RBCC joins the fight
Jan 26, 2022 - The Rainier Beach Community Club (RBCC) board drafted a letter to Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) calling for a reconsideration of the road. The hope is that with enough public pressure, SPU will pause the project to allow more time to consider other options. Source: https://rainierbeachcommunityclub.org/board-meeting-minutes/2022/01/
DEAD HORSE CANYON DRAFT
Date: January __, 2022
To: Michael Yadrick, Seattle Parks & Recreation
Cc: Cody Nelson (SPU), Tammy Morales
From: Rainier Beach Community Club
Re: Concerns about SPU Project in Dead Horse Canyon
Rainier Beach Community Club (RBCC) is a long-standing organization in and for our neighborhood. We have over 100 members and our mission is to enhance and maintain the quality of life for residents of the Rainier Beach community through civic, service and community building activities.
Dead Horse Canyon is a beloved urban forest sanctuary for our neighborhood. We live next to the park and are invested in its long-term health and preservation. Our members have taken a keen interest in SPU’s Taylor Creek Restoration Project and in July 2021, Cody Nelson of SPU provided RBCC members a progress report.
Since then, we have been advised of a couple of potential SPU actions that are of concern to us, most notably, the proposed 12’ wide road over the current footpath which we believe will result in the loss of mature trees and recently planted native shrubs. It will also disturb wildlife and further erode an already steep and hilly slope. In short we fear that it will permanently alter the character of Dead Horse Canyon and urge serious consideration of alternative methods of transporting material using the existing trail.
Further, we ask SPU to keep the park as open and accessible as possible throughout the project. We also request that the Taylor Creek restoration project allocate funds for repairing the Bangor access trail and the Rustic Hairpin work party access trail to make them safer.
As stakeholders of Dead Horse Canyon, RBCC would like to continue to get periodic updates from SPU (our member meetings are the second Wednesday of each month at 7 pm) as well as ongoing opportunities to provide input.
We look forward to hearing back from you and a fruitful relationship. Please contact our Corresponding Secretary __________ at RainierBeachCommunityClub@gmail.com to set up a progress report to our members and answer any questions that you might have.
