Fremont Neighborhood Council Meeting – July 23, 2012
Board members present: Matt Gasparich, Norma Jones, Stephanie Pure, Elfreide Noble, Toby Thaler, Shawn Mulanix, Linda Clifton, Judie Clarridge.
Matt opened the meeting and invited those in attendance to introduce themselves.
Announcements:
• Linda announced that volunteers will be meeting at the 46th Street Mural for a scrub down at noon on Saturday. Anyone interested in coming is encouraged to bring buckets.
• Stephanie reminded everyone that the kickoff meeting for Fremont Greenways will be tomorrow, July 24th at 7:30 p.m. at the Nickerson Street Saloon. For more information, go to www.seattlegreenways.org.
Minutes: Linda moved that the minutes for the June meeting be approved. Norma seconded. The motion passed.
Treasurer’s Report: Shawn presented the following and noted that the Union Bank CD has matured. He plans to move those funds to BECU this week.
BECU checking: $3,096.80 Commitments: $5,000.00 B.F. Day Playground
BECU money market: 25,013.43 1,249.00 46th Street Mural
BECU saving: 5.00 500.00 Hazel Hghts P Patch
CD at Union Bank: 36,257.57
Paypal: 423.41
TOTAL 64,796.21
Old Business:
• Stone34 Project. Board members attended the City Council public meeting on July 9th to express support of the amendment to the Living Building Pilot Project (LBPP). Upcoming meetings/votes on this issue: City of Seattle Land Use Committee on July 25th at 9 a.m. and City Council on July 30th at 2 pm.
• King County’s Fremont Siphon Replacement Project: Discussion of last month’s presentation, whether an environmental review will be needed, role of SEPA, etc. Kirby shared that the Chamber has taken a position against the County’s acquisition of the Praxair property for the new siphon and odor control facility.
New Business:
• PARKS: Matt reported that he had submitted a Letter of Interest for a $550,000 grant under the Parks Department’s Opportunity Fund for the development of the addition, on the west side of Ernst Park. He received a response that the request was disqualified because they were only accepting grants which included provisions for operational funding. There was discussion: (1) whether funding could come from leasing parking on the south side (lower level) of the site, (2) whether it would be best to begin the Ernst Park Addition project by pursuing a Small and Simple Grant (next deadline is October 8th) for up to $20K for planning for the site; and (3) the need to get input from interested neighbors. Jenny Frankl offered to research the options regarding grants as they apply to this project.
• ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES: Matt reported that he has submitted the annual renewal paperwork for the FNC’s non-profit status. He also reported on options for the purchase of a sandwich board to direct people to FNC meetings. After brainstorming, the consensus of the Board was that it be simple with large images of the logo on both sides and arrows directing towards the meeting location.
• MEMBERSHIP / COMMUNICATION: Matt reported that $577 in renewals was sent in by mail. He gave the checks to Shawn to deposit. Shawn offered to prepare a spreadsheet with the names and street/email addresses of those who paid and send it to Matt. Matt can add the names to Mail Chimp but not the street addresses. Also for Mail Chimp: Judie will send Matt the names and street/email addresses of people who have attended recent meetings. Norma is checking FNC gmail regularly. Stephanie was given a key to the mailbox and will check it regularly.
Committee Reports:
LAND USE:
• Stone34 Project: Toby reported that the hearing on July 9th regarding the proposed changes to the Living Building Pilot Project lasted until 8:30 p.m. He noted that the FNC’s support of the amendment which will allow the height of the building to exceed the 45’ zoning limit is aligned against some of the Wallingford residents. In contrast, the amendment is being supported by conservation groups.
TRANSPORTATION:
• Aurora Avenue: Linda raised the issue of the traffic congestion on Aurora Avenue south of the Aurora Bridge. “Bus only” has been painted in the right hand lane southbound. Southbound lanes are further restricted near the Denny Street exit due to construction projects. Her suggestion is that the bus lane should not be activated until construction near Denny is completed. There was discussion about inviting someone from the appropriate transportation entity to attend an upcoming meeting. Jenny Frankl offered to check which one would handle this issue.
The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be August 27, 2012.