Lynn Street Park project

In 1971 grocer Pete Omalanz led 40 volunteers in hauling away truckloads of
junk and building Lynn Street Park. Floating Homes Association leader Terry
Pettus convinced City Hall not to require a liability bond--a precedent that
made it easier to establish other street-end parks on non-Park Department land.

	In 1976 the Seattle Transportation Department (SDOT) rebuilt the park, which was rededicated amid grand festivities (see photo). Under ordinance 111551 (1984), the park is maintained by the Parks Department, while still owned by SDOT. Much-used throughout its history, this beloved park is an important focus for community.
In 1995, a beer truck parked beside the Eastlake Zoo tavern rolled down Lynn Street and plunged into Lake Union, damaging the park; the wooden retaining walls were already deteriorating and needed replacement. The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department rebuilt the park in 2002 with the insurance settlement, and Parks and SDOT funds which had been campaigned for by the Eastlake Community Council and the Olmsted-Fairview Park Commission. In the design process for the 2002 renovation, the community urged that the replacement retaining walls also be of wood. However, the Parks Department insisted that the retaining walls be concrete, on the grounds that they would last longer. In retrospect, the need to build forms for the concrete required more excavation and the loss of more trees than if the new walls had been wood. Members of the community who were involved in the design process believe that, in future street-end park renovations such as the one that will occur someday at Terry Pettus Park (Newton street-end), the neighborhood will need to insist on wooden retaining walls rather than concrete.
	Artist Maggie Smith led the volunteers who created and installed the tiles, in remembrance of people and good times in the neighborhood. A volunteer group, Friends of the Lynn Street Park Art-Tile Project, managed the tile project with a grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods; these City funds were more than matched with donated money, time, and materials.
After the tiles were installed, the park briefly made the national news in July 2002 when the Park Department said that it would have to remove eight tiles that showed or mentioned wine or beer (including a tile that depicted the beer truck incident). Mayor Greg Nickels quickly intervened, and the tiles were saved.
	The bench, in the style of the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi, was donated by the friends of Peg and Tom Stockley. Long-time houseboaters, and nearby residents who loved the park, they perished in the January 31, 2000 Alaska Airlines crash. The bench was dedicated December 8, 2002. (In addition to these photos, other photos of the bench can be seen at SeattleOutdoorArt.com.).
Lynn Street Park will be redicated at a gala ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, 2003 All are invited to the festivities, which include food, music, and entertainment. Don?t miss it!