Welcome a new park; keep it safe and clean

Once again, a beautiful new park, heralded by a professional bubble-maker and happy, skipping children, opens in Seattle. Rapidly densifying Cascade and Lake Union neighborhoods welcome the first 1.6 acres of Lake Union Park on the south shore.

But as with all parks, success is not measured by sunshine and good vibrations on opening day. Success must be gauged by the city's ability to maintain civility and safety on the grounds. Too often, a scenic park opens and quickly becomes overrun by vagrants. See Victor Steinbrueck Park for details. Last Friday morning, all was quiet and calm at Lake Union Park, which expands over the next two years to 12 acres. The geese (not too many) tended to their goslings. Business people walked and joggers ran along the lakeshore. Children frolicked. A young couple rested on a bench.

Few people dispute the need for additional open space in our fast-growing city. Lake Union Park makes wise use of the lakeshore and provides respite and relief from the urban grind. The view northward from the pedestrian bridge is exquisite — mid-sized buildings, boats, reflections on the lake.

Opening the park is the easy part. Maintaining it so families and individuals feel welcome and safe is more challenging.

The city has hired five full-time and two part-time park rangers who will start work later this month in city parks, including: City Hall Park, Hing Hay Park, Cal Anderson Park, Waterfront Park, Westlake Park, Victor Steinbrueck Park, Occidental Park and Freeway Park. They will stop by Lake Union Park when asked to do so.

The rangers will move about in vehicles and carry radios so they can contact police if park-goers misbehave.

The City Council hired the rangers as a pilot project. If the rangers improve safety and civility in park trouble spots, Mayor Greg Nickels would like more rangers to work at city parks. The city makes an important distinction, for example, between individuals taking a nap on a park bench and those camping on a park bench.

These fine distinctions are the difference between parks that enhance quality of life and parks that are dangerous and unwelcoming and that ultimately become a waste of open space and money.