Webcam shot of 60 Acres North (click pic) ............................................Defibrillator located between Field #8 and #12
UPDATE, 10/30 From Larry Phillips, KC Councilmember-* "Mr. Yoder, I wanted to be sure that King County, which owns the park on behalf of taxpayers, remains informed and able to intervene should irresolvable issues arise at any time during the 30-year agreement. Thus, I sponsored two additional amendments as follows:
- King County Parks is required to alert the King County Council of any unresolved issues at Sixty Acres Park via quarterly reports;
- King County retains the right to intervene to resolve any disputes that may arise between LWYSA, other user groups, and the general public.
More information about this legislation (Ordinance 2008-0475) can be found at the following link: http://mkcclegisearch.metrokc.gov/detailreport/?key=8936
Click on documents in the “Attachments” window for details"
*entire correspondence in comments
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Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association (LWYSA) has a new Beta website (here.) At the site, you can register for a field (oh really?!), watch webcams of 60 Acres, get a weather report, and read up on the new King County Council 60 Acre Park decision. In short, the county plan authorizes LWYSA as the leasee and "property manager" of 60 Acres South - giving the soccer organization singular control over field management. Councilmember Hague sponsored the plan.
Scott Odle, is one of many Redmond soccer parents who opposed the recent King County Council decision that virtually gives a monopoly to LWYSA over how 60 Acres South Park will be used. Mr. *Odle posted one of the most persuasive arguments opposing the pro-LWYSA-King County Plan on this blog. Click HERE (then scroll down) to read Scott's comments.
The following excerpts from LWYSA indicates other user groups will be accommodated to some degree. That's great, but how motivated can the soccer association be to rent out their fields when they complain (and claim) that about 300-400 soccer kids turned away from Spring leagues? Yes! pressure from lacrosse, cricket et al for field usage in King County is high; and county oversight will probably be necessary to bring fair rationing of use to user-groups.
LWYSA states in the Q&A of their Beta website:
"King County was responding to challenges in meeting the athletic field needs of LWYSA and other user groups. Developing additional athletic fields not only helps LWYSA with their field needs, but also, to some degree, helps to relieve pressure on other user groups. "
We "will pay for all construction, upgrades and maintenance of 60 Acres. To develop the new fields on 60 Acres South, LWYSA plans to invest approximately $1 Million. LWYSA currently spends about $250,000 per year to maintain the soccer fields on 60 Acres North, and will continue to incur this maintenance burden as well as the additional cost of maintaining 60 Acres South."
"In return for development and maintenance, LWYSA will get priority (but non exclusive) scheduling of the facility. LWYSA may also rent the facilities to other users, at prevailing King County rental rates, and retain these rents to help defer construction and maintenance."
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IN CONCLUSION: Owing to budgetary shortfalls, King County has to find ways to reduce operating costs of their parks and save taxpayer money. LWYSA is the easy solution. LWYSA has deep pockets and resources to develop 60 Acres South and maintain both North and South parks. LWYSA also sold acres of cherished fallow agricultural land for $1M to the county and an association of farmers. Thus, the county jumped on the proposal LWYSA take authority of leasee and property manager role over 60 Acres South. I understand and accept this plan. My problem is with the monopoly one sports association now has over a magnificent county park. It is incumbent on citizens to ask, encourage, and insist on King County Council oversight to assure the southern fields are used without exclusivity and with fairness and balance to user groups. Do you agree?- BYSpecial thanks to Scott Odle for reporting the 60acres.org site, webcams, defibrillator and, of course, his comments.
Dear Mr. Yoder,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your interest in the future of King County’s Sixty Acres Park. As you may know, on October 20, 2008 the Metropolitan King County Council passed legislation authorizing King County to enter into a 30-year use agreement with the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association (LWYSA) for development and use of athletic fields on both the north and south portions of Sixty Acres Park.
This agreement was approved after the Council inserted many safeguards to ensure that in addition to soccer, there will also continue to be space and time available for other park activities, and that impacts on the surrounding community will be minimized. These safeguards include the following amendments to the legislation and use agreement:
· King County will continue good-faith efforts to assist the Seattle Area Soaring Society (SASS) to identify a separate, permanent site for flying radio-controlled model planes in King County. In a related action, the King County Parks Department will move forward with plans for a five-year lease on property near Carnation for flying. LWYSA and SASS are also examining a proposed agreement that would allow SASS to hold four events per year and “Fun-Flys” every Wednesday night at Sixty Acres.
· LWYSA may charge parking fees during special events and tournaments, but not for regular daily use.
· Park signage will specify a phone number and website for LWYSA and the King County Parks Division so that visitors can easily learn about park availability and scheduling, as well as submit concerns.
· On weekends, soccer games will begin at 8 am or later.
· Any changes to hours of park operation must first be approved by the King County Council.
· No permanent, artificial lighting of the fields is allowed, except for purposes of safety at walkways, parking areas, and outside buildings.
· No camping will be allowed at Sixty Acres South, and camping at Sixty Acres North will be limited to three nights per year to accommodate an existing Ultimate Frisbee Tournament.
Even with these additional provisions, I wanted to be sure that King County, which owns the park on behalf of taxpayers, remains informed and able to intervene should irresolvable issues arise at any time during the 30-year agreement. Thus, I sponsored two additional amendments as follows:
· King County Parks is required to alert the King County Council of any unresolved issues at Sixty Acres Park via quarterly reports; and
· King County retains the right to intervene to resolve any disputes that may arise between LWYSA, other user groups, and the general public.
More information about this legislation (Ordinance 2008-0475) can be found at the following link: http://mkcclegisearch.metrokc.gov/detailreport/?key=8936
Click on documents in the “Attachments” window for details.
Thank you again for your interest in Sixty Acres Park. As you know, in response to severe budgetary shortfalls, in 2002 King County made a policy decision to cultivate strong relationships with non-profit, corporate and community partners in order to not only keep our county parks open, but to enhance county park amenities while reducing costs. This agreement with LWYSA is an example of such a partnership.
I appreciate the robust public debate this issue has generated over the past several years, and with input from you and countless other stakeholders, I believe the Council has arrived at a well-considered and reasonable agreement with LWYSA that will allow for diverse use of this public park. Thanks again for your interest and advocacy.
Sincerely,
Larry Phillips, Councilmember
Metropolitan King County Council, District Four
King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue, Room 1200
Seattle, WA 98104-3272
206.296.1004
larry.phillips@kingcounty.gov
It was a public land giveaway to a group that has over a million dollars to spend and has shown no significant grow in membership over the past five years. Many of the present fields are inactive for the majority of the time and this agreement has a $100 fee for LWYSA to move a single goal post, which effectively lets them claim the land without regard for groups that need the open space that the land was bought for in the first place.
ReplyDeleteBad deal for the Taxpayers and Local Residents.
ReplyDeleteOnce again open space goes away to add profits of few.
Kids- if you want to go play in a field you had better like soccer because thats the ONLY diverse group that the LWSA will allow on their fields. (sorry, my bad, King County's fields maintained by LWSA )