Morgan Community Association (MoCA)

Deb Barker, Presiding 

4 Executive Bd. Members, 75 neighborhood residents, representatives from W Seattle Blog, King County, Seattle Police Dept., Seattle Attorneys Office, and Seattle Fire Dept., and Seattle Councilmember Tom Rasmussen

Announcements – Deb Barker

• Parks Opportunity Fund – Three Morgan Junction projects have gone through the Two Phase application process. MOCA endorsed the Partial Place project (Contact is Frank Taylor); Vlad Oustimovich applied for the Orca project which would use private property, and Friends of Orchard Street Ravine (FOSTR) applied for an expansion of the Orchard Street Ravine using private property (Contact is Ann Martin). A status report will be given at the July MOCA meeting.
• Water Taxi Stop – A free shuttle service now operates between Morgan Junction and the water taxi (Route 773). Service is on Monday thru Friday, between 9:45am and 1:30pm.
• Myrtle Street Reservoir – The City Parks & Recreation Dept. is proceeding with park construction, including placing bids. The City is waiting for the grass to be established before the fence can be removed. Construction is anticipated to begin in June.

Crime Prevention – Benjamin Kinlow, City of Seattle (Police Dept.) / John McGoodwin, City of Seattle (Attorneys Office)

• Mr. Kinlow presented information on block watch organization. Ten year crime statistics are available on the department’s webpage. National Night Out will occur on Tues, August 3; The Precinct picnic will be on Sat, August 21.
• Mr. McGoodwin gave information on a graffiti offender (Ryan Cox) who is currently on probation. If anyone sees any graffiti being conducted, call 911. 

State Representative Candidate – Joe Fitzgibbon

• Mr. Fitzgibbon is running for the State House of Representatives (34^th District). He is currently the legislative assistant for Rep. Nelson, and the Chair of the Burien Planning Commission. He wants to resolve the root causes of major issues, including funding basic education, and Combined Sewerage Overflow. A candidate’s forum will be held on April 27 in Burien.

Kenney Home Status – TJ Lehman, Euclid Development

• Mr. Lehman is the owner’s representative for the Kenney Expansion. The Kenney applied for the Masters Use Permit, and will need to undergo design review. They have received the first round of community comments. They are focusing on making the development smaller based on comments. They will bring the revised concept back to the community once it is redesigned. 

Rapid Ride – Chris Arkills, King County

• The Fauntleroy ferry terminal stop design will be complete in late August. Design of other stops has resumed. Construction will begin in January 2011. Service planning for redistributing hours from existing routes will occur from Fall 2011 thru Sept. 2012. The West Seattle C Line will begin operating (in conjunction with other rapid ride lines) in September 2012.

Neighborhood Street Fund (NSF) – Steve Sindiong

• A Large Project Fund (Bridging the Gap) project (applied for by MOCA) was approved in early 2010 for pedestrian improvements along California Avenue at Holden St., Othello St., and Frontenac St. The improvements will focus on improved pedestrian crossings, and some portions may be funded through existing programs. A smaller fund (Cumulative Reserve Fund) project was also approved last year for a pedestrian facility on the west side of SW 44^th Street between Webster and Fontanelle Streets. The current funding is for planning / design. The neighborhood applied for a 2010 project for construction.

Spokane Street Viaduct / Beach Drive Construction – Deb Barker

• The First Ave onramp to the WS Bridge will be closed starting May 17. Alternate routes include Marginal Way to the lower bridge, or Holgate to the WS Bridge. SDOT has provided maps to the community showing detours.
• SDOT installed an ecology block wall to provide catchment for debris so that Beach Dr. can be reopened to two way traffic on Feb 22. Next steps for permanent repair are being studied. In addition, DPD is requiring installation of a tight-lined drain pipe to the bottom of the hill by property owners, as well as a geotechnical report.

Morgan Junction Festival– Cindi Barker / Steve Sindiong

• The annual festival will be on Saturday June 12 from 11am to 7pm, and include the Bite of Morgan again. We are looking for volunteers for set up, clean up, posting posters, and sprucing up the park. The Bubble Man will not be able to do his show until 5pm, but residents generally felt that was okay. 

Murray Pump Station / Combined Sewerage Overflow (CSO) – Tammy Kellogg, Kellogg Consulting, Martha Tuttle, King County

• King County is seeking comment on the three alternatives currently under consideration. The County gave a presentation on the approaches, requirements, and alternatives. Initially, 9 alternatives were examined. The three current alternatives include 1) A 350’ above-grade storage pipe along Beach Drive / Murray Ave.; 2) A storage tank at Lowman Beach Park; and 3) A combined pipe and storage tank. Construction is expected to take 1.5 to 2 years. The Beach Drive alternative would require closing a portion of Beach Drive during the construction.
• General questions from the audience on the presentation included: Impacts of the above grade storage; scale of tanks; whether a replacement park would be built.
• Comments on the project included: The peak reduction alternative should be further explored; Need the details of the analysis that resulted in the current alternatives available to the public; Additional meetings are required; The Lowman Beach Park alternative will have significant impacts to its users; A decision should not be delayed in order to protect the environment; Property values and park character would be impacted by park alternative; Closure of Beach Drive will require a major detour to Jacobson; Need an improved community outreach process; Need for elevation drawings; The “green” alternative should be pushed further; Consider using the Kenney redevelopment as part of the project; The website should have more information; King Co. and the City need to work together with the community; Consider making the Barton facility larger; A stakeholder group should be formed, and the public review process lengthened; The planned facility is likely being undersized; Reconsider the Murray Ave triangle property.
• Next steps – Feedback will be received through the end of April to be considered for the three alternatives. The comments will be posted to the project webpage. The alternatives will then be further evaluated and a preferred alternative is expected in July. Then the SEPA process will begin.
• Contact information

1. Martha Tuttle – 206-684-1207
2. Email – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
3. Web – kingcounty.gov/csobeachprojects

Next MOCA Meeting to be July 21, 2010, 7pm.