A view of Bobby Morris from 2005 (Image: uploaded by busrideratlarge)

The woman who has helped lead community efforts around making Cal Anderson one of the best city parks in the nation for nearly 20 years may be moving aside as others play a larger role — but she’s not leaving her park behind even now that she lives in West Seattle.

Kay Rood sent us the following note about the new slate of officers leading the Cal Anderson Park Alliance — which, for the first time, won’t include her name:

I’m still on the board, working on our annual community picnic planning and contributing to our new fundraising plans, and I hope, providing some institutional memory for CAPA.

We hope to keep Cal Anderson Park consciousness high — recent city budget troubles threaten maintenance standards and we know that neglect is in part how the park became so rundown and ill-used in the first place. Never again! The community needs the park more than ever when times are tough.

I do still find it completely peculiar that I have to drive 8.5 miles to meetings rather than walk across the street . . .

Because of the light rail station construction, Rood was forced to leave her home near the park she helped revive and redesign.

Replacing Rood will be Capitol Hill Housing’s Erika Wilson. Wilson tells us she’s inspired to be taking over for somebody who has done so much for the park:

I am honored and humbled to take over the CAPA board president position from Kay Rood, who has been a tireless advocate and leader for Cal Anderson Park and for our community for many years. Her example of leadership, passion, and dedication is inspiring to anyone who loves Capitol Hill and the park, as I do. Along with Kay and the entire board, I am looking forward to serving the mission of CAPA to create, nurture and support activities and events that encourage safe park usage and build a vibrant neighborhood and community. This is vitally important to me not only personally, as a Capitol Hill resident for over 10 years, but also professionally. I work at Capitol Hill Housing, where our core purpose is to build vibrant and engaged communities—so for me, serving on the Cal Anderson Park Alliance board is a perfect fit. I get to live, work, and play in a neighborhood that I love!

Wilson also outlined CAPA’s 2011 goals for us. Here’s what the organization will be up to this year:

CAPA’s big event for 2011 is our signature Independence Day Picnic, which will be held at the Cal Anderson Sunbowl Meadow on Saturday, July 2. We’re planning a  lot of fun (and free!) events for the whole family, including a great lineup of bands, bicycle spin art, root beer floats, temporary tattoos, a pie-eating contest, and much more. More details about the picnic are coming, so stay tuned.

We’re also looking forward to other events in the park, such 3 Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema and the Northwest Film Forum Seattle Bike-In, and would love to hear from community members who are interested in holding events in Cal Anderson Park. Inquiries can be sent to [email protected].

Right now, we’re pulling together our summer calendar, and you’ll be hearing from us soon regarding an open call for calendar design. The winner will receive a lovely cash prize, as well as distribution of their work around the neighborhood and on the CAPA website. Speaking of which…

Another big initiative is a new, improved website at www.calandersonpark.org, which we’ll be rolling out later this year. It will feature a robust events calendar, new content, and links to the Cal Anderson Park Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Other issues that we’re following are the ongoing turf repair project on the north side of the park, new artwork on the red Sound Transit wall, the planned light pole replacement at Bobby Morris playfield, and opportunities for wading pool sponsorship this summer. (I think the “CHS Wading Pool at Cal Anderson Park” has kind of a nice ring to it, don’t you?)

Here is the entire roster of 2011 CAPA officers. If you’d like to get involved or for more information, visit http://www.calandersonpark.org/

• President: Erika Wilson (Office Manager, Capitol Hill Housing)
• Vice President: Amy Faulkner (Executive Director, The World is Fun)
• Treasurer: Ray Gastil (Owner, Gastilworks Planning & Design)
• Secretary: Jonathan Morley (Landscape Architect, Principal, The Berger Partnership)

Other CAPA board members include:

Margaret Pak (Attorney, Corr Cronin Michelson Baumgardner & Preece)

Kay Rood (KR,F Custom Picture Framing; park advocate)

Ex officio:

Randy Wiger (Community Parks Program Coordinator, Seattle Parks & Recreation)