As the City of Seattle faces a $67 million budget shortfall, the Seattle City Council and Mayor's office are developing plans to make serious cuts in service to neighborhood community centers. As the West Seattle Herald reported previously these cuts will mean reduced hours, reduced services, and less staff.
But Councilmember Sally Bagshaw is reminding people on the web, the specifics of the changes are still subject to adjustment and a series of public meetings are meant to both educate and get input as to what people want, but working within the new limitations the limited budgets will allow.
As Bagshaw states on her page:
"Last fall, we went into the budget process knowing three things: 1) the City faced a $67M shortfall; 2) we wouldn't be able to make all the reductions through budget cuts alone; and 3) the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) would be severely impacted.
We heard from hundreds of people advocating for their parks, programs and Community Centers. People cherish these things and do not want to see them continually cut. We heard you and we agreed.
As a result. City Council passed Statement of Legislative Intent (SLI) 101-1-A-1, also known as the Community Center Partnership and Planning Analysis. This Council-driven SLI tasked us with engaging in a city-wide, in-depth dialogue about our Community Centers.
What is the future for these Centers? What does a sustainable model look like?
The Department of Parks and Recreation took this direction seriously. Working groups were formed and spent the next seven months researching and compiling data. DPR submitted their response to the SLI in July and discussions in Parks and Seattle Center Committee commenced in August.
The response is impressive and the data staggering. I encourage you to take a look for yourself.
Knowing that status quo is not an option, Council wanted to approach Community Centers in a proactive manner. We didn't want to be reactive but rather, we wanted to take the initiative. Our goal with this Community Center Analysis is to make decisions that are data-driven as well as community-driven.
Bagshaw offers a deeper explanation on her blog page:
"The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has taken a high proportion of cuts and budget reductions the past few years. When the City had to reduce its budget, it committed to prioritize investments in social services, police, and fire. This is appropriate. Yet, as chair of our Parks Committee, I wanted to make sure that Parks did not for a third year in a row take a disproportionate budget hit. Our parks and community centers provide great benefits to us. They are critical to our quality of life. We can’t let them deteriorate."
Community Center Meeting Schedule
South Park
684-7451
October 17, 2011; 6:00 PM
8319 8th Ave. S 98108
Southwest
684-7438
October 20, 2011; 7:00 PM
2801 SW Thistle St. 98126
Hiawatha
684-7441
October 25, 2011; 6:30 PM
2700 California Ave. SW 98116
Delridge
684-7423
October 27, 2011, 7:00 PM
4501 Delridge Way SW 98106
High Point
684-7422
November 7, 2011; 7:00 PM
6920 34th Ave. SW 98126
Alki
684-7430
November 9, 2011; 7:00 PM
5817 SW Stevens 98116
The full citywide meeting schedule is available here.
