A new park is being planned for the top of Seattle's highest hill.

For many years, a no-nonsense fence has kept the public away from the Myrtle Street water towers and the ground level, open reservoir along 35th Avenue Southwest. The city intends to place a large cover over the reservoir and its surface will make a new recreation site, explained David Goldberg, a Seattle Parks and Recreation planner who is leading the development of numerous new parks in West Seattle. The existing reservoir holds 7 million gallons of water. It will be replaced with a 5 million-gallon buried reservoir.

The reservoir lid won't be covered with plants because fertilizers cannot be used in proximity to the water supply, Goldberg said. So there won't be many plans for large trees or much landscaping in the development of this new park.

One man advised cutting down some of the existing trees at the site.

A woman at the meeting suggested planting native trees and shrubs that would attract birds and butterflies to the Myrtle Street Reservoir. Another woman recommended the new park be pesticide-free.

Fences will cordon off the water towers as well as a cell phone tower on the property.

This project has a budget of just over $1 million. There is no official name for the park yet.

The most-discussed issue at the planning meeting was skateboarding and whether or not to include "grinding" facilities in the new park. There were more opponents than skateboard proponents at the meeting.

Whether to include any skateboarding facilities drew more opponents than supporters.

Most of the opponents said they are not against skate parks per se, just that the Myrtle Street Reservoir isn't a good place for one.

"A regional skateboarding facility would attract derelict teenagers," said a woman at the meeting.

A better place for skateboarding, some argued, would be the Southwest Recreational Complex because it's already a regional sports center. Others said it makes more sense to install skateboarding equipment at High Point Playfield or Lincoln Park. Those parks have restrooms, a man said.

"I'll feel cheated if they build a skatepark there (Myrtle Street reservoir)," said another woman. There are more young children living in the neighborhood around the reservoir than teens. She'd rather there was space for kids to run around and relax.

Another woman worried about noise from having a skateboard facility in the neighborhood.

"There's no logic to having a skate park there," she said.

"We have too few green spaces," a man said. "Keep it plain."

But another woman told the group she'd recently spent three hours at the Burien skate park, where she found the skateboarders to be much quieter than players at a nearby basketball court.

A man at the meeting said neighborhood children would rather not have to cross busy 35th Avenue to skateboard at High Point Playfield. But someone else countered that kids living east of 35th would have to cross the arterial street to get to the Myrtle Street Reservoir so, either way, kids would have to cross 35th.

Another man urged people to consider having a small skateboarding facility called a "skate dot" at the Myrtle Street Reservoir. He suggested people check out the Helsinki skate park on the Internet to see an example of a nice facility.

Some people urged planners to take advantage of the spectacular views offered from the highest point in Seattle.

"There are so few view sites left," said a man.

Some people suggested building a play structure but added it should be set up far from the traffic of 35th Avenue.

Some people suggested there be a fountain to tie symbolically to the reservoir. Goldberg replied that people recommend installing a fountain in parks "99 percent" of the time. But fountains are expensive to buy and costly to operate, he said, so the parks department shies away from fountains.

One woman warned that a fountain could be a danger to children. Another recommended ponds be installed at the new park.

A woman suggested a more drought-tolerant approach with a "rain garden." That's a shallow depression planted with deep-root native plants that absorb runoff from hard surfaces such as roofs, driveways and sidewalks. Rain gardens slow down runoff and allow the precipitation to naturally seep into the ground.

Since the reservoir site is on a hill, one woman suggested the new park be designed with different levels. Some could serve as gathering places for neighbors to congregate, she said.

Several participants recommended public art be included in the plans. Someone else suggested there be a "sense of history and culture" at the new park.

People want places to sit too, whether it be to visit or have a picnic.

There will be a need for shade in summer at the park, said another.

People were divided over the issue of restrooms. One woman recommended building restrooms if there is to be a children's play area, but others argued against it. But Goldberg said restrooms are expensive and often present their own "security issues."

As always, parking was a concern of some attendees. Some said to be sure to include a parking lot while other people preferred having a park people have to walk to.

There's a need for lighting and security too, others said.

Two more public meetings will be held later this year to update people on design of the new Myrtle Street park.

Tim St. Clair can be contacted at 932-0300 or timstc@robinsonnews.com