Help City name 'Last Open Space'

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department's Park Naming Committee is considering name recommendations for a new park in the Lake City neighborhood. The park, nearly one acre in size, is located at 32nd Avenue NE near NE 140th Street. It earned the nickname "the last open space in Lake City" as hundreds of neighbors signed petitions asking the City to find a way to save the property and the trees which furnish habitat to songbirds and other wildlife. Suggestions for a park name should be submitted to: Park Naming Committee, 800 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, 98134-1336, by e-mail to: marylou.whiteford@ci.seattle.wa.us, or by fax to 206-233-7038.

For more information, please call (206) 684-7388.

Olympic View kids train for marathon

A group of students at Olympic View Elementary School in the Maple Leaf neighborhood are training to compete in the upcoming Seattle Kids' Marathon, according to a recent newsletter of the school's PTA. The students have been meeting three mornings a week to train for the event. The marathon will be held on Thanksgiving weekend.

Beavers nabbed at Meadowbrook Ponds

The Thornton Creek Alliance's October newsletter reports: "Pamela Miller of Seattle Public Utilities told us the beavers who had felled several trees at the Meadowbrook Ponds have been successfully trapped and relocated."

View Ridge playfield project needs volunteers

The Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation is working with the View Ridge Community Club and Friends of View Ridge Playfield on improvements to View Ridge Playfield. Work will occur over the next two years. The City's budget will cover design, which will occur in 2000 and construction of a basic renovated playground including infrastructure in 2001.

The public can help by working with the City on the design. Cash donations, in-kind contributions and volunteer labor are also needed to meet the City's qualifications for Neighborhood Matching Funds, which the community is applying for.

The public is invited to attend an organizational meeting on the subject on Nov. 16, 7 p.m. at Sand Point Methodist Church, 4710 NE 70th St. For more information write to Friends of View Ridge Playfield, P.O. Box 15103, Seattle 98115 or send e-mail to neurichmond@mindspring.com.

Green Lake Reservoir gets new name

It's official: the Green Lake Reservoir has been renamed the Roosevelt Reservoir. The City changed the name of the reservoir, effective Oct. 13, in response to recommendations by Roosevelt-area residents in a neighborhood plan for their community that was recently approved by the City Council. The reservoir is located on Northeast 73rd Avenue, between 12th and 16th avenues NE.

The reservoir is one of the City's oldest reservoirs, along with the nearby Maple Leaf reservoir. It was originally named "Green Lake" before the Roosevelt neighborhood, which surrounds the reservoir, was developed. The neighborhood took its name after Roosevelt High School opened in 1922.

The community has also designed a new sign, partially funded by Seattle Public Utilities, which will be installed sometime this year.

Workshops for owners of property along creeks

During November, Seattle Public Utilities will be holding public workshops for people who live next to and/or own land adjacent to urban creeks within the city limits.

In Northwest Seattle, a Piper's Creek Workshop will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Viewlands Elementary, 10525 3rd Ave. NW.

In Northeast Seattle, a Thornton Creek Workshop will be held on Nov. 20, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Meadowbrook Community Center, 10517 35th Ave. NE.

The purpose of the workshops is to inform them on how to evaluate their property for potential problems such as erosion, and water quality and drainage concerns. Participants will also learn how to identify solutions and learn how successfully make improvements for the benefit of water quality, fisheries and drainage.

The role of the City and the responsibility of private property owners for protecting urban creeks will also be discussed as well as when permits may be required for work on private property.

For more information about the workshops, call Jim Freeman of Seattle Public Utilities at (206) 233-1524.

Postcards coming soon

In its continuing efforts to encourage public participation in the restoration of creeks, Seattle Public Utilities also plans to produce a series of postcards over the coming months that will be displayed and distributed at more than 80 retail locations throughout the city. The postcards will bear the message: "Wish you were here - helping to restore Seattle's creeks," and will provide information on how to become a volunteer. The City encourages the public to send these postcards to friends and family.

Off-leash area design workshop on Nov. 4

The public is invited to attend a workshop on Thursday, Nov. 4, to provide feedback on a preliminary design plan for the City's proposed off-leash area at Northacres Park in the Haller Lake neighborhood. The workshop will be held from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Haller Lake Community Club, 12579 Densmore Ave. N. The workshop is being sponsored by the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation and the Haller Lake Community Club.

Issues raised during a recent public tour of the proposed off-leash site and how those concerns were addressed will also be reviewed.

The workshop will begin after the community council briefly discusses some neighborhood business.

A final design is scheduled to be approved by late November, to be followed by negotiation for a site maintenance agreement with Citizens for Off-leash Areas for the long-term stewardship of the area in early December. The Off-leash Area is slated to open in early 2000.