Seattleites will have a say in the future of their parks as the Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) gears up for the community selection process of the Park CommUNITY Fund this August. SPR has been working with various community groups and stakeholders since May to narrow down the list of developed park improvement proposals, according to a recent post on Parkways Seattle. Approximately 30 projects are slated to make the cut, and residents will soon be able to weigh in on which ones should receive funding.
The selection process, expected to span the month of August, offers residents the chance to vote on their favorite projects online or at in-person pop-up events throughout the city. SPR staff will be present to support the community, field questions and give out more information on how the Park CommUNITY Fund works, should your community group need to converse in different languages, you can reach out to Shaquan Smith and Rachel Banner at [email protected], the announcement detailed.
Feedback gathered from the August events will help shape the final project approvals. SPR will spend September reviewing top community priorities with insight from Frontline Community Partners and other commission members, as well as the Superintendent. By October, an official announcement of the green-lit projects is expected to take place at another community event, meant to highlight the role of public engagement in the process and celebrate the selected proposals.
SPR Superintendent AP Diaz expressed enthusiasm about local involvement spanning the course of the Park CommUNITY Fund initiative, saying, "It's been amazing to see how engaged and involved Seattle frontlines communities have been throughout the Park CommUNITY Fund process" and Diaz encourages folks to keep that momentum by participating in the upcoming community selection.
