Sister City
Association
Seattle-Nantes
Beautifying Nantes Park
In 2006, the Alki Substation was inaugurated as Nantes Park. Over the years, the Association maintained the Park through regular community weeding events.
Beginning in 2020, to commemorate 40 years of friendship between Seattle and Nantes, SNSCA launched the Nantes Park Beautification Project, which will feature a paved park walkway, art installations that connect Seattle's Nantes Park and the Jardin des Plantes in Nantes, and student-submitted art tiles along the seat wall. The project will transform Nantes Park from a small, rarely used pocket park into something that is fun, kid-friendly, and reflective of the sister city relationship with Nantes.
SNSCA thanks the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Parks and Recreation, the West Seattle Garden Tour, the City of Nantes, and the Admiral Neighborhood Association for their support in launching this exciting endeavor.
The beautification project will conclude in Spring 2022 with the welcoming of the Nantes delegation for the 42nd (delayed 40th) anniversary celebration, originally scheduled for October 2020.
Connecting to Nantes through Shared Art
Inspired by the idea of increasing the park's connection to Nantes, the Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association is thrilled to work with Claude Ponti, beloved and prolific French children's author and illustrator. His influence has gone beyond literature and to museums and public spaces in Nantes and internationally, notably with his exhibits at the Jardin des Plantes and the Parc de Beaujoire in Nantes.
Five community reviews were held January-March 2021 to solicit feedback and we posted our survey on the West Seattle Blog, the SNSCA website, and the SPR website. We received 93 responses. Thanks for your input! Based on the votes, comments, SPR requirements, and budget, we presented our final plans to SPR for approval on 8/11/2021. Then the cement truck driver strike happened as we were getting bids from contractors. As of March 2022, we are moving ahead with installation of the tiles and Ponti sculpture in time for a celebration with our friends from Nantes on April 10. The walkway with Ponti creature footprints will be completed when we can get the cement.
Ponti's Les Totémimiques at the Jardin des Plantes in Nantes
Ponti's fantastical creatures will leave their footprints in the wet cement of our walkway.
Student Tile Project
Nearly a decade ago, former Seattle-Nantes President Tom Bennett wanted to beautify Nantes Park by having students design tiles to be placed along the sitting wall. This idea is finally being realized. Middle school and high school students from both the Académie de Nantes and Seattle are submitting tile designs that exemplify the connection between the two cities as they celebrate 40 years of friendship. The tile installation was completed in April 2022.
