Lincoln High School Community Meeting
I'm currently viewing the meeting. Boy, did they mess up on live-streaming it.
1) Most of the 40 minute presentation was not viewable online AND the district didn't provide a link to look at it at home. Here's what you can see at home which kinds helps but not much.
2) The district did what it loves to do which is break people up into groups to discuss each option (A, B, C) but for those at home, it's people milling around with audio you can't hear. Each group will be reporting out at the end of the group session and I'm wondering what the majority say.
3) The district has three options but if you go to the Lincoln field page at the SPS website, they say "final two locations." That two are in the same area does not make it two choices.
4) One thing glaringly missing from the meeting (at least to me) is making sure that the community understands that Memorial Stadium will likely be where their home games for football and soccer will be. One option does give a full-sized football field and soccer field but the seating would not be enough to have the games there.
From the presentation, I can say that the district clearly seems to want A and B which are at the same location, facing onto North Greenlake Way East. I hate the idea of that. And surprise, Option C turns out (conveniently for the district) the most expensive.
My preference would be Option C.
But, as I told Lincoln High parents at their page on Facebook, if the Capital Planning and Projects has dough enough to be shifting some of it over to the General Fund as they did at the Wednesday Board meeting, they have money to do any of this. The $5M allotted in the levy was NEVER going to cover all the costs.
4) The district has allotted ZERO time for open questions and answers.
The meeting started on-time. Superintendent Shuldiner, wearing a Lincoln Lynx cap, said they were trying to do what makes sense and kids and the school. "We have to make a decision." He said the district is going to "hear and synthesize, and then make our suggestion to Parks who own the land." He said he is just there to listen.
It will not be a quick process for any choice but Shuldiner wants to get people backing a single plan.
The guy from Parks, Andy Shuffer, said very little beyond "we're doing options analysis."
Richard Best, head of Capital Planning and Projects and Facilities, explain the process for the meeting which was a 40 minute presentation of the three options, breakout sessions for 30 minutes, and then wrap-up.
He also said he meets with Parks staff once a month. He talked about the joint use agreement between the district and the City and that this project would be part of that. He said they negotiate every 5 years with next year being the next time for that.
Paige McGee is the project manager and she ran a loose presentation with another staffer whose name I didn't get.
All options will require permitting from the City with some with a little more than others.
More to come - including all the options - after the meeting.
Comments
-Honesty, Please
-no to option A
The district was VERY disingenuous in not noting there had been a different version of C. Their new version should have been call "C 2.0" or "D."
I have to wonder what the community beyond Lincoln think/want. I think there is a fight brewing and, of course, Parks has to listen to the general public especially because Green Lake is so heavily used.
I get that the Lincoln community wants the fastest answer but that may not be the best one.
Elsewhere someone mentioned that when Lincoln was previously opened they DID have a field. Where was that?
-Honesty, Please
I plan on contacting some people in different groups tomorrow.
To note, there is a Lincoln Alumni group on Facebook (they seem strangely disinterested in this topic) but they told me in the 60's and 70's, they walked/ran to Lower Woodland. No buses. And that held for PE sometimes as well. Interesting.
-no to option A
All of those houses appear to be used for commercial purposes, which seems like a poor use of the land. Just look at King County’s parcel viewer.
The parking lot north of the area used by the school is being leased from SPS. SPS could end that lease if it needed those spaces back for employees or other school-related uses.
An adjacent field would be far better than any option that requires students to leave school grounds and walk to Woodland Park.
Seattle Parks and Recreation should do something with the gravel lot, but I do not see why SPS needs to be involved in making better use of that land.
- SPS parent and Woodland Park User
What I see is that even if you build at Lower Woodland, the kids STILL have to get there. And 50th and Green Lake Way is NOT pedestrian-friendly. Which brings me back to Wallingford Park.
I know it was talked about and there were some legal issues but it is City land. Gasworks Park is 5 minutes by car and 15 minutes on foot. The City could promise to put in a wading pool there. And the neighborhood would have a nice open space which they could get in writing that it's only for Hamilton and Lincoln at certain times and the rest of the time is open (no reservations for organized play).
That's just me.
- Former Hamilton student (1995-98) and current SPS Employee + Coach
So you think there is significant loss of tax revenue if SPS was to use eminent domain to obtain a Thrift Store and a Massage Parlor?
I don't the main drag there would be down scaled by letting the schools build a field in that spot.
If a sports field is needed, it can obviously be attached to the school. There is absolutely no need to touch a park.
This has the smell of some ill thought out planning, as usual.
If money is needed? Which really shouldn't be a lot, maybe the schools the ill-fated $100m sports stadium which is not attached to any school, but I hear will have a professional soccer team.
- Parent of a Seattle Middle-Schooler