We recently received an update from Seattle Parks that they are still on schedule to begin work on Gemenskap Park this Spring. Final corrections to the bid documents are in process. When complete, these documents will be sent to City Contracting. It then typically takes 2-4 weeks for review before they can advertise the bid. They are planning for a 4-week advertisement period with plans to hire a contractor and start construction in April. The time between bid opening and actual contracting will fluctuate based on contractor response time and the time it takes for them to prepare bonding and insurance requirements. We’ll continue to provide updates as we learn more. 

The 6th Ave NW safety corridor that had been prioritized for safety improvements next year is now on hold for the foreseeable future — unless you act now!

Who: Anyone who lives, works, or travels near 6th Ave NW and wants their street to be safer
What: Send email to Mike.Obrien@Seattle.gov and/or make a public comment at a meeting of the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board (SBAB)
Where: Seattle Municipal Tower 5th & Cherry Room 3832
When: Wednesday, Feb 1 at 6PM

Talking Points:

• Families and elders already use 6th Ave NW as a quiet, convenient street to walk through the West Woodland neighborhood
• There is lots of fast cut-through traffic on and across 6th Ave NW. With just a small investment, an important neighborhood street will be safe for all ages
• SDOT needs put 6th Ave NW back on the schedule to make it safer for our children and elders
• 6th Ave NW is an important safe routes to school connector for Pacific Crest Elementary, West Woodland Elementary, Greenwood Elementary and St. John’s Elementary

Our community worked hard to get a safer crossing of NW 65th and 6th Ave NW funded through a neighborhood grant. 

Several community walks affirmed that 6th Ave NW was a slow street that families already use now to walk and bike to Pacific Crest Elementary, West Woodland Elementary, Greenwood Elementary and St. John’s Elementary schools.

This Wednesday, February 1 at 6PM is one of your few chances to get this project back on track and scheduled for safety improvements.

The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board (SBAB) meets on Wednesday from 6 to 8PM in Seattle Municipal Tower 5th & Cherry Room 3832. Public comment is first on the agenda and you could leave by 6:30 if you didn’t want to stay for the whole meeting. SBAB will discuss the SDOT work plan this month and also next month March 1st, same location.

If you feel strongly that you’d like to see safety improvements to slow vehicles to 20 MPH on 6th Ave NW and cannot attend either meeting, you can write to your City Councilmember Mike O’Brien — he also chairs the Transportation subcommittee. Mike.OBrien@seattle.gov

NE rain garden at 14th Ave NW and NW 58th, 2009 and today

Because so many of our potential volunteers are planning to attend the Seattle Womxn’s March on Jan 21st, we will be moving this restoration event to April in order to coincide with EBCA’s bi-annual Adopt A Street Cleanup on 14th Ave NW. Stay tuned for the date, but it will most likely be on April 29 from 10AM-2PM.

In 2009, the EBCA wanted to make the crossing at NW 58th and 14th Ave NW safer, more beautiful and better for the environment. The rain gardens on the NE and NW sides of the intersection have been taking stormwater runoff from the street, filtering out the toxins from the water through the plantings, absorbing the water into the ground and sending the excess water into the storm drain. Through the years, the NW rain garden has been thriving, but the NE garden has not. Fast forward almost 8 years and the EBCA is bringing in the talents of Cari Simson fromUrban Systems Design who we partnered with on the 11th Ave NW East Ballard Greenstreet roadside rain gardens in 2015. Cari will be leading a team of volunteers, including you, in fixing up the rain garden. Come join us, rain or shine, and bring your favorite gardening tools. We’ll provide gloves and vests. This will be a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and learn how rain gardens contribute to environmental and habitat health.

What: Rain garden restoration and planting event
Where: NE corner of 14th Ave NW and NW 58th
When: Sunday January 21, 12PM-4PM

Thank-you neighbors for your patience as we took a bit of a sabbatical these past few months from posting on the blog. Lots of fun stuff has been happening in the ‘hood, we’ve just been out having too much fun to post!

At long last, we have come out of hibernation to share some great news about Gemenskap Park (formerly the 14th Ave NW Park). We have been in touch with our Parks Manager who has advised that the Street Improvement Permitting (SIP) for Gemenskap Park has been pre-approved by SDOT! Streescape plans have been approved, but the permit has not been issued yet. Permitting will occur once Seattle Parks gets a Contractor under contract and conducts a preconstruction meeting with SDOT. Public works bidding will occur this winter and if all goes well, ground breaking for the park could begin in the Spring of 2017 with completion Fall 2017! We realize this schedule has kept changing over the past few years, however, it was mostly due to SDOT and Parks hashing out the permitting process. Now that this hurdle has been overcome, we’re encouraged that the latest plans will stay on schedule.

If you’re new to this neighborhood and would like to catch up on the 11 year history of this community-inspired park-in-the-making, check out the Gemenskap Park page on our site. If you’d like to get involved with the park or have East Ballard community project ideas, please contact us at eastballard@gmail.com.

Ballard Corners Park is having a work party this coming Sunday, Aug 21. There will be fun work to do for all ages and abilities to keep this gem of a park beautiful and an admiration of the community!

Please join us for a work party at Ballard Corners Park (17th Ave NW & NW 63rd Street) on Sunday, August 21th from 9am-1pm, rain or shine. 

We’ll be weeding (lots of weeding!) and getting the park in shape for the Seattle Summer Parkways event which takes place the following weekend.  Some tools and refreshments will be provided.  If you have your own gloves and tools please bring them.  Any questions, please contact Gabriella: gabriella@seanet.com.  We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

A new play street along 11th Ave NW between NW 60th and 61st Streets opened up a few Sundays ago to great success. The street will be closed every Sunday from 4PM-8PM through September for kids to play in the street car free and neighbors to come out and get to know each other better, play games and eat good food.

Tonight, we invite you to a potluck along the play street. In addition to meeting your neighbors, also come learn about the latest plans for Gemenskap Park (formerly the 14th Ave NW Park) and learn about how you can get prepared for an earthquake.

Have your heard about Gemenskap Park yet? Grab a pint at Reuben’s Brews Thursday night to learn more!

Groundswell NW invites you to Reuben’s Brews this Thursday July 28 from 3pm-8pm. For each pint you purchase, Reuben’s will donate $1 to support Groundswell NW’s mission to empower NW Seattle to create, activate and care for parks, open space and habitat.

Learn about the latest neighborhood parks and open space projects, including Gemenskap park (formerly 14th Ave NW Park). Pitch your green space idea for a $500 micro grant, and learn how you can support local wildlife by creating your own backyard habitat.

All are welcome, including kids and well-behaved dogs on leashes. The first 25 people who pledge to create a backyard habitat will get a FREE BUTTERFLY HEROES KIT!

What:  Raise a pint for Groundswell NW
When: Thursday, July 28 3PM-8PM
Where: Reuben’s Brews 5010 14th Ave NW

Help make Summer Parkways amazing!

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

VOLUNTEER FOR RAINIER VALLEY SUMMER PARKWAYS – AUG. 13

VOLUNTEER FOR BALLARD SUMMER PARKWAYS – AUG. 27

VOLUNTEER FOR WEST SEATTLE SUMMER PARKWAYS – SEP. 25

There will be activities, games, lessons and heck of other free cool things to do and see!

• FREE BIKE RAFFLES
• FOOD TRUCKS
• FENCING
• DOG TREATS
• DISASTER RELIEF TRIALS
• DANCING
• LIVE MUSIC
• BOOKS ON BIKES
• BIKE RODEOS
• SCAVENGER HUNTS
• ZUMBA
• GIANT CHESS
• ICE CREAM
• BIKEMOBILES
• PARADES
• AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

Check out the routes and events by neighborhood by clicking the Route Maps below!

Rainier Valley- August 13, 2016 – 12:30pm to 4:30pm

If you use the Burke Gilman Trail and want to safely get from the Fred Meyer to the Locks or Golden Gardens, then get informed and provide comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement before August 1st. You can learn more by reading the document at the City’s website, attending an open house scheduled for this Thursday and Saturday (see details below) and if you’re in need of a visual to see the options, check out this very well done short video published by Haley Woods.

NEWS RELEASE
June 16, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:  Norm Mah, Senior Public Relations Specialist, 206.684.8114

Burke-Gilman Trail “Missing Link” Draft Environmental Impact Statement Now Available
SDOT to hold two public hearings in July to provide opportunities to comment on Draft EIS

SEATTLE – The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has completed the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Burke-Gilman Trail Extension Project (Missing Link) and has made the document available for public comment. The DEIS evaluates four alternatives for connecting two existing portions of the Burke-Gilman Trail between the intersection of NW 45th Street and 11th Avenue NW, and the Ballard Locks.

SDOT will hold two public hearings to provide information about the DEIS and to solicit public comments. The public hearings will be held at Leif Erikson Hall, 2245 NW 57th Street on:

• Thursday, July 14, 6 – 9 p.m. – Presentation at 6:15 p.m.; public comments: 7 – 9 p.m.

• Saturday, July 16, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Presentation at 10:15 a.m.; public comments: 11a.m. – 1 p.m.

The DEIS and information about how to provide comments can be found on the project website at: www.seattle.gov/transportation/BGT_Ballard.htm. Hardcopies of the report are available for viewing at a number of Seattle Public Libraries, including the Central Library (downtown), and the Ballard, Fremont, Greenwood, Magnolia, Queen Anne and University branches. Comments on the DEIS will be accepted until midnight on August 1, 2016.

The Burke-Gilman Trail (BGT) is one of the most heavily used pedestrian and bicycling routes in Seattle and connects multiple neighborhoods and other city and regional trails. It serves as a major transportation and recreation corridor for people walking, jogging and biking.

The Burke-Gilman Trail Extension (Missing Link) Project would connect two existing portions of the Burke-Gilman Trail through the Ballard neighborhood to complete the regional facility that otherwise runs continuously from Bothell to Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park. SDOT proposes to connect these two segments of the BGT with a marked, dedicated route.

Norm Mah
Senior Public Relations Specialist
City of Seattle Department of Transportation
norm.mah@seattle.gov
O: 206.684.8114 | M: 206.255.9389

What:  FREE BIKE: ten days of summer bike fun and a July 3 block party in Ballard
When: Festival, July 1-10. FREE BIKE Party and Pedaler’s Fair, July 3.
Where: The festival will be all over the Seattle area. The FREE BIKE Party is on NW 49th Street at 17th Ave NW
Cost: Free!
Who: People of all ages who want to celebrate biking and local bike businesses

FREE BIKE Party is the biggest highlight of the ten-day FREE BIKE festival. It’s an all-day street party in Ballard with:

• Pedaler’s Fair: Local Makers of Bike Products (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
• Flatbike: A Bike Art Poster Show (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
• Ballard Brewery Festival (1-9 p.m.)
• Food truck pod
• Live music (5-9 p.m.)