The New Meadowbrook Playground

Past Meetings & Events 2002

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Annie

Please click HERE to see the past events for 2003.

Friends of Annie's Playground was awarded a $10,000 grant from an anonymous donor foundation. This brings the total money in the playground fund to well over $50,000! Ninety-seven t-shirts have been sold in October - November! The Oct. 12th garage sale made a total of $460 for the playground!


* * * MEETINGS * * *

Parks Dept. Public Meeting
Wednesday, December 7, 2002
7:00 PM at the Community Center

This third Parks Dept. public meeting about the general Playfields/Play Area renovation discussed the size, location, and footprint of our playground.

Monday, December 2, 2002
7:00 PM at the Community Center
Meeting Minutes

1. Fundraising/activity report:
- Lake City Pancake Breakfast: Dean and Meghan reported on the breakfast. They spoke to a number of people about the playground project and raised ~$75 through T-shirt sales and contributions.
- Ongoing T-shirt sales: Janet Wilson reported on T-shirt order taken over the phone and through the Annie's Playground website. She has processed and sent out orders for approximately 80 t-shirts and is completely out of children's X-Small and Small sizes.

2. Playground design - Randy Robinson, our lead designer from the Parks Dept (phone #684-7035), made a few opening comments about the design process:
- There will be public workshops as part of the design process. These workshops should involve families from the neighborhood.
- These workshops will result in a prioritized wish list for the types of equipment desired and a general direction to the designers for the kind of feeling that should be evoked by the final design.
- A meeting for the actual choosing of equipment will take place in a public setting late in the design process.
- The playground designers will then take all this design information and the available budget into consideration to produce the final play area design.

The following comments, issues and questions arose during the subsequent discussion:
- The Parks Dept. is currently involved in negotiations with the School District to secure the play field property.
- the play area should foster an appreciation for nature-incorporate native species and plants into the design. Birdhouses affixed high on entryways or structures as a fundraiser? The addition of native plants could possibly involve the horticulture program at Nathan Hale.
- Would we like some kind of art installation? If we would like to involve an artist, possibilities include UW Design School, contracting with a specific artist, or opening it up to an open call for artists.
- We could also add design elements into creative covers for some areas or entryways into the play areas or barriers between different areas of the play area or designs in the pads (see Meridian Playground in Wallingford or Pratt Park Yesler and 20th).
- We are thinking of incorporating a tile project into the design. Check out tile projects at Rogers Playground (on E. Louisa in Eastlake), Webster Playground (67th and 30th in Ballard), Licton Springs Playground.

3. Benefit Dinner and Auction Planning - Joni and Justin
- The date for this event was set for May 10th, the day before Mother's Day.
- With Lee Bicknell's help, we will arrange to reserve the Gym for the Dinner and the Multipurpose Room for the display of auction items.
- Justin believes he can arrange for the donation of the food, but would need equipment for preparing and serving the food. Janet and Thomas agreed to look into what was available through the Community Centers.
- The menu for the dinner will be pasta with different sauces, breadsticks, and salad.
- We discussed a donation price for the dinner. The general consensus was that the dinner should not be free, but that the ticket price should be low. We also discussed the idea of having tables at the dinner designated with table captains responsible for filling the table. (for example, the coop or the Waldorf School could be asked to sponsor tables)
- We discussed strategies for acquiring auction items. Among the suggestions was to auction off the dessert items for the dinner to the tables, collection of items to produce baskets, offering services as well as items.


Wednesday, November 6th at 7:00 pm
Nathan Hale Library (2nd Floor)
This was the Parks Dept. meeting at which the landscape architects presented their draft design for the playfields and play area.

Monday, November 4th at 7:00 pm
Meadowbrook Community Center
Monthly meeting. Agenda items included developing a fundraising plan and discussing how high school students can be involved in the project.

   Summary of minutes:
  1. High School student involvement. Tizzy Harbaugh wrote up a proposal to get Nathan Hale students involved in the play area fundraising and design process, and gave it to Hale principal Eric Benson. Ideas for high school student involvement included student-designed T-shirts, a student art display, a talent show, or a dance.
  2. Parks Department report. The total budget allotted by Seattle Parks is $356,000, with $250,000 towards construction. The design process will be in 2003, with construction scheduled for summer 2004. There will be at least three public play area design meetings arranged by the Parks Dept.
  3. Thorton Creek Legal Defense Fund message. Bob Vreeland discussed certain environmental restrictions concerning the distance between the playground and the creek (min. 50 ft.). This issue was also brought up to Susanne Friedman, the Project Planner, at the Nov.6 public meeting.


Monday, October 7th at 7:00 PM
Meadowbrook Community Center (in the Family Center upstairs)
We raised $679 during the month of September through the beginning of October (T-shirt sales: $320; donations: $294; Plant exchange: $65).


Meadowbrook Playfield and Children's Play Area
Improvement & Renovation Project
"Project Overview & Community Prioritization Meeting"

Wednesday, September 25, 2002
Nathan Hale High School Cafeteria
10750 30th NE
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Seattle Parks and Recreation is undertaking major renovations and improvements for the Meadowbrook Playfield and the Children's Play Area. Funding for the projects comes from the 2000 Pro Parks Levy and the Parks Major Maintenance Fund.

Potential Improvements being considered include:

· Drainage and irrigation
improvements for the ball fields
· Ball field amenities
· New safety surfacing
· Perimeter curb and path
· ADA accessibility and pathway lighting
· Along with other infrastructure modifications

Contact Information:
Susanne K. Friedman, Project Planner
Seattle Parks and Recreation
800 Maynard Avenue S. 3rd Floor
Seattle, WA 98134-1336
206.684.0902 or susanne.friedman@seattle.gov

Monday, September 9th, 7 pm
Meadowbrook Pool
Please note that this was not the first Monday in September due to the Labor Day holiday. Also note that the meeting was not be held at the Community Center, which was closed. From the minutes of the meeting: Fundraising Progress. We raised $942 during the month of August through the beginning of September. In addition, Lauren was contacted by the representative of a philanthropic organization who was very interested in the playground project. She put together a grant and met with the representative. He told her that it was likely that the foundation would contribute $10,000 to the project.

Monday, August 5th at 7:00 pm
Friends of "Annie's Playground" meeting was held in the Family Center at the Meadowbrook Community Center. Future t-shirt orders, upcoming fundraising and tree planting events were discussed.

Monday, July 8th at 7:00pm
Friends of "Annie's Playground" meetings was held in the Family Center at the Meadowbrook Community Center.

Monday, June 22nd at 7:00pm
Friends of "Annie's Playground" meeting was held in the Family Center at the Meadowbrook Community Center.


* * * EVENTS * * *

Dive-In Movies
December 11 and 18
Meadowbrook Pool
Assistant pool coordinator Thomas Hargrave sponsored the dive-in movies. "Moulin Rouge" was shown, items were raffled and T-shirts sold.

Tree Planting
Saturday, November 2 at 10 am
Meadowbrook Beaver Pond
The Department of Neighborhoods (DON) provides free trees to groups who want to make their surroundings more beautiful. The "Friends of Annie's Playground" group received five native dogwood trees to plant near the Meadowbrook Pond. This was Annie's favorite place to watch ducks and explore with her family. Several Friends of Annie's Playground helped the Yasuda family plant the trees in Annie's memory (the first anniversary of her death was Nov. 10).

             
Please click on the photos to view larger images.



* * * FUNDRAISERS * * *

Lake City Pancake Breakfast
Sunday, November 10 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Bryan arranged for the Friends of Annie's Playground to have a table at the Lake City pancake breakfast, and Meghan and Dean took shifts. We sold t-shirts, gave out flyers, and talked up the playground.

Garage Sale
Saturday, October 12 from 9am to 4pm
31st Ave NE several houses south of 60th St. (one block west of Bryant Elementary School). This is a big, multifamily effort, with all proceeds going to the "Annie's Playground" project. Donations are tax-deductible.

Plant Exchange
Saturday, October 5th

Swim Lesson Registration
Thursday, September 12th, 4:30-8:30 pm
There was a large crowd for swim registration since no mail-in registration were offered for the Fall. We sold s'mores cones and t-shirts.

     
Please click on the photos to view larger images.

End of Summer Bash
Friday, August 23rd, 6:30-8:30 pm
The Bash included free food (hot dogs and hamburgers, chips, drinks), games, and a free swim. There was a very large turnout . We sold a sweet treat, s'mores in ice cream cones, to be assembled by the kids. We also had butcher paper and pens for kids to draw their playground ideas.

Obon Japanese Holiday
Friday, August 16th, evening
Annie's Playground Fund had a table at the Obon with flyers, t-shirts for sale, and sweet treats. The Obon included Japanese dance, martial arts, and drum demonstrations.

Lake City Festival, August 5th
Annie's Playground t-shirt and drink sales totaled $1,021. The remaining inventory will be sold at the Meadowbrook Pool and Community Center, as well as other sites to be determined. Annie's Playground volunteers carried a banner in the Lake City Sea Fair Children's Parade.

         
Please click on the photos to view larger images.

Kids Find Out That They Can Help Too
Putting the "fun" in fundraising!
Kid's Time Summer Day Camp at Decatur Elementary School in Seattle, WA, got involved a few weeks ago in helping out with "Annie's Playground" project. One of their counselors, Carlee Ragsdale, baked 60 cupcakes for the kids to decorate. The kids were told about the playground fundraising project for Meadowbrook and given lots of frosting, candy sprinkles, animal crackers and M&M's to make yummy treats that would be sold at a bake sale. That same evening the cupcakes were brought to Meadowbrook Pool and sold for .50 each during one of their busiest lesson programs and evening Family Swim. The next day the kids at the day camp were thrilled to hear that their cupcakes helped to raise over $30 for the playground.

Annie Yasuda's Playground Fund       Annie Yasuda's Playground Fund

Saturday, June 15th
The Meadowbrook Community Ctr. hosted a Community Flea Market. Community members rented tables for $15, then kept the proceeds from the items they sold. All table rental fees went to "Annie's Playground."

Saturday, June 8th, from 10am-3pm
Students at Nathan Hale High School held a Play-a-Thon as part of their Junior Action Project to raise money for "Annie's Playground." The public was invited to come and participate in the games or sponser a student.

Kick-off Fundraiser, April 2002
Our first fundraiser was a plant sale at the 55th St. School (Annie's daycare).