Nice Improvements to Greenwood Ave. N

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Posted: June 2, 2020

If you have driven on Greenwood Avenue N above N 135th St. lately you have seen the fine work that Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) did to improve this part of Greenwood.  The completed sidewalks on both sides greatly improve pedestrian safety.  Thanks for this improvement in our neighborhood!

SDOT’s project overview: We are working to repave Greenwood Ave N between N 137th and N 145th streets, as well as adding sidewalks, curbs, and parking strips where they don’t presently exist. Other improvements will include Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps at each intersection in the project area, pedestrian signal improvements at N 145th St, and a new traffic signal at N 137th St. These improvements will help achieve Seattle’s Vision Zero goal to end all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030

Information About Seattle Curfew May 30 and May 31 5 PM – 5 AM

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Posted: May 30, 2020

Today, community members across Seattle came together to grieve, to protest and to commit themselves to the cause of justice. Coming together is a right we all honor and cherish. For hours today, individuals marched and gathered peacefully. They grieved and built community that is so necessary during these trying times. However, late this afternoon, some demonstrations swiftly turned violent and led to multiple fires being intentionally set downtown.  Tonight, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced a 5:00 p.m. curfew effective for today, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. The curfew will be in effect from 5:00 pm – 5:00 am. During those hours residents and visitors are asked not to travel in and through downtown Seattle. 

This temporary curfew is intended to preserve the safety of our residents by keeping our streets safe and accessible for essential workers and first responders and preventing the further spread of COVID-19.

The temporary curfew does not impact people who

  • need to commute to work during these hours,
  • are experiencing homelessness,
  • are in a medical emergency or a dangerous situation.

The curfew does not require businesses to close, and it will not alter public transit.

The Mayor asks all residents and visitors to voluntarily follow the curfew. The City does not intend to enforce the curfew, except for violations that result in public health and safety threats.

Governor Inslee has also authorized the deployment of 200 members of the National Guard to support the City’s response. They will be unarmed and support the protection of infrastructure, traffic flow and crowd management.  For more information please visit http://durkan.seattle.gov. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the curfew apply throughout the entire City of Seattle? 

Yes. The Mayor’s Proclamation of Civil Emergency and the accompanying curfew applies to the entire city limits. 

When does the curfew apply? 

The curfew order is for Saturday and Sunday. It is effective between the hours of from 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 to 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 3, and starts again on 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 31 to 5:00am on Monday, June 1. During the curfew hours, residents should refrain from traveling in and through Seattle.

Will there be additional curfews on other days?

Depending on how events unfold, there may be additional days that the curfew may be effective. Protecting the health and safety of our community is the highest priority for the City.

How will the curfew be enforced?

The Mayor and Chiefs ask all residents and visitors to voluntarily abide by the curfew. The City does not intend to enforce the curfew, except for violations that result in public health and safety threats including fires, extensive property damage, and violence.

What should I do during the curfew?

You should remain in your residence and adhere to the curfew to help protect the safety of our community. You should not travel on any public streets, alley, or roadways or to any public place. The curfew is necessary to prevent fires, widespread property damage, and violence in the City, and is being imposed in order to protect Seattle residents.  

I’m scheduled to work during the curfew. Can I still travel to today go to work? Can my employees still report to work during the curfew?

Yes, people are allowed to travel to and from work during the curfew.

I use public transportation, or a ride-hailing app, for transportation. Am I allowed to use those during the curfew? 

Yes, you can use public transportation like Metro, Sound Transit or a ride-hailing app like Lyft or Uber, to travel during the curfew hours, except no person is allowed in public places when the curfew is in effect. These methods of transportation will continue to operate unless circumstances require them to be closed to protect public health and safety.

Are businesses required to close during the curfew? 

The curfew does not require essential businesses to close. However, essential businesses will not be allowed to have customers during the curfew hours. Due to safety concerns and risks business owners are strongly encouraged to secure their place of business and stay in a safe place.

What if I need to go to the hospital or urgent care clinic during the curfew? 

You are allowed to seek emergency and urgent medical care during the curfew.

I am experiencing homelessness and don’t have a place to go inside. How does the curfew apply to me? 

People experiencing homelessness are not impacted by the curfew. However, the City does ask those living unsheltered to help protect the safety of the community by voluntarily restricting their travel in public places during the curfew.   

Are there other exemptions from the curfew? 

The curfew does not apply to law enforcement, fire fighters, military personnel, emergency personnel, medical personnel, City and government officials with valid identification, or members of the news media authorized in advance by the Office of the Mayor or the Chief of Seattle Police Department or their designee.

What if I want to patrol or protect my neighborhood and local businesses?

During this time of rioting, violence, and widespread property destruction, please stay home and abide by the curfew. Connect with your neighbors via call or text. If you are checking on your business or working at a business, please be aware of your surroundings at all times and call 9-1-1 if you fear for your safety.

Why is the National Guard being deployed?

Mayor Durkan and Chief of Police Carmen Best submitted a request to the State Emergency Operations Center for 200 unarmed National Guard personnel. The request has been granted by Governor Inslee. National Guard members will not be armed and only assist with protecting infrastructure and traffic and crowd management. Their primary role is help with safe movement of people ensuring that people have the right to peacefully demonstrate. We expect some members to deploy this evening.

 

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City of Seattle Launches Seattle Together Initiative to Create Community During COVID-19 Pandemic

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Posted: May 23, 2020

Mayor Durkan this week announced the City of Seattle’s new Seattle Together initiative, which is designed to celebrate ideas, share resources and events, and connect community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seattle Together initiative asks community members to amplify stories of good work and resiliency by residents, elevate resources and share best practices, and build relationships as Seattle residents continue to follow the statewide “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order and physical distancing guidance.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Seattle, necessary public health guidance has undoubtedly taken a toll on the economic, physical, and mental health of residents. Seattle Together will help people connect by lifting up community-generated ideas, highlighting philanthropic efforts, and sharing information about City resources. Seattle Together features local artistic content, mental health breaks, physical activities, and helpful resources designed to provide respite and hope for our community.

King County directive for residents to wear cloth face coverings

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Posted: May 12, 2020

From the Seattle Times

King County is directing people to wear cloth face coverings in certain settings to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus as more businesses reopen and activities resume, officials said Monday.

But policy won’t take effect until May 18, and the county won’t enforce it with tickets or arrests. Instead, officials will rely on voluntary compliance in Seattle and throughout the county, they said.

The new directive by Jeff Duchin, the county’s public health officer, says people should cover their noses and mouths in indoor public spaces, such as supermarkets, and in outdoor public spaces, such as farmers markets, where social distancing guidelines are difficult to follow.

County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan joined Duchin for a virtual news conference to publicize the policy, which will stay in effect as long as the health officer deems necessary.

“It is critical we continue to slow the rate of transmission even as we increase economic activities, so that our recovery can be a one-way trip,” Constantine said, warning a second surge in cases could lead to another widespread shutdown.

“Probably 95% of the people in Seattle and King County have not yet been exposed,” Durkan added, lending her support to the directive.

There won’t be penalties for people who don’t wear face coverings and law enforcement won’t be involved, Duchin said.

Some people can’t wear face coverings for medical reasons. Some also may worry about being subjected to racial profiling and biased treatment while wearing masks, Constantine said. Some Black men, in particular, have raised that concern.

The policy won’t apply to deaf and hard-of-hearing people who rely on facial and mouth movements to communicate.

Masks shouldn’t be worn by children under 2 and should be worn by children between 2 and 12 only with supervision by adults, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.

“We are strongly encouraging King County residents to wear masks” in crowded public spaces, Duchin said when asked whether the directive amounted to a requirement.

“Like most of our public health interventions, we need most people to comply with this, and the more the better,” he added later. “However, it’s not essential that every one of us comply for this to work, so if there are a few who can’t or don’t, this will still be an effective intervention if most of us do.”

In addition to supermarkets and farmers markets, the county’s directive will apply to: pharmacies, convenience stores, pet-supply stores, auto-supply stores, hardware and home-improvement stores, garden stores, office-supply stores, home-appliance stores, carry-out restaurants, cannabis shops, tobacco and vape shops.

The policy will apply in taxis and rideshare vehicles and aboard public transportation, including buses and light rail.

King County Metro bus passengers will be “required” to wear face coverings, but riders without them won’t actually be turned away, Metro said. Instead, they’ll hear recorded reminders and security officers will “offer guidance.” Sound Transit, which provides service across three counties, will add new signage urging riders to wear face coverings, but will not enforce the directive, a spokesman said.

Seattle parks open for sunny Mother’s Day weekend — with restrictions, shorter hours

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Posted: May 9, 2020

From the Seattle Times :

Seattle parks will remain open for what’s expected to be a warm and sun-soaked Mother’s Day weekend, though officials are worried about crowds spreading the coronavirus.

More than a dozen major parks will have shorter hours than usual. Starting Friday, 17 large parks will close each day at 8 p.m., rather than 11:30 p.m., Mayor Jenny Durkan and parks Superintendent Jesús Aguirre said during an online news conference Thursday. The city is making the change to deter barbecues, bonfires and parties, they said.

Also, the same “keep it moving” restrictions that have been in place since mid-April will apply in the city’s parks this weekend, Durkan and Aguirre said. Under that policy, parks are supposed to be used for running, walking and biking, rather than picnicking, gathering and playing sports.

Motorized boat ramps, tennis courts, basketball courts, play areas, picnic tables and shelters and playgrounds are closed in all parks, as they have been for many weeks. Parking lots at major parks are closed, as well.

Durkan and Aguirre said they want residents to visit Seattle’s more than 400 smaller, neighborhood parks rather than thronging to the city’s major, destination parks, and should consider visiting parks in the morning rather than the afternoon. They said parkgoers should stay six feet apart and said people who are sick should stay home.

“We really need Seattle to be smart. We don’t want to be those people we see by the thousands storming the beaches in Florida or Southern California,” Durkan said. “Most of us are still susceptible to this virus, and when we come together, that’s when the virus can spread … If you get to a park and it’s crowded, turn around and walk the other way.”

Mother’s Day weekend is typically a busy time in Seattle’s parks, and the National Weather Service is forecasting sunny skies Saturday and Sunday, with high temperatures above 80 degrees.

The 8 p.m. closures will apply at these parks: Alki Beach, Cal Anderson, Carkeek, Discovery, Gas Works, Golden Gardens, Green Lake, Kubota Garden, Lincoln, Magnuson, Seward, Volunteer, Washington Park Arboretum, West Seattle Stadium, Myrtle Edwards, Judkins and Woodland.

More than 60 parks employees will be out and about this weekend to issue “keep it moving” and social distancing reminders, Aguirre said. Police officers will help close the major parks at 8 p.m., he said.

Durkan said, “I have a lot of confidence in the people of Seattle to follow the rules. Please don’t leave it to the park ambassadors to have to tell you.”

The city has closed more than 20 miles of neighborhoods streets to vehicle traffic in recent weeks to allow more space for people to walk and bike.

Most restrooms in the major parks will close at 8 p.m., spokesman Otts Bolisay said in an email. Portable toilets placed at parks and at other sites near homeless encampments will remain open at night, Bolisay said.

In addition, brick-and-mortar restrooms at these park locations will remain open 24 hours a day, Bolisay said: Alki Beach (at bathhouse), Alki Beach (at 63rd Avenue Southwest), Ballard Commons, Bradner Gardens Park, East Queen Anne Playground, Gas Works Park, Genesee Playfield, Green Lake (at wading pool), Green Lake (at Northeast 65th Street) and Queen Anne Bowl.

Daniel Beekman: 206-464-2164 or dbeekman@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @dbeekman. Seattle Times staff reporter Daniel Beekman covers Seattle city government and local politics.

Seattle Gets Creative

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Posted: May 7, 2020

Let’s make some art! Seattle’s cultural community in association with the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture encourages residents to participate in a city-wide art project to spread some joy and creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic response. Put some art up in a window, your front yard, or wherever you are to share some joy and creativity with your neighbors.

After the success of Make a Joyful Noise (applauding front line and health care workers), community arts organizer Mark Siano and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture have teamed up again to start a new initiative to enrich the lives of people in Seattle during the quarantine, through the distribution of arts in neighborhoods and the encouragement of homemade art displays. 

Some ways to participate in #artdisplays4homestays

  • Make art to display in your yard
  • Display art in your window
  • Art where you are
  • Make art to put on your door
  • Dress up your stuffed animals in the window
  • Chalk art on sidewalks
  • Art in your home and share on social media

Use hashtags #seattletogether and #artdisplays4homestays

While there is no formal deadline for this initiative, people are encouraged to complete and display their art in Seattle by Thursday, May 7 in tandem with First Thursday Art Walk. With Mother’s Day approaching, Art Displays 4 Homestays is also a great way for homebound families to come together around an art project, or a way to pay tribute to mothers who can’t be reached during the quarantine.

Art Displays 4 Home Stays is inspired by Public Art Comes to Your Front Yard, a project that commissioned 12 artists to create designs for 1,000, 18” x 24” yard signs with messages of hopeful engagement for the community. Signs have been installed in the public right-of-way, parks, roundabouts, local fire stations, and beyond. Public Art Comes to Your Front Yard is a program of Seattle Together, a City initiative that fosters relationships, shares resources, provides emotional support, strengthens social networks, and nurtures our community during this unprecedented moment in history.  

Seattle Together is a partnership with Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Office of Arts & Culture, Office of Economic Development, Seattle Public Library, and the Mayor’s Innovation and Performance Team, building a Citywide community response aimed at supporting, uplifting, and celebrating the enormous goodwill, generosity, and empathy that has come from our Seattle community and neighborhoods in the wake of this COVID-19 pandemic.

More information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/240484943728119/

Blog post Office of Arts and Culture https://artbeat.seattle.gov/2020/05/01/seattle-gets-creative/ KUOW Blog https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-arts-groups-go-online-to-foster-community

12th Ave. NW Drainage Improvement Project Update

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Posted: April 21, 2020

Dear neighbor,

This is an update on the 12th Ave NW Basin Drainage Improvement project.

Natural drainage systems

Last October, we announced that we were proposing to narrow down the potential blocks for natural drainage systems to:

  • The south side NW 127th St between 1st Ave NW and 3rd Ave NW
  • The west side of 1st Ave NW between NW 127 St and NW 130th St near the intersections
  • The north side NW 130th St between 1st Ave NW and 3rd Ave NW

Since then, our design time has been working on selecting the final proposed locations of natural drainage systems and new trees that will be installed as part of this project. See a map of the natural drainage systems and trees on our website.

The natural drainage systems are sited in areas where they will provide the biggest drainage benefit while still being cost-efficient. Additionally, the selected locations avoid existing underground utilities and other significant structures.

New trees may be planted inside the natural drainage systems and as stand-alone improvements. The tree locations avoid overhead utilities, maintain sightlines for pedestrians and drivers and allow trees to be clustered for ease of maintenance and tree health. You’ll also see areas of new lawn or sod that may or may not be accompanied by trees. These areas will provide additional drainage capacity. Lawn soaks up stormwater better than hardscape or gravel.


Please note:

  • Every tree that is removed as part of this project will be replaced with two new trees. Trees that are marked for removal were either deemed hazardous, or we cannot safely construct around them.
  • Maintenance of new natural drainage systems and street trees will be performed by the City. New lawn areas will be maintained by the City for the first three years of growth.

Looking ahead

  • The project is moving toward 60% design. In addition to the natural drainage systems design, our project team continues to refine the design of the new drainage pipes that will be located further south in the neighborhood along NW 125th St, 10th Ave NW and 11th Ave NW. 
  • Later this year, the team plans to issue our Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Checklist. SEPA Checklists are used by agencies to evaluate and plan for any environmental impacts associated with a project. We’ll post the Checklist on our website so the community can review it.
  • At this time, construction is anticipated to begin in mid-2021. We will update the community if there are any significant impacts to schedule.
  • Additional outreach will be conducted closer to the start of construction, but we’re available to have one-on-one conversations (by phone, email or virtual meetings) with homeowners any time in the meantime to answer questions.

Direct replies to GovDelivery email messages will not be received by the project team. As always, if you have a question about the project, please feel free to contact us directly by emailing SPU_BroadviewProjects@seattle.gov. 

Best,

Broadview Project Team

Visit the project website

Parks Are Open But Parking Is Closed

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Posted: April 17, 2020

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s message about parks and other sites this weekend:

Mayor Durkan Urges Residents to Continue to Stay Home and Announces Guidelines to Allow Continued Use of Parks, Farmers Markets and Car-Free Neighborhood Greenways

SEATTLE (April 16, 2020) – The City announced additional steps taken and guidelines for safe use of City parks, greenways and local farmers markets. The City will allow major parks to remain open throughout the weekend but will be requiring residents to keep moving and not play sports, picnic or barbecue, with additional new guidelines at Green Lake and Seward Park. The City will also open two neighborhood greenways in West Seattle and the Central District to allow safe exercise opportunities free of cars so residents can bike or walk this weekend. Parking lots at our larger parks will remain closed.

The full text is available at this link.

Carkeek Park Closed this Weekend

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Posted: April 9, 2020

With Continued Gatherings in Parks, Mayor Announces Weekend Closure of 15 Largest Parks and Beaches and Urges People to Stay Home

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Alki, Arboretum, Cal Anderson, Carkeek, Discovery, Gas Works, Green Lake, Golden Gardens, Kubota Garden, Lincoln, Magnuson, Seward, Volunteer, West Seattle Stadium, Woodland

SPD and SPR Crews and Ambassadors Will Be Onsite to Remind Individuals to Comply

CDC and DOH Recommends Individuals to Wear Cloth Face Masks When in Public

SEATTLE (April 9, 2020) –  Because of continued gatherings in major parks and crowded public places, the City of Seattle announced today the full closure of major regional parks this weekend where social distancing guidelines have not been followed by patrons. Seattle is joining major cities like Austin and Los Angeles across the country in closing major parks for the weekend. The change is effective Friday, April 10th at 11pm and will parks reopen on Monday, April 12 at 4:30 am. Data shows that social distancing measures are effectively reducing the transmission rate, but any easing of those measures could lead to a resurgence in transmission. Moreover, all city departments are having to adjust to the impacts that COVID-19 has had on employees, their families and the city workforce. 

“These are the beautiful weather days we crave all winter, but we are living in unprecedented times and the Governor’s order isn’t stay out – it’s stay home. Seattle’s frontline medical workers,  vulnerable residents, and displaced workers need you to stay home. While Seattle is expecting near perfect weather, friends and families should not have family or friend outings, picnics or gatherings in parks. Stay home unless you need to go to an essential job or business. 

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