An Official Love Note to Quinn Proffitt
How it came to be
BY STACI ADMAN
Late one afternoon in January of 2017 I was walking through Wallace Swamp Creek Park when I passed a sight that continued to nag at me as I kept going on my errand. A very large cottonwood tree had recently fallen across this path through the park during a winter storm, and the city had to cut away a large length of the downed tree to open up the path to 43pedestrians again. The removed sections sat off to the side of the path and included a log about 4 feet in diameter and maybe 10 feet long. On my walk this afternoon I had passed by as a couple of men were just finishing cutting that huge log in half horizontally/lengthwise with chainsaws.
I was kind of surprised that the city would be doing anything with that log, but maybe there was a creative salvage plan. These two didn’t appear to be Public Works employees, but perhaps they were contracted to do this work? I regretted not asking them. Curiosity got the best of me and I called City Hall to see what the plan for the log was, only to discover that this work wasn’t being done by the city and was illegal activity by an unknown party. Unfortunately, when people from the city arrived to talk with these men, they were gone.
But fortunately Quinn Proffitt, now the City of Kenmore’s Parks Lead Maintenance Worker, had a clever idea for how to deal with this new situation with the cut log. Quinn used his creative chainsaw-wielding skills to turn the now top half of the log into the back and armrests of a bench. Soon after when someone, presumably the people who had illegally cut the log in half in the first place, came back and pulled the top off of the bench using tow straps and a vehicle, Quinn lined up the use of a forklift to raise it back into place, this time securing it so that couldn’t be done again.
So thanks to Quinn we have this big bench to enjoy in Wallace Swamp Creek Park, made from natural materials which over time will slowly rot and return to the earth of the wetland where it grew.
A small thank you to Quinn Proffitt
BY SHERI BAKER, PRESIDENT, KENMORE WATERFRONT ACTIVITIES CENTER
As a frequent user of Squire’s Landing Park over the last five years, I have had many occasions to reach out to Quinn regarding many different issues. Quinn has the most friendly and personable demeanor and is always willing to assist or take on a project to benefit the park.
The Kenmore Waterfront Activities Center and its five hand- powered water sport clubs call Squire’s Landing home and the attentiveness of Quinn is key to making the park a safe and inviting place to operate out of. He has on numerous occasions removed logs and debris, which have gotten hung up on the dock. He has assisted getting security in the park working to deter those who have no respect for others’ property. These are just two of the many tasks Quinn is a part of.
Quinn and his crew are among the best staff the City of Kenmore has and I’m so fortunate to be able to call on his expertise and passion in order to make things right.
Kenmore is lucky to have Quinn’s big heart
BY TRACY BANASZYNSKI
I had the idea, in October 2019, to start a community-led habitat restoration project in Kenmore. I was inspired by the REI call to opt-outside as an alternative to packing retail stores starting in the early hours of dawn on Black Friday in order to snag all manner of consumer products at reduced prices. All the opt- outside events I could find were in Seattle and beyond, and although my family routinely ranges far and wide for our outdoor adventures, including volunteer stewardship, I wanted to cultivate something closer to home.
I reached out to a handful of people and was led to Quinn Proffitt, the City of Kenmore Parks Lead Maintenance Worker. I sent him an email with the proposal for a habitat restoration project powered by volunteer work parties to clear invasive species from a public park in Kenmore. I was delighted that Quinn reached back so quickly and with such enthusiasm and heart for my idea. We schemed together about a work site and scope of work at Wallace Swamp Creek Park for the inaugural work party, which was held on Friday, November 29, 2019.
When I conceived of the project, I knew I was committed for the long term. Invasive species like Himalayan blackberry canes won’t be eradicated by one session of trimming them to the ground. They are a tenacious species, and eliminating them to make way for native plantings requires an equal or greater amount of tenacity and persistence, so that first work party really was just the beginning.
I had the pleasure of meeting monthly with Quinn on site to evaluate the work our community had accomplished during the previous work party and to determine the scope of work for the next. During those meetings, Quinn shared his past work experiences and what drew him to his job in Kenmore. I could tell how passionate he was about being a good steward of the natural environment and how committed he was to his job in Kenmore, a job he had intentionally moved into after his last job didn’t quite fit his passions and desire to be in community while doing his work. The good cheer with which he serves our community— reflected in his stories— was reinforced by his interactions with those who arrived at the park while we were there. We stood together in the field and talked about the project, environment and climate, family, and whatever else came up. A car would park. A human would get out, usually with a dog, and Quinn would greet that person with a huge smile, sometimes by name, and a heartfelt exchange about the goings on of the day would ensue. Quinn does not simply go through the motions for us. Quinn is all in with us, and we are so lucky to have him working for and with us in Kenmore.
The community-led habitat restoration project at Wallace Swamp Creek Park hit the hiccup of the pandemic, but still we carry on as best we can as safely as we can. We had a six month hiatus, and Quinn was instrumental is getting us back off the ground earlier this fall. He was immediately responsive to my request to meet to get us on a new, pandemic cautious track, and he has continued to be an instrumental co-conspirator in the city by helping with scope of work, retrieving debris after work parties, and coordinating chip drops so we can keep spreading mulch over cardboard to suppress Himalayan blackberry cane growth in areas we’ve trimmed canes and dug out root balls. The community couldn’t do this work without his help and support.
I know that Quinn has a wide range of responsibilities in the city and that much of this work goes unnoticed, simply because maintenance work is often only noticed when it doesn’t go well. And Quinn does it so well.
Quinn, we notice the work you do for us. We appreciate your passion and commitment to us. We hope you will see the dedication of the bench that you made for us in Wallace Swamp Creek Park as a small token representing a much larger gratitude and appreciation for you and the heart you bring to Kenmore. We are so thankful for you and hope you will make Kenmore your work-home for a very long time to come.
