If you’re reading this column late at night (or, potentially really early in the morning), there’s a chance you’re hearing loud music cascade up the hill from Magnuson Park.

You are not alone. In fact, the View Ridge Community Council (VRCC) recently has been inundated with emails and comments from community members who are irate and feeling a little helpless.

Rest assured, your VRCC leadership team is on the case. We’ve reached out to our city councilmember Maritza Rivera as well as our state representative Darya Farivar to let them know what’s going on. We’ve also contacted the Seattle Police Department (SPD) North Precinct Command and the Parks Department.

We need your help, however. SPD and other agencies prioritize their efforts and responses based on hard data. So, if you’re hearing music but not registering your complaints with the authorities, they won’t prioritize the issue relative to others where they have better data. While the VRCC is making every effort to raise awareness, nothing is as powerful as dozens of citizens contacting SPD. Call 911 to report.

Part of the challenge with Magnuson Park in particular, is that there are several entities that are responsible for different parts of the park: the Parks Department controls a good deal including Building 30 where a lot of big events occur. Solid Ground and Mercy Housing control the residential buildings and University of Washington controls a limited area as well.

Why don’t they just lock the gates? Well, this time of year boaters arrive as early as 4:00 am for fishing, and the Park doesn’t have the resources to lock the gates at 11:30 pm and then come back at 4 am.

 

From our District 4 City Councilmember, Maritza Rivera,

“I am relieved to report that after working with the mayor’s office, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and SPD, starting tonight, 8/9/24, SPR will lock the gates to the boat launch at the posted closing time of 11:30pm.

I know this has been difficult for many of Magnuson Park’s neighbors and I appreciate your patience. Please know I have been as frustrated and concerned as you and have been working on this since I first heard about the issue.

I hope that closing the gates will resolve the disturbances and finally allow neighbors some needed peace and quiet.”

In order to have an impact, we need to help the authorities. We need to share dates and times and specific locales within the park. Are these teens having keggers? If so, where do they gather? Are any of the excessive noise occasions from park permitted activities? If you are hearing noise, please make note of when, where, what time and (if possible) what part of the park its coming from, and send that info to the people below:

Call 911 to report Mayor Bruce Harrell: 206-798-4755 or Barbara.jarrett@seattle.gov

Parks Department: Anthony-Paul Diaz. Ap.diaz@seattle.gov

Councilmember Rivera: Martiza.Rivera@seattle.gov