West Seattleites got their chance to weigh in on what projects a new $140 million Seattle parks and open space levy may include, should the City Council vote to put one on the ballot this fall.

The meeting was scheduled after several people complained that of the three public meetings planned to gather public input, none were near enough to West Seattle. The other meetings were held last month at City Hall, Northgate and Rainier community centers.

But turnout was sparse at the Alki Community Council, with just about 30 people.

Meeting facilitator and city staffer Ben Noble said newspapers, e-mail and Web sites were used to notify people.

"I know we haven't got the word out as wide as we would have liked," said Noble. "It's never enough ..."

Since the 2000 Pro Parks Levy expires at the end of the year, the council appointed a 28-member citizen's advisory committee comprised of community leaders across the city, who've been working tirelessly since April to meet an end-of the-month deadline to produce a list of specific projects and cost estimates for the council's consideration.

The group is working under a tight deadline and so the council can meet a fall ballot measure filing deadline of August 12.

Chair of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Citizen's Advisory Committee Beth Purcell said the group has reached the "half-way mark" and have been doing a "high level" of work to shape the contents of a new levy. Though the current $198 million parks levy has added 42 acres of green space to the city and paid for 140 projects throughout the city, open space gaps still remain, she said.

"We're not done yet, otherwise we wouldn't be here," Purcell said last week.

Noble said emphasis is being placed on several publicly vetted planning processes, in particular the city's 37 Neighborhood Plans, the Seattle Comprehensive Plan and the 2006 Parks Development Plan.

People gathered into three work groups to discuss and record parks and open space needs in West Seattle and the city as a whole. The results from all four public meetings are supposed to be distributed to the council.

In one corner of the room, Don Harper suggested any new levy include at least a $20 million "opportunity fund," for unforeseen park development and land purchase opportunities. The Pro Parks Levy contained a $10 million such fund.

"Because I think this process you're doing right now is going to leave out so many projects," said Harper, noting there's been little time for neighborhoods to come together and discuss its needs.

"There's going to be a lot of projects left on the table," Harper said.

Installing synthetic field turf at Delridge Playfield, creating restoration jobs and improving existing park property were some suggested projects.

Committee member and West Seattle activist Pete Spalding said developing parks over two soon-to-be lidded reservoirs, Myrtle and Westcrest, should get some funding. A planned skate park was cut out of the development of Myrtle Reservoir Park due to lack of funding, for instance.

"That's a prospect I want to put on the table," Spalding said.

The City Council has directed the committee to only consider projects that have already been vetted and approved through a public review process or recognized in an adopted city plan. Projects must also have reliable cost estimates and be able to be completed within six years, the life of a new levy.

Unlike the 2000 levy, the council will not include any funds for day-to-day operations or maintenance of parks. That should be paid for through the city's general budget, council members have agreed.

A final report is due to the council by June 30, after which the council will hold public hearings and deliberate in July and the first part of August.

Based on an opinion poll released in early April, 67 percent of Seattle residents surveyed favored a continuation of the voter-approved 2000 Pro Parks Levy.

Levies have been a major funding source for capital improvement and acquisition of parks and open space for the last several years. In 2006, levies represented more than two-thirds of all money spent on acquiring and developing land in Seattle.

In 2007, $133 million of levy-generated dollars had been spent on parks. If the levy weren't renewed, that amount would drop dramatically to about $12.6 million by 2013, according to the city.

The current tax rate paid by homeowners under the existing levy would not increase if a $140 million package is included with Mayor Greg Nickels proposed $75 million Pike Place Market improvement levy.

Tuesday, June 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the Lopez Room at Seattle Center, the advisory committee will take public testimony on preliminary proposals being considered for a potential fall 2008 levy ballot.

To see research resources, meeting summaries and other items used in the process visit http://www.seattle.gov/council/issues/parks_levy_info.htm.

Rebekah Schilperoort can be reached at rebekahs@robinsonnews.com.