Neighborhoods

Wednesday, May 8 was Bike-to-School Day, and Bryant Elementary School students and family turned out in force.

Participating cyclists started their ride to school at the Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts, who provided morning treats. About 40 minutes later, and under Seattle Police escort, the group headed south on 35th Avenue NE toward Bryant Elementary (on NE 60th Street).

Once at school, everyone gathered on the playground for a rally and press conference. Speakers included:

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. José Banda
Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Seattle School Board President Kay Smith-Blum
Cascade Bicycle Club Education Director Julie Salathé
Bryant Elementary School Principal Kim Fox

And Ravenna Blog was there! Taking lots of pictures.

View from the Top Pot driveway off NE 70th Street as families gathered.

Lesile Loper (AKA The Bike Fairy) in blue, next to Seattle Schools Superintendent Dr. José Banda in bright green. On the left in red is Michele Solis with her son, Linus (who I think had just taken a bite of a powdered sugar doughnut).

Overflow bike parking at the Wedgwood Top Pot along 35th Avenue NE.

This pink beauty was the first bike here this morning, as you can see in the tweet below:

The calm before the storm. The forecast is for a joyous din of kid bikers, beginning around 8 a.m. twitter.com/Eckstein_Bikes…

— Eckstein Bikes (@Eckstein_Bikes) May 8, 2013

Clint Loper (Walk.Bike.Schools co-founder, Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board member, father of Bryant and Eckstein Middle School students, and husband to The Bike Fairy) was handing out these smiley bike pins. (The eyes are the wheels, get it?)

A gaggle of bikers walks their rides through the crosswalk at NE 70th St and 35th Ave NE.

KOMO TV morning photographer Fred Veinfurt let a few kids check out his camera gear while he was on scene with reporter Kelly Koopmans. Here’s Fred and his “students” from another angle:

@photogfredkomo showing the kiddos what it’s like to be a big time photographer #liveonkomo twitter.com/KellyKOMO4/sta…

— Kelly Koopmans (@KellyKOMO4) May 8, 2013

Many of the kid’s bikes were decorated. This one is even sporting a Seattle Children’s Bike to Work Month seat cover.

GIRLS RULE indeed.

Another view from the NE 70th Street side of Top Pot, as the crowd swelled (in numbers and with doughnuts consumed).

Here, Clint Loper (in black, with the bullhorn) thanks Bike to Bryant attendees for coming, and Top Pot Doughnuts for supporting the cause.

Seattle Bike Blog‘s Tom Fucoloro (center) interviews Car Free Days‘ Anne King (right) while Robyn Ellis (behind the camera) records the conversation.

Members of the Seattle Police Department line 35th Avenue NE and look for the start of the ride.

The front row of riders get a briefing just before heading out onto 35th Avenue NE. Cascade Bicycle Club Education Director Julie Salathé is in the yellow jacket at right.

A *lot* of riders, no?! For contrast, here is the first Bike to Bryant Donut ride:

Bike2Bryant 1st Donut Ride, 2008. bit.ly/16Yi1nk Today we will ride with Jose Banda & 100+ kids & parents. #SEAbikes @oninformation

— Anne K (@annesavvy) May 8, 2013

And they’re off! Banda and The Bike Fairy lead the way.

A number of Cascade Bicycle Club members were along for the ride, wearing red, white and black wool cycling shirts. The rider on the yellow bike here happens to be Kathy McCabe, Deputy Director of the Cascade Bicycle Club.

Cyclists of all ages and sizes, heading to school.

No worries: Her dad had the other wheel. (Two unicyclers in the family!)

Cyclists fill the streets while the media lines the sidewalks.

The Seattle Bike Blog people-powered news van on its way to the rally.

Back of the pack. Clint, armed with his cowbell, is on the far left.

And Michele Solis and her moving sculpture-style ride brought up the rear.

The Cascade Bicycle Club has a video of the start of the ride, as well as a sped-up version of the route to school:

One the primary school peloton arrived at Bryant Elementary, everyone cruised around to the playground behind the school for the Bike to School Day rally.

Ready to ring, or tweet, at a moment’s notice.

Bryant Elementary School Principal Kim Fox addresses her students.

Cascade Bicycle Club recorded Superintendent Banda’s speech, and you can view it below:

This is Brian Dougherty, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator with the Seattle Department of Transportation, dressed for the occasion.

Here, a KIRO TV photojournalist gets an exclusive with The Bike Fairy.

I took a picture of this balance bike, thinking it was an ancient family heirloom. Talking to the family that owns it revealed that the bike was only about two years old — it gets USED.

Councilmember Sally Bagshaw spoke to the crowd as well.

And here’s Seattle School Board President Kay Smith-Blum speaking to the kids from the podium, the younger ladies literally hanging on her every word.

Shots from the PACKED bike racks behind Bryant.

Who doesn’t love a miniature vanity license plate?

Tim King of Bike Free Days tallied the kid’s bikes at the end of the ride:

That’s a whole lotta kids’ bikes! #seabikes #bike2schoolday #bike2bryant twitter.com/oninformation/…

— Tim K / Carfreedays (@oninformation) May 8, 2013

UPDATE (Thursday, May 9): Here’s Q13FOX’s coverage of the event (not embedded here due to its autoplay feature).

And here is the video of the event that the Seattle Bike Blog put together. Includes an interview with Car Free Days’ Anne King:

And here’s KIRO TV’s coverage, including the video of the event once it reached Bryant Elementary:

Filed Under: Bryant, Bryant Elementary School, City Council, Civic Envolvement, Events, Families, Food, Kids, Photos, Ravenna, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Police Department, Updates, Video, Wedgwood

Children’s Home Society land FOR SALE: 3.7 acres on NE 65th St could be yours

May 2, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 16 Comments

The Ravenna-Bryant Community Association (RBCA) posted on their website today information about the sale of the Children’s Home Society of Washington (CHSW) property at 3300 NE 65th St.

View Children’s Home Society of Washington land for sale in a larger map

CHSW owns the entire block of 3300 NE 65th St, which neighbors the private Catholic school Assumption-St. Bridget, the Bryant Corner Cafe, the Northeast Branch of the Seattle Public Library, and lots of single family housing.

Offers on the property are due by Friday, May 17. A source of ours said that CHSW expects to raise $12-15 million dollars from the sale.

From the offering memorandum (PDF):

The Property encompasses the entire city block bounded by NE 65th Street, NE 68th Street, 32nd Avenue NE and 34th Avenue NE in Seattle’s Ravenna-Bryant neighborhood. The Site totals 3.7 acres and has seven existing buildings. The Site has been home to CHSW for over 100 years, receiving its first intake of children in 1908 when the area was still a woodsy exurb of bustling Seattle. Since the closure of the Cobb Center for Youth in 2010, the Site has been used by CHSW solely as administrative office space. CHSW currently operates out of the office building on the south end of the property and one of the cottage buildings. The two remaining cottage buildings are currently unoccupied.

The property carries three different zoning designations across its length: NC 1-30, LR-2, and SF-5000. (More information on what these zoning classifications mean here.)

At the RBCA’s next board meeting on Tuesday, May 7, the sale of the property will be discussed. All residents are welcome to attend.

According to HistoryLink.org, “[t]he National Children’s Home Society was formed in Illinois in 1883 on the new idea of placing orphaned children for adoption in family foster homes rather than in orphanages.” Reverend Harrison D. Brown and his wife Libbie Beach Brown, who first oversaw the society’s work in Oregon, built a small receiving home in Green Lake in 1899. After it was destroyed in a fire in 1905, a new building was constructed in Ravenna, on donated land. Brown Hall (named for the Reverend) stood from 1907 until it was demolished in the 1970s to make way for more modern facilities.

Filed Under: Assumption-St. Bridget, Bryant, Businesses, History, Meeting, Northeast Branch, Ravenna, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Real Estate

“Tragedy of the preventable kind” — Schulte siblings and Harborview doctors speak to the press (UPDATE)

April 30, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

Members of the media clustered around Dr. Francois Aspesberro, Marilyn Schulte, and Dan Schulte (left to right) at today’s press conference at Seattle Children’s.

At Seattle Children’s Hospital this morning, members of the Schulte family spoke to the media about the current medical conditions of Karina Ulriksen-Schulte and Baby Elias, the survivors of the DUI-related tragedy that occurred at 33rd Avenue NE and NE 75th Street on Monday, March 25.

Dan Schulte, husband of Karina and father of Elias, was joined by his sister, Marilyn, and two of the doctors involved in the care of Karina and Elias.

Dan and Marilyn’s parents, Judy and Dennis Schulte, died at the scene.

While the community has been able to follow medical updates on Karina and Elias’ conditions on their CaringBridge site, this is the first time that detailed medical information on the pair has been released.

UPDATE (5:51 PM): KIRO 7 has kindly made their footage of the entire press conference available (Flash player required):

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Chef Lisa Nakamura asks us to Spread the Bucky (book signings)

April 22, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

Lisa Nakamura is local. So local, in fact, that she has two homes: One in the Sand Point area, with her husband, and another in the San Juan Islands, where Nakamura owns a restaurant (Allium on Orcas) and an ice cream shop (Lily).

Both Allium and Lily feature as local of food and ingredients as possible, like Allium Blend coffee from Local Goods Coffee roasters, greens from Maple Rock Farm, ice cream from Lopez Island Creamery.

But being part of a community, especially one as small and close-knit as those on the San Juans, means even more than just “Buy Local.”

It also means “Care Local.”

Lisa Nakamura (taken outside local coffee shop University Zoka)

In 2012, Nakamura published a little book about a dollar bill named Bucky (illustrated by graphic designer/illustrator/foodwriter/photographer Denise Sakaki). Bucky gets passed around in a local economy, and in the process does a LOT of helping: He’s used to by a book for a construction worker, groceries for a bookstore owner, and fulfill the dream of owning a day care for one couple receiving him (and other Buckys) as a micro loan. He travels the world for 14 years helping many, many people, all the while still being a humble dollar bill.

Why did a chef write a book about a dollar bill? Nakamura discusses the answer to that question on her blog, in a post where she recalls a local woman coming into her restaurant and asking for a job — NEEDING a job — when no job was available to give.

If you think you’re doing better [than this local woman] , that it’s all going to be great, think again. Your neighbors are still struggling. That trip to the locally owned store, the extra dollar you tip your server, the vegetables you buy from the farmer in the field, that’s what my book is all about.

You make a reservation and you no-show? Guess what? You just cost a small business money in labor and time. That server that was hoping for a good table and a good tip will now have to figure out some other way to make rent, to make ends meet. You decide to save a couple of dollars by shopping at a big chain store instead of the mom and pop one down the street? When that small store shuts down, you can take responsibility for it, because you helped its demise along.

Would you rather save a few bucks, and watch your local neighborhood wither away, struggle and scrape? Or would you rather spend with more thought and consideration, and watch your community flourish?

All our Buckies add up. Each one has its own story, as do the people we pass them to. Keep the cycle going.

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Nakamura will be selling and signing copies of her book, “Bucky the Dollar Bill,” at the University Village Bartell Drugs (2700 NE University Village St) today, from 3:30-5:30 PM. She’ll also be signing at the Bellevue Village Bartell Drugs (10116 NE 8th St, Bellevue) on Tuesday the 23rd, also from 3:30-5:30 PM.

One buck from each “Bucky” sale goes to support the Orcas Island Family Health Care Center, a non-profit rural health center providing access to primary healthcare and related medical services to island residents regardless of their ability to pay.

Filed Under: Events, Fundraiser, Northeast Seattle, Restaurants, University Village

“Get Your Bloom On” at the Olympic View Plant Sale

April 22, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 1 Comment

The 12th Annual Olympic View Elementary School Plant Sale is happening this Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27, from 9 AM-7 PM each day.

“Get growing with vegetable and fruit starts, herbs, flowering annuals, premium perennials, pottery, garden art, and more!”

All proceeds directly benefit the students of Olympic View Elementary (located at 509 NE 95th Street just south of Northgate Mall).

Special events on Saturday include crafts for kids (11 AM – 2 PM) and Peaks Frozen Custard (from noon – 5 PM)

Filed Under: Events, Families, Food, Fundraiser, Kids, Maple Leaf, Northeast Seattle, Public Schools

Flashing school zone beacons going up on NE 75th Street (UPDATE)

April 18, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 2 Comments

This morning, a crew of three Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) workers started installing the first of two flashing school zone beacons on NE 75th Street.

We were told by a crew member that both beacons, one on either side of Eckstein Middle School, would be installed by tomorrow, Friday, April 5.

Once the beacons are in, the next step is for Seattle City Light to hook them up to power.

These flashing school zone beacons are one of the first projects listed by SDOT as planned improvements to NE 75th Street.

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Thank you to the Wedgwood Community Council, who spotted the work happening this morning and spread the word on twitter.

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UPDATE (Monday, April 22): On Friday, April 19, we got word from Seattle City Light’s Scott Thomsen that a crew had connected the east beacon that morning already, but would be back around 1 PM to connect the other.

With that notice, the entire Ravenna Blog newsroom sped up the hill, in the rain, to catch the crew at their work…only to reach them just as they were pulling away!

That was fast.

Now that spring break is over for Seattle students, we’re looking into whether the beacons have been in use yet or not. We’ll update this post again when we know for sure.

Filed Under: Eckstein Middle School, Photos, Ravenna, Seattle City Light, Seattle Department of Transportation, Wedgwood

A Ravenna resident’s perspective on NE 75th Street

April 14, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 18 Comments

On Wednesday, March 27, Ravenna resident Megan Watzke shared her thoughts on NE 75th Street with members of the NE Seattle Moms Yahoo Group (a private Yahoo group of which I am a member [added April 26 for clarification]).

After I read her words, I thought the community-at-large might like to read them as well. Watzke agreed, and here they are:

My feelings about this are very strong because my partner and I live with our three small children in our house that has its side facing NE 75th St, but I will try to be as objective as possible in my comments.

In the past year, I have contacted SDOT, the Mayor’s Office, and the offices of the members of the Seattle City Council who serve on the transportation committee regarding 75th. It’s no secret to those of us who live near this street – or those who even travel on it occasionally – that people drive recklessly and dangerously on this road.

The response from SDOT has been, at best, muted. They claim that it is technically wide enough to be a 4-lane road. They also claim that recent studies do not show a problem with speeding on 75th. Without this proof, there is little, the officials I spoke to say, that can be done.

If you have ever walked along 75th or even poked your car out slightly to make a turn onto it, you will have experienced how dangerous it is to have four lanes of traffic on the road. The cars traveling closest to the sidewalk are often just inches away from the parking strip or curb. While this is anecdotal, cars often seem to be traveling much faster than the unmarked speed of 30 mph.

My feeling is that one of the worst aspects of 75th – in particular the stretch between 35th Ave NE and 12th Ave NE – is that it is unclear whether the road supports one or two lanes of traffic in each direction. This leads to confusion and bad driving, with people passing on the right, weaving in and out of the “lanes,” and more. This ambiguity is dangerous and maybe, as we have all heard about tragically in the past couple of days, even deadly.

SDOT claims that 75th needs to be the way it is for the exodus of UW football games. I don’t believe that this reason – that only applies to a handful of Saturdays each fall — warrants keeping the status quo. They also claim that it is understood that arterial roads have a speed limit of 30 mph. I would bet significant money that most drivers who use this road would *not* know this.

At the bare minimum, I feel there should be lane markers to designate the supposed two lanes of traffic. Better yet, let there be a dedicated and painted bike lane and a parking lane as there is on stretches of NE 65th St and other nearby roads. Undoubtedly, there are other traffic solutions to correct the situation on 75th that a professional traffic engineer could provide. The important thing is that something needs to be done.

I hope that the city takes some sort of action as soon as possible. I ask that each of you who feels like this road is unsafe takes the time to make a phone or write an email to SDOT and/or the Mayor’s Office to encourage this to happen. My partner and I have taken to parking our car on 75th when the parking restrictions allow it to force cars into one lane. While this makes us feel mildly better, it certainly does not fix the problem. Until the city does something, consider parking your car there as well when possible. Ask your neighbors to do the same if you live nearby.

I love living in NE Seattle. It is a wonderful and welcoming community. We knew we were signing up to live on a busy road when we bought the house. We accept this as part of living in a rich urban environment. I do not, however, accept living on a dangerous and now fatal road. Please join me in demanding some sort of change so that we may all have a safer neighborhood for everyone.

Best regards,
Megan Watzke (and Kristin Crymes)

Megan Watzke, her partner, Kristin Crymes, and their three children live in North Ravenna. Watzke is the press officer for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the co-author of “A Ticket to the Universe: A Guide to Exploring the Cosmos.” (She happens to be doing an author event at Ravenna Third Place Books on Thursday, April 25.)

Watzke and Crymes have started a “Make NE 75th St Safe” Facebook page to help gather people interested in the cause.

And don’t forget: There are three community meetings about NE 75th Street coming up where residents can share their frustrations about and ideas for the arterial, as well as discuss these issues with SDOT staff.

Filed Under: Ravenna, Traffic

Lightning, thunder, hail, and power outages: Happy Saturday!

April 13, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 1 Comment

Saturday afternoon started off exciting enough: Lots of rain. Lightning and thunder starting around 4:40 PM. Then some hail. LOTS of hail in some places.

This is from Ballard:

https://twitter.com/brucenourish/status/323222228542042112

Then the power outage reports started coming in. The first report of lights out came in at 5:53 PM, from Wallyhood:

Power outage along 45th. Traffic signals are dark.

— Wallyhood Seattle (@wallyhood) April 14, 2013

Lower Wallingford. Then SE Green Lake. Eastlake. Montlake. Ravenna and NE 65th Street. South University District.

When the Seattle City Light Outage Map finally updated, things looked like this:

Screen grab of the Seattle City Lights outage page, taken around 7 PM. Service to Green Lake and Montlake had already been restored, but nearly 15,000 other customers were still affected.

Here’s the Seattle City Light twitter feed, with the details:

Power outage in the UDist affecting about 10,000 customers caused by an equipment failure at Univ. Substation.

— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) April 14, 2013

Crews are working to restore power in the University District. Initial estimate for full restoration set for 1 a.m.

— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) April 14, 2013

@wdzimmy Thanks Drew.

— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) April 14, 2013

Cause of equipment failure at University Substation was a lighting strike. Damage took down the entire substation.

— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) April 14, 2013

Repair crews are bringing large "feeder" power lines back to service. As neighborhoods are energized, some localized problems could occur.

— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) April 14, 2013

Here's a look at the damage where the lightning strike hit at University Substation. pic.twitter.com/JmlIkSFd0r

— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) April 14, 2013

And as now (7:30 PM), power is coming back in some of the affected areas.

Quite a day. A good day to be paying attention to Twitter:

@lauralambeth @mcmahonuw @SEACityLight Ha ha! Right on. It's all cats and pictures of food, until the power goes out.

— Ravenna Blog (@RavennaBlog) April 14, 2013

Oh yeah. And apparently there was a car on fire at the Roosevelt Whole Foods:

Power out, cars are blowing up outside of Whole Foods, and it’s hailing in Seattle. This might be the end of it all, folks…

— Drew Zimmerman (@wdzimmy) April 14, 2013

Filed Under: Northeast Seattle, Power Outage, Seattle City Light

Your Moment of Ravenna Zen: Stylish Stone People

April 13, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 3 Comments

stone_people_20th

On the east side of 20th Avenue NE, between the Ravenna Park Bridge and NE 65th Street, lives a stone family. They like to dress up when the weather is good. Who doesn’t?!

Do YOU have a Moment of Ravenna Zen to share? Email rebecca@ravennablog.com, or use our handy dandy comment form to tell us about it.

Filed Under: Moment of Ravenna Zen, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Zen

Wedgwood Community Council meeting – Safer Streets for All (LIVE COVERAGE)

Bike-to-School Day ride and rally at Bryant Elementary (UPDATES, VIDEO)