We have more details about the major changes which may be coming to the Green Lake Community Center (7201 E Green Lake Dr N) and the possible impact on the staff at the Green Lake Community Center.
On Monday, Sept. 27, 2010, Mayor Mike McGinn presented his budget recommendations to Seattle City Council. McGinn proposed that the Green Lake Community Center operate under “Limited-Use Status.” This means that operating hours and staff will be reduced in order to make room in the building for the new Parks Central Customer Support and Visitors Center. About 30 staff from Event Scheduling, Athletics, and the Business Service Center will move their offices to the Green Lake building.
Under McGinn’s budget, the Spring Egg Scramble, Halloween events, and the popular Pathway of Lights will be canceled in 2011, unless Parks can find sponsors to help produce them.
Dewey Potter, Manager of Communications at the Parks Department, says that scheduled fee-based public programs will be managed by another nearby community center, such as the Northgate Community Center (10510 5th Ave NE) or the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE). The gym will be used to accommodate local youth basketball teams and adult sports leagues – basketball, volleyball and table tennis. Evans Pool, which adjoins the community center and shares the front counter, will continue to operate as normal, as will the pottery program.
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. Customers will be able to pay for a program, resolve billing issues, and make reservations for picnics, sports fields, tennis courts, building rentals, and special events such as weddings.
We spoke with Jeff Skinner, Green Lake Community Center Coordinator, to find out more about the impact of McGinn’s proposed budget on the staff at the community center.
“The dust hasn’t completely settled and to some degree this whole thing is a work in progress,” Jeff said. He has been working with staff at nearby community centers to determine which Green Lake classes and programs they can absorb. And, he says, some programs may stay at Green Lake.
Six FTE positions will be cut from the Green Lake Community Center under McGinn’s budget. With the exception of one part-time staff member, who had already been planning to go back to school, the staff who filled those positions will be bumped to other jobs. One or two may have reduced hours.
Jeff told us that it is “very, very unlikely” that he will remain at the Green Lake Community Center. He has loved the center, he says, “with all its quirks and crazies, wonders and warts.”
“I thought I’d end my career here,” he said, “pushing for a new center. Now it looks like I’ll spend my last two years fighting for a new building from afar.”
I still think it stinks to move programs out of the facility that was built for the community “to make room in the building for the new Parks Central Customer Support and Visitors Center. About 30 staff from Event Scheduling, Athletics, and the Business Service Center will move their offices to the Green Lake building.”
So they are taking away from the community in order to have an office facility here.
I talked with the staff at Greenlake Center yesterday and the construction of the offices will start on Nov. 1st with the 30 staff moving in Jan 1st. The staff said it was a temporary move, but with the funding invested to remodel you can’t really believe they will move out. The big question is how much parking the new park offices will take away from the public. If you figure they will need to park their own cars, city cars and visitor cars, that could be about half of the parking lot. Lots of luck trying to park and get to the play area or pool. I guess we should have a going away party for the Greenlake Community Center,it’s staff and instructors. It’s been a nice time for our family to learn skills and we are said to see it end.
I hope they keep the half-day preschool open. There is nothing similar in the area.
[...] (7201 E Green Lake Dr N) operate under “Limited-Use Status” with reduced operating hours and staff. Due to these reductions, seasonal special events, including the Pathway of Lights, will be [...]