NewsSupport the Parks and Green Spaces LevyDave Boyd, Groundswell NW President I recently completed two months of intense work on a proposal to renew a parks levy on this fall's ballot. As just one member of a 28 person committee, I worked to make this a measure to continue to build on our green legacy. There were many compromises, as there should be, and the measure may not be everything I would have wanted, but it is a strong package that continues to fund many critical projects throughout the City. See Events below for opportunities to comment on the proposal at City Council. Click here to see the full article.
Ballard Corners Moving Closer to ConstructionThe bids are in and we hope construction will start soon. See the details at the Ballard Corners website.
Don’t let urban fruit go to waste!The Community Fruit Tree Harvest needs your help with picking fruit grown in your neighborhood and delivering it people who lack access to fresh organic produce. Join a picking crew or form your own. Volunteer orientations will be held throughout July and August. Contact Gail Savina at gails@solid-ground.org .
Cedar River July Watershed Projects Connect with the upper reaches of our Seattle watershed with one of these Cedar River restoration projects. Sign up for one, two or all three July restoration projects with Friends of the Cedar River Watershed. Click for all of the information.
EventsCrown Hill Pedestrian Plan Design Charrette # 2 Saturday July 12, :30am - 12:00pm (followed by a community lunch)
Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, 204 11th Ave NW For more information: walkablecrownhill.org
New Park on 9th Ave Work Party Come to the first official work party for the new park on 9th Avenue. Saturday, July 19, 9:00am to noon. Location: 9th Avenue NW between 70th NW & 73rd NW Contact: Andrea Faste (andrea@sustainableballard.org)
Parks Levy City Council MeetingThe Council will next meet as a Committee of the Whole on Monday, July 7 at 2:30 p.m. (or after the Full Council meeting) in the Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall, to review and discuss the report and possible placement of a levy on the November 2008 ballot. Location: Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall Contact: Seattle City Council
Composting EducationMonday, July 7 from 5:30 - 7:30pm at the Seattle Tilth Demonstration Gardens. All are welcome to a free educational event "All About Composting", taught by Master Composter JJ Jacoby. Bring questions, know-how, concerns and any good jokes. We'll be talking about how to compost as well as building one from scratch. We'll see the process and feel the finished product. No need to register, just come to the Seattle Tilth Demo Garden at 4649 Sunnyside Ave N on Monday, July 7th. See you then! Location: Seattle Tilth Demonstration Garden, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N Contact: Rhonda email: rhondavous101@hotmail.com or 206.783.7079
Ballard District Council MeetingWednesday, July 9, 2008, 7:00 - 8:30 PM Ballard Library - 5614 22nd NW (Free parking below building - accessed from NW 56th) Chairperson: Steve Cohn AGENDA Short Announcements by Member Organization Representatives - Please hold announcements to not more than one minute. A Chat with City Council President Richard Conlin Prioritize Ballard Projects to be Funded from 2009 City NSF/CRF Program, Jim Anderson - Earlier this year, Seattle community organizations were invited to submit proposals for improvements to the city’s parks and public rights of way in the neighborhoods. In March, each of the 13 district councils selected five projects in their district which were then evaluated for cost and feasibility by city agencies. District Councils must now prioritize suggested projects to best utilize the approximately $95K available to each district from the 2009 city budget. Copies of the Ballard DC Review Committee’s recommendations will be distributed to council members on Monday, July 7. Discussion and Vote City Plan to Establish Two Way Traffic on Mercer Corridor, Mary Hurley
Updates • Neighborhood Plan Update Committee, Catherine Weatbrook • City Neighborhood Council, Robert Drucker Ice Cream!! Ballard’s own Viking Bank will again provide ice cream for everyone as they have at July Council meetings since 2004.
Ballard Community Center "Community Dig"Come to Ballard Community Center, 6100 28th Ave NW, on July 10 from 6-8pm to help change our 4-H garden space into an accessible garden space. We need some help digging excess dirt out of the pathways. If interested, contact Elaine Dunn at the Ballard Community Center, (206) 684-4093 or elaine.dunn@seattle.gov.
Bergen Place Park Work PartySaturday, July 12, 9:00am to noon. Come join the Friends of Bergen Place Park clean up the park - weeding and mulching. Sponsored by Friends of Bergen Place Park, NW Seattle Parks Resources. Location: Bergen Place Park NW Market at 22nd Ave. NW Contact: Victoria Sangrey at v.sangrey@comcast.net Mobile: 206-335-8391
Climate Action Lab: Transportation ShiftSaturday, July 12, 9:30 - 2:00. If we hope to stem the tide of climate change, those of us living in the great northwest need to rethink transportation. Sustainable South Seattle is hosting the first Climate Action Lab. Come to this hands-on event where you and your neighbors work with transportation experts for a climate-friendly transportation future. Build support for planned transportation improvements underway in your neighborhood. Imagine and plan for an economical and environmentally-friendly transportation future. Learn about key climate actions regionally and nationally. Learn when, where, why and how to make sure your voice gets heard by elected officials and policy makers.
Please plan to attend, and please spread the word. Feel free to distribute or post the attached flyer. More info and RSVP here: Location: New Freeway Hall in Columbia City, 5018 Rainier Ave S Contact: More info and RSVP here: http://www.climatedialogues.org/labs
Magnolia Green Garden TourSaturday, July 12, 10:00am to 4:00pm. Click here for more information. $15.00 per person, $10.00 for children 10 and older, free for children 10 and under Come tour six unique organic gardens in Magnolia that feature sustainable building materials and interesting organic gardening projects. This is a family-oriented garden tour with demonstrations by the homeowners. Local landscape designer Jennifer Carlson is the committee chair for this Garden tour. Her goal is to showcase the many approaches that homeowners can take in accomplishing organic gardening, low-maintenance plantings and water conservation. Her garden, which will be on the tour was recently showcased in the Sunday Seattle Times “Footprint” article by Valerie Easton. ”You will have opportunities to ask plenty of questions and see how gardeners have re-purposed gymnasium bleachers, a lap pool, harvested roof water and have created diverse wildlife habitat gardens.” Location: See link above for ticket locations, or start at 3002 34th Ave NW Contact: Jennifer Carlson, 206-283-9102
Keep Carkeek Park Healthy and HappyJoin EarthCorps and Seattle Parks and Recreation/Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) as they work to keep Carkeek Park healthy and happy! Click here for details. For more information, contact: Chris LaPointe, Volunteer Program Manager, (206) 322-9296, ext. 217 http://www.earthcorps.org/email/redirect_mailto.php?u=chris&d=earthcorps.org&from=/volunteer.php?dateId=479
Creating a Green Economy Creating an environmentally sustainable economy will present many challenges to our community and nation in the coming years, but it will also lead to many new opportunities in manufacturing, construction, research and other fields. The Metropolitan King County Council will hold a special Town Hall Meeting 6:30-8:30pm on Monday, July 14 to discuss creating a sustainable, green economy and stimulating job growth in the new “green-collar” jobs sector.
Carkeek Park “STARS” Work Party Saturday, July 19, 9:00am to 12:30pm. Help us in our efforts to keep the invasive plants at bay, create safe, user-friendly trails, replenish our native forests, and protect our streams from erosion & runoff. Sponsored by Carkeek Park Advisory Council & Trails Committee. Location: Carkeek Park Contact: Carkeek Park general information number 206 684 0877
Sustainable Ballard Food, Health and Medicine Guild MeetingMonday, July 21, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. At this meeting we will be discussing/planning some of our upcoming projects including our booth at Seafood Fest, the Eat Local Challenge in August/September, the Festival in September, and whatever else comes to the table. Join us with your ideas and energy to plug into one of these projects!! Location: TBD Contact: jennifer(at)sustainableballard.org
34th Annual Ballard SeafoodFestSunday, July 27, 11:00am to 7:00pm. While Ballard continues to change, some things just stay the same. SeafoodFest is one of those things! Every year we close down the streets and roll out the fun. With entertainment for all ages, beer and wine gardens, a plethora of seafood vendors, arts and crafts and our unique contests, it’s a great, old fashioned summer party. The Chamber's Sustainability Committee is working with Sustainable Ballard on greening the Seafoodfest and holding some very cool sustainability activities. If you would like to volunteer to help us with the sustainability efforts, contact info@sustainableballard.org. Sustainable Ballard will be at Seafoodfest - look for us across the street from the Library, in front of Bartells! On Sunday, our Undriver Licensing Station will be set up - now solar-powered! Come make a pledge to reduce your car use or the car use of the planet, and get licensed (you'll also get 10 free bus tickets, courtesy of King County METRO). (Licensing station volunteers most welcome - contact julia@sustainableballard.org.) Join us for fun & festivities in the neighborhood! Location: Downtown Ballard Contact: Ballard Chamber of Commerce, http://www.seafoodfest.org/
Sierra Club’s Cool State Forum: Cool Companies—Real actionsMonday, July 28, 7:00pm to 8:30pm. If we all take steps together, we can confront the challenge of global warming. Find out what role you can play by attending the monthly Cool State Forums—attend one or all seven. (See below for upcoming scheduled forums.) Possible statewide and regional solutions will be discussed, including “cap & trade,” tolling, solutions in schools and businesses, and a new green economy that provides good, green jobs. Location: REI - Seattle Contact: RSVP to the Sierra Club: 206.378.0114 x308 or Jessica.eagle(at)sierraclub.org
For more information about Groundswell NW and these opportunities, please contact Dave Boyd, dave.boyd1@comcast.net or 498-6636; or Andrea Faste, amfaste@comcast.net or 783-6963. Please explore our web site: www.groundswellnw.org. Groundswell NW sends email announcements deemed of interest to its members and supporters. If you have an announcement you would like posted next month, please respond to this email. We do not share our member lists with other groups. If you want to stop receiving these announcements, please let us know.
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