All Montlake residents are invited to attend the Montlake Community Club’s first community Emergency Preparedness meeting on April 4 at the Montlake Library. While we’ve called on Block Watch Captains to attend, anyone who wants to be a captain or get involved should come.

Date: April 4, 2017
Time : 6:00 – 6:30 PM – Block Watch Captains and those interested in becoming Captains
Time : 6:30 – 7:30 PM – Presentation on personal and family preparedness by Carl Leon from the Seattle Office of Emergency Management
Place: Montlake Public Library conference room

Please RSVP to MCC Board Member Carol Cordy
carolcordymd@gmail.com

Background information on the MCC’s newly reformed Emergency Preparedness and Neighbors Helping Neighbors programs

Save the evening of March 22 to attend an important meeting for Montlake. Please come to this meeting to have a voice on issues like cut through traffic and the Montlake phase of 520 construction.

Our community is invited to give comments on WSDOT’s proposed Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) and the 23^rd Avenue Corridor Improvements Phase 3. The meeting will include a short presentation at 5:45 p.m. focused on the NTMP. There will be time for questions and answers as a full group and one-on-one.

Representatives from your Montlake Community Club and Studio KPG will also be there to share the latest update on the business district development project.

When:   Wednesday, March 22, 2017, Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Where:  Saint Demetrios Hall (“The Greek Church”), 2100 Boyer Avenue East Seattle, WA 98112

Parking: Limited free parking is available at the church parking lot.

Here is the full text from WSDOT about the meeting:

Join our March 22 meeting on the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) – draft report and online survey coming soon

You’re invited to a public meeting about the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) for the next phase of SR 520 construction, known as the Montlake Phase. The City of Seattle will also share information on 23rd Ave. Corridor Improvements Phase 3, future RapidRide lines and other Seattle neighborhood transportation projects.

Meeting details:

• Date: Wednesday, March 22
• Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Saint Demetrios Hall
• Address:2100 Boyer Avenue East Seattle, WA 98112
• Parking:Limited free parking is available at the church parking lot.
• Transit:Bus routes 43 and 48 also serve the area, but require a short walk to the meeting location.
• Format:The meeting will include a short presentation at 5:45 p.m. focused on the NTMP and time for questions and answers with WSDOT and SDOT as a full group and one-on-one.

Meeting topics:

• An overview of the Montlake Phase of construction including timeline and project elements.
• Information about the NTMP including the draft report and potential local traffic management measures in the Montlake area.
• Information on how 23rd and 24th avenues are functioning today and a schedule for improving the street; plans for upgrading bus service to RapidRide; and City of Seattle projects to make walking and biking in the neighborhood more comfortable.

How to read the NTMP report and provide comments to WSDOT and the City of Seattle:

• Please stay tuned: we will post the report and a link to a short online survey on the SR 520 Montlake Phase web page on Tuesday, March 21.
• The comment period will take place from March 21 to April 4, and comments will be accepted by online survey, email, mail, or in-person at the March 22 meeting.

Tom Heuser, a Capitol Hill historian who has been a customer of Mr Johnson’s Antiques for more than a decade, realized one day that he knew nothing about the building that the shop is in. Tom then delved into research about the building and the Montlake neighborhood and eventually had enough material to tell a story. That story is now published online. It is rich with detail about people who lived in Montlake in the early 1900s, the opening of the Montlake bridge, and images from the era. You can read the full story here.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon wants Montlake to know about its new course for 2017. The race takes place on Sunday, June 18 and the impact to Montlake will be between 6 am and 9 am. If you have any feedback or questions, you can post it here on Montlake.net and we will relay your comments to race organizers.

Click on the map to view the full course

Here is the complete message we received from race organizers:

I am the community relations coordinator for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & Half Marathon coming up on Sunday, June 18.  We have a new course for 2017 and I wanted to reach out to you in advance with some race information.  I have attached a course map for you to look over.  The impact to the Montlake area will be between 6:00am-9:00am.  I will have more details soon as we start to prepare our road closure and access documents.  If you would like we would be happy to come to one of your community meetings to talk through the course, impact, and answer any questions anyone may have.

The Montlake Community Club only asks you to donate once a year. Now is that time. Please consider making a donation today to the Montlake Community Club. It’s easy to do in one of these ways:

• Complete and mail a donation form with a check
• Pay online via Paypal by clicking the DONATE button

  

 

• Mail a check to: Montlake Community Club, 4616 25th Ave NE #446 Seattle, WA 98105–4183

Your gift to the MCC allows us to continue to represent your interests to city officials and to build a sense of community in Montlake.

In 2016 alone, the Montlake Community Club put on our annual all-neighborhood Yale Sale, our first ever 5K Turkey Trot and Kids Run, and put up holiday lights in our business district. We’ve moved the needle on the 520, improving our business district traffic congestion, and pedestrian and bike safety. We manage Montlake.net and keep the neighborhood connected.

Gifts of all sizes are appreciated and welcome. The MCC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization so your donation qualifies as a federal tax deduction.

Rendition By: Seattle ARCH

The efforts of neighborhood activists to preserve part of “the ramps to nowhere” are getting noticed. The Seattle Times published a story about how Montlake residents and others who are part of ARCH (Activists Remembered Celebrated & Honored) want an old Highway 520 crossbeam to be an ‘urban ruins’ honoring anti-freeway activists. In October, ARCH was successful in getting the Seattle City Council to adopt a resolution to support the ruins. Get the full story on the Seattle Times Web site.

Conceptual image from WSDOT of the Montlake lid transit station.

All are invited to attend an important meeting this Tuesday evening, February 28, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm, at the Montlake Community Center. This meeting will focus on noise during the Montlake phase of 520 bridge construction and an overview of the Montlake Phase of construction, including timeline and project elements.

Here is the complete invite from WSDOT on the 2/28 meeting:

Greetings,

You are invited to a public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 28, to hear Montlake Phase project updates and information about upcoming public comment opportunities.

Meeting details

• Date: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017
• Time: 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. (presentation at 5:30 p.m.)
• Location: Montlake Community Center, Multipurpose room
• Address: 1618 East Calhoun Street, Seattle, WA 98112
• Parking: Limited free parking is available at the community center. Bus routes 43 and 48 also serve the area, but require a short walk to the meeting location.
• Meeting format: The meeting will include a short presentation at 5:30 p.m. and time for questions and answers with project staff as a full group and one-on-one.

At the meeting we will share the following

1. An overview of the Montlake Phase of construction including timeline and project elements.
2. Information about WSDOT’s application to the City of Seattle for a Major Public Project Construction Noise Variance (MPPCNV).

• The MMPCNV establishes the noise limits a Design-Build contractor must comply with during nighttime construction activities.
• City staff will also be available to discuss the city’s process for WSDOT to obtain the permit and how the public can submit formal comments later this spring. 

3. 3. A look-ahead to other spring public meetings and outreach activities including the upcoming public comment period for the SR 520 Montlake Phase Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP).

The WABN team will host our usual monthly meeting again on Wednesday, April 5, at theGraham Visitors Center from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

We hope you can join us for these meetings and look forward to sharing information with you as we move forward with building a new, safer and more reliable SR 520 corridor in Seattle.

Conceptual image from WSDOT of the Montlake lid transit station.

Mark your calendars for an important WSDOT meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm, at the Montlake Community Center. This meeting will focus on noise during the Montlake phase of 520 bridge construction and an overview of the Montlake Phase of construction, including timeline and project elements.

[Don’t forget about another important community meeting, this Saturday the 18th on the Lake Washington Loop Bicycling Greenway.]

Here is the complete invite from WSDOT on the 2/28 meeting:

Greetings,

You are invited to a public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 28, to hear Montlake Phase project updates and information about upcoming public comment opportunities.

Meeting details

• Date: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017
• Time: 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. (presentation at 5:30 p.m.)
• Location: Montlake Community Center, Multipurpose room
• Address: 1618 East Calhoun Street, Seattle, WA 98112
• Parking: Limited free parking is available at the community center. Bus routes 43 and 48 also serve the area, but require a short walk to the meeting location.
• Meeting format: The meeting will include a short presentation at 5:30 p.m. and time for questions and answers with project staff as a full group and one-on-one.

At the meeting we will share the following

1. An overview of the Montlake Phase of construction including timeline and project elements.
2. Information about WSDOT’s application to the City of Seattle for a Major Public Project Construction Noise Variance (MPPCNV).

• The MMPCNV establishes the noise limits a Design-Build contractor must comply with during nighttime construction activities.
• City staff will also be available to discuss the city’s process for WSDOT to obtain the permit and how the public can submit formal comments later this spring. 

3. 3. A look-ahead to other spring public meetings and outreach activities including the upcoming public comment period for the SR 520 Montlake Phase Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP).

The WABN team will host our usual monthly meeting again on Wednesday, April 5, at theGraham Visitors Center from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

We hope you can join us for these meetings and look forward to sharing information with you as we move forward with building a new, safer and more reliable SR 520 corridor in Seattle.

The Montlake Community Club would like to share two letters that we’ve recently written to officials.  One addresses site selection for a potential Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) control project, and the other addresses possible design alternatives for SR 520 construction in Montlake.

Montlake Playfield Improvements?

You may have noticed a recent Montlake.net post about combined sewer overflows in Montlake.  King County is currently considering the construction of an underground CSO storage tank that would hold stormwater and sewage during heavy rains, so that it may be pumped to the treatment station rather than flow directly into local waterways.   If a tank were built beneath the Montlake Playfields, this would require improvements that would address drainage issues.  We believe this would provide a benefit to our community by making the track and field behind the Community Center usable throughout the year.

Read the MCC’s Letter to Officials About the Playfields and CSO

Keeping the Montlake Market and Gas Station…

Possible design constraints for the SR 520 construction project in Montlake prompted WSDOT to claim that it needs to acquire and demolish the Montlake Market and gas station. One of their considerations has been accommodating existing CSO pipes that flow beneath the SR 520.  This is still an open issue, and it seems that a final design likely will be left up to contractors.  We have encouraged WSDOT to solicit and consider public input for any major design changes, and to require contractors to do the same.  Given the connection with the CSO pipes, we also encouraged WSDOT to collaborate with local agencies and look for opportunities that can meet the needs of all stakeholders.

Read the MCC’s Letter to WSDOT

King County and City of Seattle Committed to the Environment

Officials at King County and the City of Seattle have reported to the MCC that they are committed to complying with the Clean Water Act and Consent Decree agreements with the Environmental Protection Agency, which require control of CSOs to protect public health and the environment.

More information:

• King County: CSO regulations and requirements
• Seattle Public Utilities: CSO / SSO Consent Decree
• Wikipedia: Clean Water Act