Thank-you Blowing Sands for collecting and Chris Hemminger for tallying up those Ballard Market receipts for the EBCA and for these fun little updates you provide us with every so often!
Category Archives: General Discussion
Call for Ballard Tool Library Volunteers
Sustainable Ballard is looking to connect members of the greater Ballard community with the tools they need and the know-how to create projects. The Ballard Tool Library will be a wonderful resource for our community – little or no cost tool rentals and members looking to share knowledge with one another. ”Tool” can be broadly defined. Some ideas that have been kicked around include: wood working tools, gardening tools, sewing machines/sergers, masonry tools, marine tools, brewing equipment, canning supplies, recreational gear…the sky is the limit. Besides tool rentals, we could have a community workspace, classes, job training – and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and resources in so many other ways.
So what will the Ballard Tool Library end up looking like? That’s up to you: the volunteers.
Volunteers might…
- Attend monthly planning meetings
- Design a floor plan
- Work on the Ballard Tool Library Space (building shelving, etc.)
- Reach out to the Ballard community
- Apply for grants
- Work as a Project Facilitator at the library
Sustainable Ballard is looking for volunteers to help out with the Ballard Tool Library now! Volunteers can commit to as little as a couple hours a month. We’d love to have people help out as much as they can, but recognize that not everyone has a lot of time available. We already have a lead on a space and we could ramp this project up quickly if the pieces fall into place. If we could start with just 10 volunteers, we would be in a great position as the Ballard Tool Library turns from concept into reality.
Please reach out to Dan McKeon if you are interested in helping create the Ballard Tool Library or have any questions: dan@sustainableballard.org
Deadline approaches to apply for funds to support your neighborhood project
If your group needs funds to do a neighborhood project, the city’s Neighborhood Matching Fund may be able to help. But you’ll need to be quick because the application deadline for the Small and Simple Projects Fund is Monday, June 1 at 5:00 p.m. This fund provides matching awards of up to $25,000 to neighborhood groups and community organizations for community-building projects.
To learn about the Small and Simple Projects Fund, there is one more workshop scheduled for Thursday, May 14 at Northgate Community Center from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. The workshop will provide an overview of the Neighborhood Matching Fund, the qualities of a good project, and the application process and requirements. To RSVP call 206-733-9916 or go online at surveymonkey.com/s/NMFWorkshop.
There will be another opportunity to apply to the Small and Simple Projects Fund this October.
Neighborhood Matching Fund staff are available to advise groups on ways to develop successful applications and projects. You are strongly encouraged to call 206.233.0093 or email NMFund@seattle.gov to discuss your project idea with one of our project managers.
A program of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) has three funding programs that award matching funds for projects initiated, planned, and implemented by community members. Its goal is to build stronger and more vibrant neighborhoods through community involvement and engagement. Every award is matched by a neighborhood’s contribution of volunteer labor, donated materials, in-kind professional services, or cash.
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods provides programs and services that engage residents in civic participation, foster stronger communities, make government more accessible, and preserve and enhance the character of Seattle’s neighborhoods.
Recent UW study shows a low stopping compliance at NW 58th and 14th Ave NW crosswalk
The EBCA recently invited UW students Qiren Lu & Ranju Uezono to include the crosswalk at 14th Ave NW and NW 58th St as 1 of their 4 studied intersections in Seattle School Walk Zones to see if drivers stopped for people crossing at crosswalks.
These students’ findings at this intersection were alarming with only a 15% motorist compliance rate, which means that only about 1 out of 7 people driving cars fully stop for people walking during school arrival & departure hours at this intersection!
Although this study is just a snapshot of stopping behavior at this intersection, it’s a very good reminder for those of you who drive cars and ride bikes to comply with Washington state law which states that,
“the operator of an approaching vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian or bicycle to cross the roadway within an unmarked or marked crosswalk when the pedestrian or bicycle is upon or within one lane of the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning.”
Read the Seattle Greenways article here.
Read the full report here.
Have you tried the City’s “Find It, Fix It” app yet?
City of Seattle’s “Find It, Fix It” smartphone app takes advantage of technology available on mobile devices, including geographic awareness, to citizens a convenient way to alert the City to issues such as graffiti, potholes and streetlight outages, while providing location information that helps City staff respond.
The app, which can be downloaded to any iPhone or Android phone, offers the following service request categories:
- Abandoned Vehicles: report vehicles parked in a public right-of-way more than three days.
- Graffiti: report graffiti, including what it is on – parking meter, utility pole or building – so it gets automatically routed to the appropriate department for response.
- Illegal Dumping: report illegal dumping in a specific location.
- Parking Enforcement: make an inquiry regarding a parking concern.
- Pothole: report a pothole.
- Streetlight Report: report a specific outage.
- Other Inquiry: this miscellaneous category is for making an inquiry or request, which will be processed by the City’s Customer Service Bureau. Mobile users should choose this category to provide feedback.
Android users can download the app from the Google Play Store and iPhone users can download it from iTunes.
The app also provides a link to http://m.seattle.gov, the mobile version of the City of Seattle’s website. Windows phone users can use this link to view the City’s full website and “request a City service” under the “Need Help” section near the bottom of the home page.
In addition to the app, you can report issues and request information:
- In person at the Customer Service Bureau located in the City Hall lobby, the Customer Service Center in the Seattle Municipal Tower lobby and any of six Neighborhood Service Centers;
- Over the phone by calling the Customer Service Bureau at 206-684-2489 (CITY); and
- At the City’s website at http://www.seattle.gov.
All requests submitted must specify a location within Seattle city limits in order to complete processing. If the location is outside the city limits, a message will display to the user and the request will close automatically.
For help with Find It, Fix It and City services in general, please contact the Customer Service Bureau at 206-684-2489 (CITY).
Apply for a Small Sparks Grant for your next spring clean event
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4 Ballard Neighborhood Park and Street Fund Project applications move to the next step
Seeking a safer crossing at 11th and Market
In a previous post we encouraged you to show up at the Ballard District Council meeting this week to show support for 3 East Ballard street improvement projects that were submitted. There were over 12 applications submitted for Ballard/Crown Hill. The Ballard District Council review committee narrowed the list down to 6 for the Ballard District Council to review and vote. Thank-you to the review committee for taking the time to visit each proposed site and making the tough decisions. Thank-you to our neighbors who, instead of just complaining about a problem in the community, took action by submitting very thoughtful applications.
In the end, 4 applications were selected by the Ballard District Council to go to SDOT for cost evaluation. Note that 2 of these projects are from East Ballard!
- A crosswalk at NW 85th between 10th and 11th Ave NW
- Converting existing right of way at 17th Ave NW and Dock St along the next Ballard Greenway
- Improved crossing of 8th Ave NW south of Market St
- Improved crossing at Market St and 11th Ave NW
SDOT will report back to the Ballard District Council and based on the amount of funds available, the Council will vote again on which projects to recommend for implementation. Thank-you to all who attended this weeks Council meeting to show support for your project. We’ll continue to keep you posted!
A sneak peek at designs for the 11th Ave NW Shoreline Street End Project
Bird’s eye view
If you attended the 11th Ave NW shoreline street end project open house in January, then you’ll remember an energy-filled evening at the Ballard Library. During this evening, talented and enthusiastic UW students from Professor Daniel Winterbottom’s Landscape Architecture Design/Build class presented their design ideas to transform the 11th Ave NW shoreline street end into an inviting public space.
After the open house, Professor Winterbottom’s students returned to the classroom with your feedback and collaborated with Seattle Dept of Transportation’s Jennifer Wieland and Shannon Glass to develop a “final” design for the 11th Ave NW Shoreline Street End and Viewing Deck that will now advance through City’s permitting process.
Shoreline view
You’ll see that the “final” design blends aspects of many of the preliminary designs, including a maypole, a meandering pathway, a swing, and a deck with seating at the water’s edge. The design also includes a new fire access point for the adjacent property to the west and accounts for the turning radius needed by the business to the east. The design also incorporates bike parking, an ADA-accessible parking stall, and a wide variety of native plantings.
You can access the siteline drawings via DPD’s website by entering 3018782 in the Search by Number field. If you sort by Capture Date, you’ll find a posting from 2/19/15 called “Plan Set: Plan SetV3.” These are technical drawings rather than renderings.
The EBCA also has also been in touch with Professor Winterbottom’s class to receive site illustrations, a couple of which we’ve provided in this post, that will help you really visualize what this space will look like.
You are also invited to an event on March 13 to view the final designs and attend a panel discussion on design education, its form, experimentation, opportunities and constraints, and a student’s perspective.
11th Ave NW Shoreline Street End Presentation and Panel Discussion
Friday, March 13th 12-1:30pm
UW Campus, Gould 110
A Poster for this event is here.
Once permitting is complete, the students will be ready to build and we’ll be asking you, our neighbors, to come out and help with the build and help us steward this little slice of public open space for us all to enjoy.
If you’d like to learn more about this project, please contact SDOT’s Shannon Glass (shannon.glass@seattle.gov or 206-375-1181).
“Where do you go in Central Ballard?” Take a survey to provide your input
The Ballard Partnership for Smart Growth and the Seattle Department of Transportation’s (SDOT) Public Space Program are working together on a feasibility study that will identify the preferred location and design of a clean, safe, and accessible permanent public restroom in Central Ballard.
To participate in a survey about the public restroom study and learn more visit: http://ballardchamber.com/bpsg.
Provide your input on shoreline street end improvements for 11th Ave NW
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is improving public access and shoreline habitat at 11th Avenue NW as part of SDOT’s Shoreline Street Ends Program. This program aims to enhance public access to shorelines at over 140 locations where Seattle streets end at the water.
Improvements at 11th Ave NW will be designed and constructed by graduate and undergraduate students in the University of Washington’s landscape architecture “Design/Build” program. Shoreline access improvements at this street end will focus on increasing views of the Ship Canal and enhancing public access to the water.
GET INVOLVED!
SDOT will be hosting an open house
Where: Ballard Public Library, 5614 22nd Avenue NW
When: Monday, January 26th from 6 PM – 7:30 PM.
Please join to provide feedback on the designs and communicate what you’d like to see at the site.
Construction at this site will begin at the end of March, 2015. For more information about the shoreline street ends program please visit: www.seattle.gov/transportation/stuse_stends.htm.
To learn more about UW’s Design-Build program please visit:
http://larchwp.be.washington.edu/features/designbuild/