A message from Graham construction:

In response to public feedback, we’re hosting our next monthly Montlake Project update meeting online rather than in person. This means you can join from the comfort of your own home, during a lunch break, or even while adventuring outdoors. You’ll just need an internet connection!

We’ll start the online meeting at noon Wednesday, March 4 with a short presentation by Graham’s director of construction, followed by a Q&A session. You will hear the presenter during the meeting, and you can send in questions directly to the team. The online meeting room will be available 10 minutes before the start of the presentation to allow people time to join and get acquainted with the platform. We’ll also have a staff member ready on our 24-hour hotline, 206-775-8885, for technical support.

Registration: http://bit.ly/520online

We will send confirmation and reminder emails as the event nears. 

You can join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device. Access to the internet will be required to view the presentation, and your device speakers must be enabled.

Moving forward, we will host a mix of in-person and online monthly meetings.

There’s a new way to track the spread of flu in Seattle neighborhoods. The Seattle Flu study has created a new interactive map that shows flu circulation in specific neighborhoods. The tool is designed to help people that live in neighborhoods like Montlake fight the flu with a real-time view of flu circulation.

Now in its second year, the Seattle Flu Study (SFS) is recruiting residents of Montlake and beyond to help researchers better understand the flu and how we can keep our city safer. Participants of all ages can sign up to take part in the study by visiting www.seattleflu.org, or by stopping by one of seven study kiosks located across the city— including those placed throughout the University of Washington.

About the study: Led by the Brotman Baty Institute—which combines the research strengths and capabilities of UW Medicine, Fred Hutch and Seattle Children’s—SFS collects nasal swabs from both healthy people and those with colds to tests for flu. This data is then analyzed to examine how flu viruses and other pathogens are impacting our community. The SFS returns swab results to participants, telling them whether they have the flu and which strain.

Please join the Montlake Community Club for their annual LIGHT UP THE NIGHT fundraiser Sunday, December 8th at Cafe Lago anytime between 5:00 and 9:00. Along with the special treats Cage Lago has in store for you, the MCC will be raffling off some pretty amazing items – just in time for the holidays. Raffle tickets $5 or 5 for $20! To make dinner reservations, visit cafelago.com and note LIGHT UP THE NIGHT fundraiser in the notes section so the staff will be sure to treat to some extra holiday cheer! We can’t wait to see you!

Please join the Montlake Community Club for their annual LIGHT UP THE NIGHT fundraiser Sunday, December 8th at Cafe Lago anytime between 5:00 and 9:00. Along with the special treats Cage Lago has in store for you, the MCC will be raffling off some pretty amazing items – just in time for the holidays. Raffle tickets $5 or 5 for $20!
To make dinner reservations, visit cafelago.com and note LIGHT UP THE NIGHT fundraiser in the notes section so the staff will be sure to treat to some extra holiday cheer! We can’t wait to see you!

SR 520 Montlake Project construction is in full swing in the Montlake neighborhood. Recognizing that this large construction project requires the closure of the Montlake Market at the end of the year, WSDOT is seeking your input about a potential temporary market or food service that could operate during the three to four years of Montlake Project construction.

Your input will assist WSDOT in implementing a directive the Legislature placed in the 2019-2021 state transportation budget. In response to the directive, WSDOT talked with the Montlake Market’s owners about operating a temporary market or food service, but after consideration, the owners declined the opportunity. So we’re now seeking your feedback on possible options for using a portion of the current market property for a small business or pop-up operation to serve the neighborhood during Montlake Project construction. Your feedback will help inform WSDOT’s process for soliciting interest from potential business operators.

This survey should take only about 3 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous. Survey responses can be submitted through Nov. 13.

Note: We recommend using the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Internet Explorer for the speediest experience using the SurveyGizmo application. Older browsers may not support full functionality of the survey application.

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact SR520Bridge@WSDOT.wa.gov or call 206-770-3554.

Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 29, for an open house on all four SR 520 “Rest of the West” projects in Seattle. Our staff will be on hand to share the latest project designs and construction plans, address your questions and capture your feedback. Your input provides WSDOT a valuable community perspective as we move forward with design and construction in the corridor.

Open house topics include:

• Refined design concepts for the Portage Bay Bridge and Roanoke Lid Project, including refinements to the bridge design, Roanoke lid, and bicycle/pedestrian connections in the area.
• Montlake Project design progress updates from the Graham team, in collaboration with WSDOT, the Seattle Department of Transportation, and the Seattle Design Commission.
• A public survey on a temporary market or food service in Montlake after the current Montlake Market closes by year’s end.
• A draft Community Construction Management Plan for the SR 520/I-5 Express Lanes Connection Project that outlines how our future contractor will work to minimize construction effects in the community.
• Speak with staff regarding the Montlake Cut Bascule Bridge Project and sign up for future public engagement opportunities. 

Meeting details:

• Date/Time: Tuesday, Oct. 29; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Montlake Community Center, Multipurpose Room; 1618 E. Calhoun St., Seattle
• Transit: Bus routes 43 and 49 stop approximately a half-mile away; the UW Link light rail station is approximately one mile away
• Parking: Limited free parking available on site

If you have any questions, please send us an email at sr520bridge@wsdot.wa.gov. Thanks, and we hope to see you on the 29th!

Bring your cameras and capture the breathtaking sight of Japanese maple trees ablaze in fall color at the annual Maple Festival,

Oct. 3 – 13, at the Seattle Japanese Garden.

To celebrate the start of this popular festival, and as part of Free First Thursday on Thursday, Oct. 3, the Seattle Japanese Garden will host the opening reception for a watercolor collection by a group of artists from Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Dementia-Friendly Recreation program. The opening reception will run from 3 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the Tateuchi Community Room on Oct. 3 and the exhibit will be on display through the end of Oct. On Free First Thursdays, admission to the garden is free after 1 p.m.

The Maple Festival is a family-friendly event features nature-inspired art, maple tree scavenger hunts for the kids, live performances and other cultural activities. Self-guided Maple Tour Brochures will be available on most days. See full event schedule here.

The event is free with garden admission, no advance tickets necessary. Garden admission prices: Adults, $8; City of Seattle residents with ID, $6; Youth 6 -17, students with ID, and seniors 65 and over, $4. Children 5 and under are free. Family and Individual memberships are accepted at this event. On the First Thursdays of the month, admission is free for all visitors from 1 p.m. until closing.

Seattle Japanese Garden is located at 1075 Lake Washington Blvd E. The hours in October are Monday, noon – 5 p.m. and Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. -5 p.m. For more information, visit www.seattlejapanesegarden.org.

We need as many people as possible to be at the meeting this Tuesday, 9/24 at 12:00 noon at City Hall. The Seattle City Council is expected to vote on the poorly designed and unnecessary second Montlake bridge. Email Mayor Durkan (jenny.durkan@seattle.gov) and Dist. 3 CM Kshama Sawant (Kshama.Sawant@seattle.gov ) today. The second bridge will further congest Montlake Blvd. and ignores the historic nature of the Montlake area. The second bridge WSDOT proposes takes away from the Olmsted design and ignores how the (Montlake) bridge and the Montlake Cut together are a City of Seattle Designated Landmark (ID #107995),[12]. The historic Montlake bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, as well as the Washington Heritage Register. Tell the Mayor and CM Sawant to just say NO to the second Montlake Bridge.

Seattle City Councilmember Abel Pacheco introduced resolution 31904 on Sept. 9, which is currently under consideration by the city’s Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee. The resolution makes recommendations for the future configuration of a second Montlake bascule bridge. The bridge was included in WSDOT’s 2011 Record of Decision and funded in the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation legislation. The city’s new resolution would supersede previous city resolutions and states in part that “…the City supports the development of a second Montlake bascule bridge to increase capacity for transit and high-occupancy vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists across the Montlake Cut, while maintaining the existing number of general-purpose lanes.”

For additional details, you can read the city’s draft resolution, or watch a video of Council discussion at a Sept. 11 committee meeting. The discussion about the second bascule bridge begins at 1:06:10 in the video. The committee will discuss and possibly vote on the resolution at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at noon. The agenda is posted if you are interested in participating.