Groundswell NW Programs
Building and preserving public open space: Beginning with Webster and Baker Parks, we have shepherded new open space from acquisition by the City of Seattle to construction and now, ongoing upkeep. Our most recent completion is Ballard Corners Park at NW 63rd & 17th NW. xxxIn a unique partnership with Seattle Public Utilities, the last natural shoreline in Ballard has been preserved and enhanced for juvenile salmon navigating from fresh to salt water. The Salmon Bay Natural Area has a public overlook with interpretive signage, native plantings down the steep bank to the water's edge, and now a landmark sculpture by Marvin Oliver.
Providing public education on environmental issues: We have held public talks by environmental leaders like David Montgomery, our local MacArthur Award winner, on the subjects of fish and dirt. We collaborated with Sustainable Ballard to stage successful edible garden tours over the past three years.
Planning and advocating for green infrastructure: Starting with our Ballard / Crown Hill Open Space inventory in the mid 90s, Groundswell has done innovative, community-based planning for a variety of issues related to our mission. The North Salmon Bay Community Forest Plan expanded our area of focus to include urban forest planning for the whole watershed surrounding Ballard. The Greater Salmon Bay Concept Plan reached across the water to Magnolia and Queen Anne to explore opportunities for habitat restoration and public access. We have worked to develop and support the last two parks levies, bringing significant open space funding to NW Seattle.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Ballard Corners Park is a great example of how Groundswell spearheads the creation on needed public open space. An empty lot and abandoned house were identified as opportunities in our 1996 Open Space inventory, in an area not served by public parks. We worked with Seattle Parks to purchase first the vacant lot, then the house using a variety of funding sources.
At the same time, we began fostering a group of near neighbors to lead the project to design and build the park. A great group of determined neighbors formed and, with Groundswell's support, wrote grants to first design the park through an intensive community process, then build it, using volunteer work parties to support the contracted construction.
Typical of many Groundswell projects, the park includes children's play areas, unprogrammed open space for casual use, iconic public art and interpretive elements describing the site's historic heritage. The group even worked with Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Department of Transportation to expand the park into the street, creating a large rain garden to capture and treat stormwater from the street.
This type of project requires an enormous amount of public support and effort. We always welcome donations, and workers for park work parties. Please check our website for ideas.