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Construction Under Way at New P-Patch

Updated: June 27, 2012

Grading of the slope on the north side of the reservoir at N 143rd St. is under way. Terraces are being constructed where previously there was a steep slope and swales.

Volunteers are welcome and needed. Current Volunteer Opportunities: 1. Spreading woodchips on the paths; 2. Filling the planting beds with compost; 3. Building ADA-accessible beds; 4. Building the garden shed. This work will be taking place in August so that the garden can be planted this fall. Workgroups for these tasks are forming now and workgroup dates will be announced within the next few weeks. Volunteers are free to choose which tasks they want to help with. Anyone interested or wants to learn more about other volunteer opportunities (i.e. outreach, community parade, making reminder calls, etc.) should email bitterlakeppatch2011@gmail.com.

Click on photo for larger view.

Celebrate North Seattle Block Party June 24 at Oaktree Village

by Dale Johnson

Posted: June 23, 2012

Celebrate North Seattle started as a grassroots effort in June of 2010. Organizers of the event noticed a severe lack of positive community events in North Seattle and along the often infamous Aurora Avenue. The event doubled in size in just its second year! The goal of the event is simple: highlight and celebrate the good of our community while we connect people to their neighbors. The hopeful result: neighbors and businesses know and trust one another and invest more into building and bettering their community. No other event like this exists on Aurora Avenue. The organizers of Celebrate North Seattle hope to expand to bring hopeful community-driven events and initiatives to the North Seattle in the future.

NW Seattle Estate Garden Tour

by Susan George

Updated: June 19, 2012

Tour four never-before visited exclusive gardens in Seattle’s historic community of The Highlands.

Beautiful plantings and garden art
Lovely and serene water features and western views
Elegant estate garden designs make this garden tour magical

Tanya DeMarsh-Dodson photo

Refreshments along the way, Music by Andre Feriante

A Gift to take home

Dunn Gardens Curators and Docents will be on-site to provide information about the gardens

Invite your friends and support the Dunn Gardens

Tickets: $100

Reserve online: www.dunngardens.org

Email: info@dunngardens.org or Call: 206 362 0933

Bitterlake P-Patch Meeting

by Susan George

Posted: June 19, 2012

Bitterlake P-Patch Meeting Thurs 6/21/2012 6PM Broadview Library.

Its a fact. Construction started last week. Security fence up. Water disconnected. Giant backhoe digging. Conservation Corp is doing startup construction. Gabions ordered.

Please come to our meeting on June 21st at 6PM at the Broadview Library. We want to update you on status, recruit you for work parties. We need you and you can earn time which puts in you higher up on getting a PPatch Plot.

Our Agenda:

Status of timing of construction work
Levy Funds Budget update $20,000 added
Greenwood Parade update and recruit participants
Decide on and establish a subcommittee to apply for City Grants such as Sparks (very small), Small Simple Grants Under $20,0000 (due Oct for early next year), or Large Grant over $20,000 due 7/16.
Establish a subcommittee to spearhead shed construction
Setup volunteer work schedules and signups:
Top garden beds with compost
Obtain and lay wood chips in pathways
Build shed per subcommittee direction
Build raised height beds for ADA area

Need liaison to write PPatch Articles and Status for Broadview Council Newsletter and Blog as well as City PPatch Site

Other possible agenda items:

Plant sales onsite during work parties
Dividing up plots and division edging
Tracking volunteer hours (submit non-meeting time)
Haller Lake PPatch Open House 8/12?
Search for PPatch Leaders
Other

Look forward to seeing you,

Nancy Edmondson

206-364-1779

Construction and PPatch Committee

Teen Summer Reading Program at Seattle Public Library

by Susan George

Updated: June 18, 2012

Broadview Library

We hope to see all of our wonderful neighborhood teens in the library this summer.

“The Seattle Public Library’s 2012 Teen Summer Reading Program, Century 22: Map the Future, kicked off on Friday, June 1. The annual program, which continues through Sunday, Aug. 26, encourages everyone to read during the summer. This year we have multiple ways for teens to participate:

Sign up online. You can create build your summer reading shelf, create a personal avatar and earn badges!

Read three books, review them, and enter a drawing to win a Kindle e-reader.
Visit www.spl.org/bookcrossing to participate in Century 22, our teen book scavenger hunt, where you can find, track and release books! To sign up, visit http://www.bookcrossing.com/join/seattlepubliclibrary Enjoy our great programs. Whether you’re into gaming, trivia, crafting, or art one of our excellent programs will match your interests.

Stay up to date with what’s happening for teens by visiting Push to Talk our blog written for teens by teens and the librarians who serve them.

The 2012 Teen Summer Reading Program is sponsored by The Seattle Public Library Foundation.

The Summer Reading Program also includes hundreds of free programs for people of all ages at various locations. For more information, call 206-386-4636 or Ask a Librarian.”

Thanks so much! If you need to edit it for length that’s fine and please feel free to use my name and title if you want.

Nina West

Teen Services Librarian

Broadview Branch

The Seattle Public Library

206-684-7519

I’m currently reading The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

Community Council Workshop on Broadview Issues

by Dale Johnson

Posted: June 18, 2012

At Broadview Community Council (BCC) meetings there is generally have a speaker on a topic of interest to the community, but there is seldom time for our members to discuss issues and problems of concern to them. To address this gap the BCC Board will devote its June meeting to a workshop format where the board will discuss issues with members of the community who attend. Anyone in the community can attend – you don’t have to be a BCC member.

Broadview Community Council wants to hear from you! We want to be sure our priorities are in line with the concerns of our community members. Come to the Board meeting and tell us what you think.

Time: Monday June 25, 7 PM

Place: Luther Memorial Church

13047 Greenwood Ave. N

Two Aurora Ave. N Traffic Alerts

by Dale Johnson

Updated: June 15, 2012

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is planning work on two different areas of Aurora Avenue North that will affect traffic flow.

On the weekend of June 22 – 25 the intersection at N 85th St. will be closed from 10 PM on Friday evening until 5 AM on Monday, to allow drainage work to be done. See the project website for details, including detour routes.

The second project will start on June 25, further south on southbound Aurora, involving closing of the right side lane. Below is SDOT’s press release.

To help move more people through the area during upcoming construction, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will convert the southbound curb lane of Aurora Avenue North, just south of the Aurora Bridge, into a Business Access and Transit (BAT) lane. Serving one of
the busiest transit corridors in Seattle, the lane will start south of the Dexter Avenue off-ramp and continue south to Mercer Street. Crews
plan to perform the lane re-striping June 24 and it will go into service after the morning commute on June 25.

King County Metro Transit will be starting RapidRide E Line service on Aurora Avenue North in 2013, but asked the City to install the lane
earlier to keep buses moving during several ongoing construction projects. Metro carries almost 30,000 passengers a day on the Aurora
corridor, which helps reduce the number of cars on the road. Using the new southbound BAT lane will allow Metro to establish the travel pattern for both current and future service on Aurora, instead of changing it repeatedly to work around construction projects.

Two upcoming projects are the City’s Mercer West Project (http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/mercer_west.htm ) and the Washington State Department of Transportation’s State Route 99 Tunnel Project (http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR99/Tunnel ). Traffic congestion is expected to increase on southbound Aurora when lanes are temporarily closed for these projects, so optimizing transit travel will provide commuters with options for avoiding possible delays.

Utility relocation work associated with the SR 99 project will temporarily close the curb lane on Aurora Avenue North, south of the bridge over
Mercer Street. This work will start on June 25 and last for eight to ten weeks. The Mercer West Project will need to restrict the number of
lanes on Aurora Avenue North to two in each direction when the bridge that crosses Mercer Street is rebuilt. This work will begin in early
2013 and continue through the end of 2015, when the bored tunnel opens to traffic.

The new BAT lane will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week, reserving the lane for buses and for any vehicle making a right turn.

Community Meeting Details Impacts of Construction on Linden Ave. N

by Dale Johnson

Posted: June 14, 2012

About sixty community members attended a meeting sponsored by Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) at the Bitter Lake Community Center last evening. Connie Zimmerman, Project Manager for the Linden Ave. N Complete Streets Project, answered questions and explained impacts of the year-long construction project. Audience members ask about things like access to driveways, parking and bus routes.

Construction will begin on June 18, on the part of the street between N 135th St. and N 141st St. Only one lane will be open, and traffic will be one-way going north on that lane. Detours for traffic will be posted.

Click on the image of the Start of Construction Notice below to see information about the initial stage of construction. As work proceeds more information will be made available on the project website.

Long-awaited Improvements Coming to Linden Avenue North

by Susan George

Posted: June 7, 2012

Construction set to begin Mid-June

SEATTLE — The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is redeveloping Linden Avenue North between North 128th and North 145th streets into a neighborhood-friendly roadway, improving safety for all users. Crews have started mobilizing and preparing the area for construction, set to begin Mid-June. The project is expected to take one year to complete.

Guided by the City’s Complete Streets ordinance, the Linden Avenue North Complete Street Project will repave and widen the roadway; enhance pedestrian safety with continuous sidewalks, curbs and curb-ramps and a new pedestrian crossing near the Community Center; improve street lighting and drainage; incorporate art that celebrates the neighborhood’s history; and create a two-way buffered bike lane known as a cycle track on the east side of the roadway. The project will also, among other things, add street tree and landscape planting along both sides of the street and complete the missing Interurban Trail link.

SDOT will share information about construction impacts and sequencing at a public open house on June 13th. The contractor will be on hand to answer questions.

Public Open House

June 13, 2012 – 6:00-7:30 pm

Bitter Lake Community Center

13035 Linden Avenue North

Seattle, WA 98133

Residents and drivers should expect frequent traffic detours and parking and walking restrictions during construction. Construction impact details will be disseminated as they are confirmed.

The $12.1 million dollar Linden Avenue North Complete Street Project is funded in part by Bridging the Gap, the voter-supported transportation levy, and was launched from a grass roots effort to get design dollars added to the City’s 2008 budget.

For more information on the Linden Avenue North Complete Street Project, visit SDOT’s project website, http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/linden.htm

Visit Carkeek Beach on Low Tide Days

by Dale Johnson

Posted: June 4, 2012

In summer the low tides are during daylight, and the next two days are an opportunity to see creatures uncovered by the low tides. On Tuesday June 5 there will be a minus 3.8 tide at Noon, and on Wednesday June 6 the low there will be a minus 3.4 tide at 1 PM. It’s best to arrive maybe a half hour before the low point. Volunteer beach naturalists will on site to answer questions.

If you walk north around the point about a half mile from the bridge over the railroad tracks you will find the best viewing of creatures like sea stars and anemones.

The next opportunity for low tide viewing will be on July 2, 3 and 4th.

Click on photos for larger view.