Attendees: Charlie, Fred, Dawn, two Ellens, Shannon, Andrew, Steph
Several grant applications are in the works:
1) Charlie is working on a Neighborhood Street and Parks Fund grant for crosswalks at the two bus stops along 8th Ave NW south of Market. He got input and advice from the group about how to approach his request. Steph offered to review his drafts and help with networking. If there’s a way to do so, the EBCA will submit a letter of support.
2) EllenB – Some parents at Pacific Crest school want to address traffic and safety issues around the school, especially east-west traffic across 6th Ave NW at the intersections of Bright Street and 45th. It’s a complicated little area with the school and a mix of residential, restaurants and light industry and the proximity to Leary. The children walk around the neighborhood to get to Ross Park and other places. There are congestion issues at drop-off and pick-up times. The goal is to make the neighborhood safer for everyone. They are applying for Neighborhood Street and Parks Funds for some traffic calming fixes and a Small and Simple grant for educating the parents at the school about traffic safety and encouraging other modes of transportation. The group will ask local businesses for their input. Ellen (one of the Pacific Crest parents) asked EBCA for a support letter. The group is supportive of the project(s), but not sure when or how a support letter can be submitted. Ellen is also working closely with SDOT and Cathy Tuttle at Seattle Greenways.
3) Crossing Market at 11th Ave NW. A request was submitted last year and received positively by SDOT, but SDOT’s proposed response was inadequate to the need. The EBCA will resubmit this year for Neighborhood Street and Parks funds. EllenK Kissman will be the name on the submission. Ellen and Andrew will work together on it based on last year’s submission.
4) On hold for now: Consider applying for fund to address the block between 58th & 59th along 14th Ave NW to connect the park and the 58th St. Greenway. This might already be in the Park budget.
5) 11th Ave NW street end update from Shannon: SDOT, without asking anyone in the community, brought a UW Landscape Architecture Design Build class in to work on the 11th Ave NW shoreline street end. The class is working this year to design and build out the space as a public open space. While we were a little puzzled by the site selection process (or lack thereof) and disappointed that they didn’t choose 14th, the EBCA will support this effort in any way we can. It does begin to create a pedestrian corridor along 11th with Gilman Park and helps bolster our case to fix the crossing at Market & 11th. The class is sponsoring an OPEN HOUSE for the project on JANUARY 26, 6:00-7:30 at the Ballard Library. Members of EBCA are encouraged to attend and show support.
6) 14th Ave NW park: Shannon agreed to be persistent in checking in with Patrick (Parks Project manager for the park) to get current information on the permitting process and design.
7) Greg’s P-patch: The focus is on improving the intersection of 14th NW and NW 54th: work with Vaupell to get its employees smoking somewhere else, and reclaiming the median. The group discussed moving several of the planters currently on 14th north of Market to median locations south of Market to help with improving the area around the P-Patch. All present were amenable. The P-Patch folks need to come up with an acceptable placement plan and then we need to figure out what’s a good time to make the move.
UPDATES:
Ballard greenways: 17th Ave NW from 90th to Dock St/Leary Way is to become Greenway. This creates opportunities for improving the pedestrian and bike environment at the intersections at Dock & Leary. Groundswell NW is working on this project as well.
Groundswell NW’s Ballard Open Space plan is wrapping up in April and are planning an interactive community activity at their annual meeting to share the results to the public, gather input on recommended spaces to advocate for and encourage community participation and stewardship. Among many other things, they are looking at a better use for the SDOT-owned triangle of land (currently just grass) where Market curves west at the bottom of the hill on 3rd Ave NW.
EBCA & Seattle Greenspaces Coalition: Seattle Greenspaces Coalition is working citywide to create a policy of “right of first refusal” for communities to determine the highest and best use of excess and surplus City property. The old substation lot on 65th just west of 14th is one such property. A future project for EBCA. There may be ways we can support their effort, e.g., circulating a petition, identifying stewardship groups. Shannon will keep us posted.
NEXT MEETING: 2/18, 7:30 contact eastballard@gmail.com for location