EVERETT — The city wants to know what you think about changes to Sen. Henry M. Jackson Park.
They really do.
The 15-acre park at 1700 State St. in north Everett is due for a makeover.
The city has narrowed the options to one plan that includes versatile athletic fields, a bigger and better playground, a community garden with vegetable plots, a full basketball court, open space, a view terrace, two picnic shelters, walking paths, neighborhood parking and an off-street parking off E. Marine View Drive.
Public hearings are set for 6:15 p.m. today and 9 a.m. Saturday at Hawthorne Elementary School.
Parks staff are going far beyond holding public hearings to find out what people want.
A diverse group of people live around the park, including many who don’t speak English as a first language. Parks staff brainstormed some low-cost ways to reach folks, said Paul Kaftanski, Parks and Recreation director.
“We tried to reach people who might normally not show up at a public meeting,” he said.
They visited an Everett Community College class for people learning English. The staff had the students, all immigrants from Everett, translate park plans into seven different languages. They also had the students query their families about what they wanted at the park.
They took children to other parks who were already participating in a program for low-income children, gave them disposable cameras and instructed them to photograph whatever caught their fancies.
They even showed photos of different park elements to people who lived near the park but couldn’t read.
What did that all that information gathering yield?
“They were all telling us the same thing — which is a very good check,” Kaftanski said.
Jackson is considered a community park, meaning it’s supposed to draw people from the surrounding neighborhoods and elsewhere in the city. For decades, it’s served as a community baseball center.
Neighbors and city officials say the park is underused; even the ball fields aren’t getting as much use in recent years as other sports such as soccer and lacrosse have gained in popularity.
Under the proposal, the western part of the park would be geared more toward neighborhood use and it would include the community garden, playground, a restroom, basketball court, picnic shelters and a small athletic field just for drop-in play. The other part of the park would be dedicated to athletic fields and open space.
The work would likely be completed in two stages as money becomes available, starting with the neighborhood side of the park. Money to complete the project, which is estimated to cost between $13 million and $15 million, would come from a combination of city capital funds and grants. The earliest any work would begin is 2012. And the plan would have to be approved by the city parks board and the City Council first.
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197; dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Public meetings this week
Weigh-in on proposed changes to Sen. Henry M. Jackson Park at two public meetings: 6:15 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Saturday at Hawthorne Elementary School library, 1110 Poplar St., Everett.
Review a copy of the proposed park plan online at http://tinyurl.com/JacksonParkPlan.
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