Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Friends of Lower Kinnear Park (FOLKpark), and HBB Landscape Architects are hosting a community meeting on the Lower Kinnear Park enhancement project this Thursday, June 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bayview Retirement Community, located at 11 W Aloha Street.

From FOLKpark:

Join FOLKpark, HBB Landscape Architects and Seattle Parks to learn more about the proposed restoration of the forest, the link to the waterfront, tennis court renovation, trail improvements, off-leash area and more!  We will present findings from our arborist and geotechnical consultants and talk about funding priorities. Bring a neighbor!

The Lower Kinnear Park enhancement project is one of fifteen projects to receive funding from the parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund. You can read more about the redevelopment at the project website, or in our past coverage.

If you can’t make it to this meeting, there will be a second meeting also at Bayview on Thursday, October 27, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Want to pass along information about this meeting to friends and neighbors? Download the printable flier here (.pdf).

If you’re looking for summer time classes for yourself or activities for your kids, Seattle Parks and Recreation has released its Summer Guide online and at community centers and pools.

Some highlights from Seattle Parks’ press release:

• Enjoy Bicycle Sundays along Lake Washington Boulevard, when cyclists can pedal happily with no cars present.
• Take part in tons of fun activities in downtown parks, from movies to crafts markets, buskers to concerts, Dancing ‘Til Dusk, Family Fun Days, festivals and celebrations, farmers markets, and more.
• Swim and play at our nine lifeguarded beaches, where lifeguards also offer free swim lessons. Parks strongly recommends swimming only where lifeguards are present.
• Make like a fish at Colman Pool, Seattle’s only heated saltwater pool, and Mounger Pool, with its two pools and 50-foot corkscrew slide.
• Splish and splash in one of 16 wading pools and 10 sprayparks.
• Learn to row, sail, canoe, or kayak at one of our two small craft centers at Green Lake Park and Mt. Baker.
• Take your kids aged 5 to 9 or 10 to 14 to one of our Summer Arts in the Parks program sites, which also provide free sack lunches every day.
• Take a tranquil nature walk at Camp Long, Discovery Park, Carkeek Park, or Camp Long.
• Learn to lawn bowl!
• Visit the Woodland Park Zoo, or go to a ZooTunes concert on a weekday evening.
• Visit the Seattle Aquarium and hang out at Waterfront Park.
• See Antony and Cleopatra or The Tempest in a park.
• Visit one of our gorgeous, glorious gardens, always at their beautiful best in summer.
• Join us at Magnuson Park from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 27 for Parks’ Big Day of Play, a day packed with activities that help families be active together, including a Fun run, 3 on 3 basketball, samples of activities from our facilities and programs, paddling and boating activities at the beach, a Mainstage celebration of cultural diversity, and a showcase of our youths’ newly developed skills in gardening and healthy food preparation. It’s part of our Healthy Parks, Healthy You initiative, our effort to help people get fit while having fun.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking your input on how to preserve and develop soft surface walking, hiking paths, and trails.

Take this short survey to share your vision for the Seattle Parks Trails Program. Questions include How do urban trails improve your life? and What would make the trails feel safer for you?

The Parks Department said in a press release, “Trails and related activities rank high on the list of activities that Seattleites enjoy, and the public survey will provide essential direction in how Parks protects and improves these assets.”

Comments will be accepted until Thursday, May 12, 2011.

If you’ve been following the possible land swap deal between the Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Port of Seattle at Smith Cove, you may be interested in giving your input at a public meeting put on by The Magnolia Community Club (MCC) today, Thursday, March 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Catharine Blaine cafeteria, located at 2550 34th Ave W.

Our sister site Magnolia Voice has been covering the issue. From MagVo:

The Port of Seattle and the City of Seattle are discussing a possible land exchange and creation of a new waterfront park in the Smith Cove area. This could result in a relocated city park and
playfield with expanded shoreline access.

This is needed due to King County’s efforts to find a home for a 1.8 million-gallon combined sewer overflow tank.

For more information read the full story here.

Play softball, dodgeball, basketball, volleyball and more through the Seattle Parks and Recreation. Adult leagues for spring sports are forming now. Get your team together and sign up early because early birds get first choice of game days, times and locations. You can get more information on prices and participation requirements for all the sports here.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is closing most of its facilities on Friday, December 24—some for a furlough day, and others for the Christmas holiday. All facilities will be closed on Saturday, December 25, for Christmas.

There will be no childcare at community centers on Friday, December 24 or Friday, December 31. There will be no Late Night programs December 24 – 25 and December 31 – January 1. On Friday, December 31, pools will close at 3 p.m., and community centers will close at 6 p.m.

The upcoming closure is the last of ten unpaid furlough days City of Seattle employees have taken this year to help fill the budget gap. The city says that there will be no furlough closures in 2011.

The following facilities and services will be closed on December 24, 25 and January 1:

• Grounds maintenance
• Community centers
• Swimming pools
• Environmental Learning Centers
• Lifelong Recreation
• Business Service Center
• All Administrative Offices
• Amy Yee Tennis Center
• Special Events Scheduling

The following facilities and services will be closed on Monday, December 27 for the last furlough day:

• Administrative offices (communications, correspondence, Park Board support, web management, public outreach, human resources, finance and administration)
• Planning and Development Division
• Magnuson Park office
• Youth Violence Prevention Initiative office

Public Golf Courses will be closed on Christmas Day only.

If you happen to walk by Counterbalance Park around lunchtime this week, you may notice an addition to the concrete and umbrella-filled scenery—a little live music.

Part of the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department’s Busker Program, the city has hired local musicians to bring live tunes to parks in downtown and surrounding areas during the summer.

Lunchtime concerts will be at our own Counterbalance Park (at Queen Anne Ave N and Roy, across from the Uptown Caffe Ladro) from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for the rest of the summer.

Last week 19-year-old Reilly Hutchins brought his own equipment to the park, where he sang classic covers, including a handful of Beatles songs.

The buskers change from day to day, so keep an eye out, and if the weather permits, find a nice place to stop off for lunch or a quick break to enjoy the music. Wondering well else buskers are playing this summer? Follow the SeattleBuskers Twitter feed.

During the summer we spend a lot of time at playgrounds. With all the camps, daycares and neighborhood kids who put the playgrounds through their paces every day, equipment is bound to break. We see broken and sometimes dangerous structures and equipment fairly often.

If you’re at a playground and see something that should be fixed, call the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department’s 24-Hour Maintenance Request Line at 206-684-7250 to request a repair.

Frequent Parks & Recreation furlough days are not uncommon to Seattleites these days–in 2010 city employees will be taking ten days off, many of which fall on Fridays and Mondays, without pay to help fill the budget gap. The next round of furloughs are coming up this Friday, May 7 and Monday, May 10, when many Parks & Recreation facilities will be closed.

These facilities and services will be closed on Friday, May 7:

• Grounds maintenance
• Community centers (except child care and late night programs, which will still operate).
• Swimming pools
• Environmental Learning Centers
• Lifelong Recreation (except Food and Fitness programs, which will still operate)
• Business Service Center

These facilities and services will be closed on Monday, May 10:

• Administrative offices (communications, correspondence, Park Board support, web management, public outreach, human resources, finance and administration)
• Planning and Development Division
• Magnuson Park office

Other furloughs you should know about: Citywide Youth Violence Prevention Initiative sites, also known as Extended Hours Program sites, are closed today, Wednesday, May 5.

Other sites/facilities, including golf courses, special events, the Amy Yee Tennis Center and the Seattle Aquarium will be assigning furlough dates individually to ensure that they stay open to the public and that any 24-hour animal care needs are met.

On Thursday, December 17 Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tim Gallagher will be hosting an open house for the neighborhood from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Queen Anne Community center, located at 1901 1st Ave W.

The purpose of the meeting is to give community members an opportunity to talk with Gallagher and department representatives about the needs of the Queen Anne community and whether or not the department is meeting them. Residents will have the opportunity to talk with parks representatives about what is working in the neighborhood and what can be improved, as well as with the superintendent about ideas for building community relationships through Parks programs and services that are best suited for the Queen Anne community.

For more information, contact Dewey Potter at (206) 684-7241 or via e-mail at dewey.potter@seattle.gov.

There will be free activities around town this week for youth ages 13 to 19 as part of Seattle Parks and Recreation‘s celebration of the Week Without Violence, an annual event that gives kids a forum to express their feelings about violence in their communities in a fun and safe environment.

“Week Without Violence takes on a new importance and gravity this year,” said Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher in a press release this week. “We’ve started work in partnership with other agencies to implement Mayor Nickels’ Youth Violence Prevention Initiative,” and it’s critical that we get the word out to our youth about what they can learn during this week.”

The program, which will run from Saturday, October 17 to Friday, October 23, kicks off tonight with a special event from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Southwest Community Center, located at 2801 SW Thistle St. There will be a 5-5 basketball tournament, a breakdance competition, video tournaments, a resource fair, music and free food. (The first 400 participants get a free t-shirt).

On Thursday, October 22 the celebration comes to Queen Anne, with a ping pong tournament at the Queen Anne Community Center, located at 1901 First Ave. W at 5 p.m. Call (206) 386-4240 for more information. On Friday, October 23 there will be a $2 teen swim (School ID required) from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Ballard Pool, located at 1471 NW 67th St. Call (206) 684-4094 for more information.

This year the event will emphasize the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, through which the City and partners will seek 800 youth at highest risk of either perpetuating violence or becoming victims of it. By identifying youth who are vulnerable to violence, the initiative will work to help them stay in school, prevent the perpetuation of the cycle of violence and help youth who have spent time in state detention programs re-enter society.

For a full list of the week’s activities, read below.

Friday, October 16

Ladies’ Night Out: 7 p.m.-Midnight at the South Park Community Center (8319 Eighth Ave. S). Info: 206-684-7451

Hoop Without Violence (Kickoff Event): Free 5-on-5 team basketball competition – call ahead to sign up. 8 p.m.-Midnight at the Southwest Community Center (2801 SW Thistle St.). Info:  206-684-7438

Break from Violence B-Boy Battle (Kick-Off Event): A breakdance competition, come watch or participate! 6-11 p.m. at the Southwest Community Center (2801 SW Thistle St.). Info: 206-684-7438

Saturday, October 17

Self-Defense Class: Learn martial arts for the purpose of self-defense. Meet at the ID/CCC; we’ll provide transportation to the Garfield Teen Life Center. 7-9 p.m. at the International District Chinatown Community Center (719 8th Ave. S). Info: 206-233-0042

Mural Painting Workshop: Participate in a mural painting workshop with local artists.  Free pizza! 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave. NE). Info: 206-684-7534

Monday, October 19

Peace Mural: Stamp out the violence by using your creativity and artistic talents. 3-6 p.m. at the Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave. S). Info: 206-684-7481

Hip Hop Hoop: Fusion of hip hop and basketball; food and give-aways! 3-6 p.m. at the Rainier Beach Community Center (8825 Rainier Ave. S). Info: 206-386-1925

Discussion on Non-Violent Dating: 5-7 p.m. at the Van Asselt Community Center (2820 S Myrtle St.). Info: 206-386-1921

Tuesday, October 20

Breaking the Cycle Art Project & Video: Enjoy refreshments while contributing to a mural titled “Breaking the Cycle,” which will be displayed in the community center’s teen room. 4-6 p.m. at the Northgate Community Center (10510 5th Ave. NE). Info: 206-386-4283

Free Teen Swim: 7-8 p.m. at the Green Lake Community Center and (Evans) Pool (7201 E Green Lake Dr. N). Info:  206-684-0780

Police vs. Community Center Dodgeball Game: Join teens at the ID/CCC and challenge the Seattle Police Department to a friendly game of dodgeball! 4:30-5 p.m. at the International District Chinatown Community Center (719 8th Ave. S). Info: 206-233-0042

Indoor Soccer Tournament: Soccer and pizza!  Please call ahead to register! 5-8 p.m. at the High Point Community Center (6920 34th Ave. SW). Info: 206-684-7422

Wednesday, October 21

“Lost Ones” Candle Light Memorial: Bring a candle and photo of a loved one. Local teens will talk about how their lives have changed since they’ve lost a loved one to violence. Van leaves at 6 p.m. from the Garfield Teen Life Center (428 23rd Ave.). Info: 206-684-4550

Non-Violence Movie with Discussion: 6-8 p.m. at the Van Asselt Community Center (2820 S Myrtle St.). Info: 206-386-1921

Thursday, October 22

Pumpkin Carve: Free pumpkin carving, hot apple cider, and pumpkin pie! 5 p.m. at the Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California Ave. SW). Info: 206-684-7441

Ping Pong Tournament: 5 p.m. start at the Queen Anne Community Center (1901 First Ave. W) Info: 206-386-4240

Art Pictures on Non-Violence: 5-7 p.m. at the Van Asselt Community Center (2820 S Myrtle St.) Info: 206-386-1921

Friday, October 23

$2 Teen Swim: School I.D. Required. 7-8 p.m. at the Ballard Pool (1471 NW 67th St.). Info: 206-684-4094

Skate Without Hate: Free skating, live D.J., hot dogs, punch, and ice cream! 9 p.m.-Midnight at the Bitter Lake Community Center ANNEX – 13040 Greenwood Ave. N (at Broadview Thomson Elementary). Info: 206-684-7524

Family Harvest Festival: Hot apple cider, snacks, and chalk art competition. Bring a non-perishable food item and receive a free pumpkin to paint!  Free fingerprinting will be available. 4-6 p.m. at the International District Chinatown Community Center – 700 S Lane St, (International Children’s Park). Info: 206-233-0042

Karaoke & Open Mic Jam: Free food, music, games, and entertainment in the auditorium! 9-11 p.m. at the Magnuson Community Center (7110 62nd Ave. NE). Info: 206-684-7026

Pledge to Non-Violence Dinner: A home-cooked meal and glow in the dark tournament! 8 p.m. start at the Meadowbrook Teen Life Center – 10517 35th Ave. NE (at Nathan Hale High School). Info: 206-684-7523