Cal Anderson’s water mountain is dry (Images: CHS)
Like a few of us, Cal Anderson hasn’t been clipped in a while and its new buzz cut is drawing attention.
Seattle Parks is trying out some mowed-in social distancing circles in Capitol Hill’s central park, a spokesperson tells the Stranger:
“Similar to New York City parks and San Francisco parks we are exploring the use of small circles distanced 6 feet apart to help folks enjoy the park and keep social distance. At this time we are just exploring this method, and are still asking folks to Keep It Moving when at the park (running, walking, and biking).”
Apparently, the department isn’t quite ready for all the attention. A representative provided a decidedly more clipped response when CHS inquired about the project and asked about guidelines for use. “They aren’t ‘open’ yet, we’re just testing out some strategies to get ready for phase 2,” the representative replied. Further inquiries needed to be directed to the city’s Joint Information Center Activated for COVID-19 Response, we were told.
A news chopper also captured the scene from above on Thursday:
CHS’s visit to the park found the circles being put to use though with weekday afternoon crowd levels, there weren’t nearly enough people to fill all the dots.
Cal Anderson and the city’s largest, most popular parks have proved to be busy but controversial areas during the COVID-19 restrictions as people look to get outside and get some fresh air during the weeks of lockdown. Earlier this month, Mayor Jenny Durkan and city officials instituted 8 PM closure times for parks like Cal Anderson and Volunteer Park to help enforce social distancing and, critics noted, to also help crack down on camping.
At Cal Anderson, meanwhile, the parks department has shut down some elements of the green space but seems to be catching up on the maintenance end of things as some areas have become quickly overgrown. The park’s water features remain dry, however. Hopefully, Seattle Parks will also consider putting that element back into motion as a key resource for area families like this one.
https://twitter.com/sndesireecha/status/1266413665030270977
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