By CLAYTON PARK

The City is temporarily closing Gas Works Park from Nov. 1 until next June to conduct an environmental cleanup of the former gasworks plant property, but that doesn't have local merchant Kathy Goodwind nearly as concerned as what's going on outside of the park.

The longtime owner of Gas Works Kite Shop, located at 3333 Wallingford Ave. N., just one block north of the park, points to a map of the South Wallingford neighborhood showing 17 black dots. Each dot represents a proposed real estate development project, including plans for some large office and apartment buildings that will likely block the views of many existing homes and businesses like Goodwind's, not to mention increasing traffic congestion throughout the area.

"I like the sun and I like the light," said Goodwind, who describes the area, with its unobstructed views of the lake and downtown Seattle, as an "incredible amphitheater." With all the new buildings planned for the area, some which would be several stories high, that could soon change. "I don't have anything against developers, don't get me wrong, but it's too beautiful here to be industrial," she said.

What makes matters worse, according to Goodwind, is that there is currently no place to go for South Wallingford area residents and business owners to take their concerns. Upon learning of the situation, Ward McKenzie of the Wallingford Community Council suggested a possible solution:

Why don't you organize a group yourself that can focus on addressing the needs of the South Wallingford neighborhood?

Goodwind, not one to shirk a challenge, agreed to do it - provided someone else also agree to join her in serving as co-chair. The group, which has yet to officially adopt a name, is informally being called the South Slope Group.

Goodwind encourages people who are interested in getting involved, or better yet, filling that other co-chair position, to contact her at her shop, by calling 206-632-6151. "If I'm not here, leave a message," she says. * * * One project that Goodwind is looking forward to is the Wallingford Steps project, which will create a pedestrian walkway that will extend from Wallingford Avenue, which currently deadends just south of North 34th, with the main entrance to Gas Works Park. "The Steps (project) is a good thing," she said, adding that "It will get rid of the vagrants and put an end to people dumping trash" in the area.

* * *

Regarding the impending temporary closure of Gas Works Park, Goodwind said she isn't worried about it hurting her business. "Our business is more based on service," she said, adding that after 20 years in business, her shop is more established with regular customers than it was when the park closed for the first time 16 years ago.

Back then, Goodwind recalls, the City's decision to close the park came as a shock because it was ordered after it was discovered that the soil still contained contaminated residue from the old gasworks plant, which shut down in 1956, two decades before the creation of the park.

What wound up hurting Goodwind's business more in 1984 was the road construction that caused a portion of North Pacific Avenue to be closed for much of the year, which made it difficult for customers to visit her shop.

When Gas Works Park reopened a few months later, City officials announced at the time that while contaminated residue was still present in the soil, the park was safe for public use as long as people refrained from swimming, wading or fishing in the lake and from eating the dirt and made sure to wash their hands after playing in the park.

This latest park closure was ordered by the City after more recent investigations focused on taking a closer look at the groundwater, the tar that surfaces in the park and other areas that may be acting as sources of contamination.

The investigators concluded that further environmental cleanup work was needed to prevent park users from coming into contact with hazardous substances, to minimize the migration of contaminated groundwater into Lake Union, and to prevent the contaminated soil or groundwater from moving off site.

"Cleanup is necessary to mitigate future risks and improve the overall health of the park and Lake Union," the Parks Department stated in a press release announcing the plans to temporarily close Gas Works Park.

The good news for Goodwind and other area businesses is, this time around, they know how long the cleanup is expected to last. Secondly, there are no plans to tear up North Pacific Avenue.

For more information about the Gas Works Park cleanup project, call the Parks Department's 24-hour information and schedule update hot line, 206-386-1250 or visit the Gas Works Park Web page at www.ci.seattle.was.us/parks/parkspaces/gasworks.htm.