By A.J. SKURDAL

At a meeting in Lake City Little City Hall on Feb. 18, Mayor Paul Schell's Special Assistant Denna Cline conveyed the Mayor's commitment to begin implementing plans for development of a cohesive civic core in Lake City. This is one of the key integrated strategies in the Plan for the Neighborhoods of the Lake City Community, 1999-2014, recently submitted by the North District Neighborhoods' Planning Effort to the City of Seattle.

Specifically, Cline reported that the Mayor has committed to not selling any City-owned parcels in the area in the forseeable future; to clearing the parking area west of Little City Hall and Fire Station No. 39, preparing and organizing it for effective use as public parking now and perhaps as a construction staging area in the near future; and to gaining control of parcels north of Albert Davis Park prior to the C.I.P. which is expected later this year to provide funds for neighborhood plan implementation city-wide.

Meeting participants in addition to Cline included Joan Rosenstock of the City's Executive Services Department; Alex Harris, newly in charge of executing the Library's ambitious expansion plans; Beth delaFuente, Lake City Librarian; Dick Harris, Past President of the Lake City Chamber of Commerce, owner of Alley Chevrolet and Planning Committee member; Kathy Andersen, local resident and Planning Committee member; and A.J. Skurdal, local Certified Financial Planner and Chair of the Planning Committee.

The meeting culminated an exchange of telephone calls and letters prompted by the Mayor's earlier decision to sell a portion of land west of Fire Station No. 39 to help finance land acquisition near the Library, Community Center and Albert Davis Park. Given the information communicated in the exchanges, Mayor Schell demonstrated his willingness to reconsider and keep neighborhood plan goals, policies and priorities high on the list of considerations prior to City actions.

The significant investment in improvements in the civic core by the City and Library Board, together with private development on several parcels in the central business district, will greatly improve the appearance and function of the center of Lake City over the next few years.