Save Wallingford Playfield- NO TURF!

Please don’t cover the playground with astroturf - exposing children to living plants and organic material is important.

Turf rather than grass is bad for everyone's health.

We need a park in our neighborhood. There aren't many of this size around.

There are so few green spaces in our neighborhood. This is a multipurpose space used by kids and adults for picnics, playing and just being outdoors. It is CONSTANTLY used- don’t take this from our community for something that would benefit a small tranche of the community and would be used only at specified times

artificial turf is known to cause cancer; fake plastic ruins the environment- no water, seeds, protection for birds and insects; reduces necessary watershed; more abrasive to skin on falling;

The turf field heats up really badly in the summer and is not pleasant to be on. It also gases petroleum vapors (in the heat) since the filler material is shredded rubber. We live in Wallingford, and we go to the park every day. We do not want this change!

Replacing grass with artificial turf raises health concerns. Artificial turf infill leeches into water systems and contains microplastics. Our warming climate means hotter temperatures. Astroturf does not cool as well as grass causing higher temperatures during the day and especially at night making the “heat island” effect worse. Some school districts have temperature cutoffs where kids need to move to grass or risk heat exhaustion or burns. Keeping grass preserves the ecosystem beneath the surface and keeps us all safer. Astroturf needs to stay out of our green spaces

This park is the center of the community for families, especially families with young children. Please do not cover it in plastic. Convert the Lincoln parking lot into a turf field!

Here is a letter I sent to SPS via their online portal: Dear Seattle Public Schools Capital Projects and Planning Team, I am writing as a parent of a Hamilton International Middle School student and a resident of the nearby community, to express my strong opposition and concerns regarding the proposed locations for the new athletic field for Lincoln High School. I strongly oppose the use of Wallingford Playfield or Meridian Park for this purpose. These parks are invaluable to the well-being and cohesion of the surrounding neighborhood, and their loss would cause significant harm to our community. Frankly, I found the suggestion of grabbing and repurposing nearby parkspace to be shocking. The Wallingford Playfield is a vital part of our community. For a decade, my children have enjoyed the park’s recently renovated playground, which is also heavily utilized by other families in the neighborhood as well as HIMS and Lincoln students. Removing or repurposing this space for the field would not only destroy a well-used and cherished public area but would also undermine the livability and accessibility of this neighborhood. Wallingford Playfield has served the local community for generations, providing a safe, green space where families and individuals, relax, play, and connect. These types of community spaces are increasingly rare in dense urban areas like ours, and their preservation should be prioritized. Additionally, I was surprised to hear that Meridian Park, another valued community space, is being considered as an option. Like Wallingford, Meridian Park offers a unique and irreplaceable historic setting for local residents and families. It is clear that the loss of either park would have long-lasting negative impacts on the community. Furthermore, while the proposal cites safety as one of the reasons for creating a new field, it is important to acknowledge the serious risks associated with the sport that would primarily be played there. Football is widely known

Our community needs the park with it’s green area. Our kids need to have an area to play in big green open spaces. The city bought that area and took the houses to make the park for the community in the past and should not take that from us now. Lincoln High School already takes a big piece of land from our community and they should use part of the space they already have for the turf field if it’s so important for them and they don’t want the kids to have to use busses! Not take our park!

It's a beautiful, enjoyable part of our neighborhood. Please don't ruin it in this way.

the park is for all ages - all the time. a big NO to losing our community gathering place

Turning Wallingford Playfield into a turf field would be awful. The charm and use of the park and field would be ruined for all else. Turf turns the space into an ecological wasteland, slowly cooked with high heat and starved of nutrients, air, and moisture. With no plant roots to create water-absorbing, spongy soil, the ground will become dry, damaged, and unable to filter and absorb rain. This contributes to more urban runoff, which pollutes.

The park belongs to the community, and that's it. No limited use model is acceptable, and in fact, creating an exclusive scenario disenfranchises the tax-paying community of a public resource and public good. If funding and maintenance are a concern, reach out to the community and find a winning solution for all members of the Wallingford village. Creating a private park for a seasonal sport is unnecessary and a bad idea.

No turf!

i live at 1414 N 38th. What a ridiculous proposal. People use that park for all sorts of things, why decrease its public usability?? I do not want to see wallingford park turned into a football field!

I live in Wallingford. I strongly oppose changing the park into a football field

Taking an existing and heavily used neighborhood park away from the community is not the solution here. Despite the assurances that the community can still use it, the reality of turfed fields is that they are overbooked and almost entirely dominated by organized sports. Lincoln does need a field but not this field.

This is nonsensical. Open, natural spaces serve the common good. We don't need more sports fields, we need to maintain our few spaces where we all find peace and community.

We don’t want artificial turf!!!