From Andrea Faste, Board President

Groundswell NW Events

Thu, 01/28: 9th Avenue NW Park Development Project

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites you to participate in the design of the Ninth Ave. NW Park. This new park in Ballard was purchased with funding from the 2000 Pro Parks Levy and now is being developed with $800,000 from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy.

The third and final public meeting for the park development at Ninth Avenue NW is coming up soon, so please save the date. At this third community meeting, we look forward to presenting the preferred concept design, which was created from input gathered at the first two community meetings. Plan to come and help refine the design and share your enthusiasm for this exciting new park! Construction will be completed by spring 2011.

If you require additional information or special meeting accommodations, please contact Kellee Jones at 800 Maynard Avenue S, 3rd Floor, Seattle, WA 98134 or 206.684.7052 or kellee.jones@seattle.gov.

Thu, 02/18: east ballard community association Februrary Night Out

The ebca has been busy these past few months on 2 very big projects, both involving 14th Ave NW.

The first project is Planting Partnerships on 14th Ave NW which is bringing our community together to plant and take care of new planters that will be installed at the median ends along 14th Ave NW north of Market St in April. We will be reporting on the latest status and announcing volunteer opportunities for you to cash in your pledges toward the Dept of Neighborhoods Grant that his helping us fund this project.

The second project is to pursue Seattle Parks and Green Spaces Levy funds to transform 2 blocks of 14th Ave NW between NW 59th and NW 61st into an urban park boulevard as a first phase implementation of the 14th Ave NW Visioning Project Plan. This is a unique opportunity to create community open space in the east ballard neighborhood and this meeting is an opportunity for you to provide input and influence design! This is an opportunity you won't want to miss!

Find our more at http://www.eastballard.wordpress.com

Mon, 02/22: Troll's Knoll Community Meeting

To inform the community on the Parks levy Opportunity Fund application process and finalize the site development plan.  Please come and share your vision. Click here to see the flyer.

Tue, 02/23: Sunset Substation Public Meeting

PLEASE NOTE the CHANGE IN DATE! Community Meeting #2 to introduce our design consultants, headed by CAST architecture, and establish a vision statement for the project, flesh out ideas generated at our December kick-off meeting and develop concepts for community use of the surplus substation at 3209 NW 65th St. To date, the leading concept is a multi-use space with a solar array over a neighborhood gathering space, but other ideas and input are welcome. Read the latest news from the Sunset Substation website.

Other Events

Tue, 01/05: Park Levy Opportunity Fund workshop

What park project would you initiate if awarded up to $1.5 million?  

Seattle Parks and Recreation is accepting Proposal Letters for the Opportunity Fund until February 1, 2010.  This is a great opportunity to get involved in improving your Seattle parks. The first round of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund ($7 million) is open for community-initiated development projects and land acquisition opportunities. This technical workshops will assist the community in preparing their proposals. 

The nomination process begins with the submittal of a Proposal Letter, which is available now. Proposal Letters and Opportunity Fund Criteria are available online at http://seattle.gov/parks/levy/opportunity.htm.  The forms are also available at Parks Community Centers, Department of Neighborhoods Service Centers and Seattle Public Library branches.  

Sat, 01/09: 6th Annual Blood Drive

Start your year off right and support your local blood drive. Drop-ins welcome, but appointments are highly appreciated.

Tue, 01/12: Park Levy Opportunity Fund workshop

What park project would you initiate if awarded up to $1.5 million?  

Seattle Parks and Recreation is accepting Proposal Letters for the Opportunity Fund until February 1, 2010.  This is a great opportunity to get involved in improving your Seattle parks. The first round of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund ($7 million) is open for community-initiated development projects and land acquisition opportunities. This technical workshops will assist the community in preparing their proposals. 

The nomination process begins with the submittal of a Proposal Letter, which is available now. Proposal Letters and Opportunity Fund Criteria are available online at http://seattle.gov/parks/levy/opportunity.htm.  The forms are also available at Parks Community Centers, Department of Neighborhoods Service Centers and Seattle Public Library branches.

Wed, 01/13: Sandel Park Play Area Renovation Community Meeting

Please join us, learn about the project and help shape the future of this park.

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites you and your family to participate in a community meeting for the Sandel Park Play Area renovation. Identified in the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, this renovation project will expand the play area and provide new play equipment for children ages 2-12, site improvements to enhance safety and access improvements for all users. Different designs and equipment types will be discussed at the meeting to provide your community the best options.

Sandel Park is located in the Greenwood neighborhood at 9053 1st Ave. NW. Parks encourages you to come and give your thoughts on which play equipment and design features work best for your neighborhood.

Thu, 01/14: BOUNCE FEST!

Mon, 02/01: Sustainable Ballard Annual Gathering

Our first Gathering of 2010, (our Annual Gathering) will be held on:

February 1st, 2010, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm, Sunset Hill Community Club, 3003 NW 66th St.

For Sustainable Ballard, the first Monthly Gathering of each year is our Annual Gathering - when we celebrate last year's green accomplishments and look ahead to the coming year. This is also the time when our guild leaders and officers make or renew their commitment for the coming year. If you've been thinking that you want to get to know us better (maybe even made a resolution to do it this year), this is a great opportunity. We hope you will come be a part of this growing circle of somebodys doing something sustainable together!

In the first half of the evening, we'll look at 2009 and celebrate our sustainable success stories. Did you install a low-flush toilet? Yay!! Did you dig out a patch of grass and plant some vegetables? Double yay!! Did you finally map out a bike route to work and dust off the old 10 speed? Triple yay!! Also - what stands out for you from Sustainable Ballard's work in the past year?

In the second half we'll be looking ahead, meeting in guilds focused around different themes - home energy, food, transportation, and community. How can Sustainable Ballard make our neighborhood a better place this year? What would we like to accomplish in 2010? And what would you like to learn or share or contribute? Please join us!

Jenny Heins, Sustainable Ballard President

Tue, 02/02: Meeting on Future Uses of Memorial Stadium

Seattle Center and Seattle Public Schools will host a joint public meeting on the proposed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on future shared use of the Memorial Stadium site and Seattle Public Schools surface parking lot at 5th Avenue and Harrison Street.

The meeting will be held in the Fidalgo Room, Northwest Rooms, located at the northwest corner of Seattle Center campus (south of Republican St), Tuesday, February 2, at 6:30 p.m.

Under the MOA, the Memorial Stadium site will become public space, housing an athletic facility and multipurpose event venue, with an underground transportation hub below. The Memorial Wall will be restored and moved to a more prominent place on the site.

The City will have until the end of 2015 to exercise its option to proceed with the purchase and lease of the site. At closing the City will transfer one-half of the Mercer Garage to Seattle Public Schools as a partial payment of the purchase price. The City will then lease the new stadium property for 60 years, with an additional 39-year option. Seattle Public Schools will continue to hold athletic events and graduation ceremonies in the new stadium, and will receive substantial annual rental payments. The Agreement also allows Seattle Center to demolish the upper part of the south stadium stands at City's cost for 50th Anniversary of Seattle World's Fair.

The Agreement requires City Council and School Board approval, and will be considered by the two bodies most likely in the first quarter of 2010.

Please join Seattle Center and Seattle Public Schools to learn more about the project and share your thoughts on the proposed redevelopment. For more information, visit www.seattleschools.org/area/m_news/index.dxml or contact Deborah Daoust, Seattle Center, 206 386-1974 or Patti Spencer, Seattle Public Schools, 206 252-0204.

Wed, 02/03: Parks Resources Conference

"Honor the Past - Protect the Future"

"Honor the Past" with Roger Fernandes. Pay honor to the First Peoples who have lived for thousands of years on much of the land we now call parks.

"Protect the Future" with Rita Schenck. Envision how our daily actions, as citizens and employees, will affect the landscape for centuries to come.

We are excited for you to attend the Seattle Parks and Recreation Parks Resources Conference 2010. This day of training occurs every other year and used to be called the Learning Fair.

All Seattle Parks and Recreation district grounds staff, community center staff, custodial staff, and the city wide horticultural staff attend. Grounds crews from other local municipalities are also invited.

Sat, 02/20: A Chemical Reaction - Movie Screening

We are the Coalition of Organic Landscapers (COOL), a professional organization dedicated to promoting organic landscaping.

COOL has been able to arrange a special, local showing of the Chemical Reaction Movie. The movie will be showing on the February, 20, 2010 from 2-6 PM and will include a discussion with film producer and activist Paul Tukey. It will be presented at the Lake Washington Technical College's Auditorium. Tickets are $10.00 and the proceeds will benefit SafeLawns.org. More information on Paul Tukey and the film here: http://www.paultukey.com/. View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTcvO-o8NTA.