Lakewood Park on the list of Jan. 1 park closures

[wilt]

Not sure what this really means but very sad news.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009678437_webparks17m.html


It does say they will just lock the gates but can we still walk in and play? No more maintenance so no mowing, etc.

[olydiscgolf]

It could be good news for the course. There was plans to build a community center there that would have affected the first 4 or 5 holes. Its a bummer that it will get overgrown, that green grass on Geezer is one of the best things about that place!

[REDFIVE]

Maybe we could get our hands onthe 44.5 acre park in renton.

[olydiscgolf]

Originally Posted by REDFIVE

Maybe we could get our hands onthe 44.5 acre park in renton.

It could be perfect timing for disc golf to take over closed parks.

[Scott]

[snap7times]

you disc golfers up there, get together, look organized and present to the park district that you will take over the duties of maintaining lakewood. We been riding all these parks for free, time we took a park in our own hands... no laziness allowed

[Vector_2008]

Originally Posted by olydiscgolf

It could be good news for the course. There was plans to build a community center there that would have affected the first 4 or 5 holes. Its a bummer that it will get overgrown, that green grass on Geezer is one of the best things about that place!

If the course stays accessible during the closure the worst part will be no trash pick-up. It is hard to have a good course with no trash cans.

Another bad thing is it will encourage the wrong people to take over the park. Better start preparing your defensive tactics.

Hopefully this is just a scare tactic to overhaul the budget or realign who maintains the parks. Sounds like the city is coming soon to those areas. This might be an encouragement to that process.

[captain jack]

The news this morning said that the grass areas of the park will remain open.

They will lock the bathrooms up and lock the gates to the parking areas.
The ballfields and playground equipment will not be maintained, the grass will not be mowed, and the trash will not be removed.

If the funding is not found, this will take effect in January 2010.

So, what this means to disc golfers;

First, the trash issue. Pack it in, pack it out. Practice " leave no trace" golfing.
I think the only people concerned by this are the heavy alcohol drinkers.
I see lots of people who are just sh#tfaced out on the course, I think they are worried that when they drive home drunk, which they will, if they have a bag with 12 empties in the trunk they are more likely to get thrown in jail.

I think every one else is fine with this.

As to crime and new unsavory park patrons, I can't see how anything will change. The same people still live on all the borders of the park, and the cops don't wander around in there anyways, so closing the gates and not cutting the grass won't change anything in this respect, in fact, with no bathrooms there will probably be less people living in the park.

I don't think this will change the schedule for the new construction, the funds for that should not be related to park closures, and gating the upper parking lot would be done for that anyways.

Bottom line is, as far as disc golf, I think this is a good thing, less patrons will come to the park for other uses, leaving it for us to use and take care of.
If the grass gets too long I'm sure the city won't oppose us mowing some lanes ourselves.

[ChUcK]

I think White Center has no choice but to take up the park maintenance duties. Lakewood Park is too big, popular, and central to allow the county to mothball it indefinitely.

-Who do you guys think is going to mow Lakewood Park? Herm?

-Golfers would be able to keep the trash under control for a while, but if the park actually was mothballed it would take more than just a few concerned golfers to keep the entire park trash free.

My prediction (if this actually happens):
The park will become home turf for numerous upstart high school gangs (it already is, but they won't have to hide anymore). Broken baskets, stolen baskets, wind-drift trash piles, blackberries reclaiming the land. All this won't happen all at once. It will be a snowballing ride to the bottom starting with the first park user to avoid Lakewood because they heard it was closed.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and those nasty hookers that resemble Selma and Patty Bouvier won't have to pretend anymore.

If the park is closed as they say, I think Lakewood Disc Golf would be wise to remove all baskets and fight for relocation in Hamlin Park.

[michaelgood03]

Originally Posted by REDFIVE

Maybe we could get our hands onthe 44.5 acre park in renton.

where is this?