Hi Margaret—
Our crew is repairing the pathways inside the play area, and they are posting signs today that explain that.
Reader Kimberly went to the Playfield this afternoon and also saw that it was fenced off. She asked someone onsite and got far more information:
Just walked to Wallingford Park to find that the play area is entirely closed. I talked with a parks guy and they resurfaced the blue rubber-y walkway this afternoon. It needs a week to cure, so he estimated that the playground would be closed for a week.
A WEEK! Ack! That’s a long time for little ones! Kimberly also added:
While I am happy that they are fixing the park up, I do wish Parks had a better way of notifying residents of closures. Like a sign. Or a notice through the neighborhoods blogs and community council. Or contacting local schools. It just can’t be that hard to give people a heads up, especially if a well loved and sued area is going to be made unavailable.
I agree! Even an email response from Seattle Parks and Rec that had a little more information would be welcome.
Well, we’ll see you at Meridian Park.
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Would have been a good idea to notify people (and maybe put up reasons why it is closed) because I was there this evening and there were quite a few people who just went around the fence and were walking on the new surfaces.
I saw that, too. I’ve emailed Dewey to tell him that people aren’t understanding why there’s a fence around the play area and no signage telling them why or for how long. I worry about that awful off-gassing smell coming from the treated walkways and the little kids running on them right now.
I would think a fence would be a clear signal that one is not supposed to be in the area.
A fence and signs should be plenty of notification to encourage folks to help out by not going in. Sadly, there apparently are always a FEW who do not understand the greater good. A few days of inconvenience means the park can be repaired for thousands of more days.
We ran into this problem when we redid the playground 10 years ago. A full perimeter fence and detailed signs about the hazards of a partially completed playground were enough to encourage most folks to be patient a few more days… but there were some who jumped the fence…
We see this every winter with the field when it is posted closed to allow it to recover for the next year. Frisbee, dogs, soccer, and the middle school turn over the sign to pretend it is not there… and ruin the field for a year to gain a few moments of immediate play.
The proper response when you see moms or dads or teachers with their kids in a closed area are to respectfully remind them that the area, field, playground, is CLOSED and to please respect the signs… NOT JUMP THE FENCE TO JOIN THE OFFENDERS!!!!
Patience and respect go a long way to keep things in shape for EVERYONE to share. Unfortunately there always seems to be a few folks, parents, teachers, who feel the request for a few minutes of sacrifice are not meant for them.
The repaired path appears to be damaged already. The precious money mostly wasted. Water gets in the cracks and destroys the rubberized material from the inside. Shame on all who could not refrain.
P.S. Parks has told us in the past that if you see someone in violation of the posted signs, call the police non-emergency number. It is trespassing.