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November 2018 SeaStat Dashboard

Here is a dashboard of North Precinct crime statistics that compares 2018 YTD with 2017 YTD. The takeaway from the graph at the bottom is that crime is not increasing, right?

 

 

Lake City Library Reopening

The library will reopen on January 2, and there will be a celebration on Saturday January 12 from 1-3 p.m., with refreshments and entertainment.  Mark your calendars now! 

 

Snow-Safe Driving

Are you a snow-safe driver? Try this Pemco Insurance quiz to test what you know in the snow. Answers are below.

  1. If your rear tires start to slide, should you “steer into the skid?”
  2. Is it better to approach a snowy hill at a steady speed rather than “getting a run at it” so momentum will carry you to the top?
  3. Do stopping distances triple in the snow compared with dry pavement?
  4. Should you use daytime running lights in the snow?
  5. Should you keep tire pressure the same, regardless of the season?
  6. Should you stay behind a snow plow?
  7. Does cold weather weaken my car’s battery?
  8. In snowy or icy conditions, should pedestrians always walk facing traffic?
  9. If you get stuck, should you stay with the vehicle?
  10. Should you turn off cruise control in freezing weather?

Answers:

  1. Yes,but that term “steering into a skid” is confusing. A simpler way to say it is to steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. If your rear wheels are skidding to the right, for example, the front of your car will be pointing slightly left. You want to turn your wheel gently to the right to straighten the car. Resist the urge to brake, because that can make the skid worse. Once you’ve regained control, take your skid as a sign you need to slow down.
  2. Yes, a steady speed gives you a better chance to crest the hill safely. But better yet is planning a route that avoids hills in snowy conditions whenever possible.
  3. Yes. That’s especially important to keep in mind when you’re approaching intersections.
  4. Yes. They help other drivers see you.
  5. Yes. While you may have heard that reducing tire pressure improves traction, it’s safest to follow manufacturers’ recommendations for tire pressure.
  6. Yes. That’s safer than trying to pass it and you’ll have freshly cleared road to drive on. Just remember to give the plow LOTS of space – a full eight car lengths.
  7. Yes. Frigid temperatures can sap your battery by 30%, so to be on the safe side, consider replacing batteries older than five years.
  8. Yes. That gives you a chance to see a car that’s starting to slide and to get out of the way.
  9. Yes. Unless you can see help from where you are and it’s safe to walk there without risk, stay warm inside your car and wait for help. Keep your exhaust pipe clear of ice and snow to avoid carbon monoxide buildup inside the car.
  10. Yes. Its automatic acceleration or downshifting.

Kids’ Art in Pinehurst Pocket Park

This month’s art in Pinehurst Pocket Park is a celebration of the return of salmon to Thornton Creek for the first time in eight years. At this year’s Pinehurstfest, Thornton Creek Alliance had a table where kids could color hats made of two salmon. I unstapled a hat and colored one of the salmon for this art. It’s in the pocket park kiosk through December. The park is at NE 117th St & 19th Ave NE.

If you would like to submit your child’s artwork (or yours!) for the Pocket Park, please email nancy@pinehurstseattle.org. 

 

 

Mayor Durkan’s First Year By the Numbers

Budget Wins for District 5

Here are some items relevant to our District 5 that are included in the final Seattle city budget that was passed on November 19th, 2018:

Building District 5

  • $8 million for replacing the Lake City Community Center, bringing the total amount of dedicated funding for a brand new building to $16 million.
  • Funding to complete the Pedestrian Bike Bridge that will cross I-5 to connect the Northgate and Licton Springs neighborhoods when light rail arrives in 2021.
  • $128,000 for a feasibility study of a new Apprenticeship Program at North Seattle College, with the goal of making sure that students can obtain good-paying jobs and stay in Seattle.
  • $500,000 in additional funding for the Neighborhood Parks Street Fund, empowering residents to choose more projects for their neighborhood through the “Your Voice, Your Choice” program. D5 was awarded the most money in the city for the projects people voted for in 2018.
  • $350,000 for a “Home Zones” pilot project, a new idea to calm traffic, keeping kids and pedestrians safe from cars speeding and cutting through neighborhood streets.

Caring for Our Neighbors

  • $200,000 to expand the hours for God’s Lil Acre on Lake City Way, meaning that D5 will finally have an all-day hygiene center for homeless neighbors to shower and wash their clothes.
  • $575,000 for Seattle Helpline Coalition (including North Helpline) to expand homelessness prevention services, including financial assistance to prevent evictions and utility shut-offs, and assist with move-in deposits.
  • $160,000 for important referral and navigation services on Aurora Avenue to assist people who are survivors of sex work, opioid addiction, or mental health disorders. Aurora Commons reports that 80% of the women they serve are homeless.
  • $190,000 for Mother Nation, a non-profit providing culturally-informed healing, advocacy and homelessness prevention services for Native American and Alaska Native women. This funding couldn’t be more important in light of the recent study by the Urban Indian Health Institute that found Seattle had the highest number of murdered or missing indigenous women of the 71 urban cities surveyed.
  • $269,500 from the Sweetened Beverage Tax dedicated to expanding food banks and their enhanced service centers in 2019.

Protecting Our Community

  • Hiring 40 additional police officers, as well as 12 Community Service Officers so that the Seattle Police Department can strengthen its community outreach and community-based policing efforts.
  • $1.2 million to expand the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program.
  • Expanding the Navigation Team, including the addition of staff who will specialize in outreach for those living with mental health issues.

Thank you to our District 5 city council person Debora Juarez for advocating for our district.

SNAP – Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare

Get your neighbors together to discuss and prepare your neighborhood for a disaster.

1 – Meet and discuss emergency preparedness

Discuss and assess the current level of preparedness in your neighborhood and learn key aspects of preparedness through SNAP presentation, available online.

2 – Get organized

Delegate responsibilities among neighbors and agree upon neighborhood meeting places.

3 – Get confident

Take a training course through the Seattle Office of Emergency Management. You will learn disaster skills, water control, first aid, water storage and purification, fire extinguisher use, and basic search and rescue.

Find more information, including the SNAP presentation referred to above, at seattle.gov/emergency-management/snap

 

New Traffic Website

A new website provides resources to help you get to and through downtown during the upcoming new era of tough traffic that will begin with WSDOT’s permanent closure of Alaskan Way Viaduct on January 11, 2019. As WSDOT works to #realign99 and prepare to open the new SR 99 tunnel in early February, check in here for traffic updates.

The new website includes a sign-up for real-time traffic alerts, live updates on traffic in major corridors, and information about transit alternatives. For instance, check on current commute times between downtown and neighborhoods here: https://www.seattletraffic.org/current-traffic/

Visit www.seattle.gov/traffic today to learn more and sign up for alerts.

North Precinct Advisory Council Minutes for November 2018

This month’s guest speaker at NPAC was Judge Ed McKenna, presiding judge of Seattle Municipal Court. SMC handles misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases, such as DUI, domestic violence assault or harassment, theft and criminal trespass. It also handles infractions like traffic tickets, traffic camera tickets, and parking tickets, and civil violations related to building and zoning. For information about the court, including some of the pressures it and the judges face in light of the current city crises such as the opioid epidemic, read the minutes below.

The Crime Prevention Coordinators and Patrol Officers have been reaching out to the Jewish schools and synagogues since the mass shooting in Pittsburgh. This year SPD has seen more reports of anti-Semitic bias reports.

Some overtime hours have been granted north precinct for more police presence at Northgate Mall over the holidays.

Robbery is up 11% year to date in the north precinct, same as city-wide. Residential burglary was up 2% here, whereas city-wide it was up 3%. There’s been a spike in car prowls, but car theft is down 5% YTD. An average of over 3 cars per day are stolen in the north precinct.

For a full report, read the minutes:

http://www.pinehurstseattle.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-11NPACMinutes.pdf

Northgate Park and Ride Changes

Northgate Transit Center Park-and-Ride Changes coming November 19th.

Sound Transit’s new Northgate Station Garage will open and three Northgate park-and-ride areas will be closed (see red areas on map below) on Monday, Nov. 19. The four-floor garage, located at the future Northgate light rail station, will provide nearly 450 parking spaces at the busy Northgate Transit Center. Even though Northgate Station will open in 2021, Sound Transit is opening the garage early for transit riders.

How to use the new garage

Enter Level 1 of the garage from Northeast 103rd Street. Parking permit holders should proceed down to Level 4 where the reserved spaces are located. Others may park on Levels 1-3 of the garage. Permit parking spaces are open to first-come, first-served parking on weekends and after 9 a.m. on weekdays.
Upon securing your valuables and locking your vehicle, access the Northgate Transit Center by exiting Level 2 on Northeast 103rd Street. Crosswalks to the transit center are located on either side of the garage driveway.

New Reserved Parking Permit option

The Northgate Station Garage will be the first Sound Transit facility to offer a reserved parking permit option for people driving alone. Current carpool permit holders may renew, and transit riders may obtain free carpool parking permits.
To learn more about pricing or to get a permit visit our permit parking page. Parking permit holders will have reserved parking on the lower level of the garage on weekdays during the morning rush hours.

https://www.soundtransit.org/northgatestation/northgate-transit-center-park-and-ride