(WSB photo from today – Delridge project pieces including manhole components have arrived)
DELRIDGE REPAVING, AFTER WEEK 1: Communications lead LeAnne Nelson and SDOT’s new paving-program manager Sue Byers opened with a quick update on the project, just finishing its first week. Nelson mentioned the changes made early on, including the 4-way stop at Barton/25th and the turn restrictions at Delridge/Trenton. She says it’s tentatively planned that the 2nd and 3rd weekends in February are when the two intersections (Delridge/Trenton and Delridge/Henderson) will be closed in both directions for work. Taking questions from those in attendance, the SDOT duo were asked about the Delridge/Trenton signal and why it hasn’t just been switched to 4-way flashing given the restrictions; they said they would have an engineer check on it. Cement grinding is now starting, the SDOT team noted, and this phase, they say, is still on track for completion around the end of February. (Updated detour map and other info is on this page of the city website.)

GRANT APPLICATIONS: Chair Mat McBride explained that the contenders are applying for a share of the last distribution from the past Bridging the Gap levy – though, he noted, a new Bridging the Gap levy is under consideration. Unlike some grant programs, there is no guarantee that any given district will have at least one project approved, it was explained; this presentation precedes a vote by member groups of which grant/s they will recommend for approval.

First project, Highland Park Greenway (route to make it easier for people to walk/bike). Craig Rankin made the presentation; co-sponsor Carolyn Stauffer, Highland Park Action Committee co-chair, was on hand too:
–Route would run between Roxbury and Myrtle on the south/north, between 16th and 10th on the east/west
–Schools, parks, churches are along the route
–Responding to a question, Carolyn said that some of what’s needed to make it a greenway is already there.
–Read details of the proposal here.

Second project, (5400 block) 23rd SW Drainage/Pedestrian Improvements. Patrick Baer and Aaron Jennings made the presentation:
-Location: The area is near the under-construction DESC Delridge Supportive Housing 66-unit complex and Boren school, currently home to K-5 STEM, as well as part of the Brandon Node business area – “it’s a little embarrassing to have the neighborhood adjoining the node be basically mud,” Jennings said.
-He also said the “extent of paving” on his street has been chip seal laid down about a decade ago. Though as of today the weather’s been dry for about four days, “there’s still water flowing down the street,” he explained.
–”Does the city know about this?” they were asked. The proposers believe it does – but nothing’s been done about the situation.
–Read details of the proposal here.

Third project: Olmsted Brothers’ Puget Boulevard/23rd SW (presented by Mike Dady).
–Mapped out by the Olmsted Brothers, the fabled designers of Seattle’s historic park system.

–The current state of Puget Blvd. “is a disgrace,” Dady declared. He noted that homes were built without sidewalks, street trees, because city code at the time did not require it. The street is two blocks long from Alaska to Hudson and still has vacant lots on slopes, “all getting picked off by developers.” Dady proposes to bring it up to “complete street” standards – and hoisted a bike and cane to show that people who walk and ride can only do it in the middle of the street.
He also circulated a photo of a man going down the street in a wheelchair – against traffic – because there was no sidewalk.
–Read details of the proposal here.

Fourth project: Highland Park Way/Holden improvements (presented by Carolyn Stauffer).
–Route: “One of two ways out of West Seattle,” as Carolyn explained
–Signal or roundabout suggested, as well as new sidewalk (or sidewalk repair), crosswalk/s
–Stauffer said speed and other problems make it a dangerous intersection.
–Asked if the roundabout might not pose more of a challenge to pedestrian safety, Stauffer said she felt there would be ways to work around that.
–Chair McBride noted that “anecdotally, there seems to be a wreck or more per week at that intersection.”
–Read details of the proposal here.

Fifth project: Delridge and Findlay drainage improvements (presented by Pete Spalding and Steve Daschle):
–Same problems as the other drainage-improvement proposal – a continuation of it, really, the proposers note
–Replace failing wooden structures and connect into main drain
–Neighbors used to maintain – but that’s changed over the years.
–It’s not connected to the main drainage system.
–Concerns included whether this is an application related to impacts on the alley by the DESC project – for which the proposers sit on the Community Advisory Council – and “beyond the scope of what these grants should be funding.” It was suggested that instead of seeking a grant for levy funds, the District Council should consider pressing the city to take care of what is a long-neglected problem.
–Read details of the proposal here.

Sixth project: Brandon Green Superhighway. (Presented by Jake Vanderplas)
–This would allow people to get from Seaview to the West Duwamish Greenbelt via SW Brandon. It also connects to the 26th SW greenway, he noted.
–Currently, some of the city right-of-way along SW Brandon isn’t even usable by pedestrians
–”The vision is to be wide, have low-growing plants, paths, maybe ADA access,” explained Vanderplas. He says the only reason the right-of-way hadn’t been developed before is that “it’s too steep.”
–A concern was raised that the section between 30th and 34th might be too steep to be usable.
–26th and Brandon is a dangerous intersection, another person pointed out; and then it was noted that the intersection is slated for some improvements when work begins on the 26th greenway.
–Read details of the proposal here.

Seventh project: 26th SW Family Safety Sidewalk Project (presented by Meave Ellsworth and Jean Claude Derieux Cortes)
–”We’re a young family,” Ellsworth noted, saying that gave them a view into why many others want to come to this community and enjoy it.
–They were excited about their neighborhood – and then noticed what happened, for example, when it rained. She lauded North Delridge Neighborhood Council members for giving her advice on trying to do what she thought needed to be done on the street. She showed photos of the street with runoff, and cars parked over areas where oil would leak and leach into the watershed.
–Sidewalks would be built between Juneau and Brandon along 26th. “I understand it’s expensive and I have no idea how much it would cost, but …” She pointed out the recently completed 25th SW project using the same fund (with green stormwater drainage and sidewalks). The 26th greenway would stop before her street, she explained.
–Comments included a supporter saying this project is essential to make up for past neglect in the neighborhood. Ellsworth said the presentation was quick to make “because this is what I get up to every day. … I see a lot of opportunity for this community.”
–Read details of the proposal here.

BICYCLE MASTER PLAN UPDATE: It was almost a perfect segue as Sara Zora from SDOT was introduced right after the grant-application presentations. She said they have been hearing a lot from bicycle riders and want to hear more from non-riders, in hopes of encouraging more bicycle riding. Much can be read online, she said. Neighborhood greenways is a “huge” type of bicycle “facility,” she noted – about 200 miles of them are proposed for the city, “using residential streets for better bicycling and walking is a huge part of how we’re going to get people to ride bikes within their neighborhoods” – even if they don’t ride to work or shopping.

She said she wants people to envision that bicycling can be an important part of everyone’s daily life, even if they don’t ride for commuting – everyone means people of all ages and abilities. “We want people to recognize that riding a bike is a way to get around your neighborhood,” from kids through seniors. A draft network map is available for review through January 31st, she said – take a look at it and see what’s suggested for your neighborhood. Once the public-comment period closes, they’ll compile the responses and opinions.

The full bike master plan draft update will be out this summer, Zora said. That will launch another round of public comment, and they hope the city Council will adopt it toward summer’s end so that some of the projects can begin.

“We’re moving toward buffered bike lanes” with a little more separation, she said. That could reduce “dooring,” she said – particularly if the double-striped buffer was adjacent to the parking side of the parking lane.

Another way to separate them would be “cycle tracks” in the street, at an elevation raised from the rest of the traffic – maybe sidewalk height – she explained. (They’re proposed as blue lines on the map.) She said the options include having a cycle track that goes two ways on one side of the street, or cycle tracks that flow the same direction as other traffic on each side of the street. She invited everyone to share ideas with her and the rest of the city team.

Comments included whether the city might invest in more education – for example, the bike box installed at Delridge and Andover has just turned up without any such. Zora said that a high percentage of the comments they’ve received indeed had to do with people not knowing how to use or interact with the bicycle facilities, particularly new types such as bike boxes. (She referred to a video the city put online – but acknowledged it might be difficult for people to find, and said that one idea might be to incorporate bike-facility savvy into the driver’s test that people have to take to get licensed.)

Zora was also asked about bicycle access, and she said that’s something the city hasn’t figured out yet – “we have a lot of ideas about what we SHOULD be doing,” though.

DELRIDGE WAY PLANNING: Pete Spalding recapped talking with the city about the road’s future – from the north end of the paving project to the bridge. Even though there’s no money now, he said, if the community comes up with a plan and a request, they could pursue it being a “named project” in the next Bridging the Gap Levy. This could lead to a community forum in the latter half of March, where people could “just dream about what we want to see Delridge Way look like … nothing’s off the table.” He urged people to start “putting their thinking hats on.”

GATHERING OF NEIGHBORS: Michael Taylor-Judd noted that Saturday, May 4th, is the official date for the gathering (as has been noted at other neighborhood council meetings recently). He said the event needs more support from community councils and the District Councils – not a lot of meetings, but people to take on “specific tasks and really specific projects,” from designing a poster to updating the website to making phone calls for sponsorships from neighborhood businesses, and so on. “If you’re at all interested in helping us carry off this event,” he said, contact him – he’ll make more information available soon.

The Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, whose members represent community councils and other organizations from around eastern West Seattle, meets monthly on the third Wednesday, 7 pm, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

DNDC chair Mat McBride led the meeting. He pronounced it “very exciting” since, as he said, there’s been talk of “cross-pollinating” neighborhood councils. Among the topics:

HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK, AND ART NEARBY: In about two weeks, Burien-based TF Sahli Construction will start construction of the long-awaited Highland Park Spraypark. We confirmed that today with Seattle Parks project manager Kelly Goold, who couldn’t be at last night’s meeting but sent the info with the team that came to talk about a proposed art project next to the spraypark.

Artist Leo Berk came to talk about that with Kelly Pajek from the city’s Public Art program. This project was chosen to get a “1 percent for art” feature – coming specifically from that fund, not out of the spraypark-project budget.

Berk’s proposal involves the WPA-era building adjacent to the spraypark-to-be; he found it “super awesome and cool” and studied architecture in the neighborhood, researching the details of Tudor architecture, which the house seemed to resemble. He plans to transform its exterior, including a Corian exterior that will be graffiti-resistant, and “monuments to windows” where it would have windows if it were being used. Some renderings were shown; we’ll be pursuing electronic copies. From the presentation, the top image is how the building looks now, the second how it might look.

Renovation of the building itself is not part of the park project, but it was stressed that nothing about the art aspect would affect the building’s usability or its ability to be renovated in the future. Details are still being worked on.

DELRIDGE REPAVING UPDATE: SDOT‘s LeAnne Nelson was back in the area for another update on the big, imminent project, which will now repave Delridge from Orchard to Roxbury (as a result of the contract award, reported here).

It’ll be mostly concrete, and it’ll include new drainage, she recapped. She reviewed previously publicized information about the project’s phases and detours, and SDOT’s commitment to keep northbound traffic flowing (southbound will be detoured).

By mid-December, Nelson said, she hopes to have information on what order the phases will be done in, and exactly what the detouring will be. She brought the answers to some questions that had emerged at her most-recent briefing (at the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting earlier this month – WSB coverage here) – including, how will families be notified if school-transportation routes are affected? Answer – district notification. Also, she said, Metro will be out next month doing test runs to figure out the best detour routes. The project will move south to north, starting in January, and lasting much of the year.

She also mentioned that some traffic-calming features on 24th SW between Thistle and Trenton will be going in, and the fact that 21st SW and 26th SW Greenways are both now officially on the drawing board (as shown in this presentation from the recent Delridge Greenway open house – 26th SW for 2013, 21st for 2014).

Since Nelson had included some information beyond the scope of the paving project, that inspired some attendee questions – such as, what about traffic-safety measures near Boren, currently home to West Seattle STEM Elementary? She didn’t know but promised to get information.

As her presentation and Q/A ended, McBride reminded everyone that banding together as blocks/neighborhoods during the planning process of projects is the best way to have a say.

SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ CARMELA DELLINO: The combined group heard from the executive director of SPS’s schools in the Southwest Region (West Seattle/South Park). She lauded those on hand for the eastern West Seattle-led volunteer recognition – and got almost choked up talking about her four years as principal of Roxhill Elementary. As for her current job, “It’s a really fancy title meaning I’m just here to serve” the schools in the southwest region – which means “I”m serving the community – that’s what schools are, they are communities,” she said. And the community is what makes things happen, she said, echoing what McBride had said moments earlier. How do we merge our schools better with our communities? she wondered aloud, then noting she had spent the day at a consortium with other districts’ reps from around the region regarding birth-to-third-grade education. She said it inspired the idea of finding out “who are all the providers” in the area and collaborating with them so that when kids come to school for kindergarten, it’s not a sudden shift – it’s a continuum. She hopes to hear from providers in the Southwest Region, she said, before inviting Q/A/ideas about a partnership with the community and schools.

Highland Park’s Mike Shilley suggested bringing schoolchildren to HPIC, so that it’s not only hosting people from the immediate neighborhood.

Fellow HP’er Cheri Christensen mentioned that the wider community should know what’s going on at HP Elementary, everything from performing arts to multicultural nights.

North Delridge’s Patrick Baer wondered about the future of Boren, currently home to the STEM school, saying he considers it unfortunate that it’s a temporary home for various schools, instead of something permanent that “would help bring community to Delridge.” He believes it is kept as temporary housing because Delridge has no clout.

Also from North Delridge, Mike Dady said he also believes that the lack of a neighborhood school is a challenge to community-building in Delridge, since a school so often is the place where community members come together, where events are held – and with schools coming in and out of Boren every few years, “we lack that glue.”

Dellino suggested that concern should and would be shared with assistant superintendent for facilities Pegi McEvoy and with family-engagement specialist Bernardo Ruiz. “Maybe we can talk about … how we can build stronger partnerships with the (permanent) schools we do have in the meantime,” she said.

McBride, switching “hats” to speak as rep from the Camp Long Advisory Council, suggested CL could be better utilized by schools. Dellino said she thought that was a great idea and asked for a price list. Piggybacking on that was CL’s Sheila Brown (who noted she was also a former teacher), saying she wants to see how environmental education in West Seattle “can bring new elements of the community together.” She’s hoping to organize a forum on that, including state and community leadership as well as schools, to talk about how to help kids learn about the environment “and what would it take to be sustainable for the future.” Dellino thought that could play into the fact that science education needs to improve – and maybe somehow HPIC as a facility could tie into it.

At that point, HPIC and HPAC’s Julie Schickling pointed out that a raingarden project in conjunction with Sustainable Seattle would be starting soon and that could perhaps play into it too.

Dellino promised she would go back to district HQ and talk about a “beautiful community and beautiful space … that wants to get more involved.” And schools are for involvement with community members regardless of whether they are parents or have ever been parents, she stressed.

DEALING WITH VACANT HOUSES: In light of recent fires in Highland Park involving vacant/nuisance houses, North Delridge’s Dady was asked to talk about the effort he led x years ago to get some of that area’s nuisance houses taken care of. He said some of the city’s rules have changed since then, making it easier to address some situations, such as houses that can now be demolished without one being planned to take its place; he had advice about using the city’s website to find information from Client Assistance Memos #601, #605, #608 – “they provide really good layperson’s knowledge around what’s not supposed to be allowed at these properties and what’s supposed to be taking place.” His organization of a walking tour with not only elected officials but also department heads – Dady said their involvement is critical – was hailed by McBride as yet another example of “the power of a citizen and an engaged community.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS: A batch from HPIC president Rhonda Smith – December 5th is the Highland Park Improvement Club tree trimming, December 7th will be their holiday edition of the monthly “Corner Bar” (all ages – “a super-fun time to bring your friends and your kids”), December 8th is the HPIC holiday bazaar (which is “completely full,” it was announced, though vendors are still hoping for space!), this month’s Movie Night will be a double bill of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” (original) and “The Christmas Story,” and December 31st brings back the Not-So-Silent-Night Parade and “sage comet” (“actually rosemary,” Rhonda confessed) with a special edition of the Corner Bar for New Year’s Eve. No charge ever, “just bring your good energy and have a good time,” she invited everybody. … McBride noted that the City Neighborhood Council is looking for people to get involved with its Transportation Subcommittee – “open to all,” and the meetings are the last Monday of each month, 6:30-8:30 pm at City Hall downtown. He also noted that next month’s DNDC meeting – likely on December 19th – will be a holiday potluck celebration.

Gathering of Neighbors and Delridge Day are both in the works for next year, McBride mentioned. And he talked about the Roxhill Castle community playground build (grand opening December 22nd!) that he helped organize a few weeks back, and how a city grant for which they applied had factored into it – especially to get more tools that after the project went on to the West Seattle Tool Library – “enough, literally, to build your own park!”

Delridge Neighborhoods District Council usually meets on third Wednesdays at 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, while Highland Park Action Committee usually meets fourth Wednesdays at 7 pm, Highland Park Improvement Club.

About two dozen people filled a room at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center for the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council‘s September meeting on Wednesday night – and about half were city employees, mostly to talk about projects previewed here earlier, repaving the south mile of Delridge next year (map above), and reducing combined-sewer overflows into Longfellow Creek. Read on for the toplines on those topics and other key points:

WHO WAS THERE: Organizations represented in the DNDC membership on hand for the meeting included North Delridge Neighborhood Council, Westwood Neighborhood Council, Highland Park Action Committee, Camp Long Advisory Council, and Nature Consortium.

Here’s some of what they heard:

SDOT’S DELRIDGE REPAVING PROJECT: The repaving project updated here earlier in the day – scheduled to start next January and last up to a year – is the subject of mailers that went out to 4,000 households earlier this week, according to the four SDOT reps in attendance. Here’s the flyer they received.

Additional information shared at the District Council meeting: The new surface will be largely asphalt from Orchard to Holden, and concrete the rest of the way. Drainage under the roadway will be improved, and that’s good news for Longfellow Creek, they said. During the year-long construction process, northbound traffic will be preserved except for a couple weekends when intersections will be rebuilt, but southbound will be detoured to 35th SW. That means increased traffic for neighborhood cut-throughs, they acknowledge, and so that means the neighborhood is invited to apply for the Traffic Calming Program – signs, carts with portable radar signs, etc.

The planned rechannelization/reconfiguration also was discussed (you can take a closer look here). And they had a list of FAQs. They also mentioned the other rechannelization that will be put into place sooner, with a 6-9 am bus lane on north Delridge Way SW, and a southbound bike lane. (Here’s the latest update on that work, part of a project along Metro Route 120.)

They acknowledged the gap between the two projects, “we’re aware of it and we want to someday do something with it … right now it’s not prioritized, there’s no money,” said Carol McMahan. Meantime, the 26th SW greenway is moving forward, she added, with neighborhood outreach forthcoming, and implementation next summer; “the wayfinding signs will be going in this year,” she noted. The city has applied for a grant to widen the sidewalk from Andover to where it joins the trail, to 12 feet. If they get it, they will move forward with design and construction. One more project: SW Andover will get a bike lane on the south side including a bike box “to put you out in front of all the cars to make your turn.” And, she said the NW corner of Delridge/Andover is getting a “freight improvement” – right where the sidewalk is broken up because trucks have been running over it – the curb radius wll be widened a bit so trucks can stay on the road. The sidewalk will be thickened and strengthened so it won’t break so easily if trucks do drive up on it. That will be weekend work, to be completed before year’s end, McMahan said.

Jessica Murphy, pavement expert, also shared some technical details of how Delridge will be resurfaced – with the types of pavement that are appropriate for the sections where they’ll be placed.

Asked what kind of outreach is being done to let people know about the bike lanes, current and future the SDOT reps said that is a component of the Bicycle Master Plan, but weren’t entirely sure how the word was getting out through various parts of the community.

Pablo Lambinicio of Westwood brought up the fact that the paving project does not take into effect the longtime community interest in a “boulevard” concept for Delridge. Chair Mat McBride recalled bringing that up at Mayor McGinn’s recent Town Hall. (See “Question #7″ in our coverage from that event.) SDOT’s Murphy said the majority of the segment that’s being repaved is 38 feet wide, “not wide enough for a boulevard concept.” But, Lambinicio said, they had heard there still could be things done for a “boulevard feel.” Murphy said that SDOT’s Jim Curtin followed up on that but did not surface anything from the neighborhood to be incorporated into the project. But, “what we’re doing now does not preclude doing something in the future,” though there’s nothing funded and nothing being studied right now, she pointed out: “We didn’t have anything tangible to incorporate.”

Community advocate Nancy Folsom then pointed out it’s frustrating when promises are made at meetings and then discussions take place but there’s no followthrough to let those who brought up the issues know what’s going on. She also added, however, that it’s “wonderful” Delridge is getting some attention. She also wondered if some expenditures would just be “patching” something that needed to be rebuilt. “I don’t think we can stop this project nor should we necessariiy … (but) are we building the road we really need? … Delridge is inadequate for the traffic it needs to support.”

Bottom line: Go to the October 2nd open house, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm at Chief Sealth International High School. And keep an eye on the project webpage (where you can sign up NOW for e-mail updates, too).

(Click image to see larger version as PDF)
CSO PROJECTS: Tim Croll from Seattle Public Utilities said this is the official kickoff of the public-involvement process for the combined-sewer-overflow-reduction work the city has to do. (This, too, was the subject of a WSB story hours before the DNDC meeting – see it here.)

He explained that Delridge had two big tanks built in the ’80s to cut down on overflows into Longfellow Creek – “it’s a lot better now but it’s not where it needs to be.” First, they’re going to retrofit the two structures with new technology. Then – roadside raingardens (see map above) might help the city avoid having to build another storage tank in the area. The DNDC meeting kicked off a 2-year public-involvement process.

Questions included: Did the first round of outreach materials include an indication of how to get it in other languages, considering many are spoken in the raingarden target area, Highland Park? Short answer, no. But SPU said it’s reaching out to community groups and organizations that have connections with those. Another question: Why are roadside raingardens (which usually bring street/sidewalk work) proposed for neighborhoods that already have sidewalks, when so many don’t? That was asked by Patrick Baer, who brought up two blocks that were in line for new sidewalks, then suggested bioswales, which led to one block being dropped from the plan because there was no money – and suddenly now bioswales are being proposed for neighborhoods that already have sidewalks. Another SPU rep said basically, they couldn’t make a choice to pick neighborhoods without sidewalks; they had to plan this work for neighborhoods where they needed to reduce overflows. SPU said it wants to hear everyone’s ideas – maybe they can find “a nexus” for bringing sidewalks into the situation.

This project, too, has an upcoming public meeting – 6-8 pm October 4th at the Salvation Army center, 9050 16th SW. Details on that, and the project overview, are on this SPU webpage.

(Delridge Day 2012 photo by Nick Adams for WSB)
DELRIDGE DAY: The festival’s success was trumpeted – and so was the need for more help next year. 65 booths! Does Delridge Day have a goal? asked one meeting attendee. Baer pointed out that, among other benefits and accomplishments, the festival raised $1,300 for scholarships for kids to participate in Delridge Community Center projects (the bake sale pictured above was part of that), and also bolstered the area’s image communitywide. (Here’s our as-it-happened coverage from DD.)

LIGHTING FOR BRANDON NODE: Among other community needs – this isn’t happening yet and it was asked, why do they have to wait for the city? Maybe they should just start doing it themselves, someone suggested. “That would be very Delridge,” observed McBride. However, it would require people to participate on subcommittees.

SPEAKING OF LIGHTS: Baer also noted that K-5 STEM at Boren is asking for flashing school-zone lights and may not get them for months. “Being the location, and the age of the kids, I can’t believe the school district hasn’t addressed it,” he said. “They shouldn’t even have opened the school doors before it was addressed. I can’t see it’s going to cost that much money to put lights on the school signs.”

SW DAKOTA RIGHT OF WAY PLAN: Community advocates and Youngstown Flats developer rep Steffenie Evans were there on behalf of the quest for a grant to improve the street end greenspace to the west of the under-construction project. They all wore “I (Heart) Dakota ROW” buttons. Creek access and safety are among the goals of the “little plaza” with a path and plantings that they are hoping to see in the space. (The plantings will be low, so it is not a “lurker haven” as it is now, said neighbor Nicholas.) “We’re going to turn this into a place that will tie us into Longfellow Creek,” he said. They are seeking a matching-fund grant of more than $60,000 (and already have $65,000 in donated labor and cash for their share) and hope that the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council will vouch for them if asked.

OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY: Mike Shilley despaired about this …wondering how each individual community reaches out to the diverse ethnic communities in their area, or even if they do. Nancy Folsom says she volunteers in High Point and it’s a great way to meet people there. She also suggested putting together fun free events involving food, to catch people who wander by. McBride said perhaps the DNDC would serve as more of an incubator than a repository of activity and group reps. Lambinicio thought for starters the group needed a list of all the organizations in the area. Michael Taylor-Judd pointed out that plans for next year’s Gathering of Neighbors will start revving up shortly and that’s one great way to meet a lot of people. Shilley also said he’d need help in order to organize another volunteer-recognition event such as the one this year (WSB coverage here).

POLICE UPDATE: Lt. Pierre Davis recapped the fairly quiet summer, and the recent identification of “a group of individuals … causing some problems in the neighborhood, and we are addressing it.” He said he couldn’t go into details beyond that statement.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The autumnal equinox will be celebrated at Camp Long, DNDC chair McBride reminded everyone, with the celebration/fundraiser tomorrow (Saturday 9/22) on behalf of their challenge course … October 17-21, the new Roxhill Playground will be built, he added, and “there is a lot of room for volunteerism on this project.” He reminded everyone of the new community website for the project, roxhillcastle.wordpress.com. … Michael Taylor-Judd reminded the group of major bus changes taking effect on September 29th, including Route 120 (here’s our most recent story on that).

The Delridge Neighborhoods District Council usually meets on third Wednesdays at Youngstown, 7 pm – public always welcome.

(Click image to see larger version as PDF)
If you’ve seen the term CSO (Combined-Sewer Overflows) go by here in the past three-plus years, it was likely in connection with the King County projects meant to reduce overflows at the county-run Murray (Lowman Beach) and Barton (Fauntleroy ferry dock) Pump Stations. However – the city of Seattle is under orders (as part of this agreement with the feds) to cut down on overflows from some of their pump stations too, and that includes two spots in West Seattle where overflows go into Longfellow Creek (see the map above). As was the case for the county, possible solutions might include “roadside raingardens” – the city’s term – in planting strips, or extra storage.

Tonight at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, as mentioned briefly in our morning preview, reps from Seattle Public Utilities will talk about its CSO challenges and possible solutions. As noted on this city webpage with an overview of the problem, the BIG discussion is coming up at an October 4th public meeting (6 pm at the Salvation Army, 9050 16th SW). But if you would like to get in on the start of this discussion, tonight’s District Council meeting is open to the public as always – 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).

UPDATE FROM POLICE: Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis discussed two recent gunfire incidents, the one at Alki’s Whale Tail Park two weeks ago (WSB coverage here) and the one in Delridge just hours before the meeting. No new information regarding the Alki case, but he said police are hearing from Whale Tail neighbors more since the incident, and that’s a good thing. In the Delridge investigation (WSB coverage here) – where we had talked to him at the scene – Lt. Davis said police are seeking warrants to look at certain apartments/houses in that general area. Patrol officers have noticed “suspicious individuals” in the area in recent weeks, but they don’t seem to be associated with any one particular place – they move around between locations in the area of the incident.

COUNTY ASSESSOR’S UPDATE: Overall, home values in King County remain down, but city properties are holding their value better than rural properties, according to Assessor Lloyd Hara. He also mentioned noticing the uptick in commercial construction and single-family-home building since the third quarter of last year.

CITY COUNCILMEMBER BURGESS: Hara’s comment segued into one of Councilmember Tim Burgess‘s first comments, how the city Department of Planning and Development is fee-based, so staff cuts had come with a drop in the fees received by the department. The upswing in construction is part of the reason why budget cuts next time around likely won’t be as drastic. Burgess said Seattle still has it better than some cities, particularly in California, where he said there are places with “rolling fire-station closures” as well as deep cuts in police services and emergency food/housing.

On the proposed SODO arena: Burgess says it’s not a great deal for the city right now; he described himself as “agnostic” on the general idea of another arena, but regarding this specific proposal, he wants to see a better deal before he’d consider voting “yes.” He expects the council to vote before the next round of budgeting gets into high gear in September.

He was asked the pilot program to test every-other-week trash pickup – which was abruptly revealed in May (WSB coverage here) to include a West Seattle test zone, in Highland Park:

(Click to see full-size map, as PDF)
At last night’s meeting, North Delridge Neighborhood Council‘s Amanda Leonard and Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council‘s Pete Spalding both brought it up; Burgess said it was generating lots of e-mail. While the city might be saving money, he was told, the program was shifting the cost to people who might not be able to afford it – forcing them to get a bigger can, for example.

He also got an earful about SDOT and the various plans they keep bringing to Delridge – in particular, the South Delridge rechannelization plan that was suddenly revealed at the last Delridge District Council meeting (WSB coverage here – which included the following graphic):

The Delridge leaders told Burgess the group handling that plan seemed to be completely separate from and unaware of the work of the group that had been talking to them about a rechannelization plan on the north end of Delridge. The councilmember called that “unacceptable.”

The district councils’ regular meetings are: Southwest, 1st Wednesdays, 7 pm, South Seattle Community College board room; Delridge, 3rd Wednesdays, 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

By Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers

When we saw the agenda for last night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, featuring an SDOT presentation about “Delridge rechannelization,” we expected more information about this – rechannelization planned in connection with Metro Route 120 changes on the north end of Delridge.

Nope.

This presentation was about a new plan for mid-to-south Delridge rechannelization – and as you can see if you watch our video from last night’s meeting, its details surprised the District Council members too:

The South Delridge rechannelization plan, the SDOT reps said, is bundled with the forthcoming resurfacing/repaving of the same stretch, which was most recently detailed during Mayor McGinn‘s Town Hall in The Junction on May 3rd (as mentioned in our report on that meeting).

Read on for details of what the city unveiled last night, including the graphics of what the configurations are supposed to look like for each affected stretch, and news of one block where parking will undergo a dramatic change:

The city says this work is to be done after the paving/resurfacing project, which could start as soon as January, and is funded by money from the Bridging the Gap levy (reps didn’t know exactly how much – we have requested more information from SDOT along with digital versions of the graphics you’ll see in this story).

SDOT says the plan would affect parking in two ways: On the southernmost block of Delridge, in the Triangle business district, the angled parking would be changed from head-in to back-in. And for one block between Holden and Kenyon, there will be street parking added on the east side. Holden is also the one place where SDOT says it can add a left-turn pocket – the photo below shows the current configuration at top left, the Holden intersection plan at top right:

They said that they will not be able to add a left-turn pocket on Delridge at Thistle or Trenton, two other places where it had been requested.

Meantime, the plan includes bike lanes both ways from SW Myrtle to SW Kenyon:

And from SW Kenyon south to the city limits (Roxbury), the change is subtle – sharrows will be added in the travel lanes:

After the presentation – as, again, you can see if you watch/listen to our video – much discussion ensued. One concern had to do with a big-picture issue: How does this play into the District Council’s long-voiced aspirations toward a “boulevard” concept for Delridge? The prospect of major repaving/resurfacing on Delridge had inspired council members to invite City Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Sally Bagshaw to a meeting last November (WSB coverage here) to pitch the concept. At that meeting, as noted during this one, one SDOT official had even suggested bike lanes on Delridge wouldn’t be needed if the “neighborhood greenway” concept that’s also been proposed for parallel streets came to pass.

Then, some discussion had to do with logistics for the project. During repaving/resurfacing, the SDOT reps said, southbound traffic would be detoured; they are still working on the exact plan, but concerns were voiced about heavier traffic volumes on streets that aren’t used to it, including some in the South Delridge area that don’t have sidewalks. There will always be one northbound lane open during the work, it was promised. But there might be full-weekend closures to get major intersections done in one take.

Further discussions/presentations are expected, possibly including next month’s joint meeting of the Delridge and Southwest District Councils. And, as mentioned earlier, we’re pursuing more details from SDOT, as well as clearer graphics, and information on the feedback process.

(King County rendering from March community meeting in Sunrise Heights)
Wednesday night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council includes an update on one of the most vigorously debated public-works projects planned for West Seattle, the Barton Pump Station basin combined-sewer-overflow-control project – “bioswales” (raingardens) in planting strips along multiple streets in the Sunrise Heights/Westwood area, to reduce the water going into the system and downhill to the pump station. The presentation, including project manager Mary Wohleb, is scheduled for around 7:20 pm during the DNDC meeting, which begins at 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). The county’s most recent community presentations were in March; here’s our coverage.

METRO ROUTE 120 – OPEN HOUSE AHEAD: A team of Metro reps came to talk about Route 120, which travels the length of Delridge on its current route between downtown and Burien. They noted that it’s one of the system’s top-10 most-used routes, averaging 7,000 people a day. And there are changes ahead, they said, including: A northbound bus-only lane on Delridge between Oregon and Andover, for peak hours (off-peak, they said, it can be used for bikes and parking). They also plan to reduce the number of stops along the entire route, spacing them to a quarter-mile apart instead of an eighth of a mile, which they described as an efficiency issue. Most important: If you want to get full details of the planned changes and offer comments, Metro is having an open house in a month, 5:30-7:30 pm April 24th at Youngstown. (That news is so fresh, it’s not even on Metro’s website yet, but it will turn up there soon, they promise.)

(P.S. Another Metro open house of potential interest – downtown on March 29th, there’s one about the impending elimination of the Ride-Free Zone. Full details here.)

Also at last night’s DNDC meeting, City Council President Sally Clark – a note about her appearance, ahead:

COUNCIL PRESIDENT TALKS DELRIDGE ECONOMY: Clark was one of three City Councilmembers to attend the recent Brandon Node Visioning Open House presented by area leaders including the North Delridge Neighborhood Council (here’s their post about it), along with Tom Rasmussen and Richard Conlin. She said they’re all very well aware now of what local residents believe they need in order to help their area thrive economically – but she believes it needs to be a small step at a time, finding ways to bring more people to the existing business hubs on Delridge, including the Brandon Node. She thought a bigger transit stop there might be one way to attract more business and customers.

****
The Delridge Neighborhoods District Council includes representatives from organizations around eastern West Seattle, and its meetings are always open to the public, usually preceded by a “Strategic Delridge” big-picture discussion of issues outside the topic/action-driven agenda that follows. 3rd Wednesday of the month at Youngstown.

The Delridge Neighborhood District Council is hosting an Unsung Heroes Banquet on April 20, 2012 at 6 pm to award one Outstanding Unsung Hero. Nominations are open for anyone who volunteers in the Delridge District. Do you have a neighbor who tirelessly serves the neighborhood picking up trash or fixing bicycles? Someone who works with seniors, or organizes for the neighborhood is an example for who would qualify. Any volunteer who serves within the Delridge District is eligible, whether working with an organization or as a neighbor. They must not be doing so in a paid position. The Delridge District borders are Spokane Street to the North, the Duwamish River to the East, Roxbury to the South and 35th Avenue to the West.

To nominate an Unsung Hero, please review the criteria on the application: Apply online (here).

The deadline for nominations is March 23rd. The top eight nominees will be invited to the Banquet on April 20th. One Outstanding Unsung Hero will be named at the event. They will be nominated for the following year’s Washington Jefferson Award, a Nobel Prize for public service..

Will you help make this event a success? The Unsung Heroes Planning Committee is still looking for financial support to create this first annual event. To help support the Unsung Heroes Banquet, we need $2,000.00 for us reach our budget of $2,500.00. Please contact Mike Shilley to become an event sponsor at michael.j.shilley@q.com or by phone at (206) 762-7111.

One major supporter of the concept is Delridge-area activist/advocate Pete Spalding, who explained to Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Sally Bagshaw that a median, trees, and pedestrian-friendly features could “make it feel more like a community than a piece of concrete passing through our neighborhood.”

Those types of improvements could have “a significant impact on the entire community,” added DNDC chair Mat McBride.

As Spalding said, this has been discussed “for a long time” – but new urgency emerged when it was discovered that the city has set aside “Bridging the Gap” levy money to pave a major section of Delridge Way. So they invited key people from the city to come discuss whether the boulevard concept could fold into that; besides the councilmembers – two SDOT managers (who also happen to be West Seattleites), community traffic liaison Jim Curtin and paving-project manager Jessica Murphy (who we saw a lot of during the Fauntleroy Way rebuilding project two years ago). The topic also was at the heart of last month’s DNDC meeting (WSB coverage here).

The boulevard features not only would “calm” traffic, supporters say, it also would be more conducive to business – friendly to those who stop and shop/dine, rather than the current “just keep driving” mood the street seems to encourage.

“The idea of a boulevard down here is very appealing,” Councilmember Bagshaw agreed. “Make it an environment where people want to be.” Just a few weeks earlier, she had been in Delridge to talk with neighbors about bringing the “greenway” concept to 26th, just west of Delridge. The discussion meandered off in that direction for a few minutes before returning to the boulevard.

The city’s Bicycle Master Plan calls for bike lanes along Delridge between Andover and Holden, said Curtin, in response to a question. Murphy added that even with those lanes and other “amenities,” Delridge is still wide enough to hold a boulevard. The SDOT reps also noted that “boulevard” doesn’t necessarily mean “island down the middle of the road” – the concept can involve improvements on the sides instead, or in addition to. And as for bike lanes – Curtin observed that if 26th becomes earmarked as a greenway, just to the west, that could mean omitting them on Delridge, in favor of directing bicyclists to the nearby greenway.

As other ideas started to percolate – including the need for a speed-limit-reminder sign just before Andover, to catch those coming off the bridge (Spalding said he’d once been told it could happen, but then the story changed to “no money for it”) – Councilmember Rasmussen suggested a community meeting with SDOT to talk “specifically about simple low-cost ideas that could make a difference.” That could be an “on-site” conversation, Curtin enthused.

Murphy interjected that the actual paving project that kickstarted the current conversation is currently on the docket for the narrower southern end of Delridge, “not wide enough for the true boulevard, but might still be opportunities for some of the boulevard feel,” from Orchard to Henderson. She said she’s hoping that by the time it happens, there might be enough funding to “continue a little further south, to Roxbury, to address some of the worst pavement needs.”

The project is currently at the 30 percent design stage, identifying pavement conditions and required drainage – stormwater-storage pipes will be put in during the work, which currently isn’t scheduled until 2014, but might – just maybe – move up to 2013, the SDOT reps said.

No time to waste, then, on getting the “boulevard” vision into the picture, it was agreed – especially if some city neighborhood-projects funding could be procured for projects as part of it.

Next steps: While SDOT continues to plan the basic project as it is now, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council will continue to discuss and strategize, too. Watch their upcoming meeting agendas, as this may be the subject of an upcoming edition of the visioning discussion that precedes each monthly DNDC meeting (third Wednesday of the month, with visioning/strategizing at 6, business agenda at 7, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center).

In early July, with the help of DNA evidence, police arrested a man who lived in the same home to which the victim had fled, 49-year-old Monty Richardson. Court documents say he broke into the victim’s home, dragged her into her basement, tried to strangle her, and beat, kicked, and jumped on her till she lost consciousness. Richardson pleaded guilty last Thursday to first-degree burglary and second-degree assault, with the third charge against him, unlawful imprisonment, dismissed. Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 2 1/2 years on the first count, 1 year and 2 months on the second (to run concurrently with the first). According to court documents, he is entering the guilty plea as a so-called Alford plea – he does not admit guilt on either charge but believes the evidence is likely to lead to a conviction.

Richardson is scheduled to be sentenced December 2nd by King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller.

Don’t just patch up Delridge Way SW – transform it.

That’s the idea behind a discussion that took up most of last night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting. The reps from eastern West Seattle groups and organizations were planning for November, when Seattle City Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw and Tom Rasmussen, as well as representatives from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will join DNDC to discuss roadway improvements to Delridge Way.

The council was recently contacted by SDOT about “spot paving” on Delridge Way, using money from the Bridging the Gap levy. But the council feels there is an opportunity to use the money in a more constructive way, and asked for the meeting with SDOT. “We don’t want (SDOT’s work) to be piecemeal,” said district-council member Pete Spalding. “We want it to fit the long-term vision the community has for Delridge.”

This meeting was an opportunity to build on ideas already out there about possible Delridge Way improvements, such as making more pedestrian-friendly and attracting more commerce to the area. Among the ideas presented:

-Rechannel Delridge Way to include a bus-only lane
-Turn it into a boulevard with trees and wider walkways
-Create better connections with east and west roadways
-Create more visible and protected crosswalks
-Develop a transit hub under Spokane Street

Want to be part of the discussion? Mark your calendar now for the council’s November meeting – November 16th, 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

Also from last night’s meeting::

*The North Delridge Neighborhood Council has a number of council positions available. If you’re interested in joining, contact the NDNC (ndnc.org) before Monday, October 24.

*The city is finalizing its budget and the district council is encouraging folks to provide input before October 26th. “They tally the issues they hear about,” observed Spalding, so if there’s something you feel needs attention, this is a great opportunity to have Seattle City Councilmembers give it budget consideration. (City-budget info can be found here.)

*Another opportunity for input on city plans is to complete the city’s online Seattle Comprehensive Plan survey, which you can find here. This is the citywide version of a neighborhood plan, and because many plans are up for renewal in the next couple of years, it’s a good time to provide input for issues you feel are important to your community.

It’s no secret that DNDA has had money struggles; the organization sent out a fundraising plea last December (here’s our story, including an explanation of what DNDA does). Since then, it’s cut staff and vacated its Brandon Court offices, consolidating into space at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Acting executive director Patty Grossman came to DNDC to provide a general update, starting with, “DNDA is not dead, and Youngstown is not closing its doors,” in response to rumors apparently in circulation. However, that’s not to say everything is rosy.

Grossman acknowledged, “The last four years have not been good years,” but maintained there’s “no danger DNDA will go away,” though later in her relatively brief appearance, she said that it would, if the community didn’t see a need for it.

For now, “One of the major goals of the (DNDA) board is just to reach financial stability.” She said that while technically she is an “acting” executive director – previous ED Derek Birnie left for a new job a few months ago – “I will be in this position as long as it takes to either stabilize DNDA, or shut it down if that’s what the community wants.” Right now, though, Grossman said she’s “seeing a lot of community support.”

She says DNDA is maintaining “core projects” with the help of volunteers. Advocating for more healthy food in Delridge remains a core project, she said, inviting those on hand to “please stop by Delridge Deli-Mart” to buy the fruit, vegetables, and “healthier sandwiches” that DNDA worked hard to get the store to stock.

And Youngstown remains alive with activities, Grossman added, saying they’re hoping to keep the event schedule on their website more up-to-date so that information on those activities can be more easily accessible.

She didn’t get into details about status of current DNDA housing-development projects – past efforts are listed here; most recently, it’s been working on Strength of Place Village in White Center, in partnership with other community-development organizations.

ECONOMIC HEALTH: West Seattle Chamber of Commerce CEO Patti Mullen visited the DNDC to talk about possibilities as Delridge’s economic health continues to improve. Consensus was that some kind of economic survey would be in order, and Mullen offered ideas of how that could happen.

COMMUNITY POLICING: Resources and how to use them were also at the heart of a discussion about community policing, with Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis and Community Police Team Officer Jon Kiehn. Explaining the CPT role, Officer Kiehn said his job is to know what resources are open to people, and how they can be used to resolve some problems. Patrol officers’ focus is responding to calls, while his job is to follow back around with people to see how police can work with them to reduce and prevent crime. He and Lt. Davis also fielded questions about Block Watch and how to set one up for multifamily residences like townhomes and apartment buildings.

SPEAKING OF RESOURCES AND RESOLVING PROBLEMS: It’s been a little over two years since City Councilmembers Sally Clark and Tim Burgess, with other city officials, accepted then-North Delridge Neighborhood Council chair Mike Dady‘s invitation for a tour of problem properties in Delridge. NDNC’s Holli Margell told tonight’s DNDC meeting that Burgess and Clark will return for a walking tour of Delridge on June 11th, starting (like the one in 2009) from Uptown Espresso at Delridge/Andover.

BOREN SCHOOL: Pete Spalding is organizing a work party for June 4th to help with a solution to the ongoing tagging at the vacant Boren Junior High School site on Delridge (empty this year after housing Chief Sealth International High School the past two years). He says about 40 murals recently painted by volunteers in Mount Baker will be installed over the plywood window coverings at Boren, and the work party will put some “final touches” on them before installation, including painting the panels’ backs and sides “to increase longevity.”

DNDC’S ANNUAL JOINT MEETING WITH SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: It’s set for July 20th at the Neighborhood House Neighborhood Center in High Point.

DELRIDGE DAY: Brainstorming is under way for the annual Delridge festival, which will be held late in the summer this year, tentatively set for September 10th (with hopes that the Delridge Skatepark will be up and running by then). A list of brainstorms for the festival was circulated, with hopes of games, vendors, entertainment, and food. If you’re interested in helping, contact NDNC’s Amanda Leonard, amanda.leonard.wa@gmail.com.

Story by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Interested in a crosswalk at Delridge/Findlay, a growing commercial district in the heart of Delridge? That was one of many topics of discussion as community leaders gathered Wednesday night for the monthly Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, inside the theater at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, to discuss ways to improve public safety and increase involvement in local neighborhoods.

The agenda featured an update on the Elliott Bay Seawall Replacement Project, a discussion of Neighborhood Projects Fund ideas, and a presentation about Camp Long’s application for a Large Project Grant.

SKATEPARK CONSTRUCTION: Delridge community advocate (and past Council chair) Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point called the meeting to order (filling in for current Council chair Mat McBride). Spalding said the biggest news of the day was “happening right across the street,” referring to the long-awaited start of construction on the Delridge Skatepark project. Fences went up earlier this week and they’ve “started turning dirt,” Spalding said, noting that “we’ve been waiting for years for this to happen.” The $483,000 skatepark is being built by West Seattle-based Grindline (which also designed the project), and is scheduled to take about 4 months and be open in late summer.

SPD UPDATE: Operations Lt. Pierre Davis from Southwest Precinct was on-hand to give an update on the recent spike of burglaries in West Seattle over last couple of weeks. He said SPD has “a good idea who the individuals are,” and that they’re “hot on the trail.” He also talked about the continued instances of copper thefts, citing a somewhat humorous example of two individuals who tried to steal a “giant copper anchor,” most likely from a park, and were driving on Delridge Way “with the anchor dragging in the back.” Lt. Davis joked that for police officers, sighting such as these are “pretty good clues” that something is going on.

SW Precinct will also participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 30 from 10am-2pm. Anyone with an excess of prescription drugs can drop them off at SW Precinct (2300 S.W. Webster) for safe disposal.

Lt. Davis also noted that this year’s Southwest Precinct picnic will be the afternoon of Saturday August 20th (here’s WSB’s coverage of last year’s picnic).

AT THE CENTER: Derek Birnie, executive director of the Youngstown facility (which hosts the Delridge District Council meetings along with many other community events) said things have been busy lately at the Center. He added that some of the residents who live upstairs in ”artist housing” have expressed interest in coordinating a film series on the last Friday of the month, likely starting next month. No details have been confirmed yet, but Birnie said he’d be sure to get the word out.

DOWNTOWN SEAWALL: Jennifer Wieland from SDOT and Alexandra Sheldon from EnviroIssues were in attendance to give a presentation about the Elliott Bay Seawall Project. The goal is to repair the underground seawall protecting downtown Seattle’s waterfront – the existing seawall was built in the 1930s using wood pilings (from an estimated 20,000 trees) that have been deteriorating for many years,  and “it’s pretty clear we’re getting to the toothpick stage in some areas,” Wieland said.

The affected area runs from South Washington Street (south of Colman Dock) north to Broad Street (south of the Olympic Sculpture Park), divided into six “zones”  that are being evaluated based on the unique characteristics of each area. The width of the seawall (meaning, the distance it runs inland) ranges from 15 feet in some areas to 60 feet in others. The team said that the Seattle waterfront to the north and south of this area isn’t a concern, largely because of reinforcement that has been done in other ways.

The team has been evaluating various options for construction and design, taking into account numerous factors such as public safety, nearby business impact,  coordination with the viaduct and tunnel projects, waterfront aesthetics (including public access to the water, potentially), animal habitat, and continuation of vital utility services (there are utility pipelines under the waterfront that run “from Alaska to California” and serve much of downtown Seattle, Wieland said.)  Several “open houses” and presentations for the public were done earlier this spring (including the SW District Council meeting in early February; you can also view SDOT’s “virtual open house” here), and the next step is for the team to present its “preferred alternative” to the Seattle City Council on Monday April 25^th — their current timeslot is 10:15 am, broadcast on Seattle Channel, cable 21.  Once the preferred alternative is discussed and approved, additional planning will be done by the end of 2011, and the plan is to be in construction by 2013 and be finished in early 2016. The project is funded through 2012 (during design) and the team is seeking grant money, but additional funding will likely be sought in the form of a levy that would go to the voters. Because of the project’s partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers, it’s possible that two-thirds of the construction costs could be covered by federal funding.

CAMP LONG’S ROPES COURSE: Next on the agenda was a presentation from David Kipnis and Sheila Brown from Camp Long , to provide an update on the “challenge-course / ropes course” project that has been the subject of much interest from the community. The official project website is here, and WSB has previous coverage about the project from last month’s Delridge Council meeting and from a January 27th community meeting.

The project is a joint venture involving Camp Long, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and WSU 4-H. Kipnis said the focus on the project is “experiential environmental education,” designed to get youth and other organizations involved in outdoor activities that foster teamwork.

Kipnis said the team has received letters of support from seven area organizations who intend to be involved with the effort, and they “have room for one more” as per their current plans:

• Southwest Youth and Family Services
• Safe Futures
• Projecto Saber  (SPS program for Latino youth)
• Hope Academic Enrichment Center
• West Seattle YMCA, Earth Service Corps
• Neighborhood House
• Mountaineers

The cost of a “low course” involving ropes and challenges that are lower to the ground is $37,000, but the team is seeking funding to help cover the $63,000 necessary to fund a “high course” that would feature more intense challenges. Groups who want to use the course would need a “trained facilitator” to accompany them, and part of the $37,000 would be reserved to pay for the 5-day “Leadership Academy” facilitator training for up to 16 people from area organizations, in the hope that this will foster increased interest in the facility in the future.

Kipnis said they’re optimistic that the “high course” funding can be obtained, and that Camp Long has a site selected that could become ”one of the best in the country.” He said the camp has a ”rich history with climbing” dating back to its founding 70 years ago, and the ropes course would be a great fit.

DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD PROPOSALS FOR CITY FUNDING: Pete Spalding led a discussion about 10 proposals that came in from the Delridge community. Here’s that list:

• Crosswalk at Delridge Way SW and SW Findley
• Traffic light with pedestrian crossing signals at SW Genesee and Avalon Way SW
• Crosswalk light on Delridge Way SW and SW Edmunds
• Sidewalks on SW Hudson from Puget Blvd SW to 26th Ave
• Trail crossing signs and “no parking” signs on SW Brandon west of 26th Ave SW (Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail)
• Curb for parking on SW Brandon St east of 25th Ave SW
• Speed bumps or traffic circles on 26th Ave SW between SW Hudson and SW Genesee
• Speed bumps and/or traffic circles on 26th Ave SW between SW Brandon and SW Juneau
• One-block section of sidewalk on the south side of SW Brandon to connect the 29th Ave SW and 30th Ave SW sidewalks
• Center lane island or planter island to provide crossing assistance at Delridge Way SW and SW Graham

Representatives from each neighborhood group in Delridge now has until close-of-business Monday April 25th to vote for their top 3 projects, which will then be submitted for further review. Spalding asked those in attendance if they had any initial reactions about which projects might “rise to the top,” and a couple of attendees called out the SW Genesee and Avalon Way SW crossing as being particularly necessary. There also was discussion about how this request might relate to a separate discussion/request regarding a possible signal nearby at Avalon and Yancy (WSB coverage here).

OTHER BUSINESS:

• Last weekend’s Delridge Green Up (WSB coverage here) was called a “big success,” with great weather and a great turnout.
• The group noted that Bernie Matsuno has been chosen by Mayor McGinn to have the “interim” title removed, to serve as permanent Department of Neighborhoods director (WSB coverage here).
• The June or July meeting of the council might be a joint meeting with the SW District Council. Details TBD.
• There is a need to have updated “display maps” to have at summer festivals in the area, to talk to residents about where they live and how they can get involved.
• West Seattle Summer Fest is looking for community leaders to help staff a table in the “hospitality tent” at the middle of the festival area. Spalding encouraged Delridge leaders to sign up.
• Spalding asked attendees to think about key agenda items for the group’s future meetings, and a few things were proposed: Light rail and east-west transit in West Seattle, transportation issues such as those discussed recently by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, fighting graffiti, and economic development (hotels, grocery stores, ecotourism, etc)

The Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meets on the third Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), all welcome – and you are also welcome to come early for the monthly Strategic Delridge meeting that precedes it at 6 pm. The next meeting is Wednesday May 18th.