My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog

On Monday (Sept. 27, 2010), Mayor Mike McGinn presented his budget recommendations to Seattle City Council.

McGinn proposed that, beginning in January 2011, the Green Lake Community Center (7201 E Green Lake Dr N) operate under “Limited-Use Status” with reduced operating hours and staff.

Today, we received more information about the potential impact to the Green Lake Community Center from Jeff Skinner, Green Lake Community Center Coordinator.

Under McGinn’s budget, most fee-based programs, including preschool programs, youth and family music classes, yoga, dance classes, art programs and senior adult programs, will be canceled or moved to the Northgate Community Center (10510 5th Ave NE) or the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE).

Programs that can be held in the gym, including basketball, volleyball and table tennis leagues, will still be offered.   The pottery program will also be retained.

Drop-in gym hours will be limited, although it not known at this time how much they will be limited.

The popular Toddler Play Space, which averages more than 70 visits per day during the winter months, may no longer be available.  If it does remain, the program will be “tiny.”

Seasonal special events and other free family activities, including the Spring Egg Scramble, Halloween events, and the popular Pathway of Lights will be canceled in 2011.

The facility will continue to function as a hygiene center for Seattle’s homeless. The center estimates that 50 men and 15 women use this service daily.

Evans Pool, which adjoins the community center and shares the front counter, will continue to operate as normal.

The facility will be open to the public during business hours Monday through Friday and will have a staff person available to answer questions about Green Lake Park and other general questions about Seattle Parks and Recreation.  The site has been selected to serve as the new Parks Central Customer Support and Visitors Center. Staff and functions from Event Scheduling, Athletics, and the Business Service Center will move to this location.  Customers will be able to pay for a Parks program, resolve billing issues, and make reservations for picnics, sports fields, tennis courts, building rentals, and special events such as weddings.

Green Lake’s community center was targeted for these cuts and changes for several reasons.  It is centrally located and there is a service area overlap with the Ravenna-Eckstein and Northgate community centers. Current programming is limited because classrooms are small and the kitchen is inadequate. And, the facility already operates as a public information center for visitors who come from all over King County to enjoy the wide variety of activities that occur at Green Lake Park.

Yesterday, McGinn said that he had done his best “to keep the cuts to the Parks Department modest.” He conceded, however, that the cuts “are real, and we know that they will affect services.”

City Council will discuss and vote on options between October 28 and November 12.  There are several ways that you can provide feedback to City Council regarding the city budget.