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

Continuing the Montlake Community Club’s goal to support the Montlake Neighborhood, we are expanding the old Snow Brigade to include two broader goals:

• Aid our community in Emergency Preparedness (to ready our community for major disasters)
• Organize a team of volunteers – Neighbors Helping Neighbors – (to help our neighbors pick up medications, food and other essential supplies, provide rides to doctors’ appointments and provide additional essential services during snow storms, floods, power outages and personal illnesses)

There are several city-sponsored preparedness activities that we can participate in, including:

• Block Watch groups with Block Watch Captains
• HUBs with HUB Captains (a HUB is a community gathering place where community members meet during an emergency. HUBs house large containers with supplies for emergency use)
• CERT – Certified Emergency Response Teams – specially trained teams skilled in emergency management
• SNAP – Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepared – training sessions in emergency preparedness for community groups

At present, there are no Block Watch groups registered in Montlake, and according to the latest city emergency preparedness maps, there are currently no HUBs or CERTs.

Our first step in this project is to register our Block Watch groups with the city and we need your help. Our hope is to have the Block Watch Captains be part of a phone tree for our Neighbors Helping Neighbors program, as well as for our Emergency Preparedness program.

We plan to apply to the city for a HUB that will be located within our Montlake boundaries and begin a series of regular SNAP sessions on emergency preparedness at the Montlake Library or Montlake Community Center.

If you are a Block Watch Captain, please email Carol Cordy, a Montlake Community Club board member, at carolcordymd@gmail.com at your earliest convenience.

And let Carol know if you are interested in participating in these projects, in any capacity. Carol will be sure to keep you informed of our planning meetings and training sessions.

On behalf of the Montlake Community Club, thank you for your time and attention. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Carol Cordy at carolcordymd@gmail.com. Carol has graciously volunteered her time to spearhead this project.

If you are interested in learning how to prepare an Emergency Kit for your home/car/ business, or just want to find out what the city of Seattle has in place for disaster preparedness please visit:

seattle.gov/emergency-management/preparedness/prepare-yourself, or                 seattle.gov/emergency-management/preparedness 

MCC Board. Bottom Row – Kerry Clayman and Tyler Blitz. Second Row – Bob DeLay, Michele Layton, Yvonne Werner, Lori Sabado, Kathy Laughman, and Carol Cordy. Top Row: Sharsti Sandall, Bryan Haworth, and Darcy LaBelle. Not Pictured: Juan Lopez and John O’Neil.

Happy New Year from the Montlake Community Club Board of Directors! We’ve recently updated our bio page and invite you to read more about who we are. We’ve also added bios of some of our wonderful volunteers, without whom we would not be able to do what we do.

The Montlake Community Club is a volunteer-led organization that represents your interests as Montlake residents. We are your conduit to city officials and other civic groups; we organized the first ever Montlake 5K Turkey Trot & Kids Run in 2016, and the fourth annual All Montlake Yard Sale; we authored the grant that is helping us think about improving our business district; and we are involved with ongoing transportation and safety issues, including the possible loss of the Montlake Blvd Market. As a Montlake resident, you are automatically a member of the club.

After hearing from community members who felt out-of-touch when the paper version of the Montlake Flyer was discontinued, we brought back the paper Flyer last year. Expect a new issue of the Montlake Flyer on your doorstep soon.

With a 2016 that had us busier than ever, the Montlake Community Club needs more volunteer support. Whatever your contribution is, large or small, there is a role for you with the MCC. If you are interested in connecting with your neighbors and helping your community, please contact us at board@montlake.net.

Click here to learn more about your MCC board members and volunteers: http://montlake.net/mcc/mcc-board-of-directors/

The Montlake Community Club urges all concerned residents to turn out for a WSDOT meeting this Wednesday, December 7 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at the Graham Visitors Center (2300 Arboretum Drive East). WSDOT still plans on taking the Montlake Blvd Market and we need to keep up the fight.

At this public meeting, WSDOT will discuss the “Montlake Phase” of the 520 bridge construction which is expected to begin in 2018. Topics will include the West Approach Bridge North (WABN), the West Approach Bridge South (WABS), the Montlake lid and land bridge, and a Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan.

We urge all concerned residents to come to this meeting because we are running out of time to have an impact on the design of this project. WSDOT indicates they still plan on taking the Montlake Blvd Market and 76 gas station through purchase or by eminent domain so please speak up and let them know this is unacceptable and alternatives to this plan must be part of the discussion. Let’s keep up the fight and we hope to see you there!