LICTON SPRINGS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Minutes of Community Meeting, March 19, 2014

NSCC Campus OCE&E Building, Room 220B

Directors Present: Jan Brucker, Liz Kearns, Kay Mesirow, Melanie Davies, and Ellen Beck.

Board Representatives Present: Ken Thompson (Liaison to North Precinct).

Visitors: Sarah Benki-Nugent, Tobi Maggi, Seattle Light, Jean Wirch, David Wilma, and Mike Cuadra.

President Jan Brucker called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. and we had introductions around the table.

Minutes. The February 19, 2014 minutes were approved as presented.

Treasurer’s Report. The February 28, 2014 bank balance was $6,275.68.

OLD BUSINESS.

Proposed Transmission Line in Residential Area. Sarah Benki-Nugent updated us about the proposed relocation of transmission lines from 1^st Avenue N.E. to Meridian Avenue North and North 115^th Street. Sarah said Sound Transit attended the Haller Lake Community meeting on March 6^th. Sound Transit stated the towers would be ten stories (rather than 13 stories) and the bases would be reduced to three by two feet. Donald Davis stated that Sound Transit would consider burying the line on North 115^th. Sarah said she had followed up with Tim Burgess and cc’d Rhonda Dixon, with Sound Transit, on Tim Burgess’s reply.

Discussion followed. Sarah said trees on Meridian did not come up in the discussion at Haller Lake.

City Light. Tobi Maggi came to update the community about the North Service Center project. The concrete structure, having the same architect as the Kingdome, is being remodeled. The smaller building is being replaced, “creating office space for the auto meter reading folks.” The goal is to begin building next month. The project will take ten months to build.

She told us that three trees will have to be removed because they interfere with visibility. They are going to plant an additional 11 to 12 trees on Stone Avenue. The routing of the supply trucks will be via Aurora and not the neighborhood.

P-Patch. The Spring Fling has been cancelled. All plots have been assigned except for eight. At this point, the current P-Patch Committee will be dissolved.

If LSCC wants to hold an event on June 14^th, then it will deal with the P-Patch plot people. Melanie Davies suggested that we could plan a welcome event for the P-Patch folks in May or June.

Discussion followed May 15-31 is probably the earliest we can do this, and to get the Small Sparks grant. July 12^th was also suggested.

North Precinct. Ken Thompson said there was no update. The site at North 128^th – 130^th has been secured.

There needs to be a meeting regarding the present North Precinct building. The Police Department may want to continue to use the location for some unit.

NEW BUSINESS.

Wilson Pacific. Liz reported that the Wilson Pacific group consists of a Lincoln elementary school parent, a neighborhood representative (Liz), and a business representative. There is $116 million for two schools. Eric Becker is the School District Project Manager.

The transportation plan is to use Wallingford and Stone for buses.

The schools will not be neighborhood schools, but will both be APP schools. There will be 700 kids at the elementary school and 1,000 at the middle school. The murals will be kept and one of the schools will have the Robert Eaglestaff name.

The School District is asking for height variances for both the schools.

Melanie volunteered to do the first draft responding to the School District’s plans for variances in connection with the new schools planned for the Wilson Pacific site.

Northgate Station. Melanie gave comments about the March 12^th meeting to give updates concerning the 90 percent completion of the design for the Northgate Station. The elevated station will be located east of the First Avenue Northeast, spanning Northeast 103^rd Street. Station entrances will be on the Northgate Mall north of Northeast 103^rd Street and south near the Northgate Transit Center. Melanie is concerned about the west side of Northeast 1^st where, in her opinion, unattractive walls will shield the point where the light rail trains will come out of the 40-50 feet deep tunnel from the Roosevelt Station. There is not space between the wall and street for proper plantings to help beautify the walls.

The one way traffic on Northeast 1^st will be in place until March or May. It was originally planned to end the end of March, but the contractor is asking for an extension until the end of May.¹

Our next meeting is Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Ellen M. Beck, Secretary

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