LCC Board Support of Steve Shulman Memorial

Several neighbors raised concerns to board members of the Leschi Community Council (LCC) about its stated support for a picnic shelter to be built in Leschi Park in honor of Steve Shulman.

We, the board, want to clarify the LCC’s role in supporting a memorial and the position the board has taken.

1. The board is in unanimous support of creating a memorial to honor Steve Shulman.

2. Until recently, there was one concrete proposal that was put forward for the memorial, which was a picnic shelter. John Barber, as the Leschi Community Council’s Chair of the Parks Committee, has been working as a liaison between the community, the Parks Department, and the Friends of Steve Shulman to facilitate the exploration of this project. As such, we have in several board meetings referred to the memorial as the “picnic shelter” and discussed how to establish one. The board and council meeting minutes reflect this. This has understandably led to the impression that the board endorses a picnic shelter. The board has NOT voted and has not formally endorsed a proposal.

3. The board’s and the committee chair’s role are to help facilitate community engagement. At a later date, the community engagement process may lead to a vote by the Leschi Community Council (not the board) on which memorial proposal to support. All dues-paying members are eligible to vote when that time comes. The Seattle Parks Department, when evaluating the proposal, may consider the council’s vote.

4. The board and the LCC’s Parks Committee plan to continue the community engagement efforts. If you feel have an idea on how to memorialize Steve Shulman, please share your idea in writing to the council at leschicouncil@gmail.com. We are here to help and to share your proposal with the community. Please keep in mind that any idea will ultimately need the support of Yousef Shulman, the Friends of Steve Shulman, and Leschi community members. In a most recent effort, information and ideas gathered from the park walk-through on April 16 will be used as a starting point to develop a forward action plan to refine the memorial concepts and work toward a vote by the LCC Council that is discussed in point #3 above.

5. We will continue to provide updates on our efforts to engage the community in creating a memorial for Steve Shulman in the Leschi News, in community council meetings, and through our email communications. We encourage you to sign up for our email communications by sending an email to leschicouncil@gmail.com.

~Your Leschi Community Council Board