Attention: Seattle Parks and Recreation Jesus Aguirre, Superintendent Christopher Williams, Deputy Superintendent In the last month, there has been a mass exodus of toys from West Seattle's Ercolini Park - two pick-ups in the last two weeks! We're heartbroken and our children miss their toys! After the first removal, parents rallied and donated toys for the use of hundreds of toddlers and children in our community. The large majority of them were taken by the City this morning. All of the push carts are gone. We're left with a few tricycles and other toys that the littlest community members aren't old enough to play with. We're told a neighbor has filed a complaint, leading the Department of Parks and Recreation to take action. With no means through which to negotiate with the neighbor, we're asking you to please also take into account the wishes of the larger community. Wasn't Ercolini gifted to the city for precisely this reason? Ercolini is special BECAUSE of the toys. Without them, it's every other park in Seattle. Our children have learned to walk at Ercolini, ride bikes, share with other children, discover empathy, and experience true community. For the parents, we have a place to take them, meet other parents, it's a space that encourages outdoor time and interaction in a way that other parks can't. Ercolini is unique and should be kept that way. We ask the following: - Please limit the frequency of toy removal to a more cyclical time frame. Families have donated toys to replenish the loss and those toys should have a reasonable life span for the children's use, and/or; - Only take the broken toys and/or set up an area for parents to deposit broken toys for the City to pick up rather than taking all or most of them. We're happy to partner with the City on this, and/or; - Please arrange an opportunity for us to work with the neighbors requesting removal so we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement; and/or - Suggest an alternative to removing the toys. Many thanks in advance for considering our requests. -West Seattle Parents Who Care