West Seattle Triangle Open House!
Monday, 10 January 2011 15:54
Kate Gill de la Garza
For those in the Morgan Junction neighborhood interested in this nearby planning project...
The Department of Planning and Development will be hosting a West Seattle Triangle Open House on Monday, February 7, 2011, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Senior Center of West Seattle, 4217 S.W. Oregon Street.
The West Seattle Triangle planning area is located at the gateway to West Seattle, bounded and bisected by Fauntleroy SW, SW 35th and SW Alaska Street. This is the location of the former Huling properties and the future location of two stops for King County Metro’s Bus RapidRide.
The purpose of the open house is to give community members an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed street design concept plan and land use concepts for the West Seattle Triangle. These concepts have been developed over the past year by DPD with help from a community advisory group and other members of the community.
For more information on the West Seattle Triangle project, see the project web site at: www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/WestSeattleTriangle/
Last Updated on Monday, 10 January 2011 15:58
MoCA Bulletin Dec 28, 2010
Thursday, 30 December 2010 22:19
Cindi Barker
MoCA Goes Social!
We have a new Secretary, Kate Gill de la Garza, and within a month, she’s brought us into the 21st century by setting up a Facebook page for the Morgan Community Association. Now you can post about our neighborhood – check it out!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Morgan-Community-Association-MoCA/179786382049943?ref=ts&v=wall
Transportation changes at California Ave SW & SW Othello Street and California Ave SW & SW Frontenac Street.
From an email sent to MoCA, on the agenda for the Jan 19th MoCA meeting:
SDOT is finalizing the design for the pedestrian improvements at California Ave SW & SW Othello Street and California Ave SW & SW Frontenac Street. For your information, I’m attaching the design.
In summary, the improvement at SW Othello Street will build a curb bulb on the eastside of the street at the existing crosswalk to shorten the crossing distance on California Ave SW and improve visibility for pedestrians waiting to cross. No trees will be impacted during construction and the existing driveway will be rebuilt to tie in to the new curb bulb. A new overhead crosswalk sign with flashing beacons will also be installed.
In addition, parking will be restricted on the eastside of the street just south of the existing marked crosswalk for several reasons:
- No parking is allowed within 20’ of a crosswalk. While only one of the legal crosswalks is marked another crosswalk exists where S Othello Street enters California Ave SW from the east.
- No parking is allowed within 5’ of a driveway
- No parking is allowed at an intersection (since this is a “T” intersection no parking is permitted through the entire intersection from S Othello Street coming in from the east and S Othello Street coming in from the west)
At SW Frontenac Street, SDOT will upgrade the existing curb ramps to current ADA standards on the three corners shown.
SDOT anticipates that construction will occur during the Seattle Public Schools February mid-winter break as SW Othello Street is a designated school crossing.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Thérèse Casper
Seattle Department of Transportation
(206) 684-8764
SEATTLE PARKS AND RECREATION SEEKS COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR ADVISORY TEAM
(ed. note: the Southwest and High Point Community Centers are the closest to the Morgan Junction area)
As a result of challenging budgets, Seattle Parks and Recreation has been asked by the City Council to re-think how community centers are operated. This process will include public meetings and the creation of a Community Center Advisory Team. Seattle Parks and Recreation is looking for community members to participate on the Advisory Team
Advisory Team meetings will occur twice a month from January to May. The team will be exploring innovative ideas for operating the City’s community centers. Team members will consider the way the centers currently operate, review what other cities are doing, consider alternative operating models, evaluate public input, and assess options for partnerships.
Ultimately the Advisory Team will review and provide advice on the report that Parks will submit to City Council by June 1, 2010. In addition to representatives from the general community, members of the Advisory Team will include representatives from the Board of Park Commissioners, representatives of employee unions, employees, the Associated Recreation Council, and City Council and City Budget Office staff.
Seattle Parks and Recreation is currently seeking community applicants for the team. Those interested in serving on the Community Center Advisory Team are invited to apply. Parks is especially interested in those with past involvement with a community center, and those who are able to work in concert with others for the greater good. Please submit a statement (no more than 1,000 words total) addressing the following questions:
- How and where have you been involved with a community center?
- Please give an example of your most recent involvement.
- What will you bring to the table?
Please submit your statement via e-mail to Susan Golub:
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. The deadline is Monday, January 10 at 5 p.m.
Parks operates 26 community centers throughout the City that welcome nearly 700,000 participants a year. In conjunction with our non-profit partner, the Associated Recreation Council, Seattle’s community centers collectively operate the largest childcare program in the region. Most community centers are co-located with other facilities and services, such as schools, libraries, pools, playgrounds and playfields.
Contact: Joelle Hammerstad, 206-684-8020
e-mail
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MoCA Bulletin, Nov 27, 2010
Friday, 26 November 2010 22:52
Cindi Barker
The last two items from the MoCA meeting minutes were left off in the previous Bulletin, they are:
Minutes Morgan Community Association Quarterly Meeting
October 20, 2010 – The Kenney
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.
Myrtle Reservoir Park status, as of Nov 17.
From the Parks Dept website
“We are making steady progress towards completion of the new park at Myrtle Reservoir. Construction of our new park is almost complete and we are eager to open this site to the public as soon as possible.
The lawn areas have been recently seeded and we want to protect these areas from foot traffic, but we also understand the community’s desire to have access to this new park. In the next several days we will be testing and commissioning our irrigation system and doing final cleanup work.
We also will be installing temporary protective fencing and signs within the park to direct people away from the newly seeded lawn and to protect SPU facilities. We are working closely with SPU to install fencing as soon as possible.
Once these things are done we will selectively remove construction fencing at the entry pathways, opening the park pathways and play area to the public. Our goal is to provide public access to the new park before the Thanksgiving weekend.
Parks is planning on this “soft opening” soon after the above work is complete. An official public opening celebration, yet to be scheduled, will follow the “soft opening.”
The design incorporates recreational elements and ideas suggested by the community members, Parks staff, Seattle Public Utilities and the Seattle Design Commission. The design includes an open grass field on top of the lidded reservoir for informal play with a pathway circling the field and ADA accessible pathways.
The children's play area will feature open toy structures to enhance visibility and provide for better security. A viewing plaza north of the lid will include an interpretive element indicating High Point's elevation as well as that of other prominent hills on the Seattle skyline. The slopes of the reservoir will be seeded with erosion tolerant Ecoturf which includes a mix of grasses and flowers.”
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/proparks/projects/myrtle.htm
October bulletin and MoCA minutes Oct 20, 2010
Wednesday, 27 October 2010 19:20
Cindi Barker
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
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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
Last Updated on Friday, 26 November 2010 20:04
MOCA July 21 Quarterly Meeting - Minutes
Wednesday, 28 July 2010 10:30
Steve Sindiong
Morgan Community Association Quarterly Meeting
July 21, 2010 – The Kenney
Deb Barker, Presiding
3 Executive Bd. Members, 3 neighborhood residents, representative from W Seattle Blog and House of Representatives candidate
Announcements – Deb Barker
- Night Out – Will be held on August 3. The City’s website has information on how to sign up. Facebook also has information.
- Crime Prevention – There has been discussion about potential budget impacts to SDOT and possible cuts to crime prevention specialist positions. A motion was approved to have MOCA send a letter to the City stating its support for maintaining the crime prevention specialist positions.
- Park Project Ratings – For the Parks Opportunity Fund and Green Space Special Levy, citizens submitted projects for acquisition and development. Two projects in Morgan Junction were forwarded (both acquisition), including a project at Orchard Street ravine, and another south of the urban village. The Orchard ravine project did not score very highly because it didn’t fill an existing gap, and wasn’t in the urban village. The other project had a medium score. Justifications on the scorings will be made next week by the Committee.
State Representative Candidate (34th District) – Marcee Stone
- Ms. Stone has been a community activist for a number of years, and began her activism based on issue of cell towers in the Genessee neighborhood. Also very active in reforming public campaign financing. Questions from the audience include the following:
- Q: Higher education is being hit hard by the economy, and people are being marginalized. What is your perspective? A: Education is very important, and has been defunded for years. We need to build up funding, through reforming the tax system. Supports Initiative 1098.
- Q: How would you protect neighborhood character and maintain housing affordability? A: Gentrification is happening in places like White Center. The Growth Management Act needs to be tweaked to include incentives to allow for middle/lower income people to affort to live in Seattle. Development of Green jobs is one example.
2010 Morgan Junction Festival Report – Steve Sindiong
- Steve provided an overview of the positive and negative outcomes of the festival. The positives included a good number of sponsors, good feedback on music and variety, kids activities (chalk art and fire truck especially well liked), and good help from volunteers. Things to be improved upon include the need to print more bite of Morgan books and possibly distribute in the vendor area, additional types of kids activities, and more advanced notification to residents on Beveridge Place. In addition, the T-shirts did not sell very well.
- It was reported that the Unitarian Church members loved helping out at the festival and would like to volunteer again next year.
SDOT Projects Update – Cindi Barker / Deb Barker
- Spokane Street Viaduct – The public provided comments about the status of traffic, which has been slow during commute periods due to the closure of one lane in the eastbound direction. The lower bridge has also been congested, especially as the bridge seems to be opened often.
- Alaskan Way Viaduct – The WSDOT website has a very good interactive tool that allows users to see the improvements by phase, and view them from different directions.
Murray Combined Sewerage Overflow Citizens Advisory Group Briefing – Cindi Barker
- The CAG and King County is trying to answer a number of technical questions. There are currently 10 alternatives (at meeting it was mentioned there were 12 alternatives, but is being corrected for minutes) on the table (as opposed to three alternatives earlier this year). The goal is to have recommendations by September. Chas Redmond is the MOCA representative on the CAG.
Development Projects Update – Deb Barker
- A citizen inquired to MOCA about the status of Chuck & Sally’s bar (which is currently closed). No information has been found about the status, but reports have been made about litter, vagrancy and possible drug dealing at the site. Deb Barker will follow up.
- Property at NW corner of California & Graham Street – The property has been sold, and divided in half. Soleil developers are proposing to build live/work units on the north parcel. The south parcel is currently for sale. The developer will be invited to the next MOCA meeting to present their proposal.
- Cindi Barker provided an update on the Multi-Family Code Update. There is a proposal to merge the L-3 and L-4 zoning, to still be referred to as L-3, but that will allow for heights of 40 feet. The Morgan neighborhood Plan specifies that 30 feet should be the limit. The MF Code update initially ignored the language in the Morgan Plan, but is now being redrafted to state that the merging of the zoning code should exempt the Morgan Junction neighborhood. The language being added to the code will restrict the addition of L-3 zones in several urban villages, including Morgan Junction, in accordance with their neighborhood plans.
Myrtle Street Reservoir Update – Cindi Barker
- The park is currently under construction, and progressing rapidly.
Public Comments
- The West Seattle Unitarian Church is doing some construction / structural work. A community event to thank the public for its support is being scheduled for Saturday, September 18. The first services will be held one week prior to that.
Next MOCA Meeting to be October 20, 2010, 7pm
Last Updated on Thursday, 29 July 2010 11:06
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