This is a good opportunity to weigh in on the Comcast franchise renewal. It will be in our neighborhood ThursdayApril 24 from 6:30-8:00 pm at Northgate Community Center. This could include whatever feedback you want including the customer service and quality, cable channels, Internet bundles, protecting privacy, or public benefits such as senior and low income discounts. There are a lot of technical rules that are involved in what is actually in scope for the final proposal but I think general feedback on everything (including the many concerns I’ve heard about our Internet access) would all be helpful.
We want to hear from you! The City of Seattle is preparing for the renewal of Comcast’s cable franchise. A key part of this process is gathering input from Seattle residents. The current franchise expires in January 2016 and a new one could last as long as 10-years, which means through the year 2026!
Community input helps determine the types of future needs and interests the City should try to address in the new franchise.There are several ways you can provide input.
Attend an upcoming community meeting:
WEST Seattle: Wednesday April 23, 2014 ~ 6:00-7:30 pm
High Point Community Center, 6920 34th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126
NORTH Seattle: Thursday April 24, 2014 ~ 6:30-8:00 pm
Northgate Community Center, 10510 5th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125
SOUTH Seattle: Wednesday May 7, 2014 ~ 6:30-8:00 pm
Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave So, Seattle, WA 98118
CENTRAL Seattle: Tuesday May 13, 2014 ~ 6:30-8:00 pm
Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
For more information on this renewal process, including any additional community meetings to be schedule through the month of June, visit the City’s renewal website at www.seattle.gov/cable/franchiserenewal
by Cynthia Lee Riskin
Master of Environmental Horticulture
Ranunculus repens. (C)2004 by Ben Legler
According to folklore, if you hold a buttercup against your neck under a full moon, you’ll lose your sanity. If that doesn’t send you over the edge, just watching “crazyweed” take over your yard might do the trick. With the ground sodden with this week’s rains, however, we have a chance to regain some mental health.
Of the dozen or so buttercup species in our area, only creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) and tall buttercup (Ranunculus acris) are nonnative, from Europe. Both have hairy, jagged leaves and disarmingly cute yellow flowers. Creeping buttercup usually spreads along the ground, although it can reach 2 feet if not mowed—whereas tall buttercup grows erect to 3 feet. Both evergreens spread by vigorous root systems and produce copious seeds, which can sprout up to 20 or even 80 years after they’re deposited. Creeping buttercups outnumber all the rest of the buttercups together.
All buttercups are toxic, containing protoanemonin, which can irritate skin and mucosa, causing itching, blistering, and rashes. Tall buttercup is more poisonous than the creeping species. In humans and other animals—such as goats, pigs, poultry, dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs—symptoms of buttercup poisoning include drooling, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and, rarely, kidney damage or seizures. Because protoanemonin is irritating and bitter, however, most creatures avoid eating them.
King County recommends preventing their spread into uninfested and natural areas. Homeowners and renters might want to get rid of them in any case. Their presence generally indicates poorly drained, acidic, wet, and/or compacted soils with low fertility. Improving drainage, fertilizing, aerating, and then overseeding with turfgrasses, planting dense groundcovers, or mulching heavily can help. Applying lime to make soils less acidic can discourage new infestations but won’t get rid of established plants. Neither will mowing, although mowing to the correct height for your grass type and cleaning seeds off your lawnmower before moving to a new spot can stymie spreading.
When the soil is wet or the infestation large, however, the shovel is the best tool for the job. Saturated soils more-easily release the tenacious roots. Digging when the soil is dry merely breaks up the roots and stems, generating new plants.
For approximate pronunciations, click the audio files.
Photo by Ben Legler (C)2004.
Selected Sources
Ace, D. L., L. J. Hutchinson, and G. F. W. Haenlein. No date. Poisonous Plants, Extension Goat Handbook. Contributed by National Agricultural Library. http://netvet.wustl.edu/species/goats/goatpois.txt.
Jacobs, J., M. Graves, and J. Mangold. 2010. Plant guide for tall buttercup (Ranunculus acris L.) USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Montana State Office. Bozeman, Montana. http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_raac3.pdf.
Jacobson, A.L. 2008. Wild plants of greater Seattle, 2nd edition. Seattle, WA: Arthur Lee Jacobson. Print.
[USDA] United States Department of Agriculture ([Date unknown]) Conservation plant characteristics: Ranunculus repens L. [NRCS] Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plants Database. http://plants.usda.gov/java/charProfile?symbol=RARE3.
(C)2014 Cynthia Lee Riskin, all rights reserved in all formats everywhere.
There will be a candlelight vigil for Sandhya Khadka tomorrow night, Thursday, at 7:30 pm at the intersection of NE 115th and 5th Ave NE in Pinehurst. Sandhya was killed Monday morning at 8:20 am as she was hit by a truck while crossing 5th Ave NE on her way to catch the 41 bus to get to work and school at North Seattle Community College.
Sandhya was 17-years old and was the only child of her parents. Her father, Sahadev Khadka, lives in Seattle and her mother is in Nepal. Sandhya left Nepal in the past year to come to Seattle to join her father and to attend school. Her dream was to become an accountant. Her passing is greatly mourned by all who knew her.
Sandhya’s family will have some extra candles, but encourage those who join them to bring candles with them. They hope to honor Sandhya and to “create awareness so that no other young person has to die again.”
Pinehurst Community Council participates in the City’s Adopt-A-Street program. We’ve adopted these streets for occasional litter pickup:
Pinehurst Way NE - from Roosevelt Way NE to NE 125th St
NE 115th St – from 20th Ave NE to Pinehurst Way NE
Our next work party will be Sunday, April 20 at 9 a.m. So if you want an Easter alternative, or a feel-good activity before Easter festivities, join us! It takes about two hours. We have grabbers, safety vests, brooms and a sharps container. You bring work gloves. If you are interested in helping, please email nancy@pinehurstseattle.org.
We’ll meet at the northeast corner of Pinehurst Way and NE 115th St, rain or shine.
This is a fun event – we work in pairs and have good laughs over some of the stuff we put in our garbage bags. And it’s always nice when a neighbor honks or gives us a thumbs-up for our efforts!
Our commitment is for four cleanup events a year, but volunteering for this event does NOT commit you to future work parties.
If you participate, you’ll sign a volunteer sign-in sheet that gives you insurance coverage during the event. I’ll go over safety precautions with everyone before we start.
The Seattle School District is requesting a waiver (departure) from some City zoning regulations for the construction of a new Jane Addams K-8 @ Pinehurst. The District plans to demolish the existing school and construct a new Kindergarten thru 8th grade including gym/commons, library, administrative offices, classrooms and other learning areas at 11530 12th Avenue. The School District is requesting modifications for increase lot coverage, greater than allowed height, less than required on-site parking spaces and on-street bus loading. The process for considering this request includes hearings before an advisory committee composed of neighbors and School District and City representatives.
The Committee was formed and is in the process of gathering and evaluating public comment on the departure request. The Committee can recommend waiver (departure) from some regulations and any relevant conditions to be applied to minimize its impacts on the surrounding neighborhood, or recommend denial. The Committee previously held a meeting in March and determined that a second meeting would be helpful prior to their making its recommendation.
The Committee will hold its second public meeting Monday April 28, 6:30 pm, Pinehurst School library, 11530 12th Ave NE.
The meeting will include a brief presentation on the requested modifications to development standards (zoning) that have been requested and information in response to questions that were raised at the previous meeting. The public is invited to make comments at the meeting.
Written comments may also be submitted to:
Steve Sheppard
Department of Neighborhoods
700 5th Avenue, Suite 1700
P.O. Box 94649
Seattle, WA 98124-4649
For more information, call:
Steve Sheppard at 206-684-0302, or e-mail steve.sheppard@seattle.gov
At this month’s meeting the Captain handed out compilations of the responses to his question ‘what are your public safety fears?’. We will study them and devote the May meeting to discussing them with the Captain instead of having a guest speaker.
Our new Crime Prevention Coordinator, Elizabeth Scott, elizabeth.scott@seattle.gov, 206-684-7711, has begun work. She was formerly an administrator for the Bomb Squad and the Police Officers’ Guild. Next meeting we will be discussing community needs with her. Soon she will be up and running to help us set up block watches, do home security audits, speak at community council meetings, etc.
Crime is still decreasing. Below are some year-to-date statistics. There are more in the meeting minutes.
Residential burglary down 11%
Robbery down 34%
Car prowl down double digits
Car theft UP 33% (the current average is 145 per month in the North Precinct)
Saturday, April 5th 9:00 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M. SEATTLE CENTER, EXHIBITION HALL
I thought this had already been posted but I seem to have missed it. But hopefully you’ve seen some of the many posts and emails in other places. There are a lot more details below but it should be a fun event if you’re interested in neighborhoods, community, or larger Seattle issues.
Diane Douglas from CityClub will discuss the recently released Seattle Civic Health Index report. The report finds Seattle’s civic health to be excellent, but there are key areas where we can improve, specifically in connection and trust.
We will touch upon how we organize as a community and as a city. Every community in the city mobilizes differently and for different reasons. With the recently passed district elections, community organization and government will look different.
Infrastructure is an issue of city-wide interest. Share your thoughts on transportation as we embark on a search for a new Director for the Seattle Department of Transportation. Participate in a community discussion about the transportation needs of the city.
Curbside Consulting: Access city resources in real time. Sit down at a staffed table and sign up for services such as utility discount programs, small sparks grants, or get a library card right then and there.
Peer Networking: Connect to one another. Our residents are resourceful and are valuable resources. These small break-out sessions are focused on talking and teaching, listening and learning,
Department Representatives: Share your thoughts and ask questions of staff from city departments.
Getting social: Demonstrations of social media and technology that allow people to participate in new ways.
This month Racheul is celebrating spring with her sunny bird art at the Pocket Park. She made the drawing at last year’s Pinehurstfest. Go see it in person! The park is at NE 117th St & 19th Ave NE. Thanks, Racheul – it looks great in the kiosk!
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.
