst.

But if "access" really just means the removal of visual blight, it seems that a reasonable compromise could easily be worked out, assuming that the Department of Parks and Recreation has any funds with which to implement it.  Here's the recipe: Remove the vegetation and build a lower fence, keep the park for its current uses, save the children.

[Hearing photos from SeattleChannel.org.  The complete videos of the hearing are available here.]

Is this fence coming down?

Decision could come quickly

Tonight's the night when the staff of the Parks Department makes its recommendation to the Board of Park Commissioners that the fence at "Madison Park North Beach" be removed and public access to Lake Washington restored. Background on the site, known to most of us as either the Dog Park or Swingset Park, is contained in a briefing memo posted online last Friday. The memo also provides the rationale for the recommended change: "Removing the fence at North Beach would expand the opportunities available to the surrounding neighborhood  to access the Lake Washington shoreline consistent with State and local policies."

Those residents of the "surrounding neighborhood" who live closest to Swingset Park, however, are the adjacent condo owners; and they don't seem to be particularly happy about the new "opportunities" that the fence removal might create for them. Apart from the safety-of-children issue, their apparent principal concerns are parking disruption and the noise and crowding that may result from increased park usage.  It is rumored (and was reported today as a fact by The Seattle Times) that residents have chartered a bus to bring Madison Parkers to tonight's hearing.  Local opposition to the fence's removal has been successful in the past, according to the briefing memo, which states that in 2003 a proposal to take the fence down was "shelved due to the volume of negative comments received."

Since the Parks Department staff acknowledges that the reason for the fence when erected was the safety of children, we asked what has changed since that time.  According to spokesperson Dewey Potter, what's different now is a change in public attitudes. "Public awareness and interest in public spaces being open to the public is not the same as it was in 1945," she told us.  The policy of providing maximum access to the the Lake Washington shoreline is what's driving the process this time.

Critics and proponents will have an opportunity to weigh in at tonight's meeting, which is being held in Park Board Room of the Parks Administration Building at Dexter Park (100 Dexter Avenue N.).  The meeting begins at 7 pm.  Information is available here.

Although the briefing memo states that the Parks Board will again deliberate the issue at a meeting in December, Potter told us that the Board could vote in favor at tonight's meeting.  In that case, the Acting Superintendent, Christopher Williams, could agree to the recommendation and order that the fence be removed immediately, she says.

Lesser Madison Park

Commentary By Bryan Tagas

Columnist, author, and Madison Park resident Knute Berger (aka Mossback) wrote a cute piece several years ago (“Coffee talk in Madison Park”) in which he declared, somewhat tongue in cheek, that people living in the neighborhood could be divided into two principal camps:  those who choose to get their java at Starbucks and those who are aficionados of Tully’s.

Starbucks customers, he wrote, “seem a little more groomed, more LA, more SUV.” He described the upscale coffeehouse as bustling “like a cross between a busy ski lodge and a place where people in office-casual dress take meetings” or perhaps “run their empires from their laptops.”

The much smaller and cozier Tully’s, in contrast, he viewed as the kind of “neighborly” place where groups of old friends might meet in an atmosphere embodying “some kind of older, village version of Madison Park.” He saw the place as being “old tennis shoes” versus “tennis club.”

In summing up the dividing line within Madison Park, Berger determined that the neighborhood “still carries some shades of class difference, between the upper middle class and the rich; between old-timers and newcomers, between people who seem to prefer an older, unpretentious Seattle and a slicker, more professional one.” And in their choice of coffeehouse, Madison Parkers may be making a statement that is more than just about the quality of the coffee. “It strikes me,” Berger concluded, “that the self-sorting in Madison Park suggests there is something sociologically important going on in these places. It's where people can quietly announce their class identification and aspirations.”

While Berger’s class-based assessment of the neighborhood is not without merit, it misses (or, at best, skirts) the principal issue that really defines Madison Parkers. The chief fault line within Madison Park, in my opinion, is the one that runs between the “Lesser Madison Park” crowd and the “Improvements Should Be Made” agitators. This ongoing “status quo versus change” conflict forms the backdrop that defines most of the struggles over proposed “improvements” to the neighborhood.  And while Tully’s patrons might be more likely to be found in the “keep Madison Park as it is” group, there are plenty of Starbucks-coffee drinkers who are also solidly on the front lines with the stand-paters. Simplistically, the defining issue of this Great Divide can be summed up as Madison Park for Madison Parkers! versus Madison Park for Everybody!


The view from East Lynn Street

The current brouhaha over the possible removal of the chain-link fence at ‘Swingset Park’ (aka Madison Park Beach North) provides an appropriate jumping off point for a discussion of how the fault line works. Someone (in this case someone from outside the neighborhood) proposes that an “improvement” be made to a Madison Park venue: restore waterfront access by eliminating a fence that for many decades has created a barrier between Lake Washington and the public.

Residents then react, making a couple dozen comments on the proposal on this blog or in emails.  The lines are drawn:  Open things up or keep things closed?

There are, admittedly, legitimate safety concerns about the fence removal.  Unless the original beach is restored, the riprap will still limit access to the water and will certainly be a potential hazard for children (one that insurers might define as an “attractive nuisance”). The water is several feet below the level of the grassy surface of the park; and at the bottom of the riprap, the water is filled with jagged rocks. But safety concerns are not predominant in the thinking of certain Madison Parkers, who are more focused on the potential disruption to the neighborhood that could be caused by opening that stretch of waterfront to the public.

Though the fence, with its blackberry-bush overgrowth, is an eyesore and an imposition on an otherwise pristine landscape, some neighbors are taking a clear position:  “We like it like that!”  They say they are worried about the parking situation in the area if the fence comes down and people from outside the neighborhood discover another lakeside access point.  And then there are those concerns about possible nighttime crime and the loss of the quite, secluded, neighborhood feel of the park.  But are these legitimate issues or just manifestations of what might be termed the “Lesser Madison Park” mentality?


“Keep the bastards out!”

Curmudgeon and longtime P-I columnist Emmett Watson (now long dead), was well known in the last century for half-seriously championing the concept of a “Lesser Seattle.”  Watson’s proto-movement was an anti-outsider, anti-Chamber of Commerce reaction to growth, so-called improvements, and the establishment’s civic-booster mentality.  Watson, who had his own connection to Madison Park, claimed to believe that it would be best if the City didn’t try to attract any new residents (hence his creation of the official Lesser Seattle slogan, shown above).  

Even through Lesser Seattle may be dead, Watson’s legacy seems to live on in Madison Park, where a preservationist and anti-outsider mentality is often coupled with a feisty leave-us-alone stance.  The neighborhood’s grand dame, Lola McKee, once summed up the attitude (which she didn’t necessarily admit to subscribing to) this way: “Let me pay my taxes, then leave me alone.”  In order to discourage visitors, T-shirts were once supposedly printed up with “It’s Always Raining in Madison Park” emblazoned on them.  There’s an anti-City of Seattle component to all of this as well. Madison Park is one of the very few neighborhoods in Seattle that takes pride in the fact that it has never adopted a comprehensive neighborhood plan, while bureaucrats from City Hall are often viewed here with intense suspicion.

Many in Madison Park are wary of any change that would potentially draw more people to the neighborhood. At a public meeting a couple years ago one resident used the term “those people” when describing the kind of visitors to the Park who might ride the bus in, or bring their home barbeque to the beach in the back of their pickup. Sometimes on hot summer days, visitors park on the public streets in front of our houses.  Perhaps this kind of behavior should not be encouraged.

This Lesser Madison Park thinking sometimes immobilizes the neighborhood’s “establishment,” such as it is. For example, the rehabilitation and improvements made two years ago to Madison Park (the City park, that is) were the result of the organizing and fundraising efforts of a group of residents, Friends of the Park, who joined together in common cause. It could have been—but was not—a project of the Madison Park Community Council. From the Lesser Madison Park perspective, the proposed improvements might have resulted in more people coming into the neighborhood, potentially creating problems of parking and crime.  At least some on the Council apparently bought into that view. Let’s keep the old park the way it is!

Another example of “establishment” immobilization is the time several years ago when some residents of Madrona wanted to re-open to the public Madison Park’s E. Mercer St. waterfront road end. They proposed that the City revoke the private-use permits of the neighboring private property owners. Madison Park’s own Council, however, was reportedly the only one in the area that did not come out in favor of the plan. Effectively, the neighborhood’s representatives could not agree to the position that opening publicly owned space in Madison Park to the public was an inherently good thing.

Lesser Madison Park, it should be noted, does not equate to “make no changes to the Park.”  After all, there have been many recent improvements to the neighborhood (such as the McNae Triangle Park in front of Bing’s, the BofA parking lot benches, and the “beaver lodge” road end) that are the result of people banding together to enhance the community.  These projects are generally not controversial since they are unlikely on their own to attract additional visitors to the Park. They fit more into the category of improvements that residents, primarily, can enjoy. Lesser Madison Park advocates and boosters alike are able to work together on these kinds of projects without shifting the fault line.

But when it comes to bigger changes, something that would get the attention of a much wider audience, the division within Madison Park becomes much more pronounced. This controversy over a new public waterfront-access point is therefore not surprising, since we do not have consensus on what kind of a neighborhood Madison Park really is.

Inclusive or exclusive?

There are 5,000 of us living in Madison Park; and short of our doing a formal survey, there is just no way to know for sure what we think our neighborhood should stand for--if anything. Whether Madison Parkers predominantly see the various neighborhood “improvements” as an inherently good or bad thing is a mystery; and frankly, our representatives on the Community Council are simply not in a good position to know. Does Madison Park embrace “outsiders” or are we just threatened by them?

While we may really be the elitist, keep-it-all-to-ourselves kind of neighborhood that our detractors claim we are, I’d like to think we’re better than that. The choice before us, I believe, is this:  Do we as a community wish we were more like our exclusive enclave, Broadmoor, with its perimeter walls and gate guards? Or are we a neighborhood that believes in sharing with other Seattleites the very amenities that help make this Village by the Lake a joy for those of us lucky enough to live here?

How we answer that question will certainly do far more to define each of us as Madison Parkers than our preference for where we purchase our morning coffee.


[Thanks to Richard Carl "Dick" Lehman for the use of his cartoon, above.]

Fence or no fence?

The regular Madison Park Community Council meeting on Monday evening will include a discussion of the proposal to remove the fence at the "Swingset Park" (aka "the Dog Park," aka "Madison Park Beach-North").  The Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation has invited itself to the meeting for the purpose of discussing the idea and getting community input.

The Council's president, Gail Irving, is already on record as opposed to the idea, at least without other changes being made to the park as well.  Some condo owners in neighboring buildings have also expressed opposition in emails to this blog.

Tomorrow's meeting provides the opportunity for Madison Parkers to weight in on this contentious issue.  The Community Council meets at the Madison Park Beach Bathhouse (1900 43rd Avenue E.), beginning at 7 pm.

More waterfront access for Madison Park?

City rethinking longstanding approach

Longtime Madison Parkers can remember a time when the "Swingset Park" at E. Lynn St. and 43rd Avenue E. was a lovely, sand-filled beach providing year-round access to Lake Washington. Somewhere along the way, however, the City decided to replace the sand with riprap and ultimately concluded that topping the whole thing off with a chain-link fence was a wonderful idea.  What was once a favorite neighborhood beach became, instead, a waterfront park without water access.  In fact, according to the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation, it is the only piece of park shoreline in the entire City that is not accessible to the water.

Why this was allowed to happen is not obvious, and the Parks Department has been unable to provide us with an explanation. What we did learn today, however, is that the City is seriously looking at reversing course and seeking a way to provide public access to Lake Washington at the E. Lynn site.  According to Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter, a "briefing paper" has been prepared on the subject, which will soon be presented to a meeting of the Parks Board.

The catalyst for all of this, apparently, is a "citizen request" made by an open-spaces activist, Patrick Doherty, who wrote an interesting opinion piece concerning our little park on the Daily Journal of Commerce's "SeattleScape" blog in August ("Why is the City Fencing Off the Shoreline in Madison Park?").  Doherty states in his posting that he was told that the residents of Madison Park do not want the beach restored (though who told him that is unclear). "Well, excuse me," he exclaims, "but Lake Washington shoreline is a precious, very finite commodity and public ownership and use of any part of that commodity is not the sole province of the nearby neighbors."

A reader of this blog sent us the link to Doherty's opinion piece when it appeared last month and suggested that we look into the matter.  The Parks Department did not at that time respond to our request for comment.  Today we learned, however, that SeattlePI.com is working on a story about the City's possible new stance regarding the E. Lynn Park.  As noted, the Parks Department has now acknowledged as much.

Some MPB readers may recall that several years ago the neighborhood activist group, Historic Madison Park, raised the same issue that Doherty has now claimed as his own: Give Us Our Waterfront Access!  But the group's numerous suggestions for potential "improvements" to Madison Park were met with reactions ranging from outrage to indifference.  The stiff opposition of many in the Madison Park "establishment" to HMP's ambitions ultimately was the death knell for the group, which ultimately gave up its efforts and disbanded out of frustration, anger, and recrimination. Or at least that's the way we remember it.

At any rate, that inside-Madison Park group was ineffective in getting what Doherty has apparently accomplished from the outside:  a City review of a decision that was made decades ago and may not be the appropriate one for today's Madison Park.

We have been promised that when the 'briefing paper" is slated for a Parks Board agenda, it will be made available to us.   Hopefully, it will not only make recommendations concerning the E. Lynn park but will also include the history of the site and the rationale for closing it off to public access.

UPDATE:

This just in:  The Parks Department staff will be asking the Madison Park Community Council for some time at its October 3 meeting to discuss the "Madison Park North Beach" fence removal, according to Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter.  The Board of Park Commissioners will be briefed by staff on the issue at its November 3 meeting, and a public hearing will also be held.  The Board is expected to discuss the issue at its December 8 meeting and then make a recommendation to the Superintendent.  Apparently the issue at hand is simply removing the fence, not restoring the beach, however.

More to follow.

[Upper photo courtesy of Windermere Real Estate, used without permission. Satellite photo from GoogleEarth.]