Next Week's Events

Calendar items for the next week or so:

• Saturday, March 31, 10:00am Miller Egghunt
• Sunday, April 1, 2:00pm Bike repair self-help
• Monday, April 2, 6:30pm East Neighborhoods District Council
• Thursday, April 5, 6:00pm Neighborhood plan: Central Area
• Thursday, April 5, 7:00pm Madison Street Taskforce
• Saturday, April 7, 10:00am Emergency Preparedness
• Sunday, April 8, 2:00pm Bike repair self-help

For details, visit the calendar at:

http://ical.mac.com/andrew_taylor/Miller

and click on an entry for details and links.

You can subscribe to the calendar at:

webcal://ical.mac.com/andrew_taylor/Miller.ics

if you have a Mac and iCal or a PC and Office 2007 Outlook ( http://tinyurl.com/35wy3s ).

Farmers' Market moving to MLK & Union

Could you please let me know the scoop on the Madison/Capitol Hill farmers' market? I noticed that the links to it on your website aren't working, which has me a little worried. We live nearby and are very much looking forward to it. Is it still happening? If so, do you have a schedule?

From: jon hegeman
Subject: Re: Madison/Capitol Hill farmers' market

Hello,
Yes the market is planning to move from the MT Zion location location to the corner of MLK and Union. The Grocery Outlet People have stepped as new sponsors in ways that will help us grow, promote, and expand, We plan to return Friday May 4th. Please pass it on!

http://www.fremontmarket.com

It's right on the #8 route!

Local Bike Maintenance

Spring's here: want to get your bike fixed?

1) If you take your bike to Garfield Community Center on Sundays between 2 and 5 PM, the friendly people from The Bikery will instruct you in how to fix it yourself, using their comprehensive set of tools. All for the princely sum of: nothing! Most bike work is fun and straightforward: go and give it a try. More details on their Myspace page, with notes on other places where you can find them AND buy parts.

2) If you need some parts for your bike, or if you want someone else to work on it, you could try: 2020 Cycle, at 2020 E. Union (206) 568-3090. Hours: 12 - 6, Wed - Sat, 12 - 4 Sun.

Next Week's Events

From the Miller Calendar (http://ical.mac.com/andrew_taylor/Miller). Go to the calendar and click on an item for more info.

Sunday, March 25, 1:00pm Remembrance of Capitol Hill Murders

 Monday, March 26, 6:30pm City Neighborhood Council

 Tuesday, March 27, 5:30pm  Sonja Richter retirement party

 Wednesday, March 28, 5:00pm Sound Transit East Link workshop

 Wednesday, March 28, 6:00pm Neighborhood Policing and Public Safety Forum

 Saturday, March 31, 10:00am Miller Egghunt

Light Rail Transit to Bellevue and Redmond

Interested in light rail transit to the Eastside?

Adrienne Bailey (chair of the Central Area Neighborhood Plan implementation team) notes:

Pass this message to as many people as possible. It is really important that we have as many people as possible show up at this meeting to show support for Central Area access to the light rail system. Please see below for information about a meeting hosted by Sound Transit next Wednesday, March 28th, about the planning for the East Link of Sound Transit. They are proposing to plan a station at Rainier and I-90, and maybe an access point at 23rd, that would connect us to the east side and to Downtown/Northgate etc.

Check out the Meeting Flyer and go along to the meeting on March 28th and lobby for light rail (if you so desire).

Upcoming events!

Hey, the new calendar is making my life easier already.

http://ical.mac.com/andrew_taylor/Miller

March 24th: Central Area Neighborhood cleanup: they came to ours last week, how about helping them (and, speaking of helping neighboring communities, see:

http://tinyurl.com/25558b )

March 25th: Remembrance for Capitol Hill Murder victims

March 27th: Sonja Richter retirement party

March 28th: Neighborhood Policing and Public Safety Forum for the East Precinct

Thanks
Andrew
MPNA
tayles@jps.net

Sunday 1PM Remembrance of Capitol Hill Murders

Online Miller events calendar

I have finally got round to publishing an online calendar of Miller area events.
It's made on my Mac but anybody can view it with a web browser:

http://ical.mac.com/andrew_taylor/Miller

A link to the calendar is the top item in the "Neighborhood Links" section of the Miller blog (http://millerparkseattle.blogspot.com/). That (and assorted other permanent links) run down the right side of the blog page.

I recommend setting the calendar to "month" view: click on "preferences" (bottom left) to make that the default.

Click on any calendar entry and a floating window with lots of information (and often clickable web links for even more info) about the event will appear.

The lucky 29% of you with Macs (and OS X) can subscribe to my calendar at:

webcal://ical.mac.com/andrew_taylor/Miller.ics

and have the Miller calendar appear in your iCal!

To learn more about iCal or to download a copy, go to http://www.apple.com/ical

I will enter events on the calendar as I learn of them, and they should immediately be published for your use (OK, it may take a while to tidy them up and add explanations).

I hope you find this useful. Suggestions, and events for the calendar, are always welcome.

Andrew Taylor
MPNA, tayles@jps.net

PS: This moment I posted this, I received this very timely notice about a Remembrance of the Capitol Hill Murders

Wednesday neighborhood walk with Councilmember Rasmussen

Weds. March 21st, 6 - 8 PM: Councilmember Rasmussen walks round the Miller neighborhood and chats with neighbors, in part to see how we've been since his visit in 2005.

Tentative Agenda ( I suggest you meet up with Tom as he walks along your street: contact people noted, or me (Andrew Taylor, tayles@jps.net) if desired. Catch up with him at any stop if he's not visiting your block)

6PM: Start outside home of Victor & Anne Delucchi, 201 22nd Ave. E. Tom's help with "their" bus-stop was invaluable.

6:20 ish, walk along 100 block of 20th Ave. E. and meet outside home of Heidi Ob'bayi, 127 22nd Ave. E and chat with residents of that block

6:40 ish, walk to 21st and meet outside home of Mike Clarke, 121A 21st Ave E. and chat with residents of that block

7:00 ish, walk to 1800 block of 20th Ave and meet on front porch of Prince of Wales apartments with Jon Vandemoortel, members of MaDCAP and residents of 20th Ave E.

7:20 ish (perhaps) stop by McKinney Manor to chat with residents.

7:30 ish, walk down E. Madison Street (19th Ave E. to 24th Ave E.) to look at and discuss redevelopment of commercial areas.

Here are some topics neighbors are interested in talking to him about:

• Are things really getting better? - Lately, there's been a noticeable increase in drug trafficking, loitering, and prostitution.
• I'd like him to take note of "Lake Denny," the large area of the street in front of the Madison Inn and the Firestone tire shop that floods every time it rains. One must walk down the center of the street between 21st. and Madison just to cross to the other side.
• appreciative of the resources and attention that he helped bring to the neighborhood, resulting in some dramatic changes; my thoughts about what helped the most and what could work in other areas concerns about controlling development, keeping housing affordable, and adequate parking
• rapid and far-reaching change in our neighborhood over the past 20 years, likely to continue to accelerate - can this neighborhood continue to honor its African American heritage, embrace our long-standing residents, and continue to provide affordable family housing despite exponential growth in housing prices? How do we sustainably manage green space, control water drainage, ensure livability for generations to come? Are we prepared to cope with the disasters we know are coming our way - and especially are we prepared to protect our most vulnerable neighbors?
• And a (highly relevant to us) note from a Ballard resident: CM Rasmussen in Ballard claimed that allowing developers to provide less parking with allow saving in constructions costs to be passed along in less expensive housing to tenants. We have condo owners parking their second cars in front of our houses (you know, the ones whose property taxes subsidize their development and permitting expediting), and the new visiting owner's friends the tooth fairies also park there when visiting. The fourplex residents can't park their Audis in the storage units that are officially garages so my neighborhors get that also. And the housing to condo conversion assistance bill was blocked by Frank Chopp who must be concerned about the Washington Builders Association getting upset.

Crime Prevention Coalition Meeting

EAST PRECINCT CRIME PREVENTION COALITION
IN COLLABORATION WITH SEATTLE WEED & SEED - CENTRAL SITE

Thursday – March 22, 2007
Seattle Vocational Institute
6:30 - 8:00pm

(Minutes of Feb '07 meeting)

Welcome and Introductions
Stephanie Tschida, Chair - EPCPC 6:30 - 6:35

• Goal Setting 6:35 - 7:00 (PDF of Workplan for 2007)
• Community Concerns 7:00 - 7:25
• State of the Neighborhood
• Precinct Update - 7:25 – 7:40

_ Enforcement Updates – Captain Landy Black & Lt. John Hayes
_ SPD Crime Prevention/Emergency Preparedness – Sonja Richter
_ Additional Govt. Agencies Represented - City Attorney, DOC, WSCLB etc.
_ GOTS – Mary Williams, SNG

• Approve Bylaw Revisions 7:40 - 7:55
• Announcements 7:55 – 8:00

NEXT EPCPC General Meeting: Thursday, April 26, 2007
Veronica Pugh, Program Coordinator - Contact Person (206) 322-9330/323-9666
Email: veronica@sngi.org - Wcbsite: www.sngi.org

Volunteers Needed for Green Footprints

(from the Arboretum Heights community, between 23rd and the Arboretum)

Hi, we are in the final stages of preparing the Green Footprints proposal to the Dept. of Neighborhoods (DON). The DON wants to see broad community support and signing up as a volunteer is the best way. Please consider pledging some time and helping us strengthen our community. thanks, John

Volunteers Needed for Green Footprints

Our goal is to create an ecology resource map and master plan for the hillside neighborhood above the Arboretum. We hope it will be a positive community experience as well

We are looking for volunteers that want to work with experts from Seattle Urban Nature and the Audubon Society to build a resource map of the neighborhood. Training will focus on the trees, shrubs, birds and habitat in our neighborhood as well as mapping techniques, GPS systems and more. After the training, volunteers collect data in their neighborhoods. The result will be a resource map that captures all the natural resources (and there are plenty) in an urban neighborhood. Kids 12 and over are welcome and it could be a great family experience!

Please sign up as:
Mapping Volunteer
6 or 12 hours (Fall 2007 or Spring 2008) to include 2 hour training sessions and 4 hour data gathering sessions - this will guarantee you a free tee shirt!

Volunteer Staff:
40 hour suggested (from Fall 2007 to Fall 2008) to participate in survey preparation, data collection, community meetings, and preparation of the Master Plan. This will get you a CD of the final master plan!

Please reply to email at johnrpotter@qwest.net or give me a call at 320 0947. If you have any professional skills that could be of value (education or training in ecology, data bases, computer skills), we would love to tell you more about the project.

Even if you can't volunteer and want to stay in touch with the project just let me know. Thanks,
John

Townhouse Project, 1626 23rd Ave

Fron the 3/15/07 DPD notice:

Land Use Application to subdivide one parcel into four unit lots. The construction of single family residences has been approved under Project #6106808. This subdivision of property is only for the purpose of allowing sale or lease of the unit lots. Development standards will be applied to the original parcel and not to each of the new unit lots.

Townhouse project, 24th & Denny

From this week's DPD land use bulletin:

2415 E Denny Way; Four-unit townhouse with offstreet parking.

This proposal has been submitted voluntarily for Administrative Design Review in exchange for departures from the following development standards (based on the preliminary design concept)

• Open space requirement
  
  
  (Editorial comment from Andrew)
  The architect, David Foster, has been a Central Area resident and neighborhood association leader (assuming he's the same David Foster).

Reminder: Saturday 10AM neighborhood cleanup

Meet behind Prince of Wales apartment building, SE corner of 20th & Denny. Coffee @ 9:45 AM.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yo6zy6

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

andrew
tayles@jps.net

St. Patrick's Day at the Bottleneck Lounge

Before you go celebrating St. Patrick, come and join us at our regular monthly (Sat. 10 AM) Neighborhood Cleanup.

Thursday Council Committee Meeting at Miller

Reminder that Councilmember Sally Clark's Economic Development and Neighborhoods City Council committee meets at Miller Community Center this Thursday (3/15/07, 6 PM).

The Committee's agenda is pretty full: you'll have a chance to talk to the committee at the start of the meeting ( and then a chance to comment on the appointment of Stella Chao as Director, Department of Neighborhoods). The meeting will feature a briefing on the Mayor's Nightlife Ordinance, so expect lots of people coming to comment on it.

The Miller neighborhood gets its 15 minutes of fame at the end of the meeting (nominally 7:45 PM, probably later, Center closes at 9 PM). I (Andrew) was asked to submit a panel of names (but you're welcome to join us). Here's who I nominated and what they may talk about:

Andrew Taylor (MPNA) - Brief history of neighborhood and its issues. Effects of bar closure. GOTS program. Madison Street redevelopment: time to revisit the Neighborhood Plan?

Jon Vandemoortel, Chair, MaDCAP (Madison and Denny Community Action Program ) - Challenges of living near Madison. Cleanup efforts.

Heidi Ob'bayi, MPNA & MaDCAP: Continuing challenges and street issues in the area.

Chuck Weinstock, Executive Director, Capitol Hill Housing (CHHIP); Affordable housing in the area. Challenges and possibilities of including affordable and workforce housing in East Madison Street development projects.

Ellen O'Neill-Stephen, Deputy King County Prosecuting Attorney will describe her Madison Street taskforce, a coalition of neighbors, businesses and organizations dedicated to the improvement of the Madison Street area.

Feel free to offer suggestions for other topics we should cover: Click on "Comments" or "Post a Comment" below or E-mail Andrew.

Sunday Silliness

A small prize ( a beer at the Bottleneck or a latté at Fuel) for the first person to identify what and where this is. The bonus question is why, but I don't know the answer. You'd better identify yourself in the your response!

Community Unveiling of New King County Logo: Sunday at Mt. Zion

(excerpt from note from Larry Gossett. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead this weekend to make sure you won't miss the Sunday event.)

Dear Friend,
This is a reminder that King County Executive Ron Sims and I would like to cordially invite you to a community celebration for the unveiling of the new logo for King County, Washington which is an image of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event will take place on:

Sunday, March 11, 2007, 2:00 p.m.
Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1634 19th Ave.

Reverend Samuel Berry McKinney, Pastor Emeritus of Mt. Zion, and former classmate of Dr. King, will be prominently featured in this special community gathering.

Larry Gossett, Chair
Metropolitan King County Council

For more details see this Seattle Medium article and these King County Council and Seattle Times articles.

Care to update us on the state of our streets?

Club Chocolate City has now been closed for a week, and the very surprising changes on the street seem to be permanent. Everybody I've spoken with was very surprised by the speed and apparent permanence of the change.

However, nobody seems to know where the crowds who used to frequent that block of Madison have gone. I drove around last Saturday evening and saw no crowds, and none of the familiar faces, not even at Thompson's Point of View (where people feared they might go). I received a couple of reports of increased activity: one on 22nd Ave E. near Madison, one at 24th & Olive.

If you do notice increased activity in your area, please let me know: drug dealing, drug consumption, more littering, etc. The information will be useful both to law enforcement and to the social service agencies who are trying to reach out to "the people who hang out on the sidewalk".

You may send my your observations, via E-mail, via the MPNA report form, or [easiest] by a comment on this post (anonymously if you wish).

You might also be interested in the extensive discussions that resulted from last Sunday's post about the changes on Madison and in the Capitol Hill Times article on the changes.

Thanks
Andrew

MaDCAP neighborhood cleanup Saturday, March 17th

The next MaDCAP neighborhood cleanup will be Saturday, March 17th beginning at 10:00 am and ending at noon. We will gather in the open space behind the Prince of Wales apartment building at 1818 20th Ave. Starbuck's coffee will be available beginning at 9:45. The MaDCAP cleanup is designed to bring together committed neighbors interested in bringing about positive change to the area. Being a presence on the street while keeping the neighborhood clean is our goal. We hope you can take the time to join us.

Notice from jon vandemoortel

Pictures: August '06 cleanup, First (March '05) MaDCAP Cleanup

Two City Councilmembers to visit neighborhood

1) Once a month Councilmember Sally Clark brings the City Council committee she chairs (Economic Development and Neighborhoods) out to a neighborhood.

This month it's our turn. The committee will meet at Miller Community Center (330 - 19th Ave. E.) at 6 PM, Thursday March 15th. The committee is working on the Mayor's proposed nightlife ordinance (here's their workplan, with details of the meeting, as a PDF, the text of the proposed ordinance and the Councilmember's press release).

There will be a public comment period at the start of the meeting, where you might care to share your observations on the state of our neighborhood before and after the recent bar closure, about the proposed nightlife ordinance, or about anything else that concerns you.

2) Councilmember Tom Rasmussen will join us on Wednesday March 21st, from 6 - 8 PM, for a walking tour of our neighborhood. Tentative plans are to start at the bus-stop at 21st & John (which he heard about, and helped clean up, on his previous walking tour in June 2005), tour neighborhood streets and visit with people, and finish up at McKinney Manor (Madison @ 19th-20th) to meet the seniors there and to discuss issues with us.

Please let me know if you'd like to meet with the Councilmember on his tour. It's possible that our previous public safety issues may indeed be history, but it's certain that the impacts of the redevelopment of E. Madison Street will be an ongoing issue, so let's make sure that he gets a good view of our successes and problems.

Have all the Madison street people gone away?

It appears to me that, since the bar "Club Chocolate City" closed on March 1st, all the street people (dealers, hookers, hangers-on, mentally disturbed people) have just vanished!

I have passed by a couple of times in the mid-evening, and spent an hour late Saturday afternoon in the Starbucks on Madison. The formerly packed sidewalk outside the bar, and the areas around Deano's Grocery Store remained totally deserted. On Saturday evening I drove all over the Central Area, but saw no crowds, or any of the Madison Street "regulars" anywhere.

A question for you! Has the lack of the Madison Street regulars resulted in fewer problems in other parts of the neighborhood? Please keep an eye out, and send my your observations, via E-mail, via the MPNA report form, or [easiest] by a comment on this post (anonymously if you wish). Let me know what's changed in yor part of the neighborhood.

What should we do? Enjoy our new abilities to walk to the Twilight Exit and Bottleneck Lounge bars on Madison without any problems. Walk to the Madison Street Safeway, drop by the Starbucks, just get into the habit of using our streets.

Two final observations:

1) people seem to be instinctively avoiding walking on the formerly very crowded sidewalks outside the Market and bar. They're our sidewalks too, let's use them.

2) the Saturday night street preacher is still there!


Reminder: please share your observations on this sudden change in our neighborhood.

Thanks
Andrew

December Windstorm gets a name

The National Weather Service has finally announced a name for last December's windstorm: 39 people decided that it was "The Hanukkah Eve Wind Storm of 2006"

I checked Wikipedia, noted that "Gone With the Wind" premiered on December 15th, 1939, and entered that as my suggestion.

I note that 64 other people agreed with me!

Design Review Hearing: 2320 E. Madison Street

(from official notice, with additions)

The Director of DPD is convening the Design Review Board

for an early design guidance hearing, at which the basic concepts of the plan will be explained: more detailed plans will be discussed at one or more subsequent meetings.

The proposal is for a three-story, mixed-use building with five apartrments over 1,245 sq. ft. of retail. Parking for five vehicles will be located within the structure.

MEETING

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 8 PM

Seattle Central Community College
1701 Broadway, Room 3211

The Design Review process is an excellent opportunity for you to learn about upcoming projects, and to offer your advice to the architects and the Design Review Board.

Details of the process are at the City website

There was an old (vacant?) house on this site, which burnt down a year or more ago. The site is just uphill from Philadelphia Fevre and the Bottleneck Lounge and across the street from Crush.

PS: Here's where to find notices of upcoming developments in our area.