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Broadview Garden Club Plant Sale

Posted: April 18, 2011

2010 plant sale

Plant Sale Date: May 7^th

Time: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Location: Broadview Thomson School (Greenwood and 132^nd St)

What…there is a Broadview Garden Club?! Yes ,indeed. The Broadview Garden Club has been entertaining and educating local garden enthusiast for over 50 years.

2010 plant sale

Each year the garden club holds a plant sale as their major fund raiser. With the funds raised the garden club donates money to The Dunn Garden, Carkeek Park, Plant Amnesty, and others. The funds also go towards our speaker fees (we pay our speakers for their time…recently we had a Master Gardener talk with the club about seeds and even had Cass Turnbull from Plant Amnesty entertain our club with her pruning prowess) and events like creating holiday decorations for a domestic violence shelter.

Thanks! Darcie

Come join the fun!

Broadview/Bitter Lake/Haller Lake Neighborhood Plan Moves Along…

by Dale Johnson

Updated: April 16, 2011

The Broadview/Bitter Lake/Haller Lake Neighborhood Plan Update project is moving forward with another meeting Wednesday evening, April 13. Meetings have been going on for about six months now held primarily at the Bitter Lake Community Center. The projected time span for completing the document will require about another 12 months of work on the part of all involved.

There are about a dozen members of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee and another four or five staff persons from the City’s Department of Neighborhoods and Department of Planning and Development that all meet regularly. Additionally, the City has hired public outreach liaisons who have conducted data-collection workshops with seniors and other occupants of rental housing in the area.

At this April meeting the committee was provided a 26-page “Phase I Draft Themes” document that was discussed in some detail. Three separate groups convened to talk about this package that also included information collected at the March 12 Community Workshop held at Broadview-Thompson Elementary.

Anyone who would like to follow the development of this plan can find information posted at http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/bbhnac.htm . Meetings are open to the public and the next meeting is May 11 when Council Member Sally Clark will be visiting the work group.

Enforcement patrols on Aurora Avenue North Thursday April 14th

by Will Murray

Posted: April 12, 2011

A news release from Seattle Department of Transportation:

The Aurora Traffic Safety Project would like to inform you of an upcoming safe driving enforcement patrol on Aurora Avenue North.

On April 14^th beginning at 6:30 am and running all day and evening, the Seattle Police Department, Washington State Patrol and Washington Liquor Control Board will be conducting a major traffic enforcement patrol to deter aggressive and distracted driving on Aurora. Specifically the patrol will focus on the behaviors we know are contributing to collisions, injuries and deaths along Aurora such as speeding, following too close, unsafe turns, DUI, cell phone usage and other in car distractions.

More than 50 Seattle Police Department personnel will be participating including motorcycle and squad car units, the aggressive drivers response team and the DUI squad. Joining SPD will be six patrol units from the Washington State Patrol and three teams from the Washington Liquor Control Board. A unified command center will be established at 130^th and Aurora.

Aurora is a busy thoroughfare and thriving community. Making it safer means getting the safe driving message out to all drivers on Aurora. Our goal is to change driver behavior to make Aurora safer; not write citations. A big part of achieving this goal is getting the safe driving reminder out to drivers well before the emphasis patrol. To do this, we are talking to business owners and neighbors along Aurora now about the patrol and asking you to spread the word that everyone can help improve safety.

The April 14^th patrol is part of the Aurora Traffic Safety Project – a two year effort to improve safety through engineering improvements, increased enforcement, and educational outreach. Between April 2005 and March 2008, 1,581 collisions occurred on Aurora between the Battery Street Tunnel and N 145^thStreet – that’s nearly 46 collisions per month. Since the start of this project in 2009, collisions on Aurora have been reduced by more than 20 percent.

Please tell your friends and neighbors about the patrol and the importance of driving safe along Aurora and all of our city streets. For more information about the Aurora Traffic Safety Project visit www.seattle.gov/aurora.”

What’s New at Bitter Lake P-Patch!

by Dale Johnson

Posted: April 12, 2011

What’s New?

Design to Reality Meeting #6

When:	Wednesday, April 20th, 6:30 pm
Where:	Luther Memorial Church 13047 Greenwood Ave. N. Fireside Room

* Our regular meeting time will be the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6:30pm at the Luther Memorial Church.

Please share your time and support to our much needed Bitter Lake P-Patch (corner of Linden Ave. N and 143rd ST).

If you’d like to bring a snack to share at this meeting, please do!

What We’ve Been Working On: Final Designs

Volunteers Needed:

Currently, we would like some extra help with making calls to people on our contact list to inform them about our meetings and events. Anyone interested in helping to outreach about this meeting to the contact list, please contact Gloria at gloriabutts@hotmail.com.

Also, we are looking for a Minutes/Secretary person. We would like someone to take notes and post meeting minutes to the listserv, as well as, pass updates along to our P-Patch website and facebook page.

Updates:

Executive committee formed!
- Will deal with the details involved in organizing work parties and acquiring the materials necessary for making our garden a reality!
- Anyone interested in helping find resources (labor and material), making decisions on final details, and organizing the actual work to happen is encouraged to join.
- We will be meeting more frequently than the larger group and will be staying in a little tighter contact so we can do what needs to get done to make our garden a real place. Please contact Nick to get involved provo.nicholas@gmail.com

Next Steps:

Fundraising!
- Donations through the P-Patch Trust.
Develop the rest of the open spaces around the reservoir
- There will be community design meetings for the space this spring/summer. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Check here for updates.
Find our group’s strenghts and resources!
- Not just what our local business donation opportunities
- How much labor can we organize from our community?
- How much must we contract out?

Get Involved!

Interested? Subscribe to the Bitter Lake P-Patch Community Garden LISTSERV or contact Laura Raymond at the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods [Laura.Raymond@seattle.gov or 206-615-1787] to be included in the email discussion and/or add your name to the waiting list. (Your volunteer hours during planning will get you at the top of the waiting list for a garden plot.)

All of the above counts as volunteer hours to get your name on the top of the waiting list for a garden plot at the Bitter Lake P-Patch, breaking ground in 2011. Questions, please contact, Stacey Brotherton at bitterlakeppatch@gmail.com

Now on Facebook!

*This information was provided by P-Patch Community Garden Program

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/locations/73.htm

SPU is starting their workshops in Broadview

by Susan George

Updated: April 11, 2011

This is a follow-up meeting from the big meeting last week. There will be more workshops coming our way. Come and find out about the new technology!

Bitter Lake Community Center

Seattle Public Utilities invites interested neighbors to a public meeting Wed., April 27^th, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Bitter Lake Community Center. The topic is a pilot project starting in June to help solve ongoing sewer capacity problems in Broadview. It addresses “infiltration” – stormwater entering the system through gaps or cracks in the sewer pipes when the ground is saturated.

The project goal is to evaluate a method of reducing the amount of groundwater leaking into the sewer system in an area from NW 130^th to NW 132^nd, from 8^th to 12^th Ave. NW. If the technology proves successful, it will be applied elsewhere in Broadview to reduce sewer backups.

For further information, contact project manager Jim Johnson at (206) 684-5829 or jim.johnson@seattle.gov.

Neighborhood Improvements in Broadview

by Dale Johnson

Updated: April 9, 2011

MEETINGS DEMONSTRATING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND LONG-SOUGHT IMPROVEMENTS COMING OUR WAY!

A big night for our neighborhood! The two most costly neighborhood improvements to be funded through our City government were featured at two locations. Our Broadview Community Council Board members covered both meetings. Several headed for Luther Memorial Church where Seattle Public Utilities project people presented plans, information, and answered questions related to sewage infrastructure improvements that will be installed over the next several years.

At the Bitter Lake Community Center, about 50 neighbors attended the Linden Avenue North Complete Street Project briefing session conducted by Connie Zimmerman, Project Manager. Seattle Department of Transportation staff used large and long, seemed like about 12-foot long, depictions of what our Linden Avenue will look like. Several of these lengthy displays were taped on different tables to maximize individual opportunities for viewing the details of the project.

Connie Zimmerman convened the gathering by introducing all SPU staff members who were working on the project. She talked about some of the special enhancements we can enjoy such as art work, trees, railings, leaf-patterned sidewalks a question-and-answer session. We will be seeing startup activities in the next few weeks beginning with Seattle City Light determining relocations of their equipment and facilities.

Most of the questions from the audience were about parking availability in that it is expected we will have 20-25 percent less parking than we currently have. We were assured that on-street parking will be everywhere they can possibly install it. People asked for garbage cans but we were told there wouldn’t be any in that there isn’t funding to maintain them. Some participants indicated that volunteers could be scheduled to help with waste disposal rather than having no receptacles for waste along the 17 blocks where improvements are scheduled. Additional topics included maintenance of planted areas, specific placement of the Interurban Bicycle Trail, concerns about individuals walking along the bike trail, safety of walkers along adjacent roadways, and

sources of funding for the project.

Do you have what it takes to be a Tree Ambassador?

by Dale Johnson

Updated: April 7, 2011

Green Seattle Partnership is working with the Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment to start a residential and street-scape property tree program called the Tree Ambassadors. Tree Ambassadors will work in their own neighborhoods to help support and create tree canopy through a wide range of projects and outreach activities. The goal of the program is to help as many residents as possible plant the right trees in their yards and parking strips, and to help educate about species that shouldn’t be growing in their yards.

The Green Seattle Partnership is involved because we realize that all of our natural land parks are surrounded by residential areas that can have a large impact on our restoration efforts. This is a great opportunity to educate neighborhoods about invasive plants, illegal dumping, and selecting the right plants.

Tree Ambassadors will be trained in the basics of urban forestry, leadership and community organizing. As a Tree Ambassador, you will work in teams of 2-3 people to develop projects for your neighborhood which could include tree walks, invasive species removal workdays, and/or tree plantings. No previous tree experience necessary, only a desire to learn and a passion for urban greenery. Both the team and individual applications and more information can found be online at seattle.gov/trees/treeambassador.htm. Applications are due April 24.

Please help spread the word! Thanks

Joanna Nelson

Green Seattle Partnership Project Manager

office: 206-905-6913

cell: 206-240-2222

fax: 206-292-4765

Cascade Land Conservancy

615 Second Ave, Suite 600

Seattle, WA 98104

www.cascadeland.org

Paving on N 105th Tomorrow, April 8th

by Dale Johnson

Posted: April 7, 2011

SDOT Traffic Advisory

For immediate release: April 7, 2011

Contact: Marybeth Turner, (206) 684-8548

Paving on N 105^th Street Tomorrow

SEATTLE—Seattle Department of Transportation paving crews will apply a new layer of asphalt to N 105^th from Aurora Avenue N to Linden Avenue N on Friday, April 8, if weather is favorable. They plan to work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. leaving at least one lane open for each direction of traffic. This work is needed due to the ongoing problem of potholes in this location.

Earth Day Volunteers Needed at Carkeek Park – April 16th

by Dale Johnson

Posted: April 5, 2011

Volunteers are NEEDED for a work party at Carkeek Park
Saturday, April 16th

Help celebrate the 31st Annual Earth Day 2011 at Carkeek Park and Piper’s Creek Watershed by volunteering at this event. Youth groups, families and individuals welcome to participate.

8:45 AM to 11:00 AM
Work party includes stenciling storm drains, cleaning up of trash and recycling.

11:00 AM to 12:00
Activities include snacks, release of salmon and musical program.

Sponsored by Carkeek Park Advisory Council (CPAC), Restore Our Waters (Seattle Public Utilities) Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project (CWCAP) and Seattle Parks and Recreation Department (SPRD).

For more information or to volunteer,

call Nancy Malmgren at 206-363-4116.

How do we add value to our homes?

by Susan George

Posted: April 3, 2011

The first thing that comes to mind is home improvements. We love our homes and our plan is remain living in them for the next few years. Remodeling that kitchen and bathroom – a popular and often recommended solution – might be financially out of reach for many of us. Those types of remodels are important improvements. However, if money is presently so tight where else can we look for ways to add long term value to our homes?

Investment in our community is, I believe, an underappreciated value source. Buyers frequently ask me about the community where their prospective ‘new’ home is located. They want to know about the neighborhood, the schools, the parks and the walking distance to shops and restaurants. These ‘value’ questions can now be easily answered with an available phone application Walk Score.

A second underutilized value source is the Broadview Community Council. Your Council Board members freely give of up their time to address issues that bring value to the Broadview community. They lobby city government for neighborhood improvements such as safety, parks, sidewalks and infrastructure improvements. Have you been to a BCC meeting lately to see the results of their efforts on your community’s behalf? The next time you’re walking around Broadview I invite you to check-out Broadview’s Walk Score. I would also invite to join the Broadview Community Council. Yearly household membership is $10 and that’s cheap compared to a kitchen remodel!

First Quarter Median Price Chart

* click picture to view larger

As you can see, January 2011 started with a big jump in home values. Home values in February and March, 2011 were roughly equal to these same months of 2010 but remember 2010 had the Government Homebuyer $8,000 Tax Credit Benefit program.

Susan George is a Real Estate Broker for Coldwell Banker Bain