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FOSP
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Do you have concerns about Schmitz Park |
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| July
7, 2007 FOSP Editor I live nearby and take frequent walks in the park and have been recently noticing a disturbing trend - people are camping in the backwoods areas, including burning campfires. Several times over the last few months I began to notice the unmistakable scent of campfire, particularly in the morning, and have also come across guys with full backpacks. Yesterday afternoon, I saw smoke coming from back off the trail in the southeastern part of the park. I had earlier heard voices from that area, so I followed a small user trail that lead from the main trail and tucked way back in the woods, I found a campsite with a man inside a tent and a campfire burning, directly underneath a bunch of old trees and surrounded by lots of brush. I called to him that he could not have a fire in the park and he answered that he was being careful, but he was apparently sleeping in the tent in the middle of the day with a fire going. When I got back home, I called the fire department and they went down there, but I don't know if they actually found the guy or if he was long gone by then, or if they were even able to find the campsite. I am afraid the park has become a site for urban campers, and the thought of fires in there scares me no end, especially with the dry and hot weather approaching. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on this problem. D.D. |
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| July 24, 2006 To the community members of the Schmitz Park neighborhood: There has been a little bit of a debate going about the coyotes. Supporters of the animals are claiming that they belong in the park, and should be left alone. These animals do not belong in the city. Period. Furthermore, the park is not big enough to sustain them. Once they have eaten our beloved pets, and start to run out of food, they will starve. In the meantime, growing ever more hungry and desperate, they will get bolder and bolder. They are not tame, nor are they "cute" or "wily" (as one Herald reader foolishly and cartoonishly suggested). They are pest animals. And they WILL attack small children (remember that elementary school and playground at the base of the park?). These animals need to be removed ASAP! Demand that these animals be taken back to the wild where they have a chance to survive, and where they will be away from pets and children. Feeding these animals is a horrible thing to do. First, you are encouraging them to hunt our neighborhoods, snatching cats and small dogs. Second, feeding wild animals human food can ruin their stomachs, ironically causing wild animals to starve to death by eating too much. Finally, any disease that they pick up could potentially spread to our dogs. Stop feeding the coyotes. Demand that they be removed. They are not for your entertainment, and they do not belong here. It is wrong for the coyotes, it is wrong for our neighborhood. Erin Wenzel |
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 James Rudolph after retirement from the Seattle Parks Department. Photo: Courtesy Harriet Rudolph Warkentine |
July 10, 2005 Friends of Schmitz Park, I have enjoyed the information on Schmitz park through the Internet website. I live near the park and have always been interested in its welfare over the years. My father was superintendent of parks in West Seattle in the twenties and thirties. We lived in Lincoln Park in the thirties and I remember how he made frequent trips to inspect Schmitz Park and often would take me with him. We walked into the park while he was looking over it and I always enjoyed these little excursions from Lincoln Park to Schmitz Park, both quiet places in those days over 80 years ago Lincoln Park lost its natural forest appearance during the great windstorm that blew down half the trees but Schmitz Park held its forested landscape through the years, a fact that would have made my father very happy. His one endeavor as park supervisor was to keep the natural beauty alive wherever possible in the parks where he directed the maintenance. I wish I were younger and could help with whatever you do. Sincerely, A Long Time Schmitz Park Enthusiast (Harriet |
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 As caretaker of Hiawatha Park, Mr. Rudolph helps with the Lafayette School May Day celebration in 1914. Photo: Webster and Stevens. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives Collection |
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May 17, 2005 |
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January 12, 2004 |
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Dear Bob, |
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July
17, 2003 FOSP Editor: Speaking as neighbors of Schmitz Park, we are ecstatic at the wonderful transformation of the park! For years we have dreaded the warm summer weather because of the frequent loud, late-night partying in the parking lot. Countless night's sleep were interrupted, invariably around 2 or 3 am, by shouting, music, and perhaps firecrackers, and eventually the police cars. I have talked to the volunteers who steward our precious park and they used to spend their Saturday mornings cleaning up the trash and the beer bottles before they could work on plant salvage projects and ivy removal. We were wondering how the project would turn out, but we couldn't believe what a gorgeous job they achieved with the construction. And we are thrilled to have our quiet, peaceful neighborhood park back! Parking on the side street next to the main entrance and walking down the road or parking at the Alki Community Center and walking up the flat path to the park is undoubtedly more of a challenge to the mobility impaired than just driving down to the old parking lot. It is a shame that a few people have to ruin it for everyone else.
Thanks for such a great job!
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| July
2, 2003 FOSP Editor:
Well folks, you have succeeded in making a
wonderful park almost unusable by the general public. You have blocked all
entrances to the park with vehicular traffic, thereby rending it worthless
to disabled and elderly who have a hard time walking, just enjoying
driving in to the parking lot (now lovingly taken away by you and the park
dept) and sitting in the car enjoying the ambiance of the park, which is
now impossible to do, thanks to those who 'know what the public wants'
...ha! Now if you say, well you can drive to the park, and park your car
on the outside perimeter...just where the *+# do you park your car??????
Where is the parking lot on the outside that is safe to load/unload small
children, dogs and disabled without being ran over????? Tune in tomorrow
to the local Democrats/Liberals/Know-it-alls for the answers to these and
other questions not even dreamed of yet....By the way, if you say you did
it for the 'environment, for the salmon' etc.etc. when are you going to
make it possible for salmon to jump up out of an enclosed drainage ditch,
up thru a steel grate and into this wonderful 'brook' you have
created?????? I would love to see that in my lifetime!!!!! ...........I
miss the old park, the old parking lot and more people who really enjoyed
the park........Signed, a slightly disgruntled user of the park....
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