To

Superintendent José Banda

Seattle Public School, and

Seattle School Board Members

We, the undersigned, want to preserve the open space and ball fields at ThorntonCreekSchool. We ask that the SeattleSchool District reconsider their plans to build a new 650-student school on these grounds, while at the same time retaining the current 350-student school there. We believe there has to be a better way to accommodate Seattle’s growing student population than to take this treasured and irreplaceable space.

Statement by Seattle Parks Department. Without the Decatur Ball Fields,

"We would have a difficult time rescheduling those hours given the lackof athletic fields in Seattle."

“The parks system is Seattle's common ground: the playfields where our kids first learn to play soccer and baseball.”

"These assets...return value in more ways than we generally acknowledge: Our parks help to clean the air we breathe and store the water we drink. They give us space to exercise our bodies and the tools to maintain our health. They bring us closer to our neighbors, and help us break through barriers of language, class, religion and culture. They strengthen our neighborhoods, add value to our property....They create an overall quality of life that makes our city a desirable place to live and raise our families."

From A Study of Alternative Strategies to Support Operations and Maintenance of a Great Urban Parks System

Links