The first attempt at the Lincoln Park swimming pool. When it opened in 1925, it was just a big dirt hole lined with rocks and filled with Puget Sound saltwater. Its since been improved.
  • Seattle Municipal Archives
  • An early attempt at the Lincoln Park swimming pool. (Click to enlarge.) When it opened in 1925, it was just a big dirt hole lined with rocks and filled with Puget Sound saltwater. It's since been improved.

As Anna Minard warned back in June, you're going to be voting soon on a new way to fund Seattle's parks. Like, August 5th soon, because this parks funding business—known as City of Seattle Proposition No. 1—is going to be decided in the August primary.

For the few people following it closely, it's a controversial idea with doomsday scenarios on all sides. (The "for" side says our parks will continue to decline, especially in underserved neighborhoods, without this more stable mechanism for securing needed property tax revenue. The "against" side says this new funding mechanism involves a scary, un-dissolvable board that could do all manner of sneaky things if it's voted into existence.) The Stranger Election Control board, which releases its endorsements this Wednesday, knows how it will be voting. We'll tell you soon. Meantime: How will you be voting?

Here's the ballot language (read Anna's story for the English translation).

The City of Seattle Proposition 1 concerns formation of the Seattle Park District, a metropolitan park district.

This proposition would create a metropolitan park district under Chapter 35.61 RCW, called the Seattle Park District, to fund, maintain, operate and improve parks, community centers, pools, and other recreation facilities and programs. Its boundaries would be the City of Seattle’s boundaries and its board would comprise the Seattle City Councilmembers. The District could levy property taxes, currently limited to 75¢ per $1,000 of valuation; and could contract with the City to perform certain functions