Leschi Parks Status

John Barber, Chair of Parks and Greenspace assessed our parks and the need for maintenance. The following letter was approved by the LCC Board to send to the Parks Department. It is printed here with the response from Parks printed in italics and bold.

1. Repair the Frink Park waterfall and deck. The waterfall has broken down and no longer responds to the original function of this historically important feature of the park boulevard system envisioned by the Olmsted Brothers. John Charles Olmsted designed the waterfall, and the Parks Department followed through almost a hundred years ago with building it by hand labor. The pedestrian deck over the waterfall was installed in 2001 as part of the half-mile trail system provided at community-incentive to encourage equity in enjoyment of the natural area. A large Neighborhood Development Grant was utilized. Trail safety is an element of need for this repair. This work will fall under our MPD Strategy “Restoring Trails and Improving Access to Open Space” depending on funding levels and we will keep in touch with the status.

2. Support development of a landscaping plan of Leschi Park that includes groundcover, shrubs and trees, considers installation of a picnic shelter, and revises path system. A plan to replace the great trees of this park has special urgency because several elms, an English crab apple, a noble fir, and two Garry oaks are among the trees that have perished in the last few years and were not replaced; some of the remaining conifers are now showing signs of stress. Also, there is much interest in constructing a picnic shelter in honor of Steve Shulman who was a long-time supporter of community interests and well known as the Leschi Mart's owner. We need to respond to tree replacements and will get you a schedule. We will have to figure out a way to fund a broader landscape plan and this seems very appropriate for an NMF grant.

3. Complete the construction of the breakwater/public access platform at the South Leschi moorage. The breakwater was fully funded several years ago by City Council. It was the chief promise to the community by the Parks Department as part of the community process of providing the public-private management of the Leschi moorages. We are in for permitting with the ACE (Army Corps of Engineers) and extending our contract with Reid Middleton. I don’t think we will see construction until 2023.