Neighbors not poised for noise
This is a response to [“Chef wants to clean up park with Pike Place salmon bake,” NWWednesday, May 19]. While I salute Tom Douglas for his civic-mindedness and fine restaurants, his proposal to include loud entertainment is most worrisome. Those of us who live next to Victor Steinbrueck Park have struggled with the Parks Department over noise issues for several years. After several favorable rulings by the city’s Hearing Examiner and the Pike Place Market Historical Commission, the department has been ordered on a trial basis not to introduce amplified sound into the park.
The results have been great. The park remains beautiful and safe, the neighbors are free from intrusive noise and the department has been able to further its objectives with quiet activities instead.
Persistent, loud drumming and chanting would upset this balance. If Douglas wants Native American -themed entertainment, how about Native American arts and crafts or unamplified storytelling?
— John Mason, Neighbors for a Peaceful Park, Seattle
A fishy situation
Tom Douglas’s idea is good, up to a point. But rather than spending the $12 a plate on hiring security to drive the “bad” element out of Victor Steinbrueck Park, why not take a portion of that money to provide services or training in restaurant work for those homeless people who spend their days in that park?
A positive solution might go much further than just driving people from one location to another.
— Elizabeth Sheets, Seattle