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Want the Cal Anderson fences to go away? Another reason to hope for a warm, sunny spring

For anybody hoping for a cold, wet spring, you’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest way too long — and you’re cursing Cal Anderson to an extra month of fencing.

We checked in with Seattle Parks on the status of the turf repairs underway on Cal Anderson’s grass-covered reservoir lid and the news isn’t great for anybody looking forward to the end of the chain-link no-walk zone in the middle of the park. Here’s what the parks department’s Dewey Potter said about that fence coming down:


There’s no set date yet. The grass got a good start but it’s been a rough and wet winter, which has had an impact on how robustly it grows. If the spring is warm and sunny, we may be able to take down the fencing in May; if it’s cold and wet, it may be closer to July 4 before it reopens.

We’ve also lived in the PNW for way too long. Hard to not believe we’ll see that fence well into June.

But it’s not all bad news from the park in the world of fences. On a recent walk-through, we noticed a new feature along the northern edge of Bobby Morris playfield. A fence has been installed to help block wayward shots on the field’s northern soccer goal. Details on the Bobby Morris Belvedere Fence project are below. Let’s try to get this next shot on frame, yes?

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Andrew Taylor
Andrew Taylor
13 years ago

Soccer is hardly an unusual sport here.

BTW do balls ever leave the field over the other fences and cause traffic issues?

Isa
Isa
13 years ago

Can’t they use this time to fix the drainage issues with that lawn? It’s awful even when that grass is thriving. Instead of trying to cordon it off to let the grass grow (passive option) address the root issue, literally, of poor drainage for a better long term solution (aggressive option).

umvue
umvue
13 years ago

… call it an art installation.

hillster
hillster
13 years ago

i think that’s involved in this work.

“Contractors under the direction of Seattle Parks have replaced drainage, soil, and turf in a one acre area in the east central part of the park.”
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/park_detail.asp?id=3102

jseattle
jseattle
13 years ago

On the click…

The plan is for a 3/4-acre swath of the northeast section of the park — and a portion of 11th ave parking to be used for construction vehicles and staging — to be fenced off once the project begins. The contractor will then carefully remove three to five inches of topsoil while not damaging the sensitive reservoir lid. New drainage trenches will be created and a new layer of sand-based top soil and soil conditioner will be layered over it all. Next, new grass will be planted before colder weather sets in and, if everything goes as planned, later in fall the fences will be adjusted and the park pathways reopened. The fences will be removed completely in spring if the grass overhaul is deemed a success and no further rehab is necessary.

jseattle
jseattle
13 years ago

They used me to alpha test Bobby Morris. My deadly accuracy clearly skewed the results.

Boz
Boz
13 years ago

Yes, soccer balls occasionally fly onto Pine. No traffic issues, though. People keep driving and players keep playing, etc.