To the editor:

As part of the plan for Waterfront Park, the city is turning the small basketball area into parking and eliminating the hoop.

I teach middle school classes at Madrona School and we go to the park every day for lunch recess. Basketball is a popular activity and we appreciate having the hoop there. The folks that live in the house next to the court area say they see groups of teens coming to use the hoop on a regular basis.

There is not a single public outdoor hoop available in the greater Winslow area. Who is the Waterfront Park designed for? It seems that our youth were left out of the planning process.

If you think the city should keep (and maybe even improve) the basketball court, please email Doug Schultze at cityadmin@bainbridgewa.gov. He seemed open to the idea of extending the pavement back toward the slope to accommodate the hoop and room to play, but said money was a limiting factor, of course.

When I look at all the concrete that has been added to the park, it seems like the city could pay for a few more square yards to keep available a popular activity that invites our youth to be active outdoors. Must we exchange that benefit for a few parking spaces?

SYKIE TOLES

Bainbridge Island