BEAUTIFUL West Seattle

[Genesee Hill]

Not to be sexist…or looking like Keith Richards in his teens…

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[JanS]

for the record, If I had a sidewalk small business, I, too, would keep it clean. I would also call out the people who were doing the littering. Without them, my work would be easier.

Having never run a small sidewalk business like that, I would hope that time would allow it. In a perfect world…well, you all know the rest, I’m sure…

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[cjboffoli]

Jan: I run a small business – a global brand, actually – from my dining room table. I sell six-figures worth of “product” a year on five continents. And yet I still have time to keep my property (and the area around it) free of garbage. A lot of that garbage doesn’t come from me. So I have a hard time believing this is a matter of not having enough time. In fact, it is a matter of priorities and making a choice as to whether you want to care about the way the community looks or not.

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[For Liberty]

I’m a small business owner a few blocks south of the Junction, and I SO appreciate the Junction business district and its high pedestrian traffic. Lots of pedestrians = lots of litter, but also a strong economy, vibrant resources for my clients and neighbors, and a safe walking area. I’ve always worked in sidewalk locations, and I’ve been out at 5am shoveling snow, started 12 hour work days by picking up used condoms, cursed the leaves that require sweeping 3x/day etc. and yes I agree 100% that its our responsibility as business owners to keep our premises tidy. That said, I can totally understand that the volume of traffic (and associated litter) on California Ave could get overwhelming, and I would be happy to help out my small business peeps deal with the drawbacks of the density that is an economic boon for the rest of us.

I emailed the JUNO contact email to see if they need help with (or a take-over of) Adopt-a-Street, and I emailed wsjunction.org, not sure what their role is. If find out about a way to help with or coordinate a periodic clean-up if none exists, I will post it on the Blog.

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[kgdlg]

TR, I love that we build parks we any afford to upkeep! That is for another thread though.

I know the junction assoc pays for the hanging flower baskets. Maybe with all this new development we need a new pot of funds for litter collection. While I agree with Chrisopher in theory, practice is a lot more messy. Business owners are busy and hustling and can’t pick up litter daily.

This is exactly why we have BIAs.

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[JanS]

kgdlg…thanks for that…I think that’s what I was trying to say, however badly.

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[Jiggers]

I don’t buy the BS that business owners are too busy. It only takes about 15 minutes to make sure that your front is tidy. The problem is that if one business owner doesn’t care about cleanliness then the others won’t care either. But if they see one owner doing their best to look neat then just maybe their attitude’s will change. All I read are excuses.

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[kgdlg]

No, jiggers, the problem is that biz district litter happens all day long so if you tidy in the morning, it is dirty again by noon. And owners don’t have time to spend an hour a day on this (15 min here and there adds up).

Seriously people, this is why biz owners agree to self tax in a bIA so as to contract this out. Then it is fair and everyone pays for same service.

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[Jiggers]

I don’t really give a sht anyways. I don’t own property or have a business so its not my problem..

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[TanDL]

The sidewalks are public walkways… it shouldn’t always be the small business owner who has to clean up after the trashy public. I know a gal who runs a small business south of the Junction and she has told me that it’s amazing what she picks up every morning when she opens. From cig butts to dog poop to outright trash, she’s said that the constant cleaning is exhausting. A couple of times people have even dumped broken household items that they obviously couldn’t fit in a garbage can. She not only had to remove it from in front of her business, but had to pay extra to have it hauled off.

If the litter bothers so many so much, why doesn’t everyone lend a helping hand and start picking it up? As concerned citizens of West Seattle, let’s do something about it. Maybe start a fund for all small businesses to chip in so they can hire someone to clean the two or three blocks every morning, or form a volunteer cleaning committee. Maybe work with the Junction Association to provide attractive trash bins, or organize a volunteer group to rotate cleaning shifts. How about form an exercise cleaning group? It would be great early morning exercise and help keep our community sparkling clean at the same time. Maybe organize a daily litter patrol to help remind folks not to litter in the first place.

Words on a blog are easy… doing the work it takes to actually change things for the better is much tougher, but if anyone can facilitate community change, it’s West Seattle! So let’s get to work!

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[miws]

Dammit, TanDL!

You just had to bring logic into the discussion, didn’t you? ;-)

Mike

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[TanDL]

I know, I know. I’ll try to knock it off… :)

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[Bonnie]

Why 37 posts about this when you could get a bag and a plastic glove and pick up a few things? In the time it took to write the post and take the pictures you could have picked it up. I don’t want to have to pick up trash after people either but if we want West Seattle to be beautiful then we should all do our share. In a perfect world someone would magically appear and pick it up but we don’t live in a perfect world.

I live above the ferry docks and sometimes I will walk with my daughter to Westwood Village on Barton from about the Fauntleroy Park to Target. I’ve taken a glove and a big bag and started walking, picking up garbage as I went along. It’s not too bad along the west side of 35th but once we get to over where 7-11 and Tony’s is it is awful. My bag is completely full of garbage before I even reach Target.

I have to say that I got funny looks from people. When I got to Target I could barely fit my bag of garbage into the garbage can!

I think with school out I might drag my kids out to do it again.

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[cjboffoli]

Bonnie: By your logic no one should ever identify a problem without leaping in and fixing it first. Maybe folks should remember that the next time they’re complaining about something Congress is doing.

Instead of making everyone responsible for cleaning the whole world, it is a much better system if each person is responsible for their own piece of it. I keep my piece of the world clean. I don’t litter and it isn’t my responsibility to clean up the litter of other people (not that I haven’t invested hours in various parts of West Seattle doing just that).

If a restaurant does business in the Junction and the clientele of that business cover the ground in front of it with cigarette butts and food packaging from that business, then I absolutely think the business should have a role in keeping the sidewalk in front of their business clean, regardless of the legion of people prepared to line up here to offer the knee jerk explanation as to either why the criticism is unreasonable or why no one is responsible or both. Yes, the people who litter are at fault. But I think that since a business is collecting revenue, government is collecting taxes, and a BIA is collecting dues or fees, then someone besides the person littering is also ignoring their responsibility to work to keep the Junction sidewalks from looking like a dump.

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[mrhineh]

Sorry Chris, but its a cultural problem, not a government problem. Why do people think its ok to finish their MickieD snack and then dump it in the local parking lot? Or dump their trash on our sidewalks? It shouldn’t be up to our citizens or business owners to follow people around playing Litter Police. Society needs to make this an issue. But of course, in our pampered world, it won’t happen and you can complain about it.

But I really disagree with your comment about the PetCo bulding that “I like the look of this rendering and welcome the replacement of a horrid, decrepit cinder block building with a long frontage that did nothing to activate the street. This new property will bring new people to the Junction, meaning more customers for local businesses and a higher citizen to low-life ratio” Really? The thought that new buildings eliminate low lifes is pretty High Brow. Right up there with being upset about a spray park being build for a neighborhood that doesn’t have all the resources of other neighbors. Well done.

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[leamk]

There is a street/sidewalk in White Center I walk down every day that is disgustingly littered. All in front of a particular business I will not name. I’ve picked up the garbage in front at least twice and both times gathered at least a garbage bag full. The litter is both pedestrian and business related litter – it’s a restaurant and a lot of it is food and bubble tea containers sold at the business. I’ve contacted City of Seattle in an effort to get a garbage can on the street and written a note to the owner suggesting placing a garbage can outside. Not only do I think this particular business owner should pick it up, I think he should be fined for letting it look so horrible. I see him outside smoking his ciggies and shooting the breeze with his customers(?)all the time, apparently content with the state of things, so I don’t think it’s a time issue. If I had a storefront business I would *want* to keep the storefront and sidewalk clean! It’s in a business’s best interest to do so. I would consider it my responsibility to keep it clean even if it wasn’t legally required. At my first job at a restaurant in Ballard, when we weren’t busy in the kitchen or with other chores, we were sent outside to pick up litter around the business and in the parking lot. I love the suggested ideas of forming volunteer groups to pick up the litter. It is very satisying, although it can be like fighting a losing battle. It is great exercise and you can get pick up sticks at the hardware store to make it easier. (Or make your own!) The City of Seattle will provide garbage bags, gloves and pick up sticks if you organize a clean up event. They will then come and pick up the bags of garbage collected.

I have also had a lot of luck with e-mailing businesses and politely suggesting putting a waste basket/garbage can/ash tray outside. Summertime in Seattle brings more garbage but it’s also a great time to spend outdoors doing something good for the community.

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[JoB]

how about it CJ?

willing to participate in a junction clean up event every sunday morning?

you could pick your junction..

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[cjboffoli]

So I guess my takeaway is that the next time we have an ice storm and everyone wants to throw out the mayor because the streets are all glazed over, I guess instead of complaining we should organize a volunteer salting group and do it ourselves, huh? Because it’s a lot easier and more productive to pick up a shovel and start spreading salt than to spend time trying to use a WSB Forums post to be critical of community conditions. I guess expecting some basic sanitation in return for all of the taxes and fees we pay is completely out of the question. And if we’re not willing to drop everything and clean up other people’s garbage in front of local businesses or pick up a shovel and spread salt then we have no right to express our disappointment at the trash or the ice, right?

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[JanS]

oh, please, now you’re just being snarky..

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[mrhineh]

Lets see: An ice storm cripples the city > Littering. You tell me.

If I recall, anytime people have complained about high utility rates, expensive property taxes, etc., its been met with smug comments about how great we have it and its worth every penny we pay and more.

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[Anne]

My first impression of a business is what it looks & smells like from the outside-maybe I’m unusual in that regard. If a business can’t take a few minutes(we’re not talking hours here)from time to time during the day(if necessary) to sweep/pick-up around their property it speaks to how they want their business perceived–& I don’t think anyone other than the business owners/employees needs to take this on. If we’re talking graffiti-that’s another matter-as is the walk through between NW Art & Frame & Puerto Vallarta. There are times that stinks so badly-my granddaughters hold their breath & run through-or we walk through Husky Deli or NW Art & Frame. I’m not positive-but think I remember occasions of community clean-up there-painting over the graffiti etc. It could be a time consuming job for a business owner(unlike sweeping!!!!)involving pressure washing-painting etc. so community involvement in helping there might be a good idea.

Bottom line-if there is litter outside the entrance to a business-for heavens sake take a few minutes to clean it up!

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[TheJunction]

West Seattle Junction Association/BIA here.

.

Thank you for this thread as it spurred needed action. We hire a company to clean the Junction’s sidewalks and tree wells 3 times week. I’m not sure that this has been happening to the fullest extent, and I’ve requested a meeting with the business owner. She has been very responsive for getting her staff back on track. Additionally, we have our crew of local high school grads that tend the weeds and suckers in the tree wells, take down outdated posters and sweeps the alleys. We know that our neighborhood takes pride in the Junction business district and our organization cares deeply about offering the best that we can. I expect things to get back on track.

.

Sunday morning is less than ideal. After Friday and Saturday nights of messy behavior, the mess is at it’s worst on Sunday morning. I will check with my service provider about an EARLY Sunday morning service so that everything is fresh when people arrive. Additionally, I will review which areas are bad for cig butts and determine if restaurants or bars need better receptacles. Also, the whole Junction will be power washed after Summer Fest.

.

I also received an email asking if additional help may be needed (thank you!). One opportunity for the community to help clean up is after the Grand Legion Parade on July 20 – and this extends beyond the Junction. What a fun time and what a messy aftermath:)

Best,

Susan Melrose

WSJA Director

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[miws]

Thank you, Ms Melrose.

Mike

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[librarian]

Many of the small businesses in the Junction have only one person working most of the time. It is difficult to help customers if you are out picking up litter!

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[Genesee Hill]

My dad, the pharmacist, would sweep the sidewalk, or help me do it, prior to opening his drugstore every morning.

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[Author]

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