From: Kae LeBeau [kae.lebeau@Seattle.Gov]
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 4:20 PM
Subject: Ravenna Creek Daylighting Alternate Choice

The following is a message from Parks and Recreation Superintendent Ken Bounds about his Ravenna Creek Daylighting decision.

Dear Community Member:

After considerable thought about the Ravenna Creek Daylighting project, I have directed the project team to proceed with design based on a modified version of Alternative #1. Alternative # 1daylights the creek as feasible around the existing ballfield. It stops short of reaching the south edge of the park. I have directed the designer to modify that option so that it will accommodate a potential future expansion to the south if we relocate the ball field. This choice will result in a considerable improvement to the creek, will not require expensive retaining walls and removal of mature trees, and will provide maximum flexibility for the future.

As you know, there was a strong community lobby in support of Alternative #2, which was also the preferred alternative recommended by the Board of Park Commissioners. Alternative #2 represents an effort to reach a compromise between several site uses. It relocates the ballfield on the lower site by building concrete retaining walls into the hillside. The slight increase in creek length between this alternative and alternative # 2 does not warrant the environmental impacts of concrete retaining walls and the loss of several mature trees along the south edge of the park. This design also splits the financial resources and the design focus of the project by including the creation of a new ballfield.

I appreciate the environmental arguments for removing the baseball field and re-grading the entire lower playfield in order to restore the creek corridor. During the conceptual design phase, I directed the project team to search for options to relocate the field. We considered several alternate sites, and we examined the possibility of reprogramming other ballfields to accommodate the existing Little League use. The problem is that there are no readily available sites for a new field. In addition, upcoming improvements to both Sand Point Magnuson and Meadowbrook will require closing those fields for construction. Anything we do to reprogram for Roosevelt, University and Greenwood (RUG) would leave another existing group without a field. We will continue to face a field shortage for the existing programming for several years. The City made a commitment at the onset of this project to maintain the existing athletic uses. As we cannot accommodate the existing uses through reprogramming or relocating the field, removing it is not an option.

A modified Alternative #1 maximizes the resources going to the creek and does not spend resources on the expensive retaining walls associated with relocation of the ballfield. By not moving the ballfield, right field remains the shorter outfield, which is preferable to the Little League. It also leaves open the opportunity to redirect the stream in the south end of the Park at some time in the future if and when we have additional ballfield capacity that meets league standards.

This was a difficult choice, and I appreciate the passion, the insight, and the time so many of you contributed to the alternative selection process. I have made my decision after consulting with the project team and key community members. I look forward to completing project design and construction. We will schedule a public meeting during the design development phase to present the working drawings to the community. I hope that you will continue to stay involved with us and enjoy the improvements to Ravenna Creek. If you have any questions, please contact Virginia Hassinger, Project Manager, at 233-7936.

Sincerely,
Kenneth R. Bounds
Superintendent