When: Wednesday, June 14, 2000
7:30 p.m.
Where: Montlake Community Center
1618 Calhoun Street
7:30: Introductory remarks, approval of
minutes, and old business.
7:45 City Council Update: Jim Compton.
9:00 New Business.
9:15 Adjournment.
Search for New, Larger Montlake
Library Space: Community meeting scheduled June 20 at Montlake Elementary
The search is on for a
site to build Seattle Public Library’s new and expanded Montlake branch. In
1998 Seattle voters approved $2.5 million to construct a new 5,000-square-foot
library. The existing facility, which has operated out of a converted retail
store since 1944, is a tiny 1,574 square feet. The new branch is scheduled to
open in 2004.
City Librarian Deborah
L. Jacobs and Seattle Public Library Board Trustee Gilbert Anderson, who also
is the board steward for the Montlake Library, will host a community meeting
at 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 20 at Montlake Elementary School, 2409 22nd
Ave. E., on siting the new library.
The meeting will include
a presentation on currently identified sites, the opportunities and constraints
of each location, and suggestions for other sites.
Sites currently being
considered were recommended by various community members or “brainstormed” by a
committee of the Montlake Community Club, chaired by Ellen Judson. Other
committee members include Lyle Bicknell, Jonathan Dubman, Laura Gardner, Lee
Kolb, Bob Newhouse, and Linda Powers.
The enthusiastic group
has met weekly since March with Sue Partridge, Seattle Public Library’s project
manager for the Montlake branch, to identify and evaluate possible branch
locations.
Finding parcels that
accommodate the library’s needs in a neighborhood as densely built as Montlake
is challenging. The new library requires about 15,000 square feet to
accommodate the building, parking, and landscaping. Potential sites also must
meet the following library site criteria: They should be in areas frequently
visited by all segments of a community, close to or on primary streets and
transit routes, and highly visible to passers-by.
The new Montlake
Library is part of the $196.4 million “Libraries for All” building program that
Seattle voters approved in 1998. For complete information on “Libraries for
All”, and details on the Montlake branch project, visit the Library web site at
www.spl.org. The Library encourages comments and suggestions by email to
capital.program@spl.org; by fax to 386-4108; and in person to project manager
Sue Partridge at 615-1329 and branch manager Rae Charlton at 684-4714.
President’s
Message
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I want first to express my appreciation to Bruce Balick, Paul Gibson, other MCC board members, Liz Bagshaw, Ken Fales, Jonathan Dubman, Jim Kearns, and Jeff Wood. These folks, and others I will think of later, devote many hours to upholding the quality of life in Montlake. It is a real privilege to work with them. I look forward to collaborating with more of you in the next year. Thank you for the opportunity.
My personal goal this time around is to encourage more proactive attitudes regarding public affairs and community concerns. Many neighbors have told me that it is easy to predict what Montlake is “against,” but it is often unstated what we are “for.” I want the Montlake Community Club to be seen as a source of positive energy in Seattle. I welcome your input and feedback on this idea. Please send me ideas of how the Community Club could better support your family’s life in the neighborhood.
Our first step is beginning discussion groups on the topic of transportation. Several neighbors who have considerable experience on earlier transportation committees will tutor others so that we have more cross-training in the neighborhood on this issue. My plan is to meet on the third Wednesday of each month. Please call or email me if you would like to join us.
In closing, I would appreciate hearing from any resident landscape architects who might be interested in Beautification Committee work. Liz Bagshaw has toiled long hours in gardens, green patches, and pocket parks in Montlake. This month Mimi DeBurle graciously agreed to assume the chairmanship of this committee. We would like to walk with a landscape professional through a couple of spots that need gardening attention. Call us if you would like to volunteer a few hours.
Please join us at June’s MCC general meeting when Jim Compton, Seattle City Council member, is our featured guest The meeting is on Flag Day! Remember, it is the last general meeting until September.
--Clarissa Easton
President, Montlake Community Club
Board Meeting Minutes
May 3, 2000 The Board of Trustees of
the Montlake Community Club convened at 7:40 p.m. on May 3, 2000, at 1602 E.
McGraw Street, the home of Paul and Beth Gibson, with president Clarissa Easton
presiding. Members Burgett, Gibson, Jacobson, Judson, Lindemann, Leed, Kolb,
and Thompson and past-president Balick were present.
Newsletter editor Jeff Wood circulated a
sheet to collect information on the new board members for the board roster in
the newsletter.
Community member Debra Adler spoke on the
airport noise issue, saying that the FAA and Port of Seattle will be making
decisions in June that will affect jet noise policy for the next ten years, and
that members of the Citizens Advisory Committee need community input by May 18.
She asked for club support for four proposals:
·
Early
adoption of FMS/GPS systems to permit controlled approaches outside of the ILS
glide path.
·
Use of the
Elliot Bay/Duwamish River corridor between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
·
Enforcing
arrival glide slope elevations during VFR conditions.
·
Moving air
cargo flights to Paine Field.
Paul Gibson moved that the board endorse
the first three of the proposals for both arriving and departing flights as
applicable, and that the board recommend that club members support the
proposals. The motion passed
Diane Thompson reported that the Montlake
Advisory Council had been advised by the Parks Department that a show of broad
community support was one of the best ways to keep the Montlake Community
Center's $2.9M on the capital levy issue being prepared for a fall ballot. She
suggested an MCC resolution, but was concerned because the earliest date would
be June 14, the day after the City Council committee meeting on the levy. Based
on his contact with Council members, Paul Gibson said he felt it very unlikely
that the allocation of funds in the levy proposal would be amended before it
reached the full council. There was general agreement on the board that a
formal resolution should be prepared to give community members an opportunity
to consider the matter and to give any community position maximum credibility
with the full council.
On transportation issues, Bruce Balick
provided a copy of the schedule of Seahawk and Husky football games at U W
Stadium for the coming season. He pointed out that there are two weekends with
both Saturday and Sunday games and five weekends late in the year with no
games. The schedule was to be provided to the newsletter for publication.
He next mentioned that, in a letter to
its employees, the University committed to a goal of no increase in total
traffic to the campus during the next 10-year Master Plan period. He suggested
that the club might seek a commitment to limit the increase in traffic over the
Montlake Bridge as well, and that he felt that the appointment of a board
member to chair the Transportation Committee in the coming year was essential
for the committee's effectiveness. President Easton indicated that she would
chair the committee.
Mr. Balick also reported that Rob Fellow,
WSDOT project manager, had responded to the MCC letter describing the club's
position on the Trans-Lake Study. His response had been positive in general,
but did not address the specifics of our position. The delay in WSDOT response
was attributed to the promotion of Rene Margolis, to whom our letter was
addressed, to another position.
Jean Leed asked if it was appropriate and
desirable for MCC committees to be chaired by persons who were not elected to
the board. A quick check of the bylaws confirmed that it was appropriate. No
agreement was reached on its desirability.
Ellen Judson provided a report from the
Library Site Selection Liaison Committee. She distributed a matrix showing the
committee’s ratings for each of 16 criteria for the 18 sites that had been suggested
by members of the community. The next phase of committee work will be to
develop some sort of weighting system for the criteria, and make a first cut at
ranking the sites. A report of the committee’s work is planned for the June
newsletter. The site selection team from the Seattle Public Library intends to
conduct a public hearing in June, which will utilize the committee's work.
Jean Leed strongly endorsed the
resumption of MCC co-sponsorship of the annual late summer picnic at the
Community Center, and the publication of the newsletter all twelve months of
the year to provide a means of publicizing summer events such as the picnic and
the garden tour. There was general agreement that cooperation on the picnic was
desirable. Diane Thompson was asked to try to get the date established. The
newsletter publication issue was deferred until the budget was taken up, since
it was felt to be primarily an issue of extra cost.
Paul Gibson made a number of
announcements, mostly from information received via the Northeast District
Council. These included:
·
A public
mailing from the UW on their Master Plan also mentioned their goal of no
traffic increase.
·
The
preparation of a City of Seattle master planning process for commercial
development has been temporarily put "on the shelf", making it
unlikely that it will have an impact on University Village expansion plans.
·
Public
hearings are scheduled for a major residential development on Blakely Street,
just north of University Village and alongside the Burke Gillman Trail.
·
A noise
variance is being sought by Sound Transit for a conveyor system to transfer
tunnel material from the station site at 15th and Pacific to barges on Portage
Bay. A public hearing is scheduled for
May 15 at Seward School.
·
Marc
Lampson's change of residence to outside of Seattle leaves an opening on the
Citizen Oversight Committee for the Library Bond Issue, and also means there is
no Montlake representation on the committee. Interested parties should step
forward.
·
And,
finally, plans are in place for the club's band concert and dessert function on
the Montlake Cut on May 5.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m. The next
board meeting will be June 7, 7:30 p.m. at Paul Gibson's.
General Meeting Minutes
May 10, 2000 A
regular meeting of the Montlake Community Club was called to order at the
Montlake Community Center by President Clarissa Easton at 7:40 p.m. President
Easton introduced those present. The minutes of the April meeting were approved
as published.
Diane Thompson and Ted Choi, both members of the Montlake
Advisory Council (MAC), spoke on plans for the Montlake Community Center and
Playfield.
Ms. Thompson explained that there are two processes
proceeding concurrently which affect the facility’s near-term future. The city
is preparing COMPLAN 2000, which will guide its project and budget planning for
the next six years; while a citizens' committee, "ProParks 2000", is
drafting for the city council, a levy for capital improvements to Seattle's
parks. The council is expected to ask voters to approve their version of this
levy in November. In their present forms, both COMPLAN 2000 and the levy draft
include funds for improvements at Montlake. However, these were late additions
and she feels they may not be retained unless the community shows its support.
Mr. Choi said that the MAC wants to know what improvements
are most important to the community, so that it can lead a lobbying effort that
has local support. He provided verbal and written information on present usage
of the community center and passed out a draft survey form, which the MAC will
distribute with the June newsletter to solicit opinions on improvements to the
center. The MAC will hold a planning committee meeting at the center on May 17
to finalize the survey form. He invited those present to participate in person
at the meeting or to send him comments on the draft.
In response to audience questions, Choi and Thompson said:
·
The Montlake money in the present levy draft
($2.9M) is identified for "bricks and mortar", not maintenance.
·
Public meetings on the COMPLAN are the best
place to make a case for more line-item money for programs and maintenance.
·
Wet grounds have eliminated soccer programs and
reduced baseball field use, but there are still outdoor programs in tennis and
track.
·
Neighbors across the street from the center have
not been individually polled, but would be.
Kara Palmer, from Sound Transit Community Relations, spoke
on the status of the planned light rail system. By way of introduction and
review, she mentioned that the regional transit system, which the voters
approved in 1996 (now called the "Sound Move Plan"), has three major
components: a commuter heavy rail system, a regional express bus system, and a
light rail system. Rush-hour heavy rail service on existing tracks between
Tacoma and Seattle's King Street Station is scheduled to begin this fall.
Segments from Lakewood to Tacoma and from Seattle to Everett are expected to be
added in 2001 and/or 2002. The first section of light rail line should open in
Tacoma during the same time period. The central light rail link, which will run
from SeaTac Airport to Northgate, is slated for a construction start in 2001
and service in 2006. Except for a section through Tukwila and the line north of
the University of Washington (UW), the route and station locations have been
established. Funding for the UW-to-Northgate section has not been secured.
Ms. Palmer said that construction work is planned to
continue around the clock, and that Sound Transit has requested a variance to
allow construction noise at night to exceed regulatory limits in some areas.
She provided a copy of the document, “Construction Night-time Noise Control and
Monitoring Plan—Sound Transit Central Link Light Rail North Corridor,” on which
the request for a variance is based. President Easton said she would make this
copy available in the Montlake Library. A series of three public hearings on
the noise variance request were being held, with one remaining at 7 p.m. on May
15 at Seward School.
During a brief question and comment period, one community
member registered a complaint about what he considered to be excessive
communications and public relations expenditures by Sound Transit, citing the
frequency and the production quality of mailings.
President Easton distributed copies of a letter that she had
prepared on the subject of airport noise reduction. The board has previously
approved transmittal of a letter to the Port of Seattle recommending the
consideration of specific steps for noise reduction. There were questions about
the exact meaning of the recommendations and suggestions that they be written
in clearer form. Ted Choi moved that the club endorse the letter with the
deletion of one sentence. The motion was passed.
President Easton called attention to a supply of notices
from City Council member Judy DiCastro's office announcing a meeting on June 10
to discuss rental housing policies in Seattle.
Liz Bagshaw expressed thanks on behalf of the club to Paul
Gibson, Lee Kolb, and Jack Berg for their efforts in planning and organizing
the band concert on May 5. She also said that the Northwest Fisheries Science
Center was planning to erect an antenna system on their main building roof and
she thought that the club should be concerned about the possible impacts. Lee
Kolb volunteered to find out more about their plans.
Jean Leed reminded those present that the annual CPR class
would be held at 10:45 a.m. on May 25 at the Community Center.
Paul Gibson announced that there will soon be open positions
on the Citizens' Oversight Committee for the Seattle Public Library's
levy-financed construction program and that he would like to hear from persons
interested in serving or from those who would like to recommend candidates. He
also announced that he had information on a funded health insurance program for
uninsured children and that anyone wanting to know more should contact him.
Lee Jacobson reported that the Montlake Garden Tour was
being rescheduled from July to a yet-to-be-determined date in September.
President Easton distributed a memorandum from Roger Leed
recommending another level of appeal on the Club’s objection to the city's
adoption of the University Community Urban Center Plan. It argued that
significant donated time and effort have gone into preparing the case; the case
has yet to be considered on its merits; and the previously approved budget
would likely cover this additional step. A motion by Jeannine Jacobson to file
an appeal with the Court of Appeals was passed.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Montlake Community Center & Playfield
The Montlake Community
Center and its playfield have been a central part of the neighborhood for
almost 50 years. The growth of its building and physical facilities have not
keep up with the pressures of use. Montlake is the second oldest community
center in Seattle and, at 6,120 square feet, one of the smallest (current
standard is 20,000 square feet). We have one of the largest programs in the
city—2,830 registered kids in all programs, sports, and camps. Capitol Hill
Youth Soccer’s 720 kids use the facility, as does Montlake-Madrona Youth
Baseball, Bush School, Seattle Prep, other private schools and the adult
programs. Due to the popularity of our programs and our location (as a crossroads
community) we draw participants from all over the city. In turn we receive very
little funding for maintenance and improvement. The center was dropped from the
1999 levy and was barely mentioned in the year 2000 update to the 1993 Parks
COMPLAN. Community members and Advisory Council members have succeeded in
getting the attention of the Parks Department, Parks board and ProParks 2000
Committee. Ted Choi's testimony at the public hearings was particularly
effective. We are now included in both the COMPLAN and the levy. We need to
follow up with oral and written remarks from members of the community, the
Montlake Advisory Council, the Montlake Community Club and other groups who use
the playfield facilities. Personal stories and anecdotes about the park, park
activities, your wishes and dreams are particularly effective. The City Council
has not allocated sufficient funds for routine maintenance of existing parks.
Let the council members know that maintenance is important to you.
Seattle’s
Park and Recreation Plan 2000: an update to the 1993 Parks COMPLAN
The
COMPLAN “guides the budget and project planning in the areas of recreational
and environmental programming, acquisition of open space and park improvements,
park management and maintenance, development of facilities.” Levy requests are
developed from items in the COMPLAN. There is currently a budget item in the
plan for ball field and grounds improvements, scheduled for 2006. We encourage
you to stress the importance of increased funding for park and grounds
maintenance for all parks, but especially Montlake.
Written testimony until June 14th.
Full
council vote
June 19.
Pro
Parks Levy 2000
The
$200-$223 million levy has 2.9 million for improved facilities for Montlake.
Tentative plans call for replacement of the “tin shack” with a modern
multipurpose building designed to serve a wide variety of community needs.
The process:
May 22: Seattle City Council
preliminary discussions
June 5: Additional council
discussion
June 8: Council public forum, 5:30 pm, City
Council
chambers
June 19: Additional council
discussion
June 26: Council votes
Nov.
7: Public votes
For
more information contact: Sam Greeley, President, Montlake Advisory Council (MAC), email
greels@champint.com; Diane Thompson (MAC, MCC) phone 329-3877 or email
dthompson6 @uswest.net; Ted Choi (MAC), phone 325-4934 or email
tedchoitam@yahoo.com.
Written
comments to Council member Nick Licata, Municipal Building,600 Fourth Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98104 or email nick.licata@ci.seattle.wa.us.
Lisa Herbold, (Nick Licata’s staff) 206-684-8803
lisa.herbold@ci.seattle.wa.us. Web information: www.pan.ci.seattle.wa.us/parks/communitynotices/
PROparks.htm.
Montlake
Community Club Resolution
The
Montlake Community Club (MCC) strongly supports inclusion of the Montlake
Community Center in the ProParks 2000 levy. The $2,900,000 allocation is to be
used to expand activity areas, create multipurpose rooms, office space, storage
space and other necessary facilities. MCC urges increased facilities and
grounds maintenance at our community center and endorses the $900,000 ball
field and grounds maintenance item included in the 2000 COMPLAN. Our community
has a long history of supporting civic levy requests. Due to the popularity of
our programs and our location (a cross roads community) we draw participants
from all over the city. Increased building and grounds maintenance and
facilities upgrades are long overdue.
Montlake Garden Tour Rescheduled
Because too few residents volunteered
their gardens for July, we have changed the proposed July date of our annual
neighborhood garden tour to Sunday, September 24, from 12:30 to 5:00. However,
to preserve the opportunity to share a social occasion, as well as to get ideas
and nominations for the September tour, we plan a potluck garden party, hosted
by Kari Olson in her lovely, large garden at 1911 Eaton Place, near 19th Avenue
East below Interlaken Park.
Everyone is welcome. For directions or
information call Kari at 329–1911.
Mark your calendar for these important dates:
July 9: Garden party at
the Olson’s (5:00–9:00)
Aug. 14:
Deadline for garden descriptions for Flyer
Sept. 24:
Garden tour (12:30–5:00)
Garden descriptions for the Montlake
Flyer should be 50 to 75 words. Tell tour goers enough—not too much—about
your garden. Care to share your garden this year? Or to nominate a neighbor you
know? Contact one of us for this or for any related reason.
Looking ahead, late September is russet.
Rains return, temperatures cool—much to our comfort; the leaves of some trees
start to color and fall. Fog frequently makes cold, wet mornings, but then is
burnt away by afternoon sun. The weather, in a word, is ideal for outdoor
activity; the shorter days start to annoy us! Aside from watering and
harvesting, gardeners have generally an easy time; it is a safe period to go
vacationing without dreading that everything will collapse in your absence. The
busy spell of spring and early summer is behind, but major fall clean-up still
ahead. Flowers doing well then include Japanese anemones, asters, Cosmos,
autumn crocus, Cyclamen, evening-primrose, Fuchsia, Impatiens, nasturtium,
Nicotiana, sunflowers and rarer sorts, such as chaste tree, crape-myrtle and
trumpet vines. Fruits at their prime include apples, cornelian cherries, figs,
peaches, Asian pears, plums, and tomatoes. As for trees, Kousa and Pacific
dogwood fruits are showy; Ginkgo fruits are orange; hawthorn berries are red;
English laurel’s black cherries litter the ground; many pine needles are
dropping.
Watch the September Flyer for the
tour map. Call us to ask anything.
Judith 324–0252
Kari 329–1911
Lee 328–8733
Beautification Committee
By Liz Bagshaw
After
months of back and forth contact, we finally did a small planting project with
our neighbor, the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. An unexpected treat was
meeting staff member Laurie Weitkamp, who grew up in Montlake and whose parents
are still active members of our community. We decided at that time to focus our
cooperative efforts on helping provide plants for their beds rather than trying
to coordinate work parties. Many gardeners find that they need new homes for
spreading perennials or a shrub which has outgrown available space! They are
interested in plants which offer year round interest of foliage or color, and
which can do well in a hot, sunny location in summer (southern exposure) plus
survive wet, soggy conditions in winter (if soil amendment is not adequate).
Possibilities include: aster, campanula, dwarf rockrose, sea holly, strawberry,
hardy geranium, lavender, lobelia, cardenalis, penstemon, creeping phlox, sage,
thyme, speedwell, ornamental grasses and heather.
If
you have any of these plants you would like to offer, or have any other
appropriate plants, please contact Mindy Rowse at 860-6783 or email her at
mindy.rowse@noaa.gov. And, remember, Montlakers are welcome and encouraged to
visit Northwest Fisheries grounds during their office hours.
Save the Arboretum from
Development
By Joe Marshall
The Parks
Department has released its DEIS for the Arboretum Master Plan, and while we
have had some positive impact on the planners, the proposed plan still calls
for development of three new buildings and various expansions of other
structures. This thwarts the resolution passed by Montlake and at least 11
other community clubs calling for preservation of existing open space in
Washington Park. Let's act now. Speak up at the public hearing at 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 15 in the Mountaineers Club Headquarters, 300 Third Avenue West.
Written comments must be received by Peter Marshall, Seattle Dept. of Parks and
Recreation, 800 Maynard Avenue South Seattle, WA 98134, 684-7048, no later than
June 26. You can view the DEIS at www. cityofseattle.net/parks under What's
New, and copies should reach the libraries. And of course, tell everyone about
it, alert the media, and lobby the city council. Joe Marshall, Chair, Arboretum
Committee 322-1424.
Announcements
The
Montlake Babysitting Co-op invites all Montlake children (12 and under) to
celebrate July 4th in a festive trike and bike parade. Bring your trike or bike
and a picnic lunch and meet at the end of 18th Ave. E (intersection of 18th
Ave. E and Calhoun) at 11:00 on July 4th. We will parade around the block and
then picnic with our friends and neighbors.
News from Montlake
Community Center
(Staff: Roger Peter, Anita Adams, Eric Bondeson,
Carmen Martinez)
A
wide variety of activities are available at the park this summer. Summer
programs for children include summer day camps, baseball, soccer and basketball
camps. There are 11 weekly sessions for each of the camps beginning June 19 and
ending September 1. Contact the park staff for additional details and sign-up
information (206-684-4736).
Family
Night, co-sponsored by MCC will be held August 23 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
There will be entertainment on the mobile stage, ice cream, refreshments and
hot dogs. Detailed information will be available later this summer.
The
Summer program of activities and classes will be available May 31. The program
should be distributed with the June Flyer. Additional copies are
available in the gym.
Teen
Time activity Friday evening June 2 is a trip to the Seattle Mariners baseball
game. Contact Carmen to sign up.
Notices
Openings
on Library Bond Review Panel
The Citizens Implementation Review Panel, charged with monitoring the spending of the 1998 Library bond levy, has a couple of openings. Mark Lampson, former Montlake resident and MCC Board, member has left the committee due to his relocation to Vashon Island. Anyone who interested in serving on this committee should contact Paul Gibson at 323-1851.
Husky Stadium Game Day Schedule
In summary, the list of
football games to be played at Husky Stadium is:
|
Sat. 8/5 |
5:00 pm |
Seahawks vs.
Indianapolis |
|
Sat. 8/19 |
8:00 pm |
Seahawks vs. San
Francisco |
|
Sat. 9/2 |
12:30 pm |
Huskies vs. Idaho |
|
Sat. 9/9 |
12:30 pm |
Huskies vs. Miami |
|
Sun. 9/10 |
1:15 pm |
Seahawks vs. St
Louis |
|
Sun. 9/17 |
1:15 pm |
Seahawks vs. New
Orleans |
|
Sat. 10/7 |
12:30 pm |
Huskies vs. Oregon
State |
|
Sun. 10/15 |
1:15 pm |
Seahawks vs. Indianapolis |
|
Sat. 10/21 |
12:30 pm |
Huskies vs.
California |
|
Sun. 10/29 |
1:15 pm |
Seahawks vs. Kansas
City |
|
Sat. 11/4 |
12:30 pm |
Huskies vs. Arizona |
|
Sun. 11/5 |
1:15 pm |
Seahawks vs. San
Diego |
|
Sat. 11/11 |
12:30 pm |
Huskies vs. UCLA |
|
Sun. 11/26 |
1:15 pm |
Seahawks vs. Denver |
|
Sat. 12/16 |
1:05 pm |
Seahawks vs. Oakland |
|
Sat. 12/23 |
5:20 pm |
Seahawks vs. Buffalo |
Plus any post-season
playoff games to be scheduled later.
The schedule of Seahawks games is available at www.seahawks.com/schedule/seahawks_schedule.cfm.
The schedule of Husky games is available at www.washington.edu/alumni/football2000.
html.
The City Council approved traffic management plan can be found under Council Bill Number 112978, Ordinance Number 119783 (passed by the City Council 11/29/99 and signed by the Mayor 12/1/99). The complete text of the ordinance can be found at http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/cbory.htm. Type "112978" in the box labeled “Council Bill No.” and then click "Submit Query”.
Opportunity To Serve
Montlake
A volunteer is needed to assist with Montlake Flyer distribution. The job
consists of picking up the news-letters from the printer once a month on a
Friday afternoon and delivering the correct number to each of the 22 delivery
personnel, either that afternoon or the following Saturday morning. The entire
job takes about one and a half hours. There is no newsletter in July and August
and an experienced back-up team (the Bagshaws) is available to step in when
needed. It's an excellent opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise while getting
to know your neighborhood. Interested parties should contact Janine Jacobson
(323-0179) to volunteer or Lee Kolb (325-6747) for more information.
Arboretum
Master Plan Draft EIS Released
The
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the new master plan for the
Arboretum is finally released. A wide number of options for future development
in Washington Park were examined, both those proposed by the Arboretum
management body (AGBC) and the Arboretum Park Preservation Coalition (APPC).
There will be a public hearing on the DEIS on June 15 at 6:00 p.m. at the
Mountaineers Club, 300 Third Avenue West. Copies of the DEIS have been
distributed to the Central, Montlake, University, Madrona, Suzallo and Allen
Libraries. The findings are generally of no significant impacts. The aesthetic
impacts of new buildings in the park are minimized. The hearing offers an
opportunity to impress upon the Superintendent of Parks, how you feel about
these findings. Details will be available on the APPC web page www.scn.org/arboretum.
Update Your “Bookmarks”: New Address for MCC
Website
MCC webmaster, Jon Dubman, has moved the MCC web site to
http://montlake.net.
Renters’ Summit
Seattle City Council member Judy Nicastro is hosting a citywide Renters’ Summit to discuss rental housing policies. A combination of soaring rents and a low vacancy rate threaten the very heart of our community, especially the 52% of Seattle residents that are renters. The Renters’ Summit is a community forum that will feature panel discussions on different rental housing policy proposals as well as a keynote speech by Dennis Keating. June 10, 2000 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM at Seattle Center, Northwest Room. Call 206-615-1567 or email judy.nicastro@ci.seattle.wa.us for more information, to receive a copy of the policy proposals or to add your comments on renters’ issues and join us on June 10.
NEDC Meeting Report
By Paul Gibson
The
May meeting of the Northeast District Council heard a presentation by
representatives of the Seattle Council on Airport Affairs and adopted a motion
to support the Council’s efforts to disperse airport noise. We also discussed
the impending development of a condominium complex on NE Blakely Street, on the
north side of the Burke/Gilman Trail where the trail passes north of University
Village. The original plans have been scaled back to some degree in response to
concerns about the monolithic nature of the project (three stories high, two
blocks long). Discussion of the revised plans continue with a public meeting on
the May 9. This is the sort of densification that presumably will impact the
Montlake Bridge to some degree and might be limited if the city were responsive
to our petition to stop the practice of treating the Montlake and University
Bridges as good substitutes for one another. We heard a report on Sound
Transit’s application for a noise variance that would allow increased
construction noise during night time hours. This issue is more serious for the
University District and Portage Bay/Roanoke than it is for Montlake.