The deadline for the 2012 Neighborhood Project Fund is February 1st. For those not aware, this is a city fund that lets people propose projects in their neighborhood that they would like to see done. These are small park or street improvements (up to $90k) such as playground improvements, pathway upgrades, accessibility improvements, traffic circles, traffic calming, school zone speed limit signs, etc.
Do you have projects you want to do in Pinehurst? The form is available on their website (and very short!) if you want to submit it yourself. But if you’ve got an idea you can discuss it here (or Facebook) and I can help. I’ve heard that Parks often feels left out of this process so are there any improvements you’d like to make to either park? I was thinking Pinehurst Playfield could use a billboard like the pocket park until I realized it already has one. Anything else?
Warning: While it has been done in the past, they explicitly warn that this is not recommended for sidewalks as they’re often more expensive than funding allows. Which isn’t to say that we can’t try for another 1-block segment someplace… It’s just less likely to be selected. Also, for traffic calming projects you need to go through the traffic calming program. There’s more details below but keep in mind that you would probably need to attend the Jan 17th meeting (Douglas Truth Library-2300 E Yesler Way) because the next one would be after the deadline.
Project Criteria:
- Projects funded by the Cumulative Reserve Subfund (approx. $1 million total) can only be used for maintenance or repairs to existing City facilities, projects which address safety issues or upgrades related to the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) like wheelchair access improvements.
- Projects funded by the Neighborhood Street Fund (approx. $200K total) must be transportation-related. These projects may include new construction.
- For traffic calming projects, you must participate in the Seattle Department of Transportation’s traffic calming program prior to applying for your project to ensure that the project is beneficial, feasible and that there is sufficient community support. Information about the program is available on line at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/neighborhoodtraffic.htm
How about cleaning the sidewalks we already have? I am keeping up a little on 125th between 15th and LCW but 15th from 125th to 135th is ugly on both sides. If we can’t keep the city in money I guess that means we have to have a bit of personel responsability here.
I actually think cleaning of most sidewalks is already the responsibility of property owners surrounding them. I could be wrong there…
But I wonder if we could expand the street cleaning we’ve done to include more than just trash? Raking leaves/scooping up dirt, etc? We could even offer to prune back shrubs/blackberries and such though that might take a bit more coordination/communication than just going out there… I know multiple areas that could use help on all those.
I know property owners are responsible for shoveling snow so I imagine it extends to other debris. I’d be cautious about pruning. We should learn the rules about that from the city prior to doing any.
I’m all in for sidewalks in my neck of the ‘hood. 17th Avenue NE/117th. Cheers!