Friends of Marymoor Park

June 23rd, 2011 Meeting Summary

-- see also the May 26, 2011 meeting summary

Introductions:

Norah Gaynor (King County Parks), Michael Hobbs (Eastside Audubon, FOMP Secretary).  That's it.  Just the two of us.  Think about that...

Tree Survey Update Report –

Concessions - The Bombay Grill restaurant, which also has a concert venue food both, will be taking over the concession stand located near the velodrome.  The probable operations schedule will be April-September.  Their interest in leasing the concession booth is due to the potential appeal to the folks who play and attend cricket matches and practices, and their operating schedule will probably coincide with those events to a certain extent.  They will focus on vegetarian fare primarily.

CIP/Project Updates:

1)      Birdloop – Eastside Audubon is working to complete their tool shed in the East Meadow.

2)   Birdloop-MAR/C boundary issues - GPS measurements were taken on Tuesday, June 21st., and maps should be available in a week or two diagramming the situation.  There are also some marker stakes now in the meadow area showing the conflict zone between the Meadow Loop Trail and the safety buffer around the model airplane flying area.  Michael suggested that a compromise might be reached, wherein MAR/C shaves a few feet off of the NW corner of their official flight zone, and Eastside Audubon shifts the NE corner of the Meadow Loop Trail westward a little bit to avoid any safety issues.  Additional visual marker pylons, to help pilots know when they've reached the end of the flight zone, may also be appropriate.

3)      Garden Loosestrife – Surveys of the areas treated in 2010 will be conducted as soon as plants are visible.  These surveys will guide the next steps in attempting to control this invasive weed.  Those surveys will probably have to wait until mid-summer, due to lingering high water levels.

      KC Noxious Weed Control also wants to set up a long-term study site where they can try a variety of control methods. The proposed site is in the SE portion of the park, in an area usually inaccessible. They would be trying a variety of chemical and other control methods to try and find a suitable solution. Michael toured the site with Karl Kostel from KC Parks and found that there should be little concern that activities at the study sites will negatively effect the nearby Bald Eagle nest.

      Finding a suitable chemical, mechanical, or biological control for Garden Loosestrife may be difficult.  In addition, the variety growing at Marymoor appears to be especially vigorous.

4)      Community Garden – They will be installing some new birdhouses in the garden.

5)      Boathouse Project – See update: http://sammamishrowing.org/newboathouse.  The left turn lane paving and striping work was completed by June 23rd, and should dramatically reduce the risk of accidents and traffic back-ups at the site.  The pavement continues down to form aprons at the entrances to the parking lot.  Drivers should make sure to slow down before transitioning from the pavement to the gravel to reduce ongoing maintenance costs for the gravel portions of the parking area.

6)      East Lake Sammamish Trail – The Redmond section is CLOSED TO ALL USES for paving.  Trail work, with heavy equipment, is ongoing.  Bicyclists can use the bike lanes along East Lake Sammamish Parkway to detour around the closed section, from 60th St. down to 187th Avenue.

7)      Interpretive Lot (Lot G) Improvements – No additional news

8)      Paved Paths – work is in progress on repairing/replacing the old "par course" trail.  The next phase will run from the soccer fields to the velodrome.  Also, Clise path repairs are currently ongoing.  These involve the paved trails around the mansion and windmill areas.

9)      North Playground – Improvements to the playground next to the Subway shop are scheduled for the summer of 2011.  Some updates/repairs to the existing play equipment will be performed.  If there is funding available, there will possibly be an addition of a "Tot" section; the current playground is aimed at the 6-12 year old group, the new section would be targeting the 3-5 year olds.  Improved accessibility will be part of any changes made.  A Design Draft should be available for review at the next next FOMP meeting.  Really.

Next Meeting:  Thursday July 28, 2011, 7:00 – 9:00pm. Marymoor Art Barn.

These notes do not constitute an official record of the meeting.  They may have inaccuracies and omissions.  If anyone has any complaints about the content of these notes, they should direct them to Michael Hobbs at fomp@marymoor.org, and he will endeavor to correct them.