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“Beauty in the Decay” For a spring treat, you have until the end of April to stop by the ArtXchange Gallery near Pioneer Square to see the Alan Lau exhibition “Beauty in the Decay.” His subtle Sumi-e ink, pastel and watercolor paintings envelop us like a walk in the woods. Lau studied Sumi-e ink brush painting, but intentionally aspires to a contemporary style that incorporates ink with layers of surface drawing in charcoal and chalk: “The spirit of the tradition looms behind me not as a rote model but as a continuing renewable source of encouragement to push ahead.” (Alan Lau, Blue Message , detail, sumi and mixed media on rice paper, 60x60) Each of his large paintings uses a different type of stroke, contrasting layers, and even shifts of tone, but all of them are embedded in nature, and the cycles of life. Also, enjoy the intimate watercolors, often of a fruit or vegetable in a precise condition of ripeness or incipient decay. Lau worked as produce manager at Uwajimaya for many years, an aesthetic adventure that gives him an intimate feeling for this topic. Lau writes eloquently about his work: “There is a modern poet who writes about weeds. For myself, there is something common, stubborn and oddly attractive about weeds and their random persistence. The simple beauty of nature, though it looks still to our eyes, is constantly teeming with activity. Sometimes it’s this quality I want to capture in my work--that of a seemingly quiet, inert surface alive with the continual process of change, decay and growth within its deepest layers." Coincidentally, I saw his exhibition immediately after visiting a Florida wildlife sanctuary. The photo I took with reflections of the sky, penetration under the water and the surface of decaying grass, with a diving bird, echoes Lau’s vision for his art. The ArtXchange exhibition provides a rare opportunity to conveniently see Alan Lau’s paintings in a Pioneer Square venue. For many years, he showed at Francine Seders Gallery up in Greenwood, until it closed a few years ago. As a pillar of the art community in Seattle, we also know him as a poet, art critic, curator and journalist. He will be reading his poetry at the gallery on April 21. ArtXchange Alan Lau — Beauty in the Decay 521 1st Ave. S, Seattle Municipal Tower and City Hall: the Art Venues While you are downtown, take the time to also visit the art galleries sponsored by Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture in City Hall and the Municipal Tower. They offer several surprises. First, and most easily found on the third floor of 700 Fifth Avenue, is the Ethnic Cultural Heritage Gallery, created by Preston Hampton. “What’s Left Behind,” by Satpreet Kahlon until April 15 addresses sexual violence and its aftermath of trauma. The closer we look at these works, the more we feel the intensity of Kahlon’s focus. For “Sharam (Shame),” the largest work, she tore and burned dozens of pieces of paper, then glued them to a 150 x 60 inch plastic sheet. In the center, she created the word, “Shame” as negative letters, written in Punjabi, clearly testifying to the after-effects of sexual violence. But the piece also speaks to survival as part of a community. Another work weaves layers of threads into plastic suggesting both fragility and cloaking. She particularly addresses women of color “by recognizing the burden they face to protect their communities while simultaneously advocating for themselves as victims.” Kahlon’s brave and intense exhibition encourages thoughtful engagement with a topic that is only rarely addressed in a public venue. (Satpreet Kahlon, Sharam (shame), 2016 detail, 130x60in, burnt paper, plastic sheeting, Ethnic Cultural Gallery) Not far away in “Seattle Presents,” a small space at Columbia St. and Fifth Avenue, the city launched a series of six exhibitions titled “Dialogues in Art: Exhibitions on Racial Injustice” with Barry Johnson’s “Signs of the Times.” Fortunately, I heard the artist speak about his work. Casually relaxed in layered pale grey shirts, he changes the narrative about African Americas from crime and poverty. Based on his statistical studies, he counters stereotypes. First, with stacks of mortarboards, he charted the dramatic increase in PH.D.s awarded to African Americans since the 1970s. Second, logos of major inventions by African Americans demonstrated their fundamental contributions to our world including the microphone, and three-color streetlight. Third, he defied prejudices about same sex couples with words like “nurture” “love” and “community ” written on red tape over a silhouetted couple. Although this exhibition has closed, the next in the series, “Jasmine Brown, Remembrance” features poignant icons of murdered young black men in the style of small medieval altars (you can compare them with Kehinde Wiley’s icons with a different purpose at his glamorous exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum). Jasmine Brown will be an artist-in-residence in the gallery on Thursdays from ten to three until May 13. (Barry Johnson installation, at Seattle Presents Gallery, Municipal Tower) But, we are not finished yet, with our tour of city-sponsored exhibitions. A third space, near the Ethnic Cultural Heritage Gallery in the municipal tower, currently features group exhibitions. From April 7 – June 29, 2016 “Cultural Perspectives” displays an amazing 66 works by 45 artists recently purchased by Seattle Public Utilities (that’s our one percent for art program still going strong after all these years, the upside of our construction mania). The current group show “Seattle Simplified, Part 2” featured multimedia, photography, and prints by such well –known artists as Jacob Lawrence, Juan Alonzo, and Mary Ann Peters. Finally, in the main lobby of City Hall itself (and on a lower level in the Ann Folke Gallery), the “Real Change Agents Portrait Project,” presents individually painted portraits of our Real Change vendors. These men and women, whom we normally meet by talking to them briefly as we buy our papers in the street, now gaze out at us directly. Each painting includes a detailed narrative of the vendor’s impressive survival amid diversity. While you are entering the City Hall lobby, take a minute to view the permanent installation by Vancouver artist, Eric Robertson Evolving Wing and the Gravity of Presence that evokes canoe journeys and the aerospace industry in a stunning semi abstract installation. So save on postage and pay your utility or tax bill in person in April, then enrich your day with a visit to these many exhibitions, as well as the Alan Lau exhibition at ArtXchange, not far away. Susan Noyes Platt, www.artandpoliticsnow.org

This winter has rewritten the rulebook for strong El Niños. Meteorologists were so certain that Southern California would be far wetter than normal, while the Pacific Northwest would be drier than normal. Instead, Southern California ended up with below-average rainfall for yet another winter, and the Pacific Northwest witnessed the rainiest winter in many locations on record. To our credit, many other things we predicted, such as a lack of lowland snowfall and above-normal temperatures throughout the West Coast, have come true, but still, this year is one many seasonal forecasters would like to forget. We’ve had several strong storm systems over the past 12 months. We had our summer blow on August 29 and an intense storm on November 17. We even had a significant storm on March 10 that caused extensive coastal flooding throughout the region and ripped a Bellingham Home Depot to shreds. But the most impressive storm, in my mind, has to be the one that occurred only three days later. ​It wasn’t the windiest storm, and it wasn’t the biggest. However, the low-pressure system itself was one of the most symmetrical, picturesque lows I have ever seen. It doesn’t take a meteorologist to see that this was an intense storm! Moreover, this storm tracked just off the Washington Coast, and our new coastal radar was able to pick up some incredible pictures. The day of the windstorm, I was teaching ski lessons up at Alpental, near Snoqualmie Pass. It was extremely gusty up there – I know that Summit West had a gust to 68 mph, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw similarly strong gusts at times at Alpental. It was quite a sight to see all of the snow being blown around. Many of the kids found the winds scary, but they persevered through the storm and were a pleasure to be with the entire day. Down here, winds were quite gusty. Sea-Tac gusted to 56 mph, Boeing Field gusted to 54, and the University of Washington gusted to 49. Winds were even higher up north, with Everett, Bellingham and the Whidbey Naval Air Station gusting to 60, 64 and 66 mph, respectively. As is usual, the coast was the windiest place of all. Aptly named Destruction Island clocked a 79 mph gust at 3 pm. One of my friends, a post-doctoral atmospheric sciences graduate from the University of British Columbia focusing on Pacific Northwest windstorms, estimated gusts of 55-60 mph by Seward Park based on tree damage nearby. Indeed, many trees were toppled in this storm due to the extraordinarily saturated soils from this past winter, including this one right by the #2 bus turnaround at the bottom of Madrona Hill. (Tree that fell under the storm’s fierce winds at the bottom of Madrona Hill. Courtesy of the author.) None of the individual storms this past year will go down in the record books. But, taken as a whole, this winter was one of the stormiest on record for the Pacific Northwest. Let’s hope next winter is a little bit calmer! ~Charlie Phillips Charlie Phillips, a Madrona resident, just received his B.S. in atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. Check out his personal weather blog at www.charliesweatherforecasts.blogspot.com !

An outdoor gym of exercise equipment for adults will open in Powell Barnett Park, corner of Martin Luther King Way and East Alder Street, at 10am on April 30. There will be a brief ceremony at 10 am, followed by a ribbon cutting at 10:45 am and a demonstration of using the equipment given by neighborhood fitness instructor, Rebecca Francis. At 11:30 am, see a performance by the “Thrillers” dance group performing works by Michael Jackson. Group Health will provide FREE bicycle helmets for kids. Partners for the Fitness Center include the Powell Barnett Legacy Committee, Leschi Community Council, MOMentum, Trust for Public Lands, Seattle Parks Foundation, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as fundering sponsors: the Clarence E Heller Foundation, Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions, Stim Bullitt Excellence Fund, Coca Cola Foundation, Group Health, Outdoor Happiness Movement, Wyman Youth Trust, TEW Foundation, Moccasin Lake Foundation, and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. ~John Barber, Leschi CC, Parks and Openspace Committee Chair

Local Women in the News Wendy Ceccherelli and Pam Smith-Mentz, Leschi and Madrona residents respectively, are part of the Washington Masters Team traveling to Adelaide, Australia, for an international Dragon Boat Race beginning April 1. Twenty-five members of WAM, age 50 and over, will compete in races, which can range to 2000 meters (races of this length are not held in this country). Pam says, “I started paddling 12 years ago. My husband and I moved to Seattle, purchasing our first home in the PNW in Madrona, shortly before we were introduced to dragon boating. We were not familiar with dragon boating before seeing them on Lake Washington. We were walking along the waterfront one evening as some paddlers were headed out with Club SAKE at Leschi Marina. We inquired about the large canoe-like boats and were invited to give it a try. We did and loved it -- being out on the lake with the mountains as the backdrop was a perfect place to get in a workout right in the neighborhood and meet new people. I’m hooked on being out on the lake. I hadn’t paddled with an all-women’s team until this crew. I really love it! I’ve established friendships throughout the region and I am amazed at the commitment of this team.” And Wendy: “I was introduced to dragon boating in about 2004, when I helped organize the first two years of participation by the City of Tampa in a local dragon boat festival. After I moved back to Seattle, I met then-President of Seattle SAKE Dragon Boat Club (and also then-President of the Leschi Community Council) Matthew Goossen, who invited me out with the Leschi Club. I have been paddling ever since, and followed our coach Lesley Blyth, who envisioned a more competitive regional team that eventually morphed into WAM, from its earliest inception about four years ago.” Congratulations on your accomplishments and we will follow your progress “down under”! ~Diane Snell

These were the words uttered by Professor Henry McGee describing the demographic changes in Seattle at a recent meeting of the Seattle Neighborhood Coalition. He said two words describe Seattle: wealthy and white. He has studied both Portland and Seattle and found that black communities are a bellweather. He cited the Central District as an example; it was once a segregated black community, but as younger well-to-do groups lost their fear of blacks and wanted convenience (proximity to work and to urban amenities), they looked for housing that met their needs regardless of segregation status. The Black community was moving southward for a number of reasons: the younger generation wanted more house for the money and what they felt were better schools. The older generation followed as the community changed and they no longer felt a part of it. The new center of the black community is in Renton, Kent and Tukwila. Professor McGee’s talk came after the HALA (Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda) presentation, but seemed to belong before it. McGee spoke of the lower incomes being forced out of the city and the HALA approach seemed designed to alleviate that….slowly. Geoffrey Wentlandt represented the Office of Planning & Development. He listed the identified problems: 4,000 persons go without any shelter at all; 45,000 pay over half their income for shelter, and the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment has increased 29% over the last 5 years. HALA’s overall goal is to build 50,000 new units of housing: 20,000 for lower incomes and 30,000 market rate units. Developers will be allowed to build an extra floor if they include 5-7% affordable units or pay into a fund, which serves to finance a lower income building. There was some push-back from the audience as including affordable units would be faster than waiting for the fund to pay for an additional building. While Wentlandt did not go over all the strategies, he did focus on the supports that would be offered to current renters or seekers of units: Preservation Tax Exemption: incentives to preserve existing affordable housing. Strengthening Tenant Protections: Ban any increase of rent for apartment with any substandard issues and require 60 days notice if there is a planned increase of over 10%. Expand source of income discrimination protections (such as Section 8 vouchers, child support income, SSI). Concerns were expressed during the Q & A period: no focus on families with children, no focus on neighborhoods, some concern about make-up of the HALA group and one person said there should be a goal that enables those who work in the city, to live in the city. This struck home with me; I feel strongly that our teachers, firefighters, police staff, baristas, grocery clerks, etc. should be living in the neighborhoods where they work. I also felt the percentages for affordable units were very low; at the rate of 5-7% for affordable housing, we’ll be facing the same issues in another 10 years, as we are now with homelessness. That percentage is just too low! ~Diane Snell

Our March speaker, Nick Licata, was encouraging us to become citizen activists and more importantly than that, do it effectively! When speaking to elected officials, he urged us to not stop at asking for their support, but ask for their VOTE and even ask for their sponsorship of a bill that will accomplish what you are seeking. He used examples like the $15 per hour campaign to illustrate his suggestions. That campaign illuminated how clueless some politicians can be. If one gave any meaningful thought to the reality of trying to live on the (then) minimum wage in this city, one would realize it isn’t possible. Even $15 will be a struggle. The Washington Economic Institute’s Executive Director, John Burbank, said at a public meeting over a year ago, that if wages had followed the same trajectory as in the 50’s, the minimum wage would be $18 per hour and recently Noam Chomsky said on Alternative Radio, it would be $20 per hour. Boosting low wage workers’ wages not only gives them a living wage, but also boosts their purchasing power, resulting in greater sales at local businesses. Imagine being able to patronize the business where you work! We were able to begin our stairway cleaning again this month; the rain held off and the small crew of Jeff Floor, Janet Oliver, Tracy Bier, Jim Snell and the two Dianes were able to clean the King St. stairs and to pick up the scattered branches brought down in the recent windstorm. The Senior Center is currently short-staffed with building attendant positions open and it was a big help for us to spruce up the grounds. Diane Morris is sprucing up the Center’s flowerbeds every Thursday morning and is gracious about accepting volunteer help if you are free. After the stairway work party, Janet Oliver, our resident expert on all things transportation-oriented, took the Snells for a ride on the new link to the University campus. We caught the #8 bus to the Capitol Hill station where we joined what looked like all of Seattle residents trying to board the new train to the new U W station. Despite the crowds in the station, we were able to board quickly and find a seat. Janet sat next to a young woman who was ecstatic about the train and plans to take it every day on her way to college classes. There were musicians in the University station and musicians in the tents at both stops. Not sure what the policy on buskers will be; this may have been part of opening day festivities. Food trucks greeted us outside the U W station. One has to believe that this University stop will relieve some of the pre- and post-game traffic; it conveniently drops riders off at the entrance to Husky stadium. The ride itself was quiet and fast; the escalators up and down were equally smooth and quiet, a far cry from some of the old, creaky wooden escalators one finds in London. Seattle is slowly entering the 21st century! Be the change you want to see in the world. ~Gandhi ~Diane Morris & Diane Snell

Colman Park restoration A presentation by Margy Bresslour and Evan Wright on restoring Colman Park to the Olmstead vision, with special guest John Huizinga, Arborist. 7-7:30pm Panel Discussion on Moorage Issues Featuring Paul Wilkinson, Manager of Moorage for Parks, Paula Hoff, Parks and Marty Oppenheimer, Public Advisory Team member. 7:30-8pm at The Central Area Senior Center, 500 30th Ave. S

The two wading pools in our neighborhood, at Powell Barnett Park and Peppi’s Playground, have been closed for more than 5 years due to cutbacks in the funding by the Department of Parks and Recreation. The Parks Department has pushed for the development of water spray parks instead. Although spray parks consume less water because of recycling the water, they cost up to a million dollars to construct and are very expensive to repair. Wading pools are much beloved in our neighborhood because they have the advantage of low stress use by the smaller tots, plus a place for parents to dip their feet on hot days and talk with neighbors. Most of us have happy memories of our own childhoods or of parenting at wading pools. Instead of filling our convenient wading pools, the Parks Department wants our parents and children to travel to the Volunteer Park wading pool- which is an impractical trip by bus for parents with tots and not easy by car. Alternatively, the Department suggests using the spray park at Pratt Park, but that was recently shutdown. The spray park at Judkins Park was recently updated, but spray parks do not address the needs of the youngest children or provide the passive ambiance for parents. The communities served by Powell Barnett Park and Peppi’s Playground — Garfield, Madrona, Leschi, and Squire Park — are ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods that should be benefiting from the wading pool program. Let’s ask the Department of Parks and Recreation to re-open the wading pools at Powell Barnett Park and/or Peppi’s Playground permanently starting this summer. ~John Barber

In our March issue, we featured the plight of the business owners on 23rd Ave. during the long construction project. Madrona newsletter editor, Barbara Parker, detailed the obstacles in running a business when no one could safely reach your business due to torn up streets and huge equipment. Re-routing buses eliminated would-be traffic as well. For long periods, one could not bus, drive or even walk to these businesses. We interviewed Sarah Berentson, owner of 701 Coffee; this is a relatively new business that came to 23rd when the plan for a 23rd Ave. “road diet” was already made. When I arrived at the coffee shop, Sarah was discussing the possibility of sharing yard waste, recycling and garbage containers with the other small businesses in the building. Her landlord seemed to agree that no one business filled the containers. This is just one example of Sarah‘s attention to expenses and detail. She has been the most vocal voice in the protests from the embattled business owners and the person who has urged them to organize. Sarah said she had been in business for one year on the date we talked (3/17/16.) I asked if she had known about the plan and she said, “Yes, the original plan.” (The original plan was to fully complete the section of 23rd between Jackson and Cherry before moving on to section 2 between Cherry and Union.) She felt she could handle disruption on the south side and when that was re-opened, the disruption would move to the north side of the business. But SDOT and SPU began tearing up 23rd from Jackson to Union and even beyond to Madison. She said she had been in negotiations to rent the retail space for nine months before the actual opening. She was proud of the fact that she was debt-free for many months; by September, she had 80 customers a day and met her expenses easily. It was in October that the business collapsed. The re-routing of the 48 had a big impact on business; Garfield students would wait across the street for the northbound 48 and the crowd was as much as 50 students. Many would dash across the street for an after-school snack. Since the students have limited time during school hours to purchase outside the school, any obstacles that keep them from reaching the café quickly, discourages the attempt. Sarah said that even Ezell’s right across the street from the school has seen a loss of business. Sarah said she was behind a few months in rent and they had sold their vehicle to stay afloat. Her family of six (with two high school and two middle school students) is living in a studio apartment. She even had to return their Vitamix to pay other bills; this was a blow as Fruit Smoothies are a popular item on the menu. She has since been able to replace the Vitamix. Sarah has completed a couple of inches of paperwork in an effort to obtain some financial help from the city, but has heard nothing yet. She feels that the gas explosion in the Greenwood area has changed the city’s focus. She still feels strongly that the business owners need to stay organized. We shared stories on “planned gentrification” of the area. I had been told by a local activist that the demise of the small minority-owned businesses was part of the 23rd Ave. plan. Sarah said she had seen drawings of the area where her small building was replaced by a multi-story apartment building with retail at street level. It would be too bad to lose the small businesses that exist and have them be replaced by big chain operations. Let’s support these small businesses and try to keep them open! Sarah takes pride in her ability to serve vegan food that even carnivores like! When mangoes are in season, she serves a delicious mango salad. She gets her croissants, pastries and bagels from the local Golden Wheat Bakery (reviewed in this issue by a Madrona resident.) The owner, Angel, was able to use her suggestions for a butter substitute to create delectable bakery items. I want to go back for lunch and try the cashew butter that she puts on bagels! ~Diane Snell

Coming soon to a backyard near you: a cottage…if certain changes to Seattle’s land use code go through. Proposed as a means to address the city’s increasingly unaffordable housing costs, the rules governing backyard cottages are being reexamined, in an effort to bring to market an increase in the number of this humble housing type. In the early ‘90s, state law was revised, obligating municipalities with over 20,000 residents to allow attached accessory dwelling units (ADUs, or what most people know as a mother-in-law apartment). Since 2010, Seattle has allowed property owners in single-family zones to build a second, separate residential structure on their property, a detached accessory unit or DADU, or in the more heartwarming parlance, backyard cottage. The target in large part for both of these modifications was affordability, while at the same time giving homeowners the opportunity for bolstering their long-term financial security, a means for getting something out of home equity without having to sell their home. The sticking point ever since has been one of implementation: remarkably few people in Seattle have pursued establishing a backyard cottage. The overheated housing market of recent years has brought the issue of affordability into sharp relief, renewing interest in the potential of DADUs to bring housing costs down and raising the question of why so little activity has occurred in the arena. Those familiar with the process began to point to a litany of rules that have likely been suppressing the backyard cottage appetite. Led in part by councilmember Mike O’Brien, the city has been looking into the specific impacts of certain regulations, while taking the temperature of the citizenry in public meetings and written testimony, testing our tolerance for change. One of the chief impediments identified has been reticence on the part of banks to loan for DADU projects. The culprit it would seem is the draconian penalty for violating city ordinance which, rather than just levying a simple fine, could result in the wholesale demolition of the structure. Considering that the DADU is likely the collateral for a construction loan, it’s easy to imagine that a bank might hesitate to take the risk. One of the avenues that could lead to this extreme scenario is the requirement that the property owner live on site (in either the primary or accessory unit), with no more than six months spent living elsewhere in any 12-month period. Seems harmless enough, and those arguing for keeping the ownership rule intact feel that without this rule, the DADU market will become a bonanza for developers, rather than a route to affordability for potential renters, and lead to instability and excessive transience in the neighborhoods. Others point out that the six-month limit becomes a serious problem for anyone who receives a job assignment that could take them out of town for more than a year. Moreover, if the homeowner decides to sell, the buyer must either abide by the same rule or tear the DADU down. Lending institutions are not fond of this level of uncertainty. That combined with the apparent majority of respondents coming down on the side of change would indicate a likely loosening of this regulation. ~Jeff Floor, Leschi CC Board Member and Co-Chair of the Land Use Review Committee

The Leschi Community meeting on April 6 at 7pm, is the last time for a public meeting for Leschi as a neighborhood to decide what we think is important to the future of the Leschi Marinas. Park property is on the edge of being turned over to a private firm, Foss Waterway Management, to take over the development of improving the marinas and managing them for 30 years or more. The Leschi North and South Marinas are owned by the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. The marinas are public park space. Do we, the public, want free access to use the docks and enjoy the close views of the water and the boats? Or, should the space be locked for use only by private tenants, the boat owners? Do we want to save Leschi Dock where the Christmas boats tie up and people sunbathe in the summer? Do we want to save the floating “Police Dock,” which the Leschi Community Council partnered with Washington Water Trails Association to build for use by kayakers and canoers? Do we want to permit renting marina space to jet skiers and speedboats, considering that these boats endanger swimmers, paddle boarders and small sailboats, as well as creating wakes that erode the shorelines? Do we want park space being taken for a meeting room for the boaters? Do we want to continue to provide exclusive parking spaces next to the Lake on park property for the boaters? These are all public policy questions that pertain to use of public lands and waters and to the concept of parks and recreation and what makes sense as healthful recreation that is safe and builds community. On April 6, we hope to have a meaningful public discussion. On hand will be representatives of the Parks Department and a member of the Public Advisory Team to explain the project and introduce some of the issues. It is expected that after our meeting, Parks Department staff will negotiate a contract with Foss Waterway Management and make a proposal about approving the contract to Seattle City Council by September 2016. ~John Barber

Leschi Marinas are at a Fork in the Path to the Future April 6, Leschi’s meeting at 7 pm, is the last time for a public meeting for Leschi as a neighborhood to decide what we think is important to the future of the Leschi Marinas. Park property is on the edge of being turned over to a private firm, Foss Waterway Management, to take over the development of improving the marinas and managing them for 30 years or more. The Leschi North and South Marinas are owned by the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. The marinas are public park space. Do we, the public, want free access to use the docks and enjoy the close views of the water and the boats? Or, should the space be locked for use only by private tenants, the boat owners? Do we want to save Leschi Dock where the Christmas boats tie up and people sunbathe in the summer? Do we want to save the floating “Police Dock,” which the Leschi Community Council partnered with Washington Water Trails Association to build for use by kayakers and canoers? Do we want to permit renting marina space to jet skiers and speedboats, considering that these boats endanger swimmers, paddle boarders and small sailboats, as well as creating wakes that erode the shorelines? Do we want park space being taken for a meeting room for the boaters? Do we want to continue to provide exclusive parking spaces next to the Lake on park property for the boaters? These are all public policy questions that pertain to use of public lands and waters and to the concept of parks and recreation and what makes sense as healthful recreation that is safe and builds community. On April 6, we hope to have a meaningful public discussion. On hand will be representatives of the Parks Department and a member of the Public Advisory Team to explain the project and introduce some of the issues. It is expected that after our meeting, Parks Department staff will negotiate a contract with Foss Waterway Management and make a proposal about approving the contract to Seattle City Council by September 2016. ~John Barber