Construction fencing is in place and the contractor, Orca Pacific, will use the pathway along the shoreline of Lincoln Park to move all materials and equipment associated with the project. The path to the pool will be busy with construction related traffic each weekday from 6:00 am. to 5:00 pm, with possible work on weekends, through June 30, 2012. The contractor will be in control of this traffic and will maintain a high degree of awareness and customer service at all times.

The current phase of work addresses a variety of much needed large scale repairs, including replacement of part of the pool deck, pool gutters, and upper section of the pool shell. The contractor will also install a new plaster lining to increase the life expectancy of this gem.

After opening in 1941, Colman Pool has seen various improvements over the years; the last major renovation took place 20 years ago. It is Seattle’s only outdoor saltwater pool and a truly unique asset Seattle’s park system, and these investments will ensure it is available for the next generation of Seattle youth and adults.

For more information, please visit http://seattle.gov/parks/maintenance/colman_pool_renovations.htm or contact Garrett Farrell, Project Manager, at 206-233-7921 or garrett.farrell@seattle.gov. For after hours issues or emergencies, please contact the Parks Duty Officer at pager number 206- 982-4583.

Metro will be hosting a number of public meetings, community partner conversations, and information tables in many communities, including Burien, West Seattle, White Center, South Park, Beacon Hill, Madrona, the Central District, Southeast Seattle, the University District, South Lake Union, Ballard, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, and Green Lake.

Details about the proposed routing changes and a survey will be available online after Feb. 1 at www.kingcounty.gov/metro/haveasay.

Public meetings

Please join Metro for one of these open houses.

• February 13 – Ballard (Ballard High School, 1418 NW 65th St, Seattle, 6-8 pm)
• February  15 – West Seattle (Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Ave SW, Seattle, 6-8 pm)
• February 16 – Delridge/White Center (Chief Sealth High School, 2600 SW Thistle St, Seattle, 6-8 pm)
• February 21 – Downtown Seattle (Union Station, 401 S Jackson St, Seattle, 12-2 pm)
• February 23 – Queen Anne (Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 1st Ave W, Seattle, 6-8 pm)
• February 27 – Central Area/Mt Baker (Washington Middle School, 2101 S Jackson St, Seattle, 6-8 pm)

Eligible Safe Routes projects are those within two-miles of primary and middle schools (grades K-8), and that address engineering solutions, educational and encouragement programs, and law enforcement efforts. Review criteria for the applications are also based on project readiness and need or potential impact.

More detailed information about the grant program and the application process is available on WSDOT’s website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/LocalPrograms/SafeRoutes/CallForProjects. Applications for Safe Routes to School project grants are due to WSDOT on May 4, 2012.

To learn more about the program, a Safe Routes to School Overview Webinar has been scheduled for March 1st from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. To register go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/525058344. For more information, or if you do not have the capacity to participate on a webinar, please contact Charlotte Claybrooke at 360-705-7302.

Our schedule for the Winter 2012 is:

• February 5 – drop by – it’s s’posed to be Sunny!!
• February 19 (demo day)
• March 4
• March 18 (demo day)

The second tabling each month is where we host demonstrations using tools from the Tool Library.   We also have the new West Seattle Walking Trails map and more Central District maps.

We’re here to help you with your questions about being more sustainable, about being a bit more green, and we’re here to take your left-over or under-used tools for the West Seattle Tool Library.

We also have the latest information on the many projects SWS members are involved with, including Permaculture and the Sustainable Film Series.  Concerned about earthquakes?  We have information on Emergency Preparedness here in West Seattle, as well as other community info from partners like CoolMom.

We’re tabling at the Farmers Market and working with the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance folks to keep a non-profit and green presence in the Market area.

If anyone is interested in tabling, drop by and leave your name and contact information and we’ll be happy to schedule you for a shift.  This is a great way to meet your fellow West Seattleites and a great way to make a better acquaintance with the farmers and producers who help keep the West Seattle Farmers Market such a great place to shop healthy and local.

Aging and Disability Services, a division of the Seattle Human Services Department, collaborated with the city’s Department of Information Technology to promote walking organizations, events, and resources for older adults. The page includes links to local walks and hikes, neighborhood walking maps, and volunteer opportunities like shelter dog walking as well as a selection of 5Ks and 10Ks by month.

“As part of Encore, Seattle’s Web portal for people age 50+, the walking campaign is meant to encourage older people to get moving and stay connected,” said Rosemary Cunningham, interim Aging and Disability Services director. “But all ages can use this site. The sooner someone gets into a walking habit, the healthier they’ll be when they get older.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33.8 percent of U.S. adults and 17 percent of children and youth are obese, a growing trend. In King County, 54 percent of adults are overweight or obese, 20 percent are obese, and 5.4 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes.

“The benefits of physical activity are well-documented,” said Cunningham. “You can control your weight, strengthen your bones and muscles, reduce your risk of chronic disease and some cancers, improve your mental health, prevent falls, and increase your chances of living longer. And walking is a level playing field—people can walk regardless of income and any extra walking is beneficial.”

Aging and Disability Services and the Seattle Department of Information Technology created Encore three years ago to give boomers 24/7 access to information about programs and services that interest them, both within city departments and the community at large. The portal provides older adults with access to thousands of resources, under broad headings such as Work & Money, Arts & Recreation, and Health & Fitness. For more information, visit www.seattle.gov/encore.

Aging and Disability Services is designated by the State of Washington as the Area Agency on Aging for King County. For more information, visit www.agingkingcounty.gov.

Sunrise Heights and Westwood neighbors will have seen King County Wastewater Division crews doing field investigations throughout the fall. This is necessary field work to understand the characteristics of Sunrise Heights and Westwood neighborhoods and begin the process of selecting sites for the bioretention swales.

To learn more about the project visit the Barton CSO web page: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BartonCSO-GSI

Check out the Barton CSO Project Field Work video!: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BartonCSO-GSI/Video.aspx

The Barton Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control project team has been conducting ongoing field investigations since early September.

What have they learned:

Field work to date indicates that soils do not infiltrate well consistently across the project area at shallow depths (0-20 feet) although there is a larger, deeper soil layer called Vashon Advance Outwash that does infiltrate well. Field work will continue through mid-January to further examine the Vashon Advance Outwash soil layer to understand what happens to water once it has infiltrated into this layer and the relationship to the regional water table (aquifer). The project team’s goal is to site bioretention swales in the best possible location for intercepting stormwater runoff from the street and providing CSO control. The information gathered from the geotechnical testing will ultimately be used to design the bioretention swale system and determine the design for infiltrating into the Vashon Advance Outwash soil layer.

Next Steps

The project team will continue to survey streets within the project area, sample groundwater and collect and monitor data from the installed wells.

The data gathered from the field investigations will be plugged into a computer model of the project area. This model will be used to help the team determine the number of bioretention swales that will be needed to control overflows into Puget Sound from the Barton Pump Station.

Community meeting will held in early 2012 to share results of field work and discuss the locations and approach to the design of bioretention swales.

Block level outreach and design workshops will be scheduled with neighbors on streets selected for bioretention swales.

For more information contact Kristine Cramer at 206-263- 3184 or kristine.cramer@kingcounty.gov, visit the Barton CSO web page at www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BartonCSO-GSI, or watch the Barton CSO Project Field Work video at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/Seattle/BartonCSO-GSI/Video.aspx

The Restoration Plan can be accessed at this link.

Written comments on the plan are welcomed and encouraged. The comment period lasts through Friday, February 10, 2012. Please send your written comments to Margaret Glowacki at margaret.glowacki@seattle.gov or via US Mail at: Margaret Glowacki, City of Seattle – DPD, 700 Fifth Ave. Suite 2000, P.O. Box 34019, Seattle, WA 98124-4019

To request a CD of the draft Restoration Plan, please contact Maggie Glowacki by email or phone 206-386-4036.

For general information about the SMP update please visit the following website:

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/ShorelineMasterProgramUpdate/Overview/default.asp.

In response to challenging budgets and a directive from City Council, Seattle Parks and Recreation spent 2011 meeting with community stakeholders and staff to develop a new plan for operating community centers in 2012. That work has resulted in a new tiered system for operating community centers that reduces operating costs, while maintaining essential services.

In the new system, community centers are grouped into five geographic areas of five centers each. They are managed and programmed in a coordinated fashion. The new system partially or fully restores the current limited use sites. Five limited use sites were established in 2011, which involved a significant drop in public operating hours. The new tiered system for 2012 saves approximately $1.23 million in the 2012 budget.

The tiered system is as follows. Click here for the new hours.

Southeast Tier Community Centers

• Jefferson
• Rainier
• International District/Chinatown
• Van Asselt
• Rainier Beach (closed for renovation in 2012)

Southwest Tier Community Centers

• High Point
• Delridge
• Hiawatha
• South Park
• Alki
• Southwest is now a Teen Life Center only; the Southwest Department of Neighborhoods Service Center will be relocated to this center

Central Tier Community Centers

• Garfield
• Montlake
• Queen Anne
• Yesler
• Miller

Northeast Tier Community Centers

• Meadowbrook
• Northgate
• Ravenna-Eckstein
• Laurelhurst
• Magnuson

Northwest Tier Community Centers

• Bitter Lake
• Loyal Heights
• Green Lake
• Ballard
• Magnolia

Hours for Teen Life Centers and Late Night Programs have also changed to address 2012 program funding, ensure programs are held when teens are out of school, add Saturday hours and sustain a 46% increase in Teen Life Center participation.

New hours can be found online at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/centers/operations.htm

Background

In January 2011, Seattle Parks and Recreation convened a Community Center Advisory Team, consisting of community members, representatives from the Board of Park Commissioners, representatives of employee unions, employees, the Associated Recreation Council, and City Council and City Budget Office staff. The team met throughout the spring to discuss options for moving forward.

They recommended nine possible options. After taking the nine options to the public via community meetings and an online survey, the tiered geographic recommendation floated to the top.

Then, Parks staff held 27 public meetings to hear from communities about what activities and hours they would like to see at their nearest community center. The results of those meetings helped inform the new operating hours.

City Council approved the new tiered operating model in its 2012 budget.

The local folks who created Walk Score have  launched a new site that helps you find apartments by commute time. Whether you prefer driving, public transit, walking, or biking, Walk Score can help you find a commute that fits your lifestyle.

Visit walkscore.com/apartments and enter your work (or school) address, select your preferred mode of transportation, and set the time slider to how long you’re willing to commute.

Apartment listings from craigslist are automatically sorted by estimated commute time and can be further filtered by Walk Score, price and size.  Walk Score is also soliciting feedback at this site: http://getsatisfaction.com/walk_score/products/walk_score_walk_score_apartment_search

Metro will be hosting a number of public meetings, community partner conversations, and information tables throughout November to get feedback on proposed system improvement concepts in Burien, Des Moines, West Seattle, White Center, South Park, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, University District, South Lake Union, Ballard, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, Greenwood, Shoreline, and other neighborhoods and communities.

More detailed information and a survey will be online after October 21, at www.kingcounty.gov/metro/haveasay..

There are also a series of public meetings to discuss these changes and to solicit your input. Join Metro for an open house and stick around to share your feedback in a facilitated conversation.

Metro Open House dates and locations:

• Wednesday, November 2 – Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 12:00-2:00 pm
• Thursday, November 3 – Adams Elementary School, 6110 28th Ave. NW, 7:00-9:00 pm
• Monday, Noember 7 – Catharine Blaine Elementary, 2550 34th Ave. W, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Wednesday, November  9 – Chief Sealth High School, 2600 SW Thistle St., 6:30-8:30 pm
• Monday, November 14 – Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N 85th St., 6:30-8:30 pm
• Tuesday, November 15 – South Park Neighborhood Center, 8201 10th Ave. S, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Thursday, November 17 – Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Ave. SW, 6:30-8:30 pm

For more information, contact DeAnna Martin, Community Relations Planner, King County Department of Transportation, 206-684-1142 or DeAnna.Martin@kingcounty.gov.