Laurelhurst
Community Club
Serving 2800 Households in
RE: Batting Cage
at the Playfield -- Take 5 for Kids and
Comment
Dear Neighbors,
Thank you
all for attending the public meeting on Thursday, May 29th about the batting
cage proposal for Laurelhurst Playfield.
It was unanimous—everyone at the meeting supported a batting cage for
the playfield! The question is where do
we go from here? The Parks Department
will rely in part upon the recommendations of the Laurelhurst Advisory Council—this
is the group of neighbors that advises the Parks Department on issues relating
to the Community Center and the Playfield.
So, please take the time to let the Parks Department and the Laurelhurst
Advisory Council know your views on a batting cage at the Playfield TODAY. Email addresses are listed below. If you "cc" me on your comments, I
will share them with the LCC Board of Trustees.
The
issues:
1.
Will the Parks Department approve
the Little League proposal to install a batting cage at the Playfield?
If approval is swift, it is possible that our kids will have one month left
of the season to use the batting cage.
2.
Where should the batting cage be
located? Little League has proposed locating the
batting cage at the 3rd base side of the north diamond. This is an optimal flat area. As an alternative, it was suggested at the
meeting that the cage be relocated to the 1st base location. This would minimize noise impacts to
neighbors across the street. Little
League has said that this location would work, but as pointed out at the
meeting, it isn’t flat and it is shaded.
The shading means that the ground would be muddy early in the season and
it wouldn’t be as desirable to play during that period. At the meeting, the vote was
3.
Should we wait?
If we wait until next year, the Laurelhurst Advisory Council would have
an opportunity to visit the batting cage at the View Ridge Playfield to assess
noise impacts, talk to neighbors in that area and then provide its
recommendations to the Parks Department.
Your
voice counts! The
bottom line is that Laurelhurst neighbors requested a batting cage at the
Playfield. Whether you support its
location as proposed or at the 1st base alternative, please take the time to
let the Advisory Council and the Parks Department know your views. There could still be time to get the batting
cage installed this season!
1.
Parks Department Contact: Mike Mirante,
mike.mirante@seattle.gov (386-1583)
2.
Laurelhurst Advisory Council
Contact: Kent Mettler,
mettlerkg@aol.com
What is
LCC’s position? As noted at the meeting, the Laurelhurst
Community Club (LCC) Board of Trustees was unanimous in its support of the
batting cage project as proposed. LCC
contacted those involved in the highly successful batting cage at the View
Ridge Playfield, did some research and heard a presentation similar to what was
presented Thursday night. Pasted below
for your information is the letter that LCC wrote in March.
Thanks
again for attending the public meeting and for your commitment to the
neighborhood.
Jeannie
Hale
LCC
President
525-5135