A story of two avian mothers and their love and protection. More at:

Union Bay Watch

Have a great day on Union Bay…where nature lives in the city!

Larry

We have a new shipment of all styles and sizes of our Montlake Gear.

You can purchase gear at two Pop-Up Shops at the Boyer Children’s Clinic on Tuesday, May 14^thand Tuesday, June 11^th from 6:30 to 7:00 PM.  The shops will be in the Boyer Clinic (1850 Boyer Ave E) – basement conference room. The entrance to the conference room is in the garage, entrance on E Howe Street.

If these dates don’t work for you, please contact us at treasurer@montlake.net and we can arrange to drop off your gear at your home.

This large species of shorebird can be found around the world. However, it it is most often seen in Washington during the month of May. Can you guess what it eats? More on:

Union Bay Watch

Have great day on Union Bay…where nature lives in the city!

Larry

• Donate to Montlake Community Club

GIVE BIG is a regional fundraiser happening now through May 8th. Please share the above link on social media and use it to donate to your Montlake Community Club.

Your financial support actively improves our neighborhood through volunteer-run projects like:

~The Second Annual Turkey Trot that raised over $30,000 in 2018 for the University Food Bank

~Improving transportation and safety in the neighborhood

~Challenging the city and state to improve traffic, bike and pedestrian safety including 520 design and construction issues and the 23rd Ave Corridor Improvement Project

~Promoting the annual All Montlake Yard Sale 

~Sponsoring the festive winter lights that adorn downtown Montlake

~Driving the campaign to save the Montlake Market

Thank you for your support!

Once again the Ospreys have returned to Union Bay. The question are, Can they supply enough fish to enable this year’s young to survive? What can we do to help? More photos and thoughts at:

Union Bay Watch

Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature competes in the city!

Larry

From the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog:

Posted on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 – 7:00 am by jseattle

State Rep. Nicole Macri has responded to survey results that show some Montlake residents — and their supporters across Seattle — would do pretty much anything to save the Montlake Market from being torn down and eliminated during construction of new SR-520 improvements through the area.

Macri announced a new limitation on 520 construction spending in the House transportation budget that requires WSDOT to “work with the Montlake Market to keep it open through the year.”

“Further, WSDOT is required to work with the City to allow food vendors in the area and develop a communication outreach plan to the community to solicit community input as to the food services provided,” Macri’s announcement reads.

The proviso is part of a $10 billion transportation budget proposed by House Democrats that “makes investments in each part of the state to get people where they need to be and get goods shipped around the world. It includes major funding to remove fish-barriers on state roads as part of the broader solution to helping our struggling orca population,” Macri said.

While it seems a tempest in a teapot, residents have told WSDOT they are willing for the state to spend millions in possible construction and delay costs to save the market which has been planned to be removed to make way for the $455.3 million in projects to create an improved Montlake Boulevard interchange, a landscaped lid over SR 520, a bicycle and pedestrian “land bridge” east of the lid, and a three-lane West Approach Bridge South over Union Bay for eastbound traffic.

CHS reported on the various options for keeping the market and WSDOT’s efforts to gather neighborhood feedback here. You can read WSDOT’s report on the community feedback here (PDF).

The WSDOT Accountability Coalition says it has run a survey of its own showing neighbors are “highly frustrated with the mega-project’s design & construction methods, including the unnecessary condemnation of the Montlake Market property for staging.”

The Montlake Blvd Market, or Hop-In, lists an opening year of 1936. The property’s owner has been Lynne Parrott, a Clyde Hill resident and Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman, Jr.’s niece, according to King County records. The property has a taxable value of around $1.4 million.

Construction is slated to start later this year and the work could wrap up in 2023.

The Montlake Community Club is building a Tiny House in September. This house will be placed in a Tiny House Village by the Low Income Housing Institute. These houses are often a first step toward permanent housing for our homeless neighbors. We are looking for volunteers to help us build the house on September 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th. Volunteers need to be 18 years of age or older to volunteer or as young as 16 or 17 if they have permission from a parent or guardian. Please sign up for one or more four hour shifts. Construction will be at 15230 NE 92nd St., Redmond, WA 98052. Hope you can join us. 

You can sign up for more than one shift. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050c48acae23a3ff2-tiny

Also, any donation will help. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this project.

https://www.gofundme.com/pw6ag9-tiny-house-project

In order to prepare for design and construction of the SR 520 Montlake Project, our contractor, Graham Contracting, will conduct daytime and nighttime exploratory work in the Montlake neighborhood. This work will begin the week of April 15 and last three to four weeks. Crews will use drilling equipment to collect soil samples and additional equipment to cut holes in the roadway, remove soils, and locate underground utilities. This early work, often referred to as utility locating and subsurface geotechnical investigation, is being done to support the design of the project. The map below shows the location of this work.

How can you provide feedback on early work?

Graham has developed a Community Construction Management Plan (CCMP) specific to this preconstruction work. Please review the Early Work CCMP and take this survey to let us know your thoughts on our procedures to avoid, minimize, and reduce the effects of this work on neighbors. The Early Work CCMP identifies best measures and practices to reduce construction effects on the nearby neighbors and travelers on the SR 520 corridor. The Early Work CCMP allows members of the public an ongoing opportunity to provide input on these measures. The Early Work survey will remain open through Tuesday, April 16.

This Early Work document will be a part of a more comprehensive CCMP for major construction. You will have another opportunity later this spring to comment on the comprehensive Montlake Project CCMP currently under development.

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How to reach us and stay informed about SR 520 construction:

• Call the 24-hour construction hotline (206-775-8885) with pressing Montlake Project questions or concerns.
• Call the SR 520 Program information line (206-770-3554, M-F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) with general SR 520 inquiries.
• Email SR 520 staff with your questions about the project or construction activities.
• Visit the SR 520 Construction Corner for the most up-to-date information on closures and construction impacts.
• Visit the SR 520 Program website to find general information about the project.
• Follow us on Twitter @wsdot_520 to get key news and updates about the SR 520 program.