| Vol.
60 No. 2
For the Community and by the Community
April 2002 |
Annual Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday,
May 29
The
View Ridge Community Council’s Annual Meeting is scheduled
for Wednesday evening, May 29. It will be held at the Sand
Point Community United Methodist Church on NE 70th St.
and 49th Ave. NE at 7:30 PM. The meeting will be
held in Perry Hall.
Our
guest speaker is Councilmember Richard Conlin, Chair of the
Council Transportation Committee and member of the Neighborhoods,
Arts & Civil Rights, Land Use and Energy and Environmental
Policy Committees.
The
Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens will have a
representative at the meeting to distribute brochures and answer
questions about this program.
We
will also conduct the election of the View Ridge Community
Council Officers for the 2002-2003 year. The slate this
year is as follows:
·
Lesley Sullivan, President,
·
Michael Williams, Vice President,
·
Doris Moehring, Secretary,
·
Duane LaViolette, Treasurer.
Nominations
of additional candidates may be made from the floor, or by
contacting Bob Lucas at 526-0575.
The
topic of purchasing neighborhood identification signs through the
Department of Neighborhoods Matching fund program will also be
discussed, as well as other topics of interest.
We
encourage all our neighbors to attend this meeting and hear what
is going on in View Ridge and the surrounding area.
Barbara
LaViolette has again graciously volunteered to handle the
refreshments, but could use some help in getting things finalized.
Please call her at 522-6949 if you can offer her some help.
Should
you need transportation to the meeting, please contact Bob.
Thank You View
Ridgers
Bob Lucas
As noted in the
first page, I will be stepping down as President of the View
Ridge Community Council as of June. I want to thank all of
you who have supported my tenure over the past three years and a
special thank you to those of you who have shown their support of
the Council through increased donations to our treasury.
In the last three
years we have focused on a number of areas; one being the
renovation of the View Ridge Playfield. We are grateful to
those who volunteered their time and energy in turning it into a
true gem. Another area addressed, and one, which will be a
continuing project, is the development of Sand Point Magnuson
Park. The Trustees will continue to monitor the proceedings
at SPMP with particular attention to the release of the final
Environmental Impact Statement.
The Community
Council established the View Ridge Leadership Award in 2001. The
first recipient was T. C. Richmond, for her contribution to the
success of the Playfield renovation.
Trustees Inge
Strauss and Neale Weaver were instrumental in obtaining City
funds to develop the 65th Street entrance to SPMP.
In February of this year the Southwest corner was planted with
assistance from neighbors, Department of Parks & Recreation
staff and the Seattle Rotary.
We also celebrated
our 60th Birthday in 2000, recognizing many VRCC past
Presidents.
A new project on
the horizon for View Ridge is a proposal to establish a specific
area at SPMP, to be developed from funds donated by residents and
possibly City Matching Funds. Initially, the thoughts are for
benches just north of the 65th Street entrance on a
raised grassy area. Watch for more to come on this over the
next few months.
We are actively
seeking 501(c) (3) status with the IRS, which, if approved, will
allow Federal Tax deduction for personal contributions to the
VRCC.
This has been an
exciting three years for me, and again, I thank you all.
Neighborhood
Identification Signs
We have all seen
the green “Welcome To” neighborhood signs that identify
areas such as Wedgewood, Maple Leaf and other communities. View
Ridge has one sign located at NE 65th St and 50th
Ave. NE, which is not one of those and is maintained by neighbors
in the area. The thought is that we might want to avail
ourselves of a City program sponsored by the Department of
Neighborhoods that provides matching funds for the purchase of
“Welcome To” signs. The signs cost approximately
$150 and are installed by Seattle Transportation.
There are six
streets where the signs might be installed; NE 75th,
NE 70th and NE 65th at 40th NE;
NE 65th, NE 70th and NE 77th at
Sand Point Way. There is a possibility that Children’s
may provide a sign at the NE 70th site as part of
their new facility construction.
These signs would
add further identification to our neighborhood. In addition
they can be paid for as a direct expense from our treasury, or
through contributions by neighbors.
This proposal will
be discussed at the Annual Meeting.
Sports
Field Lighting Update
Lesley
Sullivan
The View Ridge Community Council
subcommittee on Sports Field Lighting had been preparing to lobby
the City Council and the Mayor on our position of “no sports
field lighting” at Sand Point Magnuson Park.
Since the VRCC voted to support no sports
field lights at SPMP the committee has met and has started to
develop materials, and a lobbying strategy. No lobbying
will take place until the final Environmental Impact Statement is
published which should occur in June of 2002.
Trustees
Needed
Would you like to be more involved in
your neighborhood? Does community service sound like a good
idea? Then please join the View Ridge Community Council as
a Trustee.
We have openings
for trustees in the blocks listed on the back page of the View
Ridger. A trustee attends VRCC meetings once a month on the
third Tuesday of every month. The meetings start at 7:00 PM
and are typically no longer than two hours in length. Usually,
the Annual Meeting in May and Candidates/Issues Night in October
are held on Wednesday evenings. Additionally, there are no
meetings in July, August and December. Trustees provide an
important communication link between residents and the VRCC.
We are anticipating many topics of interest
to the View Ridge neighborhood in the coming months. Sand
Point Magnuson Park's development and changes directly relate to our
neighborhood. Come and have your voice included in our
discussions.
Please contact Lesley Sullivan at 522-8656
to volunteer.
SPMP Director to
retire July 1
On April 17, Mayor
Nickels and Ken Bounds, Superintendent Parks & Recreation
announced that C. David Hughbanks would retire from his post as
Executive Director of Sand Point Magnuson Park on July 1, 2002.
C. David has been in the position for just under three years and
had originally intended to retire on January 1,2002.
He has worked
intensively with the various communities, program providers and
Parks & Recreation staff to begin implementation of the City
Council adopted 1999 plan for the Park.
During his
leadership at SPMP the park has enjoyed summer music concerts,
outdoor art exhibits, senior recreation programs and diverse
summer programs for over 300 children per day. He has also
been instrumental in encouraging regional business, corporate and
civic organizations to sponsor and participate in large work
parties at the Park.
C. David stated
that he “looks forward to re-cultivating city wide my
passions for the visual arts, horticultural gardens, community
affairs and the city’s civic institutions through board
membership and professional relationships.”
President
Bob Lucas
7416
52nd NE
526-0575
Vice President Lesley Sullivan
6514 53rd NE
522-8656
Secretary
Doris Moehring
7010 49th NE
527-0345
Treasurer
Duane LaViolette
7011 47th NE
522-6949
The
View Ridger is published several times a year.
Editor
Rose Williamson
6802 54th NE
527-1619
Printed
on recycled paper at Northgate Printing.
View Ridge Community Council
P.O. Box 15218
Seattle, WA 98115-0218