With recent changes at Pine Lake, and the city’s Beaver Lake Park Master Plan in the works, there is currently a lot of interest in how the city will manage the open spaces and parks which are a feature of the Plateau.
An increasing demand for sports fields, along with a growing interest in conservation and better environmental management, mean the city’s parks planners and councilors will need to make some firm decisions over the next few years.
In order to gauge what it is the residents of Sammamish want to see in their parks and open spaces, the city is launching a series of community meetings in February and March to discuss potential additions to the community’s recreational arsenal, entitled “Have a Say in How We Play!”
The 10-stop listening tour through Sammamish will begin on Monday, Feb. 22, at Discovery Elementary, 2300 228th Ave. S.E..
From 6:30 to 8 p.m., parks commissioners and city staff will give an introductory presentation, before a period of public discussion and comment.
The series of meetings will conclude on Thursday, March 18, at Margaret Mead Elementary, 1725 216th Ave. N.E.
The community perspectives gathered in these meetings will be brought to a joint meeting of the parks commission and the city council on April 19.
“We’re taking these meetings out to the neighborhoods so we can hear from everyone, including families and seniors who don’t normally come to city council or parks commission meetings,” said Sammamish Parks Director Jessi Richardson. “As we revise and refresh our Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PRO) Plan, we want to make absolutely sure that we’re getting an accurate picture of what the community at large wants and enjoys.”
The city’s PRO plan for 2011, expected to be adopted by the city council in the spring or summer of 2011, will update the city’s 6-year park plan, which includes a listing of capital projects.
The update is required by the city’s comprehensive plan and the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), the state entity that provides funding grants to local communities.
“The update has been on the schedule for some time,” Richardson said. “We think the process will benefit enormously from all the recent discussion of options. This past election season brought a lot of ideas to the surface – everything from community centers to community gardens.”
Richardson said the community outreach effort would also include a random telephone survey.
”Have a Say in How We Play!” – dates:
Monday, Feb. 22
Discovery Elementary
2300 228th Ave. S.E.
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 23
Sunny Hills Elementary
3200 Issaquah-Pine Lake Road S.E.
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 25
Cascade Ridge Elementary
2020 Trossachs Blvd. S.E.
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Monday, March 1
City Hall
801 228th Ave. S.E.
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Wednesday, March 3
Beaver Lake Lodge
25101 S.E. 24th Street
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Monday, March 8
Blackwell Elementary
3225 205th Place N.E.
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 11
Rachel Carson Elementary
1035 244th Ave. N.E.
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 13
City Hall
801 228th Ave. S.E.
9 – 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, March 17
Samantha Smith Elementary
23305 N.E. 14th Street
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 18
Margaret Mead Elementary
1725 216th Ave. N.E.
6:30 – 8 p.m.
