On Wednesday, April 19, members from the Friends of Hing Hay Park, Seattle Police Department, and other community partners from the Chinatown-International District met with Seattle Parks and Recreation project manager and design team to evaluate the level of light in the park. The group met after dark in the park to assess the amount of light from newly installed artistic lighting and ambient lighting from the neighborhood. The goal of the meeting was to determine if the current lighting situation provided enough light for the community to feel safe at night and if we could open the park to the public before the installation of the light poles.
The City updated the community in April stating that the light poles were delayed due to deficiencies and are being replaced by the manufacturer. The City anticipates the replacement light poles to be delivered and installed in June. The overall sentiment of Friends of Hing Hay Park is that the newly installed artistic lighting is impressive, but it isn’t enough to provide a feeling of security without the illumination from the forthcoming light poles. The group’s recommendation is for Seattle Parks and Recreation to wait until the light poles arrive and are installed before opening the park to the public. Seattle Parks and Recreation will open the park after the poles are installed.
For project updates, visit: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/hing-hay-park. For more information, contact: Kim Baldwin, Project Manager at Seattle Parks and Recreation ([email protected]).
