Seattle cleaning up Westlake Park with toys, food trucks

Now, in Seattle’s Westlake Park, you’ll find ping pong tables, outdoor chess, a kids’ reading room, and food trucks.

It’s all an effort to help attract families and push out crime.

“What we do in this neighborhood affects what happens in North Seattle when people are ripping off iPads or they’re ripping off cell phones in Capitol Hill,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray.

The city is spending $60,000 on the pilot project. The Downtown Seattle Association contributed another $650,000.

Association president Jon Scholes said Seattle has evolved, but Westlake Park has stayed the same.

“This agreement is about changing that and creating a space for all of us to use … the new residents, the visitors, the folks working downtown, the folks coming here from overseas that land at Sea-Tac and that get off the train just across the street,” Scholes said.

Murray said it’s not about pushing homeless people out.

“But one of the things we aren’t going to put up with is criminal behavior in our park,” he added.

Occidental Park in Pioneer Square is next to get a makeover.