Categories

Archives

Free Tax Preparation

taxreturnStarting February 1, 2015, AARP Foundation will again provide free tax preparation and electronic filing.  AARP-Tax-Aide is totally FREE; you do not need to be a member of AARP or a senior to use this service.

2014 tax returns reflect changes as the result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  And for those who did not have medical insurance coverage the entire year, or had purchased insurance through the Washington State Health Plan Exchange, there will be some new tax forms to deal with when filing 2014 tax returns.  AARP-Tax-Aide will have tax counselors who are trained to help tackle ACA tax return questions.

Whether you are a working or retired individual, AARP’s IRS tax-certified volunteer preparers can handle your tax returns. In addition to earned and retirement income reporting, it can help you with your investment income (interests, dividends, and capital gains for Schedule D), Schedule C for individuals with small businesses that have less than $10,000 in annual expenses, and various education, child and earned income credits.

Lake City Library

12501 28th Ave NE, Seattle 98125, 206-684-7518

Mondays 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM (closed Feb. 16th).

Walk-ins only, no appointments. First day is Feb. 2nd.

Northgate Library

10548 5th Ave NE, Seattle 98125, 206-386-1980

Tuesdays 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM. First day is Feb. 3rd.

Thursdays 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

Walk-ins only, no appointments.

Pinehurst Picks

RocksNECornerPinehurstWay&123

Where do you think this is? I believe it has lost one of its parts, but it is still fun.

Please feel free to send in photos of art – or anything unexpected and fun – you see on your walks around the neighborhood to info@pinehurstseattle.org.

Kids’ Art in Pinehurst Pocket Park

Andy-AkliAge12

Twelve year old Akli drew this picture for Pinehurst Pocket Park at last summer’s Pinehurstfest. He named the person Andy. Come see his fine work in the kiosk at NE 117th St & 19th Ave NE. Thanks, Akli!

If you would like to submit your child’s artwork for the Pocket Park, please email nancy@pinehurstseattle.org. We’ll put it on mat board donated by FRAMEIT Ltd, 10712 5th Ave NE.

Pinehurst School Traffic Safety Project Meetings

Save the date: The next Pinehurst School Traffic Safety Project meeting will be in January 2015 when design alternatives will be presented:

Tuesday, January 27 from 6:30-8:00 PM
Wednesday, January 28 from 4:00-5:30 PM

Meetings will be held at the Pinehurst Shelter House, 12029 14th Ave NE

There is quite a bit more info on the history of the project so far as well as the upcoming meetings on SDOT’s project page.

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/ped_srts_pinehurst.htm

Draft Trees and Sidewalks Operations Plan Ready for Comments

SidewalkSo you’re out for a stroll in the neighborhood and you come across a sidewalk that’s starting to buckle. As you take a closer look, it’s easy to tell that the roots of the large, beautiful tree next to the sidewalk are the cause of the problem.

Street trees and sidewalks both play vital roles in the public realm, helping to make Seattle more livable and sustain our quality of life. It’s not unusual to find examples of trees and sidewalks in conflict, especially in older neighborhoods with more mature trees.

But what to do? No one wants to lose a tree, but we need our sidewalks to be flat enough and wide enough for people to use.

The purpose of the Seattle Department of Transportation operations plan is to be clear about SDOT’s responsibilities and processes and to provide guidance on installation, repair, and maintenance of sidewalks and street trees in Seattle. The plan includes the following sections:

  • Best practices research from around the country that can inform the work SDOT does in Seattle;
  • A transparent decision process that explains how SDOT makes choices about keeping or removing a tree;
  • A toolkit of solutions SDOT can use to plant and retain healthy trees and provide accessible sidewalks; and
  • Three case studies that put the decision process and tools to the test.

The operations plan is available for review on SDOT’s website, at http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/treesandsidewalks.htm

All comments are welcome and must be received by Tuesday, January 20, 2015. Please take a minute to look through the plan and share your thoughts.

 

 

Pinehurst Picks

MailboxesInHedge

Please feel free to send in photos of art – or anything unexpected and fun – you see on your walks around the neighborhood to info@pinehurstseattle.org.

NW Solar Now Workshop January 27

NWSolarNow

Housing Availability Survey

HouseAndAppleTreeLet the city know your thoughts on housing affordability and livability in Seattle. Take the survey here:

http://murray.seattle.gov/housing/housing-comments/#sthash.aI8kn1Hx.dpbs

Sound Transit Station at 130th

soundtransitjpgHere is an update on the possibilities for a Sound Transit station at 130th. It’s from Roger Iwata, Community Outreach Corridor Lead; Sound Transit Design, Engineering & Construction Management:

Although stations at NE 130th and 220th St. SW (Mountlake Terrace) were not part of the preferred alternative the Board identified in late 2013, there was enough public interest in both stations the Board directed staff to continue the analysis of them through the environmental review process and Final EIS.  While the identification of the preferred alternative does not remove any route or station previously reviewed in the Draft EIS from consideration, the additional information and analysis of these two stations will help inform the Board when they select the project to be built early next year and after the Final EIS is published.

There are many potential outcomes related to any future Board action on both stations but I think after receiving community input they could decide to:

·         Identify additional funding and build one or both stations during the current phase of the project

·         Build enough of the station infrastructure during this phase (to not disrupt future train operations) and retain the option of adding either station in the future or,

·         Not build either station or the future station infrastructure during this phase of the project.

So it would be accurate to say the Board is continuing to look at the potential for stations at NE 130th and 220th St. SW and a decision on both stations is expected in early 2015 after the results of the Final EIS are evaluated and input from each jurisdiction and the public has been received.  We will be sure to let folks know when the Final EIS is available and when there is an opportunity to provide comments to the Board prior to their final decision on route and stations.”

North Precinct Advisory Council Minutes for December 2014

Seattle_Police_Badge

This month there was no guest speaker. Instead, we had reports from the four focus groups charged with selecting and solving specific north end hot spot problems. These groups were set up in response to the NP Captain’s survey that asked us to tell him what our public safety fears and concerns are. The groups are:

  • Drugs/Anti-Crime
  • Transportation/Mobility safety
  • Human Services
  • Street lighting

Each group is comprised of  a few volunteer NPAC members and an SPD lieutenant. The NPAC members choose a problem and the SPD officer mobilizes SPD as needed. Then the entire team plus the community in which the problem resides work together, including requesting City services as needed.

The first project of the Drugs/Anti-Crime group was a big success. There was a nuisance house at Burke and 137th – drug dealing, rats, garbage in the yard, etc. The focus group worked with police, the bank (the house was in foreclosure) and the community club. The community club raised money to hire a lawyer to evict them. The police made almost daily visits to keep their eye on and discourage the activities. It took several months, but it worked!

If you know of any specific public safety issues that a coordinated effort might solve, let us know at nancy@pinehurstseattle.org. I can submit them to the appropriate focus group.

The entire meeting minutes are here.