Metropolitan King County Council Chair Larry Phillips applauded Executive Sims’ proposed 2006 King County budget for funding park projects in Magnolia, Ballard and Capitol Hill. The projects include funding for the Burke Gilman Trail, Discovery Park and a new park at 12th Avenue in Seattle.

The Burke Gilman Trail project provides $150,000 to purchase a missing link in the Burke Gilman Trail in Ballard south of Market Street between 26th Avenue NW and 28th Avenue NW. Discovery Park will receive $2,700,000 for acquisition 23.9 acres of Navy-owned Capehart Housing property that would otherwise have been developed as private housing. Instead, this funding will help purchase the property for incorporation into Discovery Park and preservation historically-significant buildings. $500,000 will be allocated to help fill a deficit of green space and park land in the 12th Avenue neighborhood of Seattle. The Conservation Future Tax, a tax-payer approved property tax dedicated to preserving open space, will pay for these projects.

“The Burke Gilman Trail and Discovery Park are two of the most-treasured public assets in Seattle,” said Phillips. “Investing in these assets along with a new park in the urban 12th Avenue neighborhood are wise investments of our Conservation Future Tax dollars. Smart management of growth is one of King County government’s core missions, and setting aside green spaces in urban neighborhoods is one of the nuts and bolts of what makes growth management work and keeps our neighborhoods vibrant and livable.”