Bulletin
October 12, 2010- Update on King County’s Murray Pump Station Wet Well Repair Project -Complete
King County’s contractor has completed the maintenance project to clean and coat the Murray Pump Station wet well. The new coating will help protect the wet well surfaces from corrosion and abrasion, extending service life of the facility.
The contractor has re-seeded grass areas in the hauling area, and has fed grass in the work area to assist regrowth where protective sheets had been placed. King County staff will continue to monitor recovery of the grass and address problem areas if any remain.
King County Wastewater Treatment Division schedules projects like these to maintain a regional conveyance system that consists of over 350 miles of pipes, 19 regulator stations, 42 pump stations, and 38 CSO outfalls. We appreciate the patience of neighbors and park users as we carry out these important maintenance activities.
If you would like more information, please contact Martha Tuttle at 206-684-1207 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it during working hours.
Minutes Morgan Community Association Quarterly Meeting
October 20, 2010 – The Kenney
Deb Barker, Presiding
2 Executive Bd. Members, 13 neighborhood residents, speakers, representative from W Seattle Blog and WS Herald and Seattle Municipal Court candidate representative
Announcements – Deb Barker
- Due to life changes, we have lost two MoCA board members, Steve Sindiong (secretary) and Dave Fansler (Treasurer). We thank them both for their multiple years of service.
- Neighborhood Street Fund 2007 nomination for a MoCA project has been awarded to our community. Summary description:
- California at Holden - Existing crosswalk striping needs to be replaced. SDOT will complete in 2010 or 2011.
- California at Othello - Add beacons to the overhead sign and upgrade sign to florescent yellow. Construct a curb bulb on the east side just north of the existing driveway leaving the existing crossing as-is (so that the overhead span doesn't have to be moved). Install "Stop for Pedestrians" sign.
- California at Frontenac - Replace the curb on the southwest corner and add truncated domes to existing curb ramps. Replace the "Push Button" signs (SDOT will do in 2010). SDOT will also add pedestrian countdown signals in 2012 (no funding needed for this improvement).
- California at Findlay - Update the overhead crosswalk sign and add beacons. Restripe the intersection.
- For details, http://www.cityofseattle.net/transportation/btg_nsf_large_California.htm
- We’ve added some new web links to the MoCA website, Zebigo, which is a ridesharing program and a new MJ business, Zippydogs
Seattle Municipal Court – Karen Donohue, represented by Lamar Rutherford.
Karen Donahue has been a pro-tem judge for 16 years, and also was an attorney and general counsel and assistant city attorney. She is running for Seattle Municipal Court and wants to bring improvements to the court such as implementation of an electronic records system, use of video teleconferencing and linking the proprietary Municipal Court software to the technology most other courts use so that judges have more compete information when making sentencing or other public safety decisions.
Murray Pump Station Combined Sewer Overflow Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) – Chas Redmond
CAG members Chas and Cindi have been attending the meetings. The months long process came down to the last few meetings with a late arrival proposal that put a spin on the previous alternates being explored. This proposal puts a million plus gallon storage tank under the Lincoln Park south parking lot, and became the final alternative selected by the CAG to move forward as a recommendation to King County. This proposal steps outside the boundaries of Parks uses. A Fauntleroy member on the CAG had to step aside from endorsing the final alternative as he felt the Fauntleroy community did not have any time to learn about that option. The other options moved forward to the County for consideration both included storage under street right of way. A Green Infrastructure alternative was also liked, but didn’t go forward because of a perceived lack of proven technical feasibility. The CAG final report is still in signature routing. It was requested that when it is available, we post a copy on the MoCA website. The next steps are for King County to start the real technical analysis of the preferred alternative; there is still a December deadline for the County to provide an final alternative to the EPA. MoCA has asked to remain a partner in the ongoing process.
Rapid Ride – Paul Roybal
The Morgan Junction area will be served by the “C” line of bus Rapid Ride (RR), 1 of 6 to be built over the next 4 years. The C line will go into operation late 2012. In general, RR has traffic signal priority and roadway improvements to keep trips quick and consistent. There was initial outreach in MJ back in 2007-8, particularly on the alignment of the C line. Currently, the design of the system is at 30%, and now is the time to restart outreach.
- Schedule - During peak hours, the bus will come every 10 minutes in both directions. During other times, it will come every 15 minutes up to 10:00 pm. Between 10:00 pm and 4:30 am, it will be scheduled at a less frequent schedule, but one that is better than the current Night Owl schedule.
- Features & improvements – there will be free Wi-Fi, 3 entry/exit doors, low floor and front mount bike rack. There will be less seats for more space to move around. Bus stops will have large stations at some locations, with more weather protection, interior lighting, real time signs that count down to next bus, illuminated maps and possibly external ORCA readers to speed boarding. Smaller stops are called enhanced stations and will have smaller shelters and lighting, and the stops at the ends of the line will be standard stops with just benches. All stops are being replaced, and there will be fewer stops on the C line, with ¼ to ½ mile spacing.
- Street changes – The buses are coordinated with an Intelligent Transportation system of fiber optic cable, which is almost already completely installed. It will give transit signal priority at 10 intersections, which means it won’t change the signal, but will hold the signal green for the bus to get through the intersection, or will shorten a red signal to get the bus moving more quickly. There will also be Business Access Transit lanes in the Alaska Junction and along Avalon, which are for buses only during peak hours and allow no parking. The buses will load in-lane, and there will be 8 bus bulbs constructed for this. Their studies said the current stop time at a bus stop is 30 seconds, at a RR station, it is expected to be 15 seconds, so that traffic is not held up for long. The city is engaging a consultant to do additional traffic studies on impacts. Deb requested that MoCA be provided copy of this report once available.
- Schedule – Final design to be completed by summer 2011, construction between fall 2011 and summer 2012. Installation and testing, summer 2012 and opening date will be Sept. 29, 2012.
Metro schedule changes – Doug Johnson
There will be a permanent routing change for the downtown portion of West Seattle routes 21, 22, 54 and 56, due to the Alaska Viaduct work and 1st Ave construction. All these buses will be moving from 1st Ave over to 3rd Ave, making the change at Edgar Martinez (going up to 4th and then transitioning onto 3rd). Specific to route 54, funding from the Viaduct mitigation funds will provide for additional trips, some of which have already been added and there will be more added in 2011 so that there will be double the mid-day trips. It will start to resemble the C Line Rapid Line service. It was requested that all the WS buses have the same stop locations on 3rd Ave, Doug said they would look at that.
Proposal for California & Graham site – Deb Barker (BOLD ADDED)
Mark Knoll, developer and Dan Duffus, property owner, had been invited to describe the development plans for the lot at Graham and California, but were unable to attend. Deb passed on the information they provided.
There will be 7 units on the interior pad on the north side of the lot, 3 units will be live/work and 4 will be townhouses, similar to the other Knoll development at 6021 California. The south side of the lot is up for sale for commercial development, but if it doesn’t sell, it will probably have 7 additional units added. During initial construction, the south lot will be used for staging. The 7 units will not trigger Design Guidelines. Permits are coming, may break ground any day.
Ageing Your Way – Tamsen Spengler
A workshop called Ageing Your Way was held at the Fauntleroy Church last month, one in a series to gather input from baby boomers and facilitate discussion about what would work to allow people to age in place in their communities. Jim Diers facilitated and there was spirited brainstorming and then participants broke out into work groups to talk about next steps to work on the ideas. There were 7 projects the groups chose to work on: Hospital without Walls, Share the Space, Senior Communication Network, Virtual Village, Dumps to P-Patch, Senior Dating and Four Cottages on a lot with a Garden (see attachment for details and contact information).
SW Precinct Staff Changes – Eldon Olson
Capt. Kessler and Lt. James will both be leaving for the West Precinct, replaced by Capt. Paulsen and Lt. Davis. From the last SW Precinct Advisory Council, it was reported that in MJ, there has been a rise in small residential burglary. Watch for small groups of people (2 – 3) walking around, they’re watching departure and arrival patterns, lights out, etc. SPD also arrested a major car burglary ring recently, so car theft in the area has plummeted, as has auto pilfering. Call the precinct business line if you see something suspicious, and 911 if criminal activity is occurring.
Wayfinding – Chas Redmond
It’s been a long process, but the Wayfinding project has finally obtained permits for 8 of the 10 proposed locations. The two that have not gotten approval are the one at Fauntleroy Ferry and the Morgan Junction location. The MJ location is impacted by the Bus Rapid Ride station siting and by underground vaults. So we may not get one as planned with this round of funding, and will have to see if we can be added into the East (Delridge) area application.
Neighborhood Safety Issue – Ron Sterling
Ron described how down at Lowman Beach, in the 7000 block of SW Beach Drive, things always seem to be going on late at night in the stretch between Lincoln Park and Lowman Beach. Cars are being hit, signs knocked down and there is an uptick in car break-ins and hit and runs. The neighbors are questioning if the park hours for closure should be set earlier. The Blockwatch captain has asked SPD to make late night sweeps on patrol, but so far that hasn’t happened. They’re even wondering if a dummy patrol car, parked on the street, could be a deterrent. Eldon can bring this up at the next SWPAC. It was also asked if there could be better diversion at the entrance to that block, pointing people up the hill to the Fauntleroy Ferry to ensure people don’t get lost and head down the street, possibly better signage or curb bulbing. Ron was also encouraged to consult with staff at SDOT and the Parks department.
Emergency Preparedness – Cindi Barker
There was a earthquake drill held Oct 16th by the West Seattle Hubs and the Seattle Auxiliary Communication Service (Ham radio volunteers) simulating the second day of a major earthquake. The Morgan Junction hub was not activated for this drill, but the Fauntleroy hub was tested. It is planned to have 2 drills a year, so the Morgan Hub can be tested in an upcoming test. There was a MJ resident who volunteered to be a citizen actor to help in the drill.
Countywide Community Forums – Toni Higgs
This started as a privately funded program by Dick Spady (Dicks Drive-In) to get people involved with County issues. An approved Initiative has secured funding to hold forums throughout the County to get input, this current round focuses on the budget deficit and what should the County focus on. The forums normally run 1 ½ hours, but there is also a way to participate on-line. This round will end on Oct 23, but the next forum will be held in 3 – 4 months. The goal of the program is “1,000 voices heard”.
Board Officer Elections – Deb Barker
Due to life changes, MoCA has vacancies in both the Secretary and Treasurer positions, so a special election was held. Nominated were Kate Gill de la Garza for Secretary and Eldon Olson for Treasurer. It was moved, seconded and passed to elect the nominees to the positions stated.
From the floor
Tamsen Spengler made a motion that MoCA make a contribution to the West Seattle Food Bank, given the serious economic conditions for our community. After discussion, the amount of $200 was moved, seconded and passed to be donated. Donation will occur after the new treasurer has access to the account.
Respectfully submitted
Cindi Barker
Acting Secretary
