April / May 2005
Content:
Public Events
Louisa Streetend Improvement Efforts Under Way
Keep it Shaking!
ECC's position on the SR520 project
Tsunami and Earthquake dangers featured at April 20th meeting
Volunteers needed for Community-Buidling
City council members Conlin and MacIver at public meeting on May 11
Have a Topic You Would Like Communicated to the TOPS-Seward Site Council?
Most Popular Place in Town
Seattle Public Schools and the 20 Million Dollar Gap
To Fight Crime, Call The Police
Condo and Dock Associations Can Pay ECC Dues for their Residents
Dish Water Can Save Parched Trees and Shrubs!
Wanted: Coordinator for the Eastlake Tour
Official Purposes of the Eastlake Community Council
Membership Information
Advertisers
PUBLIC EVENTS
Mon., April 11 -
Fairview Green Street (Newton to Roanoke streets)—committee meets 6 p.m. at 2510 Fairview Ave. E. (enter from back upper level). Info: 325-5933
Thurs., April 14 -
Fairview Green Street (Fuhrman to Hamlin Street)—committee meets 7:00 p.m. at 2728 Fairview #303. Info: 568-5451
Sat., April 16 -
Good Turn Park work party 1-3 p.m., Martin street-end at 3149 Fairview Avenue East. Info: 860-3866
Wed., April 20 -
Tsunami and earthquake preparedness, 7-9 p.m. at TOPS-Seward School. 2500 Franklin Avenue E.
Sat., April 23 -
Fairview Park work party, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (between Eastlake Ave. and Fairview Ave. at Shelby St.). Info: 325-5463
Mon., May 9 - Fairview Green Street (Newton to Roanoke streets)—committee meets 6 p.m. at 2510 Fairview Ave. E., enter from back upper level Info: 325-5933
Wed., May 11 - Dialogue with City Councilmembers Conlin and McIver, 7-9 p.m. at TOPS-Seward School, 2500 Franklin Ave. E.
Thurs., May 12 - Fairview Green Street (Fuhrman to Hamlin Street)—committee meets 7:00 p.m. at 2728 Fairview #303. Info: 568-5451.
Sat., May 21 - Good Turn Park work party 1-3 p.m., Martin street-end at 3149 Fairview Ave. E.
Sat. May 28 Fairview Park work party, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (between Eastlake Ave. and Fairview Ave. at Shelby St.) Info: 325-5463
Thurs., June 9 Fairview Green Street (Fuhrman to Hamlin Street)—committee meets 7:00 p.m. at 2728 Fairview #303.
(tentative; to confirm, call 568-5451)
Mon., June 13 Fairview Green Street (Newton to Roanoke streets)—committee meets 6 p.m. at 2510 Fairview Ave. E., enter from back upper level
Sat., June 18 Good Turn Park work party 1-3 p.m., Martin street-end at 3149 Fairview Ave. E.
Sat. June 25 - Fairview Park work party, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (between Eastlake Ave. and Fairview Ave. at Shelby St.)
Louisa Streetend Improvement Efforts Under Way
The Eastlake Community Council in collaboration with the Fairview Olmsted Parks Commission is in the process of fundraising for a small portion of public land at the end of the Louisa street on Fairview Avenue.
This is another exciting opportunity to create an access to views and the shores of Lake Union. The property had been leased from SDOT for the last few years. When plans solidified to turn the adjacent Marina into a houseboat dock the property owners rehabilitated 75% of 100' public right of way along Fairview.
Now the remaining portion of about 30 feet to the south of the catering business parking lot is in need for improvement. The image above shows ideas we discussed with adjacent property owners, the Fairview Greenstreet Committee, the ECC and the Olmsted-Fairview Park Commission. The plan is to replace asphalt with emulsified gravel, connect the walking path back onto Fairview, minimize parking impact, place boulders and a bench seating area and add some low planting.
If you want to help with fundraising efforts, the actual work or have ideas please contact:
Theo Ianuly, TheoI@aol.com; Barbara Donnette, jandbdonnette@comcast.net or Carsten Stinn teamenzo@hotmail.com.
Wes Larson’s request for action
If you have any questions, or would like to participate in the effort to get this project done, please contact me (206-320-9847; email: weslar@comcast.net). A letter expressing your support for this project to Representative Ed Murray, and your appreciation for his hard work on our behalf in mitigating I-5 impacts in our neighborhoods, would also certainly be well received. There will very likely be hearings before the house and senate transportation committees regarding this project in the upcoming session in Olympia. If you are at all interested in seeing this project come to realization, your attendance and commentary at this hearing would be most valuable. [Editor’s note: Rep. Ed Murray can be reached at murray_ed@leg.wa.gov, or by U.S. mail at P.O. Box 40600, Olympia, WA 98504-0600. For information on hearings and bills, the web site is www.leg.wa.gov, and the free legislative hotline is 1-800-562-6000.]
Keep it Shaking!
The Eastlake Shake 2005 will take place in August and last year’s organization team is on the roll again. But they need your help!
Please contact volunteer@eastlakeshake.com if you are interested in helping with the event, or stop by the Eastlake Mail & Business Center, 2226 Eastlake Avenue E. and talk to Ryan.
ECC's position on the SR520 project
ECC Board member and Land Use Chair Carsten Stinn presented the following at a March 1 public meeting. that ECC jointly sponsored with other neighborhood groups
I am a resident of Eastlake and writing this statement on behalf of the Eastlake community council, which was founded in 1971 and has been a part of debates about SR520 ever since.
When I first arrived in Seattle in 1991 to study architecture at the UW, I remember driving across the 520 bridge thinking that this must be a temporary project. Why would anybody permanently float a freeway at ground/ water level through a beautiful park and wetland at one of the wider parts of Lake Washington? I came to realize that the Arboretum and the Union Bay wetlands route was chosen deliberately. The land was free and available and the new route would displace mainly plants and animals, not people. It was chosen before environmental laws would have prevented such destruction.
This is not the right corridor for a freeway, and I hope that maybe within my life time SR520 will be removed. But the reality is that it is easier to expand a freeway than to site a new one. And this freeway is getting old and could sink unless it is repaired or replaced. The Eastlake Community Council has consistently urged that the existing four lanes be replaced, and we are troubled that this needed replacement has been delayed from years of effort to expand SR520 in ways that will worsen its environmental impacts and impose greater gridlock elsewhere.
In 1997 the City Council and the Mayor unanimously passed resolution 29574, which declared it City policy that SR520 would not be expanded beyond its existing four lanes. You don’t have to be a traffic specialist to understand the wisdom of this position. Expanding to six lanes would place additional heavy loads of traffic onto all the neighborhoods where SR520 traffic will be exiting, resulting in an unfriendly pedestrian environment there and on the UW South Campus.
An expanded SR-520 will reverberate onto I-5. I-5 has already reached capacity in peak hours, and more traffic from SR-520 has no place to go. Ugly new flyover ramps will emit more noise into our neighborhood—if indeed there are any homes, businesses, local streets or sidewalks left when I-5 has to be expanded to accommodate the new traffic demands. This region can barely afford to replace the existing four lanes not mentioning adding lanes. It will cost billions to expand SR520 further and with money being so short, let’s not have any illusions that there will be any funding to protect local neighborhood streets and pedestrian routes from additional motor vehicles entering and exiting an expanded SR520.
It is puzzling to see how in one city we witness a visionary approach to resolve the failing viaduct with a tunnel that will undoubtedly improve Seattle’s urban fabric in the long run and at the same time a narrow minded solution to the traffic problem on SR520 is being discussed. Why should we accommodate more single occupancy vehicles and trucks, instead of using the existing lanes more efficiently? And where are the concepts for rail or rubber tired guide-way transit on its own rights of way? The solution to traffic on 520 needs to be integrated into rail and bus transportation plans.
WSDOT’s recent decision to convert safety shoulders on I-90 into traffic lanes requires that we reconsider the four shoulders now proposed for both sides of the SR520 eastbound and westbound lanes. Once built, how long will it be before these shoulders are converted to become traffic lanes as well? A more certain and by far less expensive and environmentally harmful safety measure than full shoulders would be intermittent safety turnouts that could not later be converted to traffic lanes. WSDOT needs to study these safety turnouts as an alternative in the environmental impact statement.
This is the time for City of Seattle and WSDOT to cooperate and design a comprehensive solution for SR 520—one that will not be regarded as a mistake by future generations like the Viaduct. The Eastlake Community will not endorse a project that the region cannot afford, will further damage one of the most beautiful parks in the city, and will dump additional motor vehicles onto I-5 and neighborhood streets.
Tsunami and Earthquake Dangers featured at Meeting on April 20th
What’s the risk of an earthquake or tsunami in Eastlake, and what can we do about it? Nationally recognized experts will tell us at the ECC public meeting on Wed., April 20 (7 p.m. at TOPS-Seward School, 2500 Franklin Ave. E.). First we hear from Eastlake resident and NOAA scientist Frank Gonzalez, a distinguished researcher who has been studying tsunamis for many years. He will report on the recent tsunami in South Asia and what we can expect in Seattle and Lake Union. Then we will hear from LuAn Johnson, director of personal, home, and neighborhood emergency preparedness for the City of Seattle who is helping neighborhoods organize for earthquakes and other disasters. She will tell us how to prevent or reduce damage and what to do when the worst happens. Johnson can help your block or dock become a Disaster Aid and Response Team (SDART). If you can’t make it to the April 20 meeting but would still like to set up a team, contact her assistant Elizabeth Mash at 233-7123 or sdart@seattle.gov.
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ECC Needs Volunteers, Donations (and File Cabinets!)
The Eastlake Community Council builds community and enhances the neighborhood only with your help. We are all-volunteer, so cash donations go a long way (and contact us for information on bequests, stock or real estate). Right now for our archives, we need some four-drawer letter-size filing cabinets. And we need your volunteer effort in any of the following:
(1) Help plan and produce the Eastlake Shake, our annual
August festival
(2) Help organize a September tour of Eastlake homes, gardens, businesses, boats, etc.
(3) Help with the upcoming Eastlake auction and dinner
(4) Weed in parks or organize new tree-planting efforts
(5) Help clean up a street—especially Boylston, which suffers from freeway debris.
(6) Review proposed land use projects and help ECC respond
(7) Help make Lynn Street between Boylston and Eastlake
avenues safer and more beautiful
(8) Distribute the Eastlake News on your block or nearby
(9) With latex and plaster (provided), make a cast of the plaque on the southwest corner of the University Bridge; the 1919 plaque dedicated the bridge’s original name as the Eastlake Avenue Bridge.
(10) Help organize a block or dock watch for crime prevention and disaster preparedness.
Interested? Write to ECC, 117 E. Louisa Street #1, Seattle 98102, cleman@oo.net, or phone 720-4792.
City Council Members Conlin and MacIver Address Public Meeting May 11th
Two of Eastlake’s best friends on the Seattle City Council, Richard Conlin and Richard McIver, will be guests at the ECC public meeting on Wed., May 11 (7 p.m. at TOPS-Seward School). The meeting will begin with neighborhood announcements and then by 7:30 p.m. we will hear from Councilmember McIver, who chairs the City Council’s Budget and Finance committees, and is president of the Puget Sound Regional Council, and on the Sound Transit governing board. He has defended Seattle neighborhoods from damaging freeway expansion of I-5 and SR520, and is one of the most accessible of leaders, sometimes answering his own phone.
Then at 8 p.m. we will hear from Councilmember Conlin, who as Transportation Committee chair has been the City’s leading pedestrian and bicycle advocate and as a Seattle representative on the King County regional transit committee has battled to preserve our bus service. When Conlin chaired the City Council’s neighborhoods committee, he was a big help in the 1999 passage of the Eastlake Neighborhood Plan. McIver and Conlin will each present initial remarks, and then address your questions, so be there Wed., May 11 to welcome and engage them.
Have a Topic You Would Like Communicated to the TOPS-Seward Site Council?
The Options Program at Seward (TOPS), an alternative school in the Seattle Public School district, is housed in the historic Seward school, on Franklin Ave E. Linda Furney is the Eastlake Community representative on the TOPS Site Council; alternates are Michele Buetow and George Heynen. The Council meets on the third Wednesday of each month, 5-7 p.m. during the school year in the library at the school. Attendance at the meetings is open to all: the next ones are April 20 and May 18. If you have any thoughts on issues that affect Eastlake and the school (e.g. traffic, parking, park impacts, etc.) that you would like her to convey to the Site Council, please contact Linda at 206-769-8278 or lfurney@hotmail.com.
Your donations to the benefit fund for last August’s assault victim exceeded $700. Her February 28 note to “Eastlake Friends and Neighbors” says “I can’t thank you enough for all your kind words of support and donations on my behalf…thank you also to the Eastlake Community Council for your time and effort in organizing the contributions and putting together the resources to establish a safer neighborhood. … I am fortunate to be part of such a caring and proactive community. Thank you all! Your grateful Eastlake neighbor.” In turn, we want to thank the many who contributed, and especially Lake Union Mail (117 E. Louisa St., 329-1468) owner Jules James for managing the benefit fund.
Jules James brought us the interesting news that Pearl Wanamaker, one of the nation’s first woman public school superintendents, not only attended Seward School, but was an Eastlake resident, having grown up in the Victorian house at 2310 Yale Avenue East. We’re hoping that someone will research an article about Wanamaker for a future Eastlake News.
The February/March issue of the Eastlake News was a true family affair. G & H Printing (2370 Eastlake Ave. E., 329-9888) owner Kevin Upton’s two children helped collate our 4000+ copies. Two newsletter volunteers (Robbie and Kathi) juggled their distribution routes with the responsibilities of attending to ill parents, and Michelle (we hope her doctor doesn’t see this) was out walking her route only six days (!) after giving birth to her second child. New volunteers are always welcome, as we would like to have enough substitutes to more freely urge these overly earnest souls to take the month off—as we did for another volunteer who had just lost her mother (you are in our thoughts, Diane). (And we’re looking for someone who could follow up on the individual newsletter routes to refill the stacks at about 25 daytime retail locations where they tend to get depleted after a few weeks.) 
Condolences to Darold Andersen (owner of Mort’s Cabin, (3202 Harvard Ave. E., 323-6678, www.mortscabin.com) upon the passing of his mother Edith at the age of 89. Darold wrote a tribute as moving as any we’ve seen. Some excerpts: “As I’m standing here, freezing under this graveside tent, I’m thinking, let’s get this over already. Mom, I also know you dread this moment. No, it’s not the fact that you just died…. It’s wanting everyone to be warm and comfortable and you hating all this attention. Now, with that said, ‘Darold, where’s your sweater? … Oh, how you hated being the center of attention. … Mom, I feel your glance as I taste the first bite of a freshly baked cherry pie, you savoring my silent but joyful reaction to its rich flaky crust and delicious taste. Oh, how I loved your pies! You made sure everyone got their favorite pie….Pumpkin with real whipped cream (no Cool Whip here) for Phyllis, lemon for Marlene, apple for Dick and Todd, sugar-free coconut for Donald and Brandt, and cherry for me. After this initial first slice of pie you so kindly tolerated or fell for the line, ‘Only another sliver”—a second, third, and fourth time until the shout of “Who ate all the pie” came from some “cry baby sibling.”
Welcome to Burrito Express (2701 Eastlake Ave. E.), which serves healthy (“lard-free”), Veracruz-style Mexican food. Owner Roberto Abergel is proud of enthusiastic reviews in the Seattle Times and Stranger earned by his first location (at 12338 15th Ave. NE). … And welcome also to Tony Ventrella, who has the 6-9 p.m. weeknight KIRO-AM Newsradio 710 (1820 Eastlake Ave. E.). Ventrella was the on-air sports director at KOMO, KING, and KIRO TV and news co-anchor at KCPQ; he is also author of Smile in the Mirror, and is a popular motivational speaker. -
Seattle Caviar Company (323-3005, www.caviar.com) has purchased a storefront at 2922 Eastlake. … A sweet tooth never changes. Michael Mooney, co-owner of Louisa’s Bakery and Café (2379 Eastlake Ave., 325-0081), recently was visited by a friend he had not seen in forty years. Offered a complimentary choice of anything and everything on the extensive menu, the friend predictably went for one of Louisa’s big brownies. … Cards, Gifts, Etc. (2366 Eastlake Ave. E., 329-9202) has a frequent purchaser program—buy nine cards and get one free. … Daly’s Drive-in (2713 Eastlake Ave. E., 322-1918. Hours: 10-8 M-F, 11-8 Sat/Sun) got an enthusiastic review from the Seattle P-I’s food critic: “The Eastlake burger deserves its local reputation for juicy hamburgers, crisp sweet onion rings and milkshakes so thick that a straw seems pointless.” The grilled halibut sandwich, salmon burger, and teriyaki chicken sandwich also earned high praise.
Grand Central Bakery and Café (a fixture in Pioneer Square) has chosen Eastlake for its second Seattle location (1616 Eastlake Avenue, 768-0320, www.grandcentralbakery.com). Owned by local resident Gwen Bassetti, Grand Central originated artisan baking in Seattle in 1972. In addition to artisan breads and pastries, the café offers made-to-order sandwiches and handmade soups, salads, and desserts. Catering, with the option of delivery, is also available. … Sonya Komen has joined Bridge Blond Salon (2373 Eastlake, 669-1823). She offers salon services for men, women, and children. … Dr. Katherine Ellison has opened Always Chiropractic and Wellness (www.AlwaysChiropractic.com, 325-9297) at 2324 Eastlake Avenue. … Congratulations to Jeremy Barrie, who has bought Scott Sherman Auto Care (2717 Eastlake Ave. E., 322-0886) from his father Bob. The business has a special place in this bicyclist’s heart because of the low bicycle tires they’ve filled up free over the years. Thanks also to Jeremy for his fine job as advertising coordinator for the Eastlake News; he has turned this volunteer task over in fine shape to Usch Engelmann.
The “Green Building” series sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities (6-7:30 p.m. at the downtown Seattle Public Library) includes the following free lectures: April 12—”Plants that thrive on benign neglect”; April 20—”Finding and incorporating used architectural elements”; May 2—”Green and healthy for kids”; and May 10—”Pushing the envelope on green home design.” For information: karen.reed@seattle.gov or 684-4552. … Angela Korvas organizes a weekly Wednesday walk that starts at Starbucks (2344 Eastlake Ave. E., 324-5144) at noon. Korvas is a loan officer at Homestone Mortgage (2345 Eastlake Ave. #201, Seattle 98102, 274-2899, www.angelakorvas.com).
If you doubt that anything as humorous and seemingly anarchic as the Duck Dodge all-comers sailboat race requires organization, you’re way wrong. Founded in 1974, Lake Union’s most colorful event risked being shut down by police until volunteers instituted some minimal organization in the 1980s. The Duck Dodge is run by a committee, one of whose twelve rules forbids bribing them “while anybody is looking.” Rule 8 is “There is no Rule 8,” and six of the rules are a repetition of “No hitting each other (with or without boats).” The race is held every Tuesday during the sunniest four months of the year, and includes categories for fast, half-fast (yes, a pun), cruiser, and dinghy. Themes—with costume and attitude to match—include Pirate Night, Dead Celebrity Night, Pajama Night, Prom Night, and Toga Night. Each Duck Dodge ends with the boats tied up together in a party raft that once reached 72 boats. For those without a sailboat, the web site (www.duckdodge.org) can link you up to boats that need crew or are willing to take someone without sailing experience.
The little electric ferry boats (there are now seven, each with a capacity of ten passengers) that have been crisscrossing Lake Union since May 2004 are operated by the Electric Boat Company. For a ticket or to charter a boat: 223-7476, lyssa@theelectricboatco.com. … Local pianist Ellen Henderson reports that Friends of Uganda Seattle’s mercy trip to Uganda was a tremendous success. Also, Ellen is collecting children’s books for pre-school through grade 8, to send a monthly package to Kampala, Uganda’s Eden Literacy School, for AIDS orphans and children from depressed economic conditions. Ellen adds, “Postage of about $1.50 a pound would be greatly appreciated.” To donate, or get involved in a future trip of health care professionals: ellenmfh@msn.com, 324-2981.
A salute to the residents of L’Amourita cooperative (2901-15 Franklin Ave. E.) for nominating their building for Seattle landmark status. Letters in support of the nomination may be sent to the Landmarks Preservation Board, 700 Third Avenue, 4th Floor, Seattle, WA 98104. To be notified of the next public hearing, contact Elizabeth Chave at 684-0380. A Guide to Architecture in Washington State describes the early 20th century building’s style as “exuberant Mission Revival.” … Eastlake Bar and Grill (2947 Eastlake Ave., www.eastlakebarandgrill.com, 957-7777) has expanded its hours and is now serving breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. … Hines Public Market Coffee (2243 Eastlake Ave., 329-4214) has more than doubled its size, with lots of tables and a crumpled charm that recalls Still Life and the Green Cat, two cafes now dearly departed from Fremont and Capitol Hill, respectively. ... The Eastlake Zoo Tavern (2301 Eastlake Ave., 329-3277) now has an automated teller machine (ATM), but hasn’t lost a bit of its history and atmosphere.
Mention in this column does not imply endorsement by the ECC, writer, or editor. Send your news to Chris Leman (cleman@oo.net) or
c/o ECC, 117 E. Louisa St. #1, Seattle 98102.
Seattle Public Schools and the 20 Million Dollar Gap
How is Seattle Public Schools going to close the estimated $20 million gap in its annual budget? By consolidating schools and changing its assignment and transportation policies. See the Seattle Public Schools web site “Shaping the Future of Seattle Public Schools” at http://www.seattleschools.org.
School Consolidation. The difficult choice of closing some schools beginning in the fall of 2006 is being seriously considered. The School Board has developed a set of criteria for use in potential consolidation. Take a look at the criteria on the ‘future’ web site, and consider how they apply to the schools you know: Seward, Montlake, Lowell, Stevens, Martin Luther King. What do you think should happen to them? Please tell the school board about it – they want to know.
Assignment and Transportation Policies will be changed. The district presented possible assignment and transportation plans based on the following core values established by the School Board: access to quality schools, predictability, keeping families together, assignments close to home, equity, and access to a variety of programs. The plans are described on the ‘future’ web site. What will these values look like when they are implemented in policy? What impact will the policies actually have on the children of Eastlake?
Just for the coming year, the School Board voted to apply a distance tiebreaker to 20 percent of kindergarten seats at the TOPS-Seward school for families who requested it as their number one choice. (Eastlake News Nov/Dec 04) At best this means that next school year, two or three neighborhood children may be able to attend the school - rather than be assigned to a school they would be bused to. So for the first time in years, but for only one year, a few children in Eastlake will have a meaningful reference school (that is, a nearby school where they are almost guaranteed admission). But unless the School Board takes further action, things will revert to the unacceptable previous situation. Continued neighborhood involvement is absolutely crucial now to assure a long term solution. However the School Board works out these difficult decisions, the net effect of the new policies cannot be to go back to the situation where our children - because of the unique circumstances of their location, the location and capacity of nearby schools, and school assignment policy - are denied the same choices that every other child gets.
Are you concerned? What can you do? The School Board is seeking input - please provide it, they are listening. Write a letter, call, email, and meet with the Board members in person. Here are the School Board members’ e-mail addresses:
sally.soriano@seattleschools.org; darlene.flynn@seattleschools.org; brita.butler-wall@seattleschools.org;
dick.lilly@seattleschools.org;mary.bass@seattleschools.org; irene.stewart@seattleschools.org; jan.kumasaka@seattleschools.org.
For their phone numbers and U.S. mail addresses, see
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/contact.xm. And please attend and speak to the School Board at public meetings:
April 5 Community Forum on Budget Options, Olympic View Elemen tary Cafeteria, 504 NE 95th St. 6:30PM
April 6 Seattle School Board Meeting, District Offices, 2245 3rd Ave, 6:00 PM
April 19 District III Community Meeting (Butler-Wall), Eckstein Middle School Library, 3003 NE 75th St., 6:30-8:30 PM.
Brita-Butler Wall, who is Eastlake’s representative on the School Board, has sent out the letter below, and is seeking input on these issues. Please take a moment to think about how important this is, and provide your input.
“Dear Constituent,
As your representative, I’d like to invite you to give us a sense of your priorities for what we spend money on and how we could raise revenues. We have scheduled a series of series of community forums on school funding and the 2006-2007 budget gap at several locations. I hope you can join me at the forum at Olympic View on April 5 from 6-9 PM. For details on other dates, locations, and times, go to: http://www.seattleschools.org.
In conjunction with these meetings, staff have developed a great new interactive budget modeling tool. The model lets you tell us exactly how you would choose to meet the upcoming budget gap. We would appreciate if you would take a few moments to check it out and share your recommendations with us by April 30. To try out the model, go to http://www.seattleschools.org/area/finance/budgetmodel/scenario_building_instructions.htm. People without internet access should be able to participate through their local public libraries, free of charge.
Thank you for your support of Seattle Public Schools.
Best,
Brita
Brita Butler-Wall, Ph.D.
President, Seattle School Board”
Community Meetings
6:30-8:30 PM, 3rd Tuesdays of each month
Eckstein Middle School Library
(3003 NE 75th St.)
Office Hours (when school is in session)
8-10 AM Mondays, HoneyBear Bakery (20th NE & NE 65th )
11:30-1:30 Thursdays, Stanford Center (3rd S. & S. Lander)
Monthly Email Newsletters
To subscribe, email
brita.butler-wall@seattleschools.org
To Fight Crime, Call The Police
The Seattle Police Department speakers at ECC’s March 9 public meeting on crime prevention emphasized how important it is to phone them about any crime you see or suspect. The phone numbers are below (and include advice on setting up a block watch, so you and your neighbors can watch out for each other and help the police fight crime). In failing to call about a suspicious situation, you make it likely that a lawbreaker will strike again here, and you reduce Eastlake’s police coverage. Police patrols go more where the phone calls are coming from.
And here’s still another reason to call in the police. In her 25 years in the neighborhood, Pat Zito has had her car stolen and recovered three times. But the third time, just last month, was made worse by a neighbor’s failure to call the police. Getting her car back cost Zito $405 in impoundment fees because the person who found her car (in a private driveway only half a block away) failed to call the police, and instead allowed it to sit there for a couple of days—and then called a private towing company. If the police had been called, they would have immediately called Zito (who had reported the theft immediately), and she could have walked down the street and driven the car home. Instead, it was the towing company who had to notify the police, allowing them to charge Zito the $405 to get her car back. And the delay in reporting a strange car in the driveway made it more difficult for the police to track down the thief.
Do you have a true crime (or misdemeanor) story about the neighborhood, or would you volunteer in ECC’s crime prevention efforts? Please write to Crimefighters, c/o ECC, 117 E. Louisa St. #1, Seattle 98102, or e-mail to colleen@colleenjanemcgrath.com.
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Officer Jackson Lone, 1966-2005
As a Lake Union shoreline community, Eastlake felt very keenly the loss of Harbor Patrol officer Jackson Lone, who drowned in the Ship Canal March 16 while on duty. Lone, 39, had protected our neighborhood both with the Harbor Patrol, and earlier with the East Precinct and as a narcotics officer. In 2001, Eastlakers were upset that an I-5 commuter impatient with the delay had encouraged a suicidal woman to jump 160 feet from the I-5 bridge into the Ship Canal, but we were inspired that officer Lone jumped in from the patrol boat to rescue her. Lone’s widow has received a condolence letter from the woman whose life he saved that day.
Just as was being a policeman, so too was boating central to Jack Lone’s identity. Planning for his retirement, Lone and his wife had purchased a home on Orcas Island, and lived part of the week on a fully restored wooden 1957 power cruiser moored in Westlake. The day of his memorial service, a flotilla of 25 law enforcement boats from seven Washington cities and counties, four federal and state agencies, and the cities of Victoria and Vancouver, B.C., as well as the Chief Seattle fireboat, filed solemnly by the Harbor Patrol dock near Gas Works Park, and more than a thousand officers and friends remembered him at UW’s Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Eastlake’s warmest wishes go to Lone’s family and the closed-knit Harbor Patrol unit. Thanks, Jack, for keeping us safe these many years.
Condo and Dock Associations Can Pay ECC Dues for their Residents
ECC deeply appreciates the growing number of condo and dock associations and cooperatives that have been contributing ECC membership dues on behalf of all or part of their residents. We try hard to merit this confidence. ECC would of course welcome other such organizations making a similar annual contribution of dues for their residents. Contact ECC Secretary Chris Leman (cleman@oo.net, 720-4792) if you would like to arrange a presentation.
Dish Water Can Save Parched Trees and Shrubs!
The low precipitation this winter makes it all the more important to keep trees and shrubs watered this spring and summer. The prospect of water rationing requires more creativity to keep parched trees and shrubs alive. A dish pan in the sink is a great way to save water, and outdoor plants don’t mind if there’s a little soap. If you see a tree that’s suffering from lack of water, mention it to someone at that address, and if necessary take action. Street trees are on public property, and there’s no public purpose served in letting them die.
Wanted: Coordinator for the Eastlake Tour
ECC would like to organize a September tour of homes, businesses, and boats, the University Bridge—and any other location you can think of. We are in desperate need of a volunteer to manage this September event. It’s a lot of work, but fun and fascinating. If you are interested or could suggest any names, contact Chris Leman, 720-4792, cleman@oo.net.
Fairview Planning
A 1998 City ordinance stemming from the Eastlake Neighborhood Plan designated parts of Fairview as a Green Street, but it will mean nothing until our neighborhood submits proposed guidelines and the City acts on them. The draft guidelines for Fairview between Roanoke and Newton and between Fuhrman and Hamlin are available at eastlake.oo.net. Please send us your comments, and/or attend the committee meetings listed in the calendar.
As slated in the 1998 Eastlake Neighborhood Plan (available at eastlake.oo.net), residents, businesses, and Fairview commercial landowners, want a shoreline pathway south from NOAA, and a safer intersection where Fairview Ave. E. intersects with Fairview Ave. N. Mike Brooks, who prior to his position with Washington Real Estate Holdings designed Commodore Park and other landscapes, has put hundreds of hours into a design that has wide support, but we are working to address any remaining objections. For background, or to get involved, contact Chris Leman, cleman@oo.net or 720-4792.
Official Purposes of the Eastlake Community Council
The Eastlake Community Council does its best to honor its official purposes as stated in our 1971 articles of incorporation. Please let us know how we are doing, and how you can help us do better.
To foster and encourage a sense of community among people who live and work in the Eastlake community.
To work with all governmental and civil agencies in the development and implementation of social, cultural, educational, recreational, and environmental programs that will benefit those who live and work in the Eastlake community.
To provide a clearinghouse for information on laws and governmental or private programs and proposals affecting the welfare and environmental of the Eastlake community.
To work for and assist in the development and growth of the Eastlake community in ways that will preserve the history, charm, and attractiveness of the community and its adjoining inland water and shorelines for those who live and work in the community.
To work to maximize public use and enjoyment of the inland waters and shorelines adjoining the Eastlake community.
To cooperate with other community councils and organizations in working for the improvement of the quality of life in the City of Seattle and its environs.
Eastlake News - a publication by the
Eastlake Community Council
117 E. Louisa Street, #1
Seattle, WA 98102-3278
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