CCCC records

2008

August 4 2008 Columbia City Community Council Meeting 8/4/08

New Business:

We discussed the Mercer Blvd situation that Nick Licata discussed with us at the July meeting and we are sending a letter saying that we are not satisfied with the current proposal (see end of email).

We discussed the issue of chips on streets. It seems as though it was done particularly poorly this time. Doug made a motion that the transportation committee) send a letter to the Seattle City Council Transportation committee and cced to the head of SDOT and the Mayor, the Citizens Service Bureau as well as the transportation reporters at the Times and PI. It will include these issues:

pave edge to edge
do prep work (including clean the roads)
fill potholes
clean gutters and drains!!
pave intersections
attend to safety concerns

We are excited for the Neighborhood Night Out tomorrow August 5th! Check and see if your block is celebrating. If not you should take a nice stroll through the neighborhood and visit other blocks that are celebrating this day of community and getting to know one another.

We discussed that there seems to be more trouble around Angies including more blatant prostitution. It was suggested we should keep eyes on the place as well as stay in contact with the owners by frequenting it more often. One member mentioned that he let the alcohol control board know of concerns.

There is a new district council Southeast Neighborhood District Council forming: Many of the community councils and the business associations in our area are going to join it. We need to see if we want to elect someone to attend this group. We will discuss/vote on this Sept 8. The councils official meeting will be the end of September.

We are going to invite SDOT/ and Council Member Bruce Harrell to our next meeting, Sept 8 6 pm.
We will invite Council member Tim Burgess and Mark Solomon/ Ann Martin of crime prevention and community policing to our October meeting.

Old Business:

Our neighborhood picnic and history walk with Mikala, from the Rainier Valley Historical Society, was a great success. People gathered on the green and shared conversation over lunch. Then about a dozen folks walked for about an hour and a half and witnessed our current community while viewing photos and hearing stories of our past.

Announcements:

Although there is a difference opinion on how this event was planned. It is a great way to meet your neighbors and get in the streets.

August 31 is Car Free Day on Rainier
(3-6pm)
Between Alaska St and Orcas St on Rainier Ave S

August 4, 2008

Richard Conlin, President, Seattle City Council
Jan Drago, Transportation Committee Chair, Seattle City Council
Sally Clark, Transportation Committee Vice-Chair, Seattle City Council
Nick Licata, Seattle City Council
Tim Burgess, Seattle City Council
Jean Godden, Seattle City Council
Bruce Harrell, Seattle City Council
Richard McIver, Seattle City Council
Tom Rasmussen, Seattle City Council

RE: Two-way Mercer Transportation Project

Dear Councilmembers Conlin, Drago, Clarke, Licata, Burgess, , Godden, Harrell, McIver and Rasmussen,

At our meeting of August 4, 2008, the Columbia City Community Council (CCCC) voted to oppose the city's current proposal for the Two-Way Mercer Transportation Project that will redevelop Mercer Street into a two-way boulevard between Seattle Center and Interstate 5. We have found that it will adversely affect our community:

- The plan will rely heavily on funds from the Bridging the Gap levy to an extent that few other necessary projects around the city will be addressed. Bridging the Gap is intended to let us get caught up on repairing a crumbling infrastructure city-wide, including crumbling bridges, and poorly paved streets.

- The plan will not reduce travel time from Seattle Center and surrounding neighborhoods to Interstate 5; quite the opposite, the proposal will have the effect of lengthening travel times in the corridor and will reduce traffic capacity.

- The plan fails to address safety concerns for pedestrians and bicyclists in that corridor and fails to address the effects of the South Lake Union Streetcar on vehicle traffic.

- The plan was made with little public input and with planning data that have not been made available to the public.

We request that the City Council and the Mayor step back from what appears to be a costly boondoggle of benefit only to property owners in the area and of detriment to citizens who rely on that corridor merely to travel between home and work, to people that travel to recreational events, and to everyone else in the city who has need of Bridging the Gap funds to repair infrastructure in their neighborhoods. There are several available alternatives that will address the traffic flow issues without the huge capital outlay necessary for the Two-Way Mercer Traffic Plan.

Sincerely,

Paula Lukaszek
Christopher Osburn
Co-Chairs
February 11, 2008: agenda and notes
January 28, 2008: agenda and notes
January 7, 2008: agenda and notes

2007

December 17, 2007 (not available)
December 3, 2007: agenda and notes
November 13, 2007: announcement
October 29, 2007: agenda and notes
October 15, 2007: agenda, notes, and outreach flyer
August 28, 2007: agenda, notes, and a summary with suggestions about moving forward.

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