SEATTLE — Golden Gardens and Alki Beach in Seattle will operate with shorter hours this summer as the city tests an ongoing pilot program aimed at curbing dangerous behavior.
From May 24 to Sept. 22, the beaches will be open from 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., closing one hour earlier than usual. Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Police Department staff will begin closing the beaches at 10 p.m.
The parks will return to their normal closing time of 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 23.
During the pilot program, the public can provide input, and data will be collected. The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners will meet after the summer to determine the best operating hours.
This is the third year in a row that the parks department has shut down Golden Gardens and Alki Beach earlier in an effort to deter dangerous behavior and crime. In previous years, police have reported violence, illegal fires, noise violations and unpermitted events at the parks.
This season’s announcement comes just five days after a person was shot in a drive-by shooting on Harbor Avenue near Alki Beach.
Fires are allowed at Alki and Golden Gardens in designated fire pits starting May 24. Fires must be put out using water by 10 p.m. and are not allowed if burn bans or air quality alerts are in place. The pits are unlocked between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Propane fires are not allowed.