Organizers of a citizen-led effort to keep Powell Barnett Wading Pool open as much as possible this summer say they are within $1,900 of the $4,400 they need to keep the pool open every Saturday this summer. Donations must be made by the end of the work day tomorrow (May 17). You can donate online via Paypal.
The wading pool was one of many in the city closed or with reduced hours due to city budget cuts. The wading pool at Peppi’s Playground near Leschi Elementary was also closed, but the spray toys will remain operational.
There is a special opportunity for any business that wants to provide a match that could be repaid through sales during open wading pool days. From organizer Melissa Cate Christ:
We currently have $2500 and are actively looking for matches from businesses, vendors who would like to sell in the park, or other groups who are willing to front the money (so we can get on the Parks and Rec summer schedule and we can then fundraise by selling water etc on each Wading pool open day – we would need to make around $240 each open Saturday to break even/pay back the organization who would front the money).
The Parks Department even has a special offer for any business that wants to vend or advertise at the events, from the group’s Facebook page:
For businesses/vendors who would like to sponsor the pool, Parks and Rec has put together a special opportunity which would simplify permitting to sell/promote in the park and waive their % of your profit fee – to find out more, please send an email to [email protected].
So who is going to save summer for these kids?:
Image from the group’s “wade-in” event, via Facebook
UPDATE: Looks like someone stepped up with a $1,200 loan so they group can continue fundraising. Only $600 to go, and little time to do it. From the group’s Facebook page:
Looks like we may have up to a $1200 loan (so we can keep fundraising after the parks deadline) which means we only need $600! Soooo close!
UPDATE 3:22 pm: Since we are secret shin-high water enthusiasts, we are donating $300 on behalf of Central District News and our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle. So by our count, that means only $300 left.
UPDATE 5:21 pm: Victory! The fundraising goal has been met, and the Powell Barnett Wading Pool will be open Saturdays all summer, according to organizers. You can still donate to help pay back the $1,200 loan, which they have all summer to raise.
we have until the end of the work day Tuesday, May 17.
Thanks!
Ah, yes. Tomorrow’s date would be today’s date + 1. I was never much at math…
Fixed it. Thanks.
Can there be an extension on the deadline and we try to do a fundraiser? I would be happy to discuss a fundraising event where a % of sales go towards the cause. Someone email me [email protected].
Ask David Hiller to donate 2% of his new salary to keep the pool open. The money is city money, after all, and he did just receive a 400% raise from his previous job. Tell him everyone bikes to the pool, and I bet you’ll get it…..
SIGH….. it is amazing that haters like you can manage to bring their bs into *any* conversation, remotely related or not… why don’t you stop driving? A couple less potholes to fill would pay for that pool just as handily…..
It IS related, very much so. The city cut funding to our wading pools because of budget woes, yet they can somehow fund a useless, made-up position for a personal friend of the mayor. We do not need to pay a bike coordinator $95,000 a year to organize bike rallies. We need $1900 for wading pools instead.
Actually, if he rode the lost gas tax revenue would leave us having to raise even more.
BTW – this is not to take away from the dedicated people who are trying to keep wading pools open. I have personally dug into my own pocket for the city’s “pay for wade” program, and I may contribute to this pool fund as well. My point is that us citizens should not have to resort to such measures, while wasteful city spending continues unchecked.
Adding a new position to reward your friend with a very cushy paycheck on the city’s dime, while cutting services to thousands of local children, is unethical, to say the least.
just goes to show you don’t know anything and haven’t bothered to find out….
2 positions were eliminated from the mayor’s staff before Hiller was hired. The budget for the mayor’s office is actually down by 30%.
As far as gas taxes geeze louise that old saw *again*…. Precious little, precious, precious little of any gas taxes that you pay go anywhere near local roads. Gas taxes go to pay for interstate highways, most of the money for local roads comes from property taxes. Even the money that does come from gas taxes doesn’t go to general maintenance, but rather to large capital projects. If you want to fund our local roads, buy a house and buy local for as many of your purchases as possible
Am i going to have to seperate you two?
BTW – don’t even start to think that your driving habits are not *heavily* subsidized…. gas taxes only account for 35% of the budget for all road projects, even the interstate highway ones where most of that cash goes in the first place. As a home owner, a car owner (and since I rarely drive it, it doesn’t cause much pollution or wear and tear on the roads, but I still pay the same amount of taxes and tabs for it every year as someone who drives every day), a consumer of local goods, a worker at a local business and a childless person I’m the one giving up the subsidies and I’m keeping as much of my money here as possible. I’m not complaining about the taxes mind you, I understand that a civil society benefits me and I’m willing to put up the cash to educate others’ children. I’m willing to pay for things I don’t personally need. I know we need roads to have nice things like groceries, heat and light, so I’m willing to pay for them – but mind you I’m under no illusions that not driving is hurting that budget – Hah… your gas taxes don’t even begin to pay for the damage you create.
I do know about it. The $95,000 position was created out of thin air specifically for his close buddy Hiller, regardless of what other positions were eliminated in his office. It was not an existing position that had sat empty, nor was it publicly advertised. The mayor created the position, threw in a huge paycheck (more than 4 times what Hiller had previously made), and appointed a crony without advertising or considering anyone else. And this was done when many good people are being laid off, and pools and community centers are being closed. The fact that the wading pools, or other services, were NOT funded instead speaks volumes. That money would have gone a long way towards keeping long standing community services available to the citizens of Seattle.
We do not need a newly made up bike advocate position, for that amount of money to boot, when so many other critical city services are being eliminated. It makes me think that we DO have the money for wading pools, if we eliminated the real fat in city hall. We do not need to spend $95,000 for someone to organize bike rallies. We need to provide real services to real people. It is all about priorities, and the city has let out communities down. We should not have to resort to last minute fundraisers to keep our wading pools open, while watching the mayor throw fat paychecks at his friends.
BTW, I am not the one who mentioned driving at all. I commute by bike whenever I can, not that it matters.
Sorry.
I will issue a challenge to cd biker though. I’ve previously donated $100 to keep my local wading pool open, and am thinking about throwing in a second $100 to Powell Barnett, if cd biker will. So – are you up to the challenge to keep the pool open for the kids, cd? They could really use the $200 total.
Just because its not a service you think might not directly benefit from doesn’t make it fat. I have no personal reason to care about wading pools. By your reasoning I have every reason to think entertaining 4 and 5 year olds is fat that could easily be cut. Yet I don’t. I believe in quality of life and extending things that aren’t necessities too all segments of the community.
The Hiller position is not as you blithely put it a “bike advocacy” position. It will be a transportation position, extending beyond just the cycling community. Would you be whining about it if the mayor had hired someone who’s previous position had been with AAA? As far as the salary goes – what bearing does anyone’s old salary have on a new one? The salary is about the new position and its responsibilities.
Look beyond the end of your nose. Better transportation will benefit all of us and having and adviser and an advocate in the mayors office won’t be a bad thing. Lets give him a chance to make some real and positive changes.
Ok, I just checked the FB page – they received a $1200 loan, and need only $600 by the end of the day to keep the pool open. What about it – cd – wanna help me knock that amount down?
No go, cdphotog. The wading pools have a long history with the city, and are a long established service, whether you personally use it or not. The boondoggle position that was handed to Hiller was created specifically for him in a time of fiscal crisis (remember-it was not advertised, nor had it existed before).
If there is no money for pools and community centers, there is no money for newly created, $95,0000 a year bike cheerleaders, either.
if you two both donate $100 and the CapitolHillSeattle.com and CentralDistrictNews.com just donating $300, we only have $100 left to make the goal for today!
I’ll kick in $20 if those two hush up a little. :D
Melissa, I’m having some trouble with PayPal — still trying to work it out. I’ll get ya $100 one way or another in the next half hour.
So cd – you gonna kick in $100 or what?
And Meridith – kick in the $20! They are SO close, and it will make a difference…….
Ok, found a fix. You should be $100 closer now.
Ball is in your court, cd. You gonna pony up????
And … done! My friend Donna just donated too. What’s our new total?
Fundraising goal met. Updated story.
Very glad to hear the goal was met for this pool, too. I’ll be checking tomorrow to see if all the city wading pools were finally able to be funded by private citizens and businesses. This whole pay-for-wade plan is utter insanity, in my opinion. They should have been funded by the city in the first place, given their high value/low cost ratio for their users.
FWIW, my comments were more on the skewed budgetary priorities of the mayor’s office, not the bike-vs-car battles.
I just wanted to say thanks for the last minute push! We still need to raise another $1200, but we have the rest of the summer to do it. Look for events in the community and on the open days at the wading pool!
As far as the city funding the pools long term, the hope is that through this grassroots effort, the city will recognize how important this wading pool is ( and overlooked public amenities in general) to the community and reallocate funds next year. That’s the hope at least!
I’ve been out having a nice ride….. so here’s my take, you issue a “challenge” but you don’t offer anything. You only offer support to your own issue and you want me to support it too – what would I get in return for my support of an issue that I have no stake in? Would you pledge to stop your smear campaign?
cd, I offered up $100 cold hard cash, and delivered on it, to cover the city’s shortfall ($200, if you count the $100 I’d put up for another pool last month). I did it because it was the right thing to do, because someone once paid out taxes or donations when I was a kid when I used the pools. I wasn’t looking for some personal, immediate benefit from it (my kids are too old for the wading pools). I did it because out city is too lame and too broke to take care of its own.
I take it you did not put your money where your mouth is. Don’t worry though – they still need to raise money to cover a loan. There is still time for YOUR donation, cd.