Seattle council considers community-center cutbacks

The Seattle City Council met Monday to talk about Mayor Mike McGinn's proposed cuts to the parks and recreation department, but the bulk of the discussion centered on one of the more emotionally charged issues: reducing drop-in hours at five community centers.

Alki, Ballard, Green Lake, Queen Anne and Laurelhurst are slated to become "limited-service" community centers, which means programs, including various art and fitness classes, will either be canceled or moved to nearby centers and that hours will be cut.

Right now, the centers offer 46 to 53 drop-in hours per week, when anyone can use the facilities. That's expected to change to 15 to 20 hours per week.

"I know we have to make tough decisions," said Council President Richard Conlin.

But, he added, if it comes at the expense of reducing access to community centers, "I can't help feeling we're making a mistake."

Council staff outlined the cuts during a presentation Monday, yet another step in budget deliberations.

The City Council is expected to adopt the budget before Thanksgiving.

The five centers were chosen because of their proximity to others that could handle the extra visits, according to the mayor's budget proposal.

Child-care and preschool programs are expected to remain at the centers.

Rainier Beach is the only community center that will close; it will reopen after extensive reconstruction. Its programs are expected to move to various locations, such as Rainier Beach High School.

Kieu-Ahn King, staff legislative analyst, told the council it cost the city $10.6 million to operate Seattle's 26 community centers. Last year, the centers generated just over $1 million in revenue — a fraction of their costs, he said.

Typically, each center employs about five full-time workers — which represents 85 percent of its expenses.

Given that, King said, the council needs to ask itself, "How sustainable is the city's operational model for community centers?"

The reduction in drop-in hours, along with adding more fee-based programs, would save $1.5 million, King said.

Some of the more noticeable changes would occur at Green Lake Community Center.

The second floor, home to a toddler room and preschool, will be converted to office space to house 25 employees from the parks department, the Seattle Parks Foundation and the Associated Recreation Council. The preschool and toddler area would move downstairs into the gym.

The employees are being displaced from the Armory Building on South Lake Union, because the Museum of History & Industry will relocate there next year.

"That hurts so bad to even be thinking about doing that," said Christopher Williams, acting superintendent of parks. "It's just gut-wrenching. The best use of a community center is not to use it as an office," but there was nowhere else to put them.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com