Fremont Neighborhood Council Board Meeting – August 24, 2015
Board members present: Stephanie Pure, Elfriede Noble, Norma Jones, Jim Engelhardt, Toby Thaler, Linda Clifton, Shawn Mulanix, Erik Pihl, Judie Clarridge.
Stephanie opened the meeting and invited everyone to introduce themselves and share any announcements:
- Park(ing) Day will be September 18th, when people can temporarily turn parking spaces into mini-parks. The deadline for applying with SDOT for a free street use permit for this event is August 28.
- A workshop on applying for Small and Simple Projects Fund grants will be held September 2 from 6 – 8 pm at University Heights Community Center. Last round of Small and Simple grants for 2015 is coming up. Deadline for applying is October 5th.
- Fremont Oktoberfest will be held September 18 – 20.
- Fremont Chamber of Commerce Wiffleball Tournament and Home Run Derby is this Saturday, August 29.
- Fremont Baptist Church is organizing a trip to the Railroad Museum in Snoqualmie for a tour of a restored 1890s chapel car. Anyone who is interested can contact the church.
- Leo Griffin shared that the Troll’s Knoll P Patch was awarded a matching funds grant.
Ship Canal Water Quality Project – Underground Storage Tunnel – Jeanne Muir, Urban Relations, project consultant
In compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, Seattle Public Utilities and King County are working together to build an underground storage tunnel to improve the water quality of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. City sewer pipes carry both stormwater runoff and sewage to the wastewater treatment plant. Under most weather conditions, the capacity of the pipes is sufficient. However, occasionally, during heavy rains, the combined stormwater and sewage from Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, and north Queen Anne exceeds the capacity of the pipes and overflows into the Ship Canal. The purpose of the storage tunnel is to temporarily hold the excess polluted water until the rain subsides and the pipes can accommodate it.
The tunnel will be about 14’ in diameter and will be 150’ underground. It will follow the northshore of the canal, beginning at the site of the old Yankee Diner on Shilshole Avenue, then south of Leary through Fremont to a point south of the Transfer Station.
There will be a public comment period after a supplemental draft EIS is published in January 2016. Design work will occur in 2016-17, followed by construction from 2018-24.
For more information, maps, etc. on the project, see: http://www.seattle.gov/util/EnvironmentConservation/Projects/ShipCanalWaterQuality/index.htm
Update on King County Metro University Link Service Changes – Stephanie Pure
At the May FNC meeting, Jeremy Fichter spoke on upcoming Metro changes that will coordinate with the opening of the Capitol Hill and UW stations in March 2016. Among the route changes that will impact Fremont is that Route 16 will follow Stone Way from N. 45th to cross the Fremont Bridge, which will provide service from the northeast part of Fremont to downtown Fremont. Routes 26X and 28X will use Aurora rather than Dexter going to/from downtown. The 28X will go east/west on N. 39th to Leary Way and on to 8th NW.
In addition, in November 2014, voters approved an increase in license tabs and sales tax to expand Metro service within Seattle. This has/will increase frequency of service on weekdays to Routes 40, 44, 26X, 28X, and 5X.
Stephanie noted that there are additional transit issues/routes that are important to Fremont that have not been addressed. For example, during the morning commute, Route 5 buses are often already at capacity when they arrive at the Bridge Way bus stop. She will draft a letter about these issues for the board’s review.
Blue Sky Discussion: future agenda items, neighbor concerns
- Invite Jesus Aguirre, new Parks and Recreation Superintendent, to upcoming meeting to discuss future of Ernst Park, update on Troll’s Knoll Park, etc.
- Invite SDOT to discuss: (1) closing streets during construction projects, (2) in Residential Parking Zones: residents of new apartment projects choosing to request RPZ permits rather than pay for parking spaces in their building, (3) status of alley next to Troll’s Knoll.
- Invite plaintiffs in the case regarding the construction of the new Transfer Station to a meeting to discuss use of the settlement funds.
Committees:
Land Use:
- Toby discussed townhouse project on Phinney between 36th and 39th. There will be significant impact on parking yet there cannot be any mitigation.
- He also pointed out that maintaining existing tree canopy is a City priority yet landlords can cement over curbside planting strips.
- The Land Use committee will meet the 3rd Monday in September.
Artwork on Utility Boxes:
- Stephanie asked if anyone wanted to work with Matt on the three new boxes that the FNC will sponsor. There were no volunteers so Stephanie said that she would work with Matt.
Treasurer’s Report:
Jim reported the following balances in the FNC’s accounts:
Verity Checking: $ 2,694.81
Verity Money Market: 56,953.28
Paypal 86.68
46th Street Mural: $471.39 (includes recent $150 addition)
Minutes: The minutes for the June meeting will be presented at the September meeting.
The meeting was adjourned. The next FNC Board meeting will be Monday, September 28, 2015.