|
||||||
 Photo: NY Times I grew up in the rust belt of the Midwest in a once great industrial town that barely exists anymore. Some of my family and friends still live there. A small group of them practice what they have called “guerrilla gardening.” They plant gardens in empty lots where houses have been torn down (or burned down). There is an article in the New York Times Magazine this week on Guerrilla Gardening that reminded me of the strories I have heard from my hometown. Parks and Green Spaces Levy Committee Public Testimony: Visit the Seattle City Council’s web site for more information on the committee’s preliminary proposals: http://www.seattle.gov/council/
Seattle is considering building a municipal jail because it will lose all of its misdemeanor jail beds when its nonrenewable contract with King County ends in four-and-a-half years. Because of space constraints in existing County facilities in downtown Seattle and Kent, King County is requiring that Seattle and the other cities end their use of the County jail for city misdemeanants by Dec. 31, 2012. The city has identified four sites that might house a low-rise jail:
The City has planned public forums to provide information and hear feedback about possible sites for a new Seattle Municipal Jail. The forum regarding the possible Haller Lake site will be held: Saturday, July 12th In addition to the public forums, the city will conduct two meetings in August focused specifically on potential environmental impacts. Those meetings will be part of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Environmental Impact Statement process. The city will announce the dates and locations for the SEPA forums once they have been scheduled. For more information, visit the city’s municipal jail Web site.  Justice Centre Leoben – an example of a well designed jail
We set up a Google Group for people interested in the proposed Jackson Park Walking and Biking Trail. You can stay up to date on what is happening, ask questions, discuss the project with others and make recommendations about the project. Anyone can read or join the group. Simply go to: http://groups.google.com/group/friends-of-jackson-park-trail
Supports of Jackson Park Trail – I learned that Council and the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Committee needs to hear from us if we want Jackson Park Trail to make it to be seriously considered for inclusion in the proposed Green Legacy Levy. If you could take a moment and e-mail: tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov Here is a sample of what you might say: Jackson Park is virtually the only major open space in the far north end of Seattle, and it is almost entirely dedicated to a single purpose – golf. The value of the park could be magnified significantly by developing a walking and biking trail around the perimeter of the golf course. Any development of a trail would, of course, need to be done in an ecologically sensitive and accessible way. We understand that there are recent local examples of this where a permeable surface is used for the walkway. A Jackson Park Walking and Biking Trail would be an important project for our community for a number of reasons: nearby neighborhoods (single family, multifamily, senior housing and public housing) do not have sidewalks and a trail would give residents a safe place for walking and biking; Jackson Park is a large and ecologically rich part of our greater neighborhood and is virtually not used by residents; and, many neighbors currently drive to Greenlake and Magnuson for safe places to walk and bike. This would eliminate those car trips. Our community is economically and socially diverse. Especially compared with much of the rest of North Seattle, we have a large immigrant population and a large low income population in our neighborhood. We also have a significant senior population who is very excited to have a safe place to walk. Please make trails and connections projects a greater component within the proposed Parks and Green Spaces Levy. Trails and connections projects have a positive impact on our community by promoting community health and they have a positive impact on sustainability and climate change. In addition, trails and connections projects help to open the window wider to get future trails/green connection projects integrated into our city. Please support inclusion of a Jackson Park Walking and Biking Trail in the proposed Parks and Green Spaces Levy. Thank you so much for all you are doing to make this trail a reality for our community! Some readers may remember a post last year about Aaron Bert. Aaron lived in Pinehurst and worked at Seattle Parks Department. He also has two young children. He had previously served in Iraq and was called up to serve again in Afghanistan. Aaron set up a blog to chronicle his journey to Afghanistan. It is an inspirational – and moving blog. Since he arrived in Afghanistan, the Seattle Times now publishes his blog as The Other War. In his most recent post, Aaron asks for donations of shoes and socks for children:
In a land filled with immense suffering and poverty, I have come to believe little gestures of support can make a world of difference.
Little feet need little shoes and from the two pictures included with this entry, you can see how even without shoes the boys have smiles on their faces-but picture how big those smiles would be if those little feet were in shoes!
Through the generous efforts and gifts from employees at the City of Seattle, a 1000 pair of little shoes will be making their way to me in Afghanistan and then to children who need them so desperately.
I am appealing to your desire to make a difference, if you can spare one pair of shoes and a pair of socks, it would mean so much to the little feet of Afghanistan.
If you would like to donate, athletic footwear is especially appreciated. Shoes and socks are needed for children of all ages.
If you can get donations to me (I can pick them up from you, also) by June 20th, I will get them to the group who is coordinating shipping of the shoes to Afghanistan. If this time frame does not work for you, you can contact afghanshoedrive@gmail.com directly.
Thank you for considering this. And, even if you are not able to make a donation, take a minute to read Aaron’s blog. It puts a different perspective on life.
You may have heard that Seattle is looking at sites for building a new Seattle Municipal Jail. By 1/1/2013, King County will no longer hold Seattle misdemeanor offenders at King County Jail. However, King County Jail will continue to hold Seattle felony offenders. This means that Seattle must either partner with other cities to share a jail, or Seattle must build its own jail. There are four sites being considered in Seattle should Seattle decide to build its own jail. One of these possible sites is the Puetz Golf Course in Haller Lake. You can find more information on the public outreach process here. There will be public meetings announced soon. And, you can find more information about the project in general here. Here are all of the North District (including Pinehurst) projects that we are advocating for as part of the Safe Walks North District efforts. (We updated the link and data on 6/1/08.) Also, we have set up a Google Group for Safe Walks at http://groups.google.com/group/safe-walks. What is this all about?   (You can play a little find Waldo – I am in two of the above photos and my car is in another. Also, Greg Nickels is sitting next to Ron Sims in one of the photos.)
 Transportation is one of the city’s biggest sources of climate pollution, and with summer around the corner and gas prices climbing, there’s no better time to leave the car by the curb and choose a better way to go. Everyone can do something – whether it’s selling your car or just cutting a few car trips a week. Get discounts at your favorite recreational destinations, have your own neighborhood event to fight global warming, or head to your favorite summer gathering by walking, biking, taking the bus or sharing the ride. Find out how you can get involved, by visiting http://www.seattlecan.org/ |
 
|
|||||
|
Copyright © 2020 Pinehurst Seattle - All Rights Reserved Hosted by VPSLink.com Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
||||||
