It's official

I am happy to announce that I am a candidate for the MetroParks Commission, Position #5. My interest in running has certainly grown out of my experience visiting the many parks in Tacoma (which I hope to continue, but won't get to this week).

I am both nervous and excited about what these next few months will be like, but more excited now than nervous.

And now, a special announcement

No, I'm not going to announce I'm running for Park Commissioner ... I still have until Friday to decide that. :)

But I am going to announce that the blueberries are in season at Blueberry Park. Good hunting.

Parks Breed Schools or ...

... do schools breed parks?

We have debated this whenever we see a school butted up against a park--and it happens pretty frequently--but have not come to a good answer.

Harmon Park certainly serves neighboring Baker Middle School; MetroParks and the Tacoma School District share responsibility for the park. As usual, it's a simple enough park; baseball diamonds, a playground, and a lot of room for kids to run around. Unlike some of the parks, though, there is a bit of history in its trees. A small patch of tall trees shades the playground. Some of the parks we've visited have felt clearcut.

It's certainly a good neighborhood park and the Baker Middle School kids have a nicer play area than the parking lot at St. Charles I was used to (although I still have fond memories of our Big Toy).

The Park With No Name

So we visited this park. In Tacoma. And it has a playground. And I see some trees in the picture.

But I don't know where we are because there's no sign. Help me! I'm lost!

Actually this is Fern Hill Park, and it's a nice traditional park in the spirit of Celebration Park (from our first week out). Playground, open field, trees. But no sign.

I should mention that both Mary and I tried the spiral slide, but it's not designed for anyone taller than 4' 2" I think. To get down it we had to scrunch up into a little ball and go down like a marble in a ... marble ... chute. Anyway, it was hard.

Exploring the High Desert

Sun River, 10 miles south of Bend on Hwy 97, is surprisingly attractive. My annual experience with the desert usually happens at Chelan, where the trees are few and far between and the lake cools everything down. The desert I visited this weekend was forested in many places, but even with the trees the thin underbrush looked like tumbleweeds--a sure sign.

I guess I can see the attraction to Arizona for the sunbirds, although the heat is nearly dehabilitating, despite the lack of humidity. But the outdoors beckon and Sun River especially is built for the outdoors. Friday night we took a twilight bike ride through the woods and did the entire journey on sidestreets and bike paths. Saturday Mary's brother Martin and I went to the driving range aimed straight at the DesChutes river and Mt. Bachelor. It's a beautiful piece of land and a good--if complex--resort. But I am eager to visit Lake Chelan to the high desert I am most familiar with and the only patch of desert I would really consider calling home someday.

Wapato Park: A Great Surprise

Wapato Park surrounds a lake I can only assume is named Wapato Lake. The park is sprawling and there is much evidence laying around that would indicate it's been expanding under MetroParks. Empty stone staircases to houses that used to be on the waterfront are all that's left. It would appear that MetroParks is buying the land and will eventually own the entirety of the lakeshore.

This, while I'm sure is expensive, is very wise. Wapato Park has the potential to be a gem for Tacoma residents, although it is not exactly unpolished as it is. The picnic area is beautiful; paths surround the area; and the entrance is better than any we've seen so far. The biggest drawback right now is the lake itself. It is polluted, most likely from geese rather than man, although I'm sure we've done our fair share. But after a huge investment in filtration or a water cycle or anything that will make this lake better we could have a beautiful spot for Saturday picnics, swims perhaps, and rowboating.

Thumbs up all around.

Alderwood is #1!

... in the alphabet that is. Alderwood is the first park we have on our list. I think calling it a park may be too generous. It's a series of a few walking trails in the woods. My hunch is that it would be very scary anytime after dark. Not a problem in the summer, but when it's dark at 4:45 this December I wouldn't want to be there.

The bond would give the park lighting, which is good. Although if the Citizens Review Board had missed that key feature when they were sizing up the parks for additional needs I would have been very worried about them.

Where the ladder is the best toy ...

Browns Point Park is wedged in the middle of impossible street names. I will not attempt to reproduce them here, except to say that I don't like street names comprised of more than four words. Enough said.

The park, though, is surprising mostly because the playground equipment is about the worst we've seen. Or perhaps it has the most character. As the picture clearly shows, the ladder that looks like it was lifted from a battleship is far more interesting then the triple-axel slide.

They're getting new equipment, new fences, and better parking. But the important part is the equipment.

The bunker lighthouse

Browns Point is different than Dash Point. Naturally.

But I didn't realize it too much before. There is actually a row of houses leading out to Dash Point and the point itself appears to be private property. Browns Point, however, is a relatively empty grassland with a bunker of a lighthouse at the end of it. There is a beautiful home--the home of the original lightkeeper--on the property, but very little else. Also the sign is in a weird place, on the other side of a fence. Note again it's got the wrong font.

I don't know what to add to this, except to say that it's one of those parks we've come across that attempts to blend history and outdoor space. The Dickman Mill site on Ruston Way has been far and away the best at accomplishing this, while the Browns Point lighthouse is surely a disappointment to anyone who's seen a real lighthouse.

Tacoma Meet Maui

Who knew the Puget Sound had a white sand beach? OK, maybe not white sand, but it's one of the few beaches I've seen around that isn't full of giant rocks. Dash Point was another find for us. There have seldom been reasons to go to Northeast Tacoma so we've missed it, but on a 90 degree day it may not be so bad to fight the rest of the world for a spot on the beach.

If the beach is full, the pier has some views looking back at Point Definance, Quartermaster Harbor and Vashon Island. If we'd known about the view ahead of time it would have been a great place to see the Tall Ships the night before the parade of sail.

My final comment may be too picky, but fans (fan?) of this blog will note that the park sign is slightly off the standard mold. The name of the park is in a different font than the more common signs (as seen here at Hamilton Park). If I were willing to consult Mary before publishing this she'd probably tell me that it's Times New Roman, but she'll laugh at me if I ask. Suffice to say, it's different. And if 84 million can't buy standardized signing then what can it buy?

MetroParks Does the Y

So the Centre at Norpoint caught all of us by surprise. It turns out the facility is a version of the YMCA in almost all ways. In fact, I'm not sure I get why MetroParks felt they needed a workout facility in Northeast Tacoma but perhaps the Y wasn't willing to go in.

That said, everything appeared pretty normal there. It was a well-groomed building and the options inside looked good. If the bond passes there should be pool upgrades, better outdoor facilities, and some other general improvements. I vote for a new sign, because theirs seems stuck in 1991.

More Good News

In bulleted form:

• Blueberry Park gets turned into more of a neighborhood park with better trails.
• Celebration Park gets new playground equipment (not like they needed it; they had great swings) and better drainage (that probably means the cesspool gets removed)
• Portland Ave Park get a new playground and new turf, probably for soccer games, and the Community Center gets "general enhancements and upgrades". I'm guessing that means new carpet and TVs in the vending machines.
• Roosevelt Parks get a new fence. I'd settle for a sign with letters on it, rather than just a black green board.
• McKinley Playfield gets a field renovation and a "sprayground". It took me awhile to figure out what this is. It's like a waterpark where the water is two inches deep and a mist gets sprayed over prancing kids. My prediction: in 30 years it will be abandoned, fenced off, and I'll tell my kids that spraygrounds used to be the big thing at parks. Like wading pools, but more expensive.
• Eastside Pool gets a pool renovation and fire-alarm replacement. I would have thought fire prevention at a pool would be fairly easy, but I'm glad to know the alarm will be new and improved.
• Old Town Park gets a new basketball court and a new playground. At least they're not trying to replace the Job Carr Cabin.
• Old Town Dock gets a total reconstruction. I'd suggest a railing, too.
• Thea's Park gets nothing. But they already have a globe. So they get NOTHING!
  
• Vassault Park gets better: new everything, better turf, and lighting in the parking lot for nighttime soccer games, I guess.
• Optimist Park gets a "native landscape installation". I don't know what that is. Probably a hillside with lots of ferns and weeds.
• Jane Clark Park is slated to get "barrier free access". I think that means that the fun foot-tall curb that's easy to trip on gets removed. When it's gone, I guess that will mean that all the snakes will get out. (Just kidding).
• Kandle--the dead lawn with the sloping outfield--is up for irrigation improvements. Now it will be a lush and green sloping outfield.
• Baltimore Park, MetroPark's most secret park, will upgrade its entry. I think that means they'll put in a gate. And maybe ask the snipers to stand down.

And that's what they've proposed for the parks we've visited. I'll add the proposed plans in with the entries for the parks we'll visit in the future.

IV for an ailing Alling

Most of the parks we've visited so far have funding proposed as part of the $84 million Parks Bond. Alling, probably hands-down the worst park we've seen, has a number of good improvements:

• new playground
• removal of wading pool (yeah!)
• new benches and tables
• new courts
• removal or renovation of restrooms
  

Now if by "removal or renovation of restrooms" they mean tear down the monstrosity of a picnic area, then this should be priority number one.

What can $84 million buy you?

According to the Tribune's 7/7 article, MetroParks may be looking for $84 million to fix up their parks in November.

No information on where the money would go except for these generalities:

Here’s a general breakdown of how Metro Parks capital bond issue money would be spent if the issue goes to the November ballot and voters approve:

• Neighborhood parks and community centers: $56.6 million
• Point Defiance Park and Ruston Way: $14 million
• Lakes, creeks, natural areas and trails: $6.2 million
• Debt refinancing and other financial costs: $7.5 million

I will keep an eye on what happens. MetroParks will vote on whether to put this before votes on 7/18. If they do, and if it passes (it needs a 60% majority), here's hoping they take this opportunity to gut all the empty wading pools.

What you can find between two alleys

Possibly the most obscure park we've looked for, Baltimore Park is between two gravel alleys and behind a senior center. There is absolutely no signage for the park, and if you weren't on a mission to visit every Metro Park, you would likely think it was park of the senior center.

There's a basketball court, swings, and a wide field that probably serves the neighborhood. But this is not a destination park so much as a lawn. It's also the first park we didn't actually go in (you'll note the picture is from the other side of the fence).

But, it's important to note that in our quest to find this park we found something new to us: the Unicorn Tavern. Located at what used to be the base of the Asarco smelter, the Unicorn is a smelly, dark bar. But man, it's cool. And their beer-garden is beautiful, with a "peek-a-boo" view of the water (I can't write that with a straight face, I'm sorry). In the corner is a water feature which makes the small space rather peaceful. This is a place to check out again. So thank you, Baltimore! Without you, we wouldn't have found the Unicorn.

Kan't Katch Kandle Park

Well, you probably can catch Kandle at just about anything. Let's face it: the place is the park equivalent to a glass-covered playground. That might be harsh, but the park has been left to rot it seems. When I was young I used to play baseball here, too, apparently. I only remember it as a name. I'm guessing it was a little bit better when I was young. I hope so.

See Jane's Park

Jane Clark Park. It was quite a lark, as you can see. Again, we have little going on except the baseball fields. But it was a day for baseball fields as it turns out. I don't know if there's much more to say about it. Except that we had fun walking the long concrete curb that was so easy to trip over. Sorry, dad. More detail on the next park, I swear.

The Glass Is Half-Full at ...

Optimist Park. As part of our West and North End park adventure, we found our way to Optimist Park, which I remember as a part of my young days as a little-league catcher. Really. It's a pretty simple park: small baseball diamond, playground, and parking overlooking the park. I remember moms and dads parking on the small hill in their cars at dusk while we finished practice.

I can't really imagine any other use for the park other than little league softball practice, so my memories pretty much sum up the best use of the park.

Vassault

Vassault Park is a wide open space dominated by a large hill on the west side. My dad tells me it's a popular kite-flying hill as the winds come off the Narrows and blow over the park.

Out of the many parks we've visited, Vassault has felt like the most expansive park. It's good for frisbee, as you can see here. It's also good for football practice: two teams of 7 - 9 year olds were practicing football drills across the field. As to the details of the park, which my dad tells me have been sorely lacking these last two weeks, there's a fine playground, tennis courts, and a huge parking lot. I can only assume the park is a soccer field during the fall.