LICTON SPRINGS COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Minutes of Community Meeting May 18, 2011,
NSCC Conference Room B2311

Directors Present: Jerry Owens, Tom Meyer, Kay Mesirow, and Ellen Beck.

Board Representatives Present: Kathleen Braden (List Serve) and Ken Thompson (Liaison to North Precinct).

Visitors: Emily Neff (EnviroIssues, doing public outreach for SDOT), Bruce Kieser (Facilities and Plant Operations Director for North Seattle Community College), Jean Wirch, W.P. Stacy Branum, and Aaron Dooley.

Vice President Jerry Owens called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.

Minutes
The April 20, 2011 minutes were approved as presented.

We had introductions around the table. Visitors were warmly welcomed.

OLD BUSINESS:

North Seattle Community College
Bruce Kieser gave us an update. Effective June 11th, Bus Routes 5, 75, 345, 346, that come over the freeway on North 92nd are going to come onto campus, and after stops there will exit to College Way. He said that sidewalks will be repaired at the broken up spots on College Way.

Bruce told us that beginning July 1st he will be going to one-half time!

Enrollment is holding steady, but the College will be cutting programs and will lose students because of that.

Zoning
Tom said there were no zoning changes. He noted that a building on Stone at 97th/98th sold in 2007 for $8 million and then sold in 2010 for $12 million.

Northwest District
Jerry Owens reported that Northeast Seattle projects were approved by the Northwest District. Also, Lloyd Hara was a guest speaker at their last meeting. Assessor Hara explained that property values have been reduced, but property taxes haven’t gone down. This is because, depending on where you live, there could be specific tax levies have been approved by the voters. There are 163 local taxing districts in King County. Washington has a revenue based system, which insulates government from economic downturns. Assessor Hara reported that the Assessor’s Office has consolidated office space because of budget cuts.

North Precinct
Ken Thompson told that there was no new hiring, but the Department was doing its best to keep officers. There will be a picnic in July. There is no community safety officer at North. The traffic focus has been on Aurora.

Amended Articles
Ellen Beck reported that the Amended Articles of Incorporation were filed by Jan Brucker on May 6, 2011. Jan paid the filing fees and she said she considered it a donation to LSCC. The Amended Articles were faxed and mailed to the IRS Agent in charge on Friday, May 13, 2011. Now we wait for the determination.

Aurora Project
Stacy Branum and Aaron Dooley described a project they are doing on Aurora and the surrounding communities. The project will be posted online when complete. They were interested in the concerns and projects of LSCC. They were welcomed to stay in touch with us and contact us if additional material was required.

General Discussion
General discussion followed about land use, Aurora in our neighborhood, and how Aurora changes north of Seattle.

NEW BUSINESS:

Jerry first gave the floor to Emily Neff, with EnviroIssues (a company that does public outreach for SDOT), who spoke to us about the project planned for North/Northwest 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue North. The project began in the spring of 2011, and will be completed in the fall of 2012. Right now they are in the final design and public involvement phase. Early utility work will begin in late summer and SDOT will hold an open house in September to share information with the public and final design construction schedule and phasing, detour and traffic control plans, and what to expect during construction.

There will be disruptions with this project. SDOT is considering changes in traffic patterns and what upgrades, if any, are needed on the streets that will most likely take on the traffic that formerly used 85th Street, but now are avoiding it during this project.

There will be the following benefits from the project: new concrete pavement in the most heavily travelled areas (i.e., bus lanes); new and upgraded curb ramps to meet current accessibility standards; bus stop improvements; sidewalk repair and replace-ment in some areas; storm water facilities; new underground drainage infrastructure; bicycle sharrows on N.W. 85th Street between 15th Avenue N.W. and Greenwood Avenue N.

Discussion followed. Tom said that, as a bicycle rider, he would never ride on N.W. 85th Street. He didn’t feel it was safe, even with bicycle sharrows, and he was sure other bicycle rides felt the same.

The difference between concrete and asphalt on streets was questioned. Emily Neff told us that a concrete roadway lasts from 50 to 75 years, while an asphalt roadway lasts 25 to 35 years.

 

Our next meeting is Wednesday, June 15, 2011.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Ellen M. Beck, Secretary