Learning How To Use Our Local Parks
I was stunned after I enquired about the annual parks and recreation budget for a nearby city when I was told that it was twenty million dollars.
Obviously, I had not really considered the many uses that parks have plus the facilities and maintenance required to provide them.
Once I got over my initial surprise, I did more research to see what opportunities to enjoy our parks that I had been missing.
Parks were created to benefit the surrounding community by providing gathering areas with opportunity for recreation and sports plus leisure and enjoying nature. Most cities and states require portions of their land be set aside for this purpose and have discovered that parks have a positive effect on the community near them. Parks preserve land for future generations and provide gathering places for the neighborhood while simultaneously helping both air quality and wildlife. Historically parks work, since property values are noted to be more than ten percent higher if you are less than .5 miles from a park.
Park areas that have been developed to promote recreation include golf courses, boat launches, fishing docks, swimming areas, tennis and pickleball courts, soccer, ultimate frisbee, skateboarding, kite and/or model airplane flying, bike and skating paths, canoe, kayak or boat rentals, dog exercise areas, workout stations along hiking trails, velodrome, community centers, and even pea patches or u-pick areas. More subdued park uses include trails through wooded or wetland areas, art walks, picknick areas, and beach areas to just relax on your blanket and tan.
Parks are not static in their current configuration either. Parks and recreation departments are constantly looking for opportunity to expand their boundaries as redevelopment and use changes create new opportunity for public benefit. Vacated railroads become hiking trails, development of waterfront or wetland areas often include provisions for public access and use. When a light rail development absorbed parking areas that made u-pick blueberries no longer viable, Bellevue opened much of the former u-pick area to the public, at least on a temporary basis. As community interests change events such as outdoor movies, concerts, plays, lectures, fireworks, or even carnivals are offered to the neighborhood on local park land to promote community interaction.
Some communities come up with their own ideas on how a park should be used and their park often gets recognized as where to go for certain activity. Golden Gardens is usually frequented by amateur drummers where they collectively create impromptu rhythm along the beach during the summer. Kite flyers show off their new kites at Gas Works Park while Alki beach residents enjoy bonfire picknicks along the beach while watching skateboarders, joggers, and people tandem biking parade by them. Redmond offers ultimate frisbee competition while Bothell has workout stations along the Burke Gillman trail while watching wild chickens flying into nearby trees. Gene Coulon park has covered fishing areas to stay out of the rain while you snack on meals from either Ivar’s or Kid Valley restaurants nearby.
With a little research, we should each be able to find something interesting to do in one of our local parks. Once you look beyond the multitude of activities collectively happening at our parks, you may be able to observe one common thread.
People in our parks seem to be smiling and relaxed while they are here. They seem to have put the hustle and bustle of everyday life on hold for a while and made the decision to treat themselves to just having a good time today.
