Lincoln students have waited long enough!  Demand the Seattle Parks Board of Commissioners approve the Lower Woodland field expansion & track proposal.

As a Lincoln High School student-athlete, I've seen firsthand the negative impact of limited field access at Lower Woodland. Please add your signature to my petition to urge the Seattle Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners to approve the proposal to expand the fields and add a usable track at Lower Woodland. 

Already Funded — Still Delayed        

 In 2022, Seattle voters approved the BTA V Capital Levy, which included funding for improvements supporting Lincoln athletics. Despite funding and years of planning since Lincoln reopened in 2019, the Lower Woodland expansion and track proposal remains stalled. Each year of delay affects current students — and graduating classes never see the benefits.

Impact on Students,Tax Payers & the Environment

Because there is not enough available field and track space:

• Multiple student-athletes stated at the November 6 community meeting that they often don't return home from practice until 9-10 p.m., forcing them to work past midnight to complete their homework.
• The necessity for many teams to practice at 6 AM directly contradicts SPS’s recent initiative to adopt later start times, which was implemented to enhance the mental health of high school students.
• Your tax dollars are currently being used to bus athletes on a 10-mile round trip to Ingraham High School for practice. Depending on factors like availability and the number of athletes, these busing costs can reach up to $1,000 per practice session.

Why We Must Oppose "Option C"

The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners is currently weighing the current proposal (Option A) against a new, high-cost alternative, "Option C," which threatens to further delay or derail this project. What option C entails had already been carefully considered and researched by the project team, and they determined that it would not be a viable solution.

The proposed "Option C" (at 50th and Aurora) is a significantly higher-cost solution with a very slim chance of passing the Parks design review process. Its negative impacts include:

• 17 trees removed + 7 with potential canopy/root impacts.
• 114 parking spaces removed (a major Land Use/permitting issue).
• Grading Impacts: 4' retaining walls on each corner limiting site mobility.
• Stormwater & environmental impacts.
• Lighting impacts in a residential neighborhood.
• Significant impact on game play for the soccer community due to a "minimum regulation" field size.

We Are Asking

• Approve the Lower Woodland field expansion and usable track proposal (Option A) as presented
• Honor the voter-approved commitment and prioritize students who have already waited since 2019

Project details can be found here: Lower Woodland Track & Field Expansion

Lincoln students have been impacted for years. Without approval, future students will continue to face the same challenges.

Sign this petition to support approval of the Lower Woodland proposal!