This ancient Seattle Gay Scene post attests to the field’s importance

Seattle Parks is considering plans for an overhaul of the “virtually unplayable” and “swampy” Montlake Playfield. You have two opportunities this week to get involved:

Seattle Parks and Recreation will hold two public meetings to share information with the community about potential renovations to the Montlake Playfield football/soccer field.

The first is Monday, October 10 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Montlake Community Center, 1618 E Calhoun St. and the second is Thursday, October 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Montlake Community Center Tudor Building, 1618 E Calhoun St.

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Currently this field is virtually unplayable. The site was surrounded by “low, swampy ground covered with swamp grass and rushes,” according to a 1937 letter from the City Engineer. The low basin that is now the playfield was originally a peat bog.

Despite repeated filling over the years, the playfield has been only intermittently playable because of uneven pressures on the viscous peat below that cause upheavals in the playfield area and shore lands. Field conditions continue to deteriorate and require seasonal renovationprojects every year, including reseeding of the entire field, removal of existing turf, and importing thousands of pounds of sand and sod. 

There is now a renovation proposal before the City that would replace the current surface with a donated synthetic turf surface which would provide a sustainable field requiring less daily and annual maintenance and would meet the principal goals of a major renovation of the field: 

• ·         Increase playable hours.
• ·         Promote safety by providing an even surface with no bare patches or holes in the ground, thus reducing the risk of injury to ankles and knees.
• ·         Reduce the year round costs of field maintenance.
• ·         Reduce the expense of field preparation.

·         Conserve water, fertilizer, and reduce the use of soil amendments.