FoS.blog: The Friends of Seattle blog

Volunteer for Parks Campaign on Saturday

Help get the word out about Seattle Prop 2, the Parks and Green Spaces Levy. Join the Seattle Parks for All campaign in distributing literature to key voters. Last weekend, volunteers distributed information to almost 13,000 households; we're hoping to have an even more successful round this weekend. FoS volunteers will be meeting this Saturday, October 18, at 10 a.m. at the Lower Woodland Playfields. If you'd like to join the FoS group, email Bridgette Maryman at bridgette.maryman@gmail.com.  And plan to join fellow FoS volunteers for lunch and a drink after the we're finished (location tbd). For more information on the Parks campaign, check out www.seattleparksforall.org.

Friends of Seattle Endorses the Parks Levy

This November, Seattleites will be asked to vote on a new Pro Parks Levy. We believe this ballot measure deserves your support, and here's why we're endorsing it:

Parks and green open spaces are a vital part of a sustainable, livable Seattle.  This levy includes $24 million for new parks in our urban villages, and $6 million for purchase of green spaces.  It will fund the rehabilitation of 23 playgrounds, 4 new sportsfields, and stream and forest restoration, improve parts of the Burke-Gilman trail, as well as many other major parks projects across the city.  The levy also provides for a robust Opportunity Fund which will allow neighborhoods to access money for additional community projects over the course of the levy.  With the 2000 Pro-Parks Levy expiring, now is the time to make sure Seattle's parks and green spaces keep pace with the City's continued growth.

Friends of Seattle urges your "YES" vote on the Pro Parks Levy this fall.                           

Want to get more involved?

Here are two more great ways to help!

Join the Seattle Parks for All campaign - visit www.seattleparksforall.org You can donate your time or money (or both,) and join with your neighborhood to help spread the word on the Parks Levy.

Meet other likeminded Seattlelites at the Kickoff Party - This Friday, September 12th 5:30pm, 8556 Dayton Avenue North

To Make Seattle Child-Friendly, Pass the Parks Levy

We often enjoy reading the columns on Crosscut by the urban demographer Richard Morrill, a former UW professor. While we often don't agree with his conclusions, we find his analyses of different issues to be piercing and timely. He recently wrote about the new data showing that Seattle is perhaps the most child-free city in America. Professor Morrill, like all of us, can only speculate as to why this is the case (the presence of the enormous Univeristy of Washington? nefarious urban planning? educated, professional elites pushing out the middle class?). But we know for certain that Seattle voters have a clear opportunity this fall to at least make the city  more friendly to children, so that if families want to move here or if existing residents want to have kids, they will be comfortable here. We're talking about Proposition 2, the Seattle parks levy. The levy will bring to Seattle 15 new parks and playfields and upgrades to 23 children's playgrounds. Let's get it done.

Parks Levy Campaign's Website Is Live

The Seattle Parks for All campaign has a beautiful new website with a cool, functional social-networking feature and plenty of information about the fall parks levy. It even includes an interactive map and information about volunteering opportunities this weekend.