Time for another levy to improve Seattle parks?

San Francisco voters yesterday passed a $185 million green spaces levy, aimed at restoring decrepit parks, adding a few new ones, and sprucing up recreation centers. Opponents grumbled about how the money would be spent, but did not campaign against Proposition A, which passed with 71 percent approval.

Why am I telling you this? Because it may be a harbinger of such a levy in Seattle, as soon as this year. If so, it would represent a victory for the City Council over Mayor Greg Nickels.

The new council president, Richard Conlin, is interested in expanding the Mayor's plans for a "legacy levy," involving Seattle Center and the Pike Place Market, by creating a wider, "green legacy levy" next November that would scale back Market and Center requests (about $80 million and $150 million respectively) and add money for parks and community centers.

The city's $198.2 million Pro-Parks levy, which provided money for new parks, fixing older parks, and maintenence, expires this year. At first it looked like the new Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher was going to have to lay off dozens of Parks workers whose salaries came from the levy, which passed in 2000, but the recent flush budget times extended most of those jobs, while turning off the spigot for capital improvements. Meanwhile, neighborhood and parks advocates have been pushing for a new levy and finding receptive ears at the council. Some open space advocates think the City could find the money to repair the super-popular Market from existing funds, instead of passing a levy.

Mayor Nickels has preferred to make existing parks work better, a laudable goal. The new superintendent meanwhile has the job of defusing all the political warfare over parks issues, including the racially charged new controversy over the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, run by Parks. Gallagher is also working on a strategic action plan, a draft of which will go public this spring, and conducting several national searches for top directors in the department. The city is also putting more emphasis on revitalizing largely deserted center city parks, adding programming, marketing, and major maintenance efforts to them.

As for Seattle Center, planning for its 2008 levy has gone underground, as usual with the close-to-the-vest Nickels administration. One further reason for secrecy is that money to remodel Key Arena, assuming the Sonics' departure, might come from a state package that includes money for Husky Stadium, a new roof for Safeco Field, and King County arts funding.

Mere mention of Husky Stadium, hanging by a thread in Olympia, is enough reason for the City to be mum. But don't be surprised if part of the answer to funding a fix-up at Seattle Center lies with the expiring visitor taxes now supporting the two stadiums and once thought to be dedicated to keeping the Sonics.