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Husky Crew Races Saturday

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2014 University of Washington Crew Class RegattaCome cheer on the Huskies as they kick off racing season with one of their many longstanding traditions at the 114th Class Day Regatta this Saturday, March 28, beginning at 10 a.m.

Fans are encouraged to watch from the Montlake Cut and at the Finish Line at the west end of the Cut at West Montlake Park near the Seattle Yacht Club.

It’s a fun family event and an opportunity to see the four-time defending National Champions men’s crew in action.

This is one of only four home races for the Huskies this season. Mark your calendar for the other home races: Husky Open on April 4; the Cal Dual on April 25; and the Windermere Cup on May 2.

More details about the Class Day Regatta can be found here.

See you in the Cut!Wa-Rowing-Flag-on-Cut

Montlake Crime Prevention Meeting – March 24th

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CrimeWatchSignAttention all Montlake residents!

Crime in our neighborhood has become a serious issue – if you see something suspicious would you know what to do?

Are you interested in learning more about neighborhood safety, crime prevention, and the Block Watch Program?

If so, please join the Montake Community Club and Terrie Johnston, a Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention Coordinator, for a special discussion on crime prevention and the Block Watch Program which will be on Tuesday March 24th between 6 and 8 pm at the Montlake Library Branch meeting room. Current Block Watch volunteers and Captains are also encouraged to attend so please bring your questions and ideas.  Hope to see you there! For more information you can contact MCC board member Bryan Haworth at bryanhaworth@comcast.net

Montlake School Plans Annual Auction

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logo2015auctionSaturday, March 28,2015, is the date of this year’s school fund raising auction.  It will be held at the St. Demetrious Greek Church.  This event raises over 50% of the PTSA’s annual budget.  The funds are used to reduce class size, provide extra reading support and support the multi-media, art, music and green house programs.

This year’s auction chair person, Maureen Gaines, is hoping for a big turnout.  Past auctions have brought over 300 supporters from the Montlake community to this important and fun event.  Maureen is also hoping that both parents and other Montlakers will make donations to the auction.  This can be done by going to the auction website and down loading the donation form.

In addition to donating items or services to the auction, supporters are encouraged to buy advertising space in the auction catalog to advertise a business or service.  The catalog will be distributed to hundreds of Montlake area residents.  All donations made to the school are tax deductible.  The PTSA is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.

The Montlake Community Club is a strong supporter of our neighborhood school.  It continues to be one of Seattle Public Schools best performing elementary schools.  This is in part due to the excellent enrichment programs and strong financial support from the parents and the neighborhood.

 

 

New Garden Shed Coming For Montlake Elementary

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IMAG0229With donations by Café Lago, The Pike Brewing Company, Noble Wines, support from Montlake Community Club and Montlake Elementary PTA and by all of the community pizza enthusiasts who purchased event tickets, the “Benefit Pizza Party” was a heartwarming success that will fund a new shed for the Montlake Elementary Garden Program.

Carla Leonardi, Café Lago owner, was presented with the fundraising opportunity by LeAna Alvarado-Smith, Montlake Community Club board member, after the Community Club received a request from Cheri Bloom, Montlake Elementary Garden Program.

IMAG0234Carla, who kept the wood fired pizza flowing, was absolutely thrilled at the success of the event, shared “What a wonderful event! I was overwhelmed by Montlake’s generosity! Everyone was in such great spirits, the kids were all smiling, sun was shining, the whole afternoon had a magical feeling. Thank you Montlake!”

Elementary PTA provided assistance to facilitate online ticket sales.  “It was amazing to have so many groups work together for this fun and beneficial event; I am honored to have been involved and proud to live in such a wonderful neighborhood” said LeAna.

lago 2

Cheri Bloom shared a similar sentiment, “It was wonderful to see support for the project from community members as well as parents and students of Montlake Elementary School. Carla and her staff were amazing and the entire event exemplified community. We are filled with gratitude.”

Cheri will keep the community posted on installation timing but hopes to have it up this spring.

SR 520 Final Concept Design: Transportation & Neighborhood Activists Respond – Have You? 

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RestofthewestWSDOT and the City of Seattle have posted the SR 520 West Side Final Concept Design Draft and it is available on Montlake.Net Everything 520 Page and here.  A printed copy will also be available for review at the library later today. This draft was prepared with input from Montlake Community Club members in cooperation with the city appointed 520 coordinator, SDOT, and the WSDOT and city’s design team.  In August, the Seattle Design Commission conducted a thorough review of the plan and made specific recommendations that touch both the interchange in Montlake and the Portage Bay Bridge.  While the draft marks some significant progress from previous WSDOT proposals in terms of pedestrian and bicycle mobility solutions, some concerns exist.

In response to this draft, Montlake Community Club board member Lionel Job, Montlake Neighborhood Greenways, Neighborhood Greenway activists, and pedestrian and bicycle groups have sent the letter below to Mayor Murray with council members, state representatives and senators in copy.  The letter thanks the city and WSDOT for their cooperation in the last 18 months, highlights concerns with the lack of flexibility with the layout of the off and on ramps and suggests a number of improvements that could ease some concerns.

WSDOT’s draft will be reviewed this month by the City Council. Furthermore, this concept design was used as an element for the 2015 Transportation budget presented by the governor in Olympia.  If the budget is passed, based on the Final Concept Design, WSDOT will gain access to the funds and approval to build.  This draft represents only a 5% design and may change; however, it can be used to obtain 100% of the project funding.  Therefore, it is critical that neighbors review the draft and submit comments without delay.  All comments should be sent to the city council members, posted here or following this post WSDOT Seeks Community Feedback on “Rest of the West” Design.

Letter

Dear Mayor Murray, 

Thank you for your leadership building a transportation system that moves people efficiently throughout the region, and creates healthy places to live, work, and play. We are glad you share our vision of a modern transportation system that furthers Seattle’s economic, social justice, climate, livability, public health, and safety goals. We want to start by thanking you for the significant improvements that have been made to the SR-520 design over the past year. The collaboration between SDOT, WSDOT, and consultants has resulted in better solutions than previous iterations.

We understand WSDOT has unduly constrained this collaborative effort, and been unwilling to reconsider some of the underlying assumptions. By locking down the requirements for the number of access ramps and the Montlake interchange configuration, WSDOT has closed the door to innovations that would significantly improve the comfort and safety for people walking and biking (such as options X, Y, and Z on page 44 of the SR 520 Final Concept Design document). We recognize these constraints are unlikely to be reexamined before funding is secured this legislative session.

We recommend the following changes that would make this project safer and healthier for Seattle. This $1.5 billion project will be set in concrete for the next eighty years. It must work for kids walking to Montlake Elementary, elders walking from the Husky Light Rail Station to the Arboretum, or a physician in scrubs biking from the Central District to the UW Medical Center. We urge you to continue to lead us towards a better transportation future.

Top SR-520 Design Innovations and Remaining Opportunities

We support the following design innovations proposed by WSDOT

  1. North-South: A Montlake Cut walking and biking bridge will alleviate the failing level of service on the existing bridge for people walking and biking. Alignment B would add the most value to Seattle’s transportation system by connecting to the proposed protected bike lanes on Montlake Boulevard and to the future UW Light Rail Station. This connection is part of the 2014 Seattle Bicycle Master Plan.

  2. North-South: The “Land Bridge” will provide a useful and iconic connection over the SR-520 highway mainline.

  3. East-West: An E Roanoke Greenway and short E-W protected bike lane along E Roanoke St will form the critical East-West connection in this system for people of all ages and abilities.

  4. East-West: The Portage Bay Bridge Trail will be a critical piece of the healthy transportation infrastructure for the city and region. This facility is part of the 2014 Seattle Bicycle Master Plan.

We strongly recommend the following design improvements

  1. North-South and East-West: Given that separated above grade options have been taken off the table for now, it is incumbent upon WSDOT to create the safest possible Montlake interchange pedestrian crossings along both sides of Montlake Blvd for people of all ages and abilities. To accomplish this, all on-ramp and off-ramp conflict points should be raised crosswalks, lane widths should be reduced to NACTO standards, turning radii should be consistent with NACTO standards, and the on-ramp storage lanes should be narrowed to a single lane at pedestrian crossings. These improvements are consistent with WSDOT approved NACTO and SDOT’s ROWIM.

  2. North-South: A two-way protected bike lane on the east-side of Montlake Blvd from E Roanoke St, across a new walking and biking bridge, to the University Light Rail Station at Husky Stadium is important to creating a safe and convenient system for people biking through this area. This facility is part of the adopted 2014 Seattle Bicycle Master Plan.

  3. North-South: Funding for neighborhood greenway improvements along the Lake Washington Loop from the SR-520 Lid south will simultaneously improve a key link in the non-motorized system and improve the livability of the neighborhood by mitigating cut-through traffic from the relocation of the eastbound SR-520 ramp. These improvements are part of the adopted 2014 Seattle Bicycle Master Plan.

Thank you for your continued commitment to improving the SR-520 project. Please see our full comments in the attached letter.

Sincerely,

Barb Chamberlain, Washington Bikes

Bob Edmiston, Madison Park Greenways, Seattle Board of Park Commissioners

Cathy Tuttle, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways

Dennis Shaw, MD, Montlake Greenways

Elizabeth Kiker, Cascade Bicycle Club

Forrest Baum, University Greenways

Jerry Fulks, Arboretum Neighbors for Safer Streets

Lionel Job, Montlake Community Club Transportation Committee, Montlake Greenways

Lisa Quinn, Feet First

Mike Archambault, Capitol Hill Community Council, Central Seattle Greenways

Shefali Ranganathan, Transportation Choices Coalition

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What’s Happening In & Around Montlake

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wh0120Events in and around Montlake for the week of Jan 20th – Jan 26th.

Upcoming Special Event

Sunday, January 25th

In Montlake

Saturday, January 24th

Ongoing

Around Montlake

Sunday, January 25th

Visit our neighborhood calendar to keep track of upcoming events. All registered users of Montlake.net are authorized to submit events via our Post Your Event tool.

What’s Happening In & Around Montlake

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wh0108

Events in and around Montlake for the week of Jan 8th – Jan 14th.

Upcoming Special Event

Sunday, January 25thMontlakeGardens

In Montlake

Station 22Saturday, January 10th

Tuesday, January 13th

Wednesday, January 14thBusinessCardLogo

Ongoing

Around Montlake

Tuesday, January 13th

Visit our neighborhood calendar to keep track of upcoming events. All registered users of Montlake.net are authorized to submit events via our Post Your Event tool.

Cafe Lago: Building A School Garden Shed, One Pizza At A Time

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MontlakeGardens

Montlake Elementary School

After hearing the Montlake Elementary School Garden Program was in need of a new garden shed, Carla Leonardi, owner of Cafe Lago, had this to share, “Because we are trying to reach the community more and more each year, we feel that the school garden is a perfect place to start. We are going to be working with the students at the restaurant and the garden. So naturally, their need for a tool shed is something we love to help make happen. Also, a benefit at the restaurant will help the community come together for a common good. We love sheds!”

Proposed Shed Design

Proposed Shed Design

Montlake Elementary School has created a thriving greenhouse and garden program.  Now in its 14th year, all students, “Urban Famers,” at Montlake participate weekly and focus on cooking, nutrition and the arts. But this success comes with challenges, Cheri Bloom, garden program coordinator shared “as the program has become more established, we have outgrown our greenhouse space.” The addition of a storage unit would enable the school to create more space for students in the greenhouse, especially for classroom time and also for projects when weather does not permit us to be outdoors.

With the assistance of Cheri Bloom, Montlake Elementary PTA and Montlake Community Club members, Carla has organized a benefit Pizza Party.  Café Lago is donating all food, beverages and labor for the delicious and family friendly event which provides for 100% of ticket sales going to the garden program shed fund.  Neighbors and Community members are invited to join this wonderful event. To provide a comfortable experience for those attending, two seating times are available – 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm or 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm. Tickets are available online by clicking HERE.

Café Lago Benefit Pizza Party – Build a Garden Shed
2305 24th Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98112

January 25, 2015 (Choose One Seating)
Noon – 1:30pm or 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Tickets: BUY NOW

Tickets: Adults $20 and Children (14 and under) $5
Includes Pizza, Wine, Beer & a Non-Alcoholic Beverage option (Ex. Juice)

UPDATE: Sincere apologies as we have been notified that many have not received email receipts of their ticket purchases. Rest assured all the purchases have been received by Montlake PTA and parties are listed on the reservation sheet. The payment will appear as “MONTLAKE COMM SCH ASSOC” on your bank statement. If you did not receive your receipt and you need a copy sent, please click to email receipts@montlakepta.org or LeAna to request your receipt. Thank you for supporting the garden program. 

Café Lago: Keeping Things Simple at a Neighborhood Staple

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Café Lago 2305 24th Avenue East Seattle 98112 206-329-8005

Café Lago
2305 24th Avenue East
Seattle 98112
Tele: 206-329-8005

For those of us this year who have a few last minute holiday presents to pick out, Café Lago has added a simple yet delicious line-up of Pacific Northwest favorites to choose from in a mini pop-up.

Green Italian Plum Jam ($20): Ayak Gordon’s jam made from fruit from Yakima.

Taki’s Organic English Walnuts ($8 lb): harvested in 2014.

Café Lago Panforte ($30): a 24 year old tradition of “strong bread” resembling a fruit pie, as featured in Seattle Magazine.

Not only does the Café boast a wood fire oven, but also a classy bar located on the side of the restaurant. Soft, white light flows from the windows, creating a perfect holiday ambiance throughout. The featured items above are sure not to disappoint, especially when accompanied by an evening at Café Lago.

Cafe Lago Pop-Up

Upcoming Festivities

Polenta Night: To engage people and create excitement around food, the Café is creating a special night out of something simple, as creator and polenta queen Arianna Garella says.  [We’re] creating meals that have a lot of love and time that go into them without it being a pretentious thing, Garella says. Come join the restaurant and order yourself a plate of American grits on a cold evening night.

When: January 18th
Tips: Regular menu is still available

Kids Cooking Class: Starting on January 14, Montlake Elementary fourth and fifth graders join the restaurant to learn about the craft of cooking two days per week.

Café Lago Benefit Pizza Party: Ticket sales go toward the building of Montlake Elementary’s new shed for the garden program.

When: January 25th
Tickets: $20 adults; $5 children (14 and under)

Making Montlake Safe AND Neighborly

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Seattle Police Department

Seattle Police Department

Community Safety has been a hot topic on the Montlake Forum lately –lots of ideas and strong opinions. Your Montlake Community Club Board is working to do something about safety while keeping Montlake welcoming too. November 12, Montlakers were invited to a meeting with East Precinct Police & the Crime Prevention Specialist. Read further to find out what we learned, and what we are doing to make Montlake a safe, welcoming, neighborly place to live……

Crime Prevention Best Practices

Crime Prevention Specialist,Terrie Johnston, of the East/West Precinct, offered advice at the meeting about protecting basic home & property, that is, on burglary, auto & other property theft prevention. Maybe surprisingly, she didn’t start by focusing on more alarms with bells and whistles, or more defensive weapons. She started by reminding us to get to know our neighbors. But of course! More pairs of eyes observing; more working together to take care of each other; more block watch participation efforts. Those are proven protections.

She talked about securing the locks on our windows and doors. But, of course! Developing the habit of locking the car, and buttoning up our houses makes sense. We need to do it. She reminded us too about documenting our belongings. Sure, we all hope we can prevent burglary, but if it happens, we need to know what’s missing, so our items might be identified and returned, if the burglars are caught.

Specialist Johnston reminded us to honor our intuition”—if someone on the street, down the sidewalk, or at the door gives you concern, call 911 to report it. Don’t ignore your gut reaction. She advised “Answer the door (talk through the door). Don’t open it until you know who is there.” Do let potential burglars know someone is in the house, rather than giving the impression no one is around.

Burglers and thieves work 24/7, so don’t live in fear, but be cautious around the clock. And, finally, if you are still feeling insecure, make an appointment through the East precinct non- emergency number ((206-684-4300) to ask for an officer to visit your home for a walk-about and specific advice on helpful safety measures you can take, including possible additional (but not neighbor-abusive ) lighting, shrub pruning, and lock upgrades.

SPD offers various crime prevention resources, bulletins, and check sheets at the SPD website (www.seattle.gov/police/). For those unable to attend the safety meeting, this website is well worth visiting for crime prevention advice.

SPD Officer Jay Shin, the Unit Supervisor of the Community Police Team for the East Precinct joined Johnston to respond to neighbors’ questions and concerns. Those concerns included (from most frequently mentioned to least) high speed & reckless driving, car break-ins & general property theft, burglary, personal safety in parks, homeless people & crime potential, commercial area safety, and lighting trespass.

Officer Shin spoke first to concerns about speeding traffic and reckless driving. He agreed to ask precinct traffic officers for increased patrols and ticketing on main arterials, and encouraged us to continue to work with SDOT on traffic calming approaches–as we are. Shin also addressed concerns about homeless people in the neighborhood, saying they are victims more frequently than the perpetrators of crimes, so are not often the likely suspects in thefts, car prowls, or burglaries.

For other concerns, Shin, like Johnston, encouraged the enhancement of community building and block watch organizing. He observed that our neighborhood has a history of far lower crime incidents than others within the precinct, so we will usually have a lower police presence. Current crime statistics show we continue to have lower crime rates—and that is a good thing. So how we can gain quick response for the times we really do need the police remains an on-going issue. That, we must continue to advocate for as a community.

Generating Our Own Safety Plans

After the Precinct guests presented, the Montlake neighbors attending the meeting spent time in table discussions identifying the most important ways we could improve community safety. Three primary ideas emerged: a) more traffic control measures, b) advocacy for more police staffing and c) an enhanced Block Watch program. Eight (8) meeting participants offered to help in various ways on future safety efforts, including five (5) who were willing to serve as Block Watch captains or co-captain, and others willing to be worker bees on an action group (4) and/or participate in a community-wide safety committee (3). Since the Safety Meeting, four (4) other individuals participating in Forum discussions have also offered to be involved.

What’s Next?

So here’s what’s planned for 2015, as follow up to that November safety meeting. We’ll work on three inter-connected efforts, as follows:

Traffic issues will continue to be addressed by neighbor volunteers led by Montlake Community Club Board member, Lionel Job. Lionel has worked tirelessly to attain safe streets for all in collaboration with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) through the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and Safe Routes to School programs.

Block Watch organizing and revitalization will be led by Bryan Haworth, another MCC Board member. He’ll be initiating activities to organize Block Watch captains beginning in winter, 2015.

Crime Incidence, Police Staffing & Service Priorities will be addressed by volunteers invited to work with MCC Board members, Nathalie Gehrke & Bob DeLay, who also will kick off efforts early in 2015.

As work proceeds, expect to get progress reports through the Montlake Flyer and Forum, so keep an eye out for briefs from time to time. And if you want to help, write to  Safety@Montlake.net .

Let’s keep Montlake welcoming, neighborly, and safe—working together.