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Welcome to Groundswell NW |
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For more than two decades, Groundswell NW has accomplished major goals for community parks and habitat. Yes, Groundswell NW is about PROJECTS, lots of individual projects (neighborhood parks, tot lots, playfields, pocket parks, p-patches, streetscapes, traffic circles, greenbelts, salmon habitat and a lot more) that improve our quality of life. Projects don't just happen. These improvements to the places where we live, work and play come from PEOPLE in the community. People step forward with ideas and get together with neighbors and coworkers. They ask for help and resources from government and business. People work together to get projects done.
Good things happen when people PARTICIPATE in their communities. Whether you are just starting or have been involved in community activities a long time, there is a place for you in Groundswell NW. |
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Grants to Benefit Puget Sound Available |
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Grants of $1000 to $4000 for projects addressing environmental issues related to the Puget Sound Basin are available through the King County EcoNet Mini-Grant Application. Applications are due March 19. Money must be expended by June 30, 2010. |
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Sunset Substation Study Underway |
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Groundswell NW has joined forces with the Sunset Hill Community Association on a Neighborhood Matching Fund project to study potential public uses for the Sunset Substation, 3209 NW 65th Street. The project will gather community input on how the site could be used and hire a team of experts to analyze potential uses, including the prospect of a solar array mounted over a neighborhood gathering space.
A kick-off meeting was held on December 19, with over 50 neighbors attending to learn about the project, see examples of other pocket parks and solar installations and give their ideas on possible uses of the site. After hiring Cast architecture to lead a team to help develop plans, a second meeting on Feb. 23 engaged nearly 30 neighbors in exercises to develop a vision statement and site layouts, as reported in the Ballard News Tribune. A third Community Workshop will be held 6:30-9pm, March 24 at the Sunset Hill Community Association, 3003 NW 66th St. Read the latest news from the Sunset Substation website.
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Ballard Corners Dedication and Groundswell 20th Anniversary Celebration |
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A large crowd gathered at Ballard Corners Park on October 10 to celebrate its (near) completion and Groundswell's 20 years of reating community parks and habitat. Kudos to Friends of Ballard Corners Park co-chairs David Folweiler and Rebecca Carr, the entire steering committee, and all the neighbors who have worked so hard to create this magical new park. See details and photos at the Ballard Corners website.
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FUNGI to Clean Stormwater? |
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Belltown Transforming Streetscapes into Green Space
In an effort to support long-term downtown livability, Belltown community and the City of Seattle have proposed a "green street" project to convert 5 blocks of Bell Street from traffic lanes to landscaped open space with pedestrian amenities.
On July 16, Seattle Great City Initiative invited teams to transform parking spaces on Bell Street to interesting, engaging places that align with the community's vision for green space. Groundswell NW participated by sharing an innovative park treatment that supports sustainable stormwater management with landscaped elements that unite concepts of ecological function, education, and art. The ecological function of the rain garden is augmented with permeable surfaces and trench drains that convey water into the garden. Once intercepted in the garden, the water interacts with plants and soil while soaking into mushroom mycelium mats that are embedded underneath the rain garden. The Bell Street project is an example of how the new Parks Levy funds could be used for projects like our 14th Ave NW Vision, and some of the techniques could also be employed in the Ballard Green Streets project.
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Hazel Heights P-Patch Campaign |
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Groundswell NW thanks all who accepted our challenge to match up to $5,000 for contributions made through Groundswell to the new Hazel Heights P-Patch at NW 42nd St and Baker Ave NW. As of the end of 2009, over $5,000 had been received. The combined donation was matched by Seattle's P-Patch Trust, so the compaign generated over $20,000 for this unique new P-Patch.
While our match challenge has ended, the Friends of Hazel Heights are still collecting donations to complete the poject, and Groundswell would be happy to pass yours on. Thanks!
While Fremont is ranked as the ninth most densely populated neighborhood in Seattle, there is currently no community garden west of Fremont Avenue.
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Salmon Bay Efforts Beautify Neighborhood, Enhance Environment |
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Sculpture and Expansion Progress
Marvin Oliver, a renowned artist of Quinalt heritage, is creating a welcome figure for the Salmon Bay Natural Area (SBNA) to celebrate the transformative powers of the salmon life cycle and to remind all of us of the stories, history, and creativity inherent in local indigenous cultures.
Come to our work party, 9-noon on Saturday March 13, to help prepare for the 16' sculpture and clean up the site and adjacent segments of the Burke Gilman Trail and streets. Groundswell NW and the Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) are working with the artist's engineer to coordinate the design and installation of the sculpture base.
We also recently completed an expansion of the restoration area onto The Canal property - read more in this Ballard News Tribune article.
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Troll's Knoll on a Roll! |
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The Friends of the Troll’s Knoll would like to update you all on our progress for improving the area around the Fremont Troll and some exciting news:
- We are on facebook. Come check out the project designs, become a fan, stay updated on events
- We are applying to Seattle’s Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund (application due on April 1st). This is a very exciting opportunity and our project fits their criteria very well. We held a Community Meeting to inform the community on the levy application process and finalize the site development plan.
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Succesful Work Party, Ice Cream Social and Outdoor Movie at the New Park on 9th Ave NW! |
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Over a hundred neighbors turned out for a full day of activities June 18 at the New Park on 9th Ave NW. A morning work party was followed by an Ice Cream Social, and the day was capped off by a showing of Wall-E after dark, as reported by MyBallard.com - http://www.myballard.com/2009/07/18/big-turnout-for-movie-at-new-park/
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