At our General Membership Meeting on January 15th, we conducted our Biannual Reorganization, and passed a resolution. This resolution was submitted by Ruth Williams to our newsletter editor, Barbara Whitt in time for inclusion in the January Demogram, however because we printed the entire set of bylaws and the proposed endorsement rules necessary for the Reorganization, we could not include the resolution in the printed version. Ruth had also sent the resolution to the 46-democrats discussion list, and asked for discussion on that list and for a ruling from the Chair that the resolution was timely. I ruled that it was. The body put forward a motion to suspend the rules to allow us to hear the resolution, a 2/3rd requirement which passed overwhelmingly. You can read the details of the debate in our minutes.
Here is the text of the resolution:
Naming Thornton Creek Park Six
”Alice Bryant Peace Park on Thornton Creek”Whereas Alice Franklin Bryant was a Seattle activist for peace, justice, and a healthy environment, who passed away in 1977; and
Whereas Ruth Williams, the long-time neighborhood park steward for Thornton Creek Park Six, is endeavoring to have said park named "Alice Bryant Peace Park at Thornton Creek"; and
Whereas naming a beautiful, urban, natural area after a person who devoted her life to creating a more peaceful, beautiful world is a very appropriate honor; and
Whereas honoring a peaceful person in a peaceful place directly across the street from a large and growing shopping center invites the public to come and take refuge from the pressures of daily life;
Therefore, Be It Resolved that we, the 46th District Democrats, endorse and support the effort to name Park Six: “Alice Bryant Peace Park on Thornton Creek”;
You can download a PDF version of this resolution on our website, and I am submitting a copy of the resolution to the appropriate members of the Seattle City Government today.
Chair's Note
I received a phone call from the chair of the Thornton Creek Alliance about this resolution on Friday, January 16th. She was disappointed that the body considered this resolution without hearing full presentations from all sides. I invited her to submit an article to the Demogram.
Consideration of resolutions like this is part of our responsibility as a community organization, and we have rules and procedures to help us and set the foundation for how we do this. But this does not end the discussion. The decision on what this park will be named is made by the Parks Department and the Seattle City Council. Comments on this resolution and the topic of naming parks are welcome here on this blog or via letters to the editor. The bottom line for me is whether we as an organization followed our procedures, and that we encouraged a discussion on the issues of the day.
What do you think?
4 comments:
THORNTON CREEK PARK SIX
FOR ALICE BRYANT
From 1945 until 1977 when she passed away, Alice Bryant was Seattle’s loudest voice for peace, justice, and a healthy environment. You can learn more about her at HistoryLink.org. She was known as the “tireless crusader” as she spoke, wrote, volunteered, and ran for public office numerous times on a platform of human rights. Immediately upon repatriation after having spent 2½ years in a Japanese-run internment camp in the Philippines, Alice got right to work helping interned Japanese Americans in Seattle return to their former lives as much as possible. She became so active in Seattle’s civil rights movement that her own home was vandalized. She led the charge in fighting the sale of the electric buses and the removal of the trolley lines. Alice was named a “First Citizen of Seattle” by Mayor Wes Uhlman and a “distinguished citizen” by the Washington State Legislature. Through her work and her example she has earned the right to be remembered by the City of Seattle with a park dedicated to her.
Thornton Creek Park Six is the perfect tribute to Alice Bryant. It exemplifies the peaceful and healthy environment that she fought so hard for. Commemorating this natural, tranquil area to a peace activist creates a beautiful counterbalance to the bustle of the mall that is directly across the street from it. It invites people to come and take respite from the concerns of daily life. The peacefulness of this park should always be respected since any time the Northgate neighborhood feels a need to organize a demonstration Northgate Community Center and Park (mostly lawn) are available right next door.
Right now Northgate is known for nothing but national chain stores. Giving it a peace park is a wonderful way to give the area a long overdue fresh dimension. As a Northgate resident nothing would make me happier. Alice Bryant Peace Park on Thornton Creek would be a source of local pride.
Last spring the Maple Leaf Community Council (MLCC) voted to include Thornton Creek Park Six in their borders. This vote doesn’t alter the fact that the park is exactly east of Northgate Mall. Nor has the vote caused the MLCC to take a role in caring for this natural area that relies heavily on volunteer labor. There are already lots of establishments named for Maple Leaf; just as there are many facilities and businesses named for Northgate. Let’s break the mold and try something new. Don’t let Seattle’s ‘liberal legend’ be forgotten!
By Ruth Williams (long-time Park Six steward)
Thank you to the thirty members of the 46th District Democrats who voted NOT to endorse the name Alice Bryant Peace Park for the natural area across from the Northgate Mall between 5th Ave NE and Roosevelt, known since the old Forward Thrust days as “Park 6”. To those of you who voted for the endorsement, you should know that you were not able to fully exercise a truly democratic process for your vote. This is in part because I was left off the email list advising the naming issue would be on the agenda for the last meeting, and in part because the presenter, Ruth Williams, did not give you all the information you needed to make an informed decision. I’ll share these details with you, and hope you might tak e this up again for another vote. If not, then I would encourage you to send a letter to the Board of Park Commissioners and to Seattle Parks and Recreation (addresses below) in support of the name Maple Leaf Creek Natural Area to replace the name “Park 6”. This name was first proposed by members of Thornton Creek Alliance and is supported by neighbors of the park living in Maple Leaf, Victory Heights, and Meadowbrook, by volunteers who have worked in the natural area over the past twenty years to restore the wetland ecosystem there. Here is the basis for their support of this name:
1. The tributary to Thornton Creek that flows through the natural area at 5th Ave NE and NE 103rd to Roosevelt was named Maple Leaf Creek in 1945 according to the United States Geological Survey – Water Resources Division Bulletin #23 and other historical documents.
2. The name of the creek cannot be applied to any other park locations within the City of Seattle except in the Maple Leaf Creek corridor.
3. Natural areas being developed along Thornton Creek and its tributaries should be named in a systematic fashion to encourage pubic understanding that this is a creek system.
4. This public owned property is for the observation and enjoyment of the creek ecosystem by park users, provides refuge for wildlife, and is a place for building community through volunteer restoration activities. It is not a ball field, a plaza for concerts an d rallies, nor a children’s play area. The name should reflect that.
5. The name given to the new development on the south parking lot of Northgate Mall refers to the entire Thornton Creek drainage system, not individual tributaries; and obscures the true name of this western tributary to Thornton Creek. Other tributaries to Thornton are Kramer creek, Little Brook creek, Little’s creek, and Willow Creek.
6. The connectivity to other stretches of Maple Leaf Creek, such as the Maple Leaf Reach, should be indicated by the naming of the park.
7. Not just one individual, but several agencies, city departments, environmental organizations, neighborhood organizations, and individuals have been working hard for the past twenty years to restore the creek habitat in this park space and the name should reflect those efforts.
Thornton Creek Alliance heard, and was in the process of giving consideration to, the name Alice Bryant Peace Park when it was discovered Ruth Williams went straight to City Council the next day in an effort to have them influence or direct Seattle Parks and Recreation to assign her proposed name to Park 6. With a sense of urgency, a vote was taken by email and phone, and based on that vote, a letter was sent to City Council, the Board of Parks Commissioners, and to Seattle Parks and Recreation indicating Thornton Creek Alliance did not endorse the name Alice Bryant Peace Park for this particular natural area, but for other new parks coming into the system and/or for an area within a park such as a special garden, or plaza area.
Maple Leaf Creek deserves to be remembered by having this natural area named after it. Please join friends and volunteers of Maple Leaf Creek by sending a support letter today to the following:
Seattle Parks and Recreation
c/o Paula Hoff
Office of the Superintendent
100 Dexter Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
OR email her at paula.hoff@seattle.gov
Board of Park Commissioners
c/o Sandy Brooks
100 Dexter Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
OR email her at Sandy.brooks@seattle.gov
Thank you,
Cheryl Klinker 206-367-4635
Dear Mr. Lupkes and Friends:
Thank you for your input on a suitable name for Thornton Creek Park #6. We just completed a review of the Parks Naming Policy and have adopted a revised policy based on recommendations that I received from the Board of Park Commissioners. The new policy makes a number of changes, most substantive is this change to the criteria:
“Parks and recreation facilities may be named for a person subject to the following conditions: the person must be deceased for a minimum of three years, and the person must have made a significant positive contribution to parks, recreation, or culture in the community without which the park/facility may not exist, or in which the individual’s contributions enhanced a program or facility in an extraordinary way. The City will bear the cost of the plaque or monument indicating the name of the individual for whom the facility is named.”
All future park naming processes will use the newly adopted Park Naming Policy. As you may know, we have been working to develop a plan to give the parks along Thornton Creek names that not only identify the park site, but also let the public know that these are an access points for Thornton Creek. We expect to complete the plan in 2009. The process will include an opportunity for individuals to suggest names for the larger numbered park sites along the creek.
I appreciate your thoughtful input on this issue and will be sure to notify you when we are seeking public input on Thornton Creek park names.
Sincerely,
Timothy Gallagher
Superintendent
I thought that personal comments weren't welcome in the Democrats' blog, but since this previous one has been allowed to remain I will respond to it.
I made every effort to get my resolution to the membership by way of the newsletter, but there was not space, so I put the resolution up in the 46th Dist. Dems’ list-serve where it was sent out and publicly available.
The meeting itself had a full agenda, so there really wasn’t time for a lot of discussion. Beyond reading the resolution I said very little. Jorgen Bader delivered a statement against, and the vote was taken.
I valued Cheryl Klinker’s endorsement of naming Thornton Creek Park Six in honor of Alice Bryant very highly. Cheryl and I had worked very well together at the park for the past 15 years. We shared a lot of personal information and exchanged Christmas gifts. I admired and trusted her. She gave me her endorsement at a meeting on June 16,2008 in a meeting in the Meadowbrook Community Center.
Once I believed I had Cheryl’s support I contacted Richard Conlin and Nick Licata. In the fall when I spoke at a Thornton Creek Alliance meeting I brought their letters with me. Since there wasn’t a quorum no vote was taken. Cheryl said she would e mail the membership. Here is what she sent them:
Dear TCA Members:
Ruth Williams, a long time member of Thornton Creek Alliance has put forward to City Council members a proposal to name Thornton Creek Park 6 after her grandmother, Alice Bryant. It would become Alice Bryant Park if passed.
Alice Bryant was a tireless peace activist until her death in 1977 when she was still active through the Women's International League, NAACP, and the Urban League. Our Council member Nick Licata recalls working with her. Before that, she voiced her objections to the Viet Nam War, and previous to that, she traveled to 83 countries to meet with world leaders and encourage them to work toward world harmony. Her greatest contribution was action she took after the war ended with Japan. To extend gestures of friendship and compassion to Japan, she raised funds to build the Community House in Hiroshima in honor of those killed during the bombings. She also took measures to make life better for the Japanese held in the internment camps. She is certainly worthy of this honor bestowed upon her.
I pesonally am saddened by this because I always envisioned that our Thornton Creek Parks would have a naming convention that would tie them all together and relate to the wonderful natural resource that flows through them: Thornton Creek. Chuck had proposed Kingfisher Park for Park 2, and since other wildlife have been moving back into our parks, I had hoped we could continue on this theme. For example Wood Ducks have moved into Park 6. Park 1 may have a species it has become home to. Seattle Parks Dept has been supportive of this in the past.
Also, it has long been the policy of the Parks Dept to name parks after the history associated with the park, or people who lived in the vicinity of the park including native americans that had a relation to the park, or wildlife that have a connection to the park.
However, if the membership is supportive of Alice Bryant Park being assigned to Thornton Park 6, I will honor the wishes of the membership. It is noted that at our last TCA meeting, those in attendance did not put forward a motion at the meeting to suppport this name and requested that the larger membership be consulted through email. It was suggested to Ruth that the name at least incorporate Thornton Creek as part of the name.
I would encourage you to send emails to City Council, especially Nick Licata, to let them know whether you support naming Park Six after Alice Bryant or not. If not, let them know you want the parks to tie together with the naming convention that relates more to Thornton Creek. There may be other parks currently unnamed that could take the name of this amazing woman if you want to propose this also.
-Cheryl Klinker, Chair
Thornton Creek Alliance
When I asked Cheryl how she could give her endorsement and then send this e mail, she said she gave me the endorsement just to get along. It is decidedly odd that Cheryl is now accusing the 46th Dist. of behaving undemocratically because I was never allowed to send any e mail on the subject of park naming to the TCA membership.
We have included the name of Thornton Creek in the name we are advocating. That name is “Alice Bryant Peace Park on Thornton Creek”.
Parks’ new naming policy says that the newly named Thornton Creek parks will be identified as “access points to Thornton Creek”. That doesn’t bode at all well for the name “Maple Leaf Creek Natural Area”.
The idea of renaming the south fork of Thornton Creek with an old name it once carried, “Maple Leaf Creek,” is a new one. It came up a couple of months ago, and it’s controversial among the NE watershed activists. Many feel it is important to keep the Thornton Creek name as a way of helping people remember the size and importance of Seattle’s largest watershed. Some of those activists worked hard and spent their own money in the fight to get the new Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel day-lighted. The channel flows through a culvert under the street and directly into Park Six where it is commonly known as Thornton Creek. Since most developments are named after landowners and corporations, having Thornton Place, the development at the channel, named after the natural feature is a major moral victory.
So to those of you who voted to name Park Six in honor of Thornton Creek and Alice Bryant: THANK YOU!
Thank you for your consideration.
Ruth Williams
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