Petition Replace Playground at Hutchinson Park

February 28, 2022

Dear Seattle City Council,

We are requesting an immediate replacement of the existing playground at Hutchinson. This may include upgrades to safety surfacing, adding an accessible route to the play area, and/or changes to the curbs around the play area to conform with safety standards, depending on Seattle Parks and Recreation’s (SPR) assessment. Estimated cost: $400-$700k

According to SPR, the existing playground was installed in 2000. After more than two decades, the playground is in disrepair and needs to be completely replaced. This is evidenced by the fact that the playground has been deemed unsafe and boarded up by SPR for the second time in 15 months. In November 2020, the slide was boarded up because bolts were sticking through the surface. Today, the tallest bridge is boarded up because it is rusted and cracked through. Furthermore, the replacement slide (which was only replaced after 5 months of service requests) is clearly not designed for the structure-it is too steep and fast and causes kids to fall at the bottom.

The Hutchinson playground is used regularly by Emerson Elementary School for recess and by Tiny Tots for after-school programming. On any given school day, the playground is used by upwards of 320 children, not counting those who leisurely visit the park. The children at Emerson and Tiny Tots and the surrounding community deserve a park that is safe and fully functioning. They cannot and should not have to wait for SPR’s 6-year budget cycle before getting a new playground. Current students will have all moved on by then. The playground needs to be replaced immediately.

The community around Hutchinson Park also prioritizes replacement of the existing playground. In March 2021, the Friends of Hutchinson Playground conducted a survey with 81 community members. The survey revealed that ‘poorly maintained facilities and equipment’ was the obvious reason that 62% of the community expressed dissatisfaction with the park, and also that replacing the playground equipment was far and away the most important park improvement.

Again, we are requesting an immediate replacement of the existing playground at Hutchinson so that the children at Emerson and Tiny Tots, and the surrounding community can have access to a safe, fully functional playground. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. 

Signed,