Montlake Community Club

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Montlake Community’s Gateway Parks History

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gateway parkDid you know? 

In 1976, W. Smith gave his lots at the east and west corners of 24th Ave E and Boyer Ave E to the Montlake Community Club. He did so because he understood MCC’s interest in protecting its green spaces and “its civic and benevolent direction”.

In 1984, neighbors restored the west corner to a park after a Gas Station was closed and removed.

In 2004, neighbors began restoration of the east corner to a park, removing the jungle of bushes by hand.

In 2011, MCC was awarded a Department of Neighborhoods grant to build a path and install northwest plants in the east park. The neighborhood raised $19,000 in cash and volunteer labor to match the grant.

In 2011, MCC was awarded a Cleanscapes prize to build a Kiosk, two solid cedar benches, and install a memorial plaque to Elizabeth Duncan, who was killed by an out of control car while waiting to cross the intersection.

Our neighbors in our community built these two parks for our enjoyment, safety, and beauty; continued maintenance will honor their dedication.

Please join in helping maintain these parks by donating your time this Saturday.

Gateway Parks

 Fall Weeding & Planting Party

October 18, 2014

9:30 until noon

Refreshments will be served. Bring your gloves, weeders, and a shovel, if you can help with plantings.

Damaged Birch Tree Removed from West Gateway Park

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West-Gateway-Park-Birch

The birch tree that was pushed over by a wayward driver some months ago  was expertly removed today by a crew from TREECYCLE, who have previously worked in West Gateway Park.

True to their name the whole tree, minus the stump left in place, was ground into mulch.  This mulch will soon be spread in the park.

Thanks to Patricia Shannon-Garvey for taking care of this potentially dangerous situation and to TREECYCLE for their expertise at a very reasonable cost.

 

Gateway Parks Fall Planting & Weeding Party

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Gateway Parks Fall Planting & Weeding Party

Sunday, October 28, 2012

9:30 to noon

Dear Neighbors,

This year, thanks to your hard work in past years, Gateway Parks were maintained by 3 community work parties and individual weeding and watering attention by myself during the summer months.  People stroll through the parks regularly, and read the Kiosk map for walking information.  Montlake Community Club, in its 2013 -2014 budget, approved mulch delivery and distribution, and plant purchases for the parks.  The parks will be the recipient of Prep’s Earth Days spring cleanup next year, and will be on the 2014 MCC garden tour.

Please join me for a fall work party, a couple of hours of planting crocus bulbs and weeding.  This will bring bright color to our parks in the spring and prepare the grounds for winter.  Bring a shovel, weeders, and gloves.  Refreshments will be provided.  We will meet at East Gateway Park.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Patricia Shannon-Garvey

Facilitator for the Maintenance of MCC’s Gateway Parks

 

Gateway Parks Awarded DON Grant

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Gateway Parks Renovation Project

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We have applied for a Department of Neighborhoods (DoN) grant of $15,000 to finish renovation of the park with a gravel path and northwest native plantings.  We will know by mid-March if we have been successful.

DoN required that the grant be matched by volunteer hours, credited at $20/hr, and dollar contributions before the application can be accepted. We thank all who pledged the work hours and money that actually exceeded the amount required.  DoN emphasized wide community support for the project was essential, and that was amply demonstrated with 106 pledges amounting to 606 volunteer hours worth $12,120, in-kind contributions of goods and services amounting to $4,785, and $2120 in monetary pledges for a grand total of $19,025.  We would like to particularly thank the Montlake Community Club for their dollar pledge and Steve Worthy for donating 44 hours design time from his Landscape Architect Company.

The five members of the Steering Committee put in many hours to make this all come together. The grant is called “Small and Simple”; we found that it may have been small but it certainly wasn’t simple.

If you have any questions send an email to GatewayParks@Montlake.net or call 206-568-8382.

Thanks from your Gateway Parks Steering Committee:
Greg Ahmann
Anita Bowers
Janice Rabkin
Patricia Shannon-Garvey (Chair)
Colin Shannon-Garveyy

Pledge to Match Dept. of Neighborhood Grant for Montlake Gateway Park

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Please fill in the fields below and click at the bottom of the page to submit.   All information will be kept confidential and known only to the Montlake Community Club Gateway Park Steering Committe and the Seattle City Department of Neigborhoods, who require it to be submitted with the grant application.[formidable id=4]

CleanScapes Community Awards – Status Update #1

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As previously announced, the Thursday Collection Neighborhoods will receive $50,000 towards a community improvement project. The Thursday collection area includes portions of the following neighborhoods: Montlake, Capitol Hill, Madison Park, Madrona, Madison Valley, and First Hill. For Montlake the area is restricted to the East side of 24th Avenue East. Award money must be spent on capital improvements, not maintenance materials or labor.

The last date for project submission is July 31, 2010. In August CleanScapes will begin the cost estimating process for all of the project proposals and in early Fall the Project Selection Committee will review the eligible projects. The winning project(s) will be announced in October.

The Montlake Community Club has submitted a project to improve the South-East Montlake Gateway Park. The Montlake representative on the Project Selection Committee is Patricia Shannon-Garvey with Janice Rabkin as an alternate.  For further information contact GatewayParks@Montlake.net

The proposal is as follows:

Name: Montlake SE Gateway Park

Location: The SE corner of 24th Ave E and Boyer Ave E marks one entrance to
Montlake, recently designated a “Historic District”.

Description: (size, purpose, use): The Montlake Community Club owns the property that was deeded to it for public/community use. It anchors access to the Arboretum, SR 520, Lake Washington communities, northbound buses and the University of Washington.

Install:
1) A gravel path with steps connecting Boyer Ave E. to the bus shelter on 24th Ave E. – northbound. This would take pedestrians off the busy streets and bypass the
corner where a fatality occurred;
2) A kiosk with illustrations of native plants, birds that use this as a corridor from the Arboretum to Interlaken Park ravine, the sponsor, CleanScapes, reason for the award (recycling), and that we compost all yard waste right on the property and mulch several times a year to reduce water usage. We might add a history of Montlake and photos describing its use overtime – from private, to deeded community/public use, to aesthetic urban green space.

Added value:
Aesthetics-The Montlake Community Club is already working to beautify the site. Volunteers have cleared dead trees and brush, added native plants and mulch, watered plants and weeded the area.
Traffic calming – Improved landscaping and aesthetics is likely to promote traffic calming. Research suggests a correlation between the appearance of a neighborhood and the behavior of drivers.
Safety – On this corner in 2008, there was a pedestrian fatality. There have been numerous bicycle accidents, automobile accidents and pedestrian injuries. A walking path and improved visibility may increase safety and reduce pedestrian injuries.
Access – Street scale improvements promote walking.

Materials Needed: Gravel for path, appropriate material for steps, and wood and
shingles for kiosk.

Estimated Material Cost: approximately $6,000.

Montlake SE Gateway Park Plan