The View Ridger

     Vol. 58, No. 4                                   For the Community,  By the Community                                       December 2000

 

Happy New Year from VRCC President

 

Greetings! I hope you enjoyed the Holidays and are ready to start the new millennium with a bang! (At least the “experts” tell us that the millenium didn’t start until 1/1/01).

 

The Community Club is off to a running start with controversy over a proposal by VioceStream Wireless, Inc. to erect six microwave transmitter antennas on the roof of the View Pointe Apartments (Sand Point Way and NE 75th St.). The apartment owner rented/leased roof space to VoiceStream and they have applied for a Conditional Use Permit to construct the antennas. Initially, the Department of Construction and Land Use (DCLU) released minimal information to the immediate area; however, after repeated protests about this notification, they extended the comment period to January 10.  I have asked representatives from DCLU and from VoiceStream to attend the next VRCC meeting. Both have agreed to come and discuss any problems that might confront the neighborhood if the antennas are constructed. Many residents are concerned with emission of microwave signals, possible danger from radiation and unsightliness. DCLU has guaranteed that no decision will be made until after this meeting. Please plan to be at the meeting –Tuesday, January 16, 7 p.m. at the Sand Point Community Church.

 

In future, we plan to invite the University of Washington to discuss the UW Master Plan and also to have representatives from Sand Point/Magnuson Park meet with us to discuss plans for the park.  Along those lines, the Seattle City Council has approved funds to establish a branch of the Seattle Public Library at the Sand Point facility.  A steering committee from Hawthorne Hills Community Club, Windermere Corp. and VRCC is working with park officials to review sites and make recommendations. This will be a welcome addition to our neighborhood.

 

VRCC has representatives on the Children’s Hospital “70th & Sand Point Way Advisory Committee,” which is addressing the hospital’s plan to build a facility at that location. They meet monthly to review development of the project and community concerns. Children’s is committed to working with the neighborhoods to make sure that concerns are heard. The representatives from the VRCC will report progress at community meetings.

 

VRCC meetings are held nine times a year, on the third Tuesday of the month (except July, August and December. Our Annual Meeting is usually the third Wednesday in May and our Candidates/Issues Night is the third Wednesday in October. Trustees are volunteers (roster is on the back of this newsletter) who usually represent a particular street or area. If your street or area is not represented, please consider volunteering as a Trustee.  In 2000 we did add five new Trustees to the roster, but we would like to have full representation.

 

As in past years, we ask that you renew your “membership” in the VRCC through a donation to our treasury.  Most of our funds come from you, allowing us to publish this newsletter and, when possible, donate funds to worthy community projects. The more you donate, the more we have available for these important efforts.

 

On behalf of all the Trustees, I wish you a fruitful and happy New Year.

 

--Bob Lucas, President, View Ridge Community Club

 

 

 

 “Swing” with New View Ridge Playfield

 

You may have noticed from the thermometer at the park that the Friends of View Ridge Playfield (FVRP) is well on its way to raising the neighborhood funds needed to match the $75,000 grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON). DON and the Mayor have recommended this grant award to the City Council and we expect to sign a contract with DON the first week of January.

 

The FVRP has come a long way! Families from northeast Seattle and several foundations have really come through; we now have approximately $37,000 in cash and pledges and $15,000 in pledges of labor. When the King County Council passes its 2001 budget, we are hoping for an additional grant of $14,800, recommended to the Council in October. We need to raise only $12,000 more to purchase the playground equipment and benches in our final design. If funds are raised beyond this goal, we will add features (e.g. picnic area cover) to the park.

 

While we can continue to raise cash during Spring 2001, we need to put 50% down for all the equipment in January. So if you are able to contribute, we are hoping you can make that contribution now. Your check is tax deductible; make it out to “Boys and Girls Club,” with a notation to “View Ridge Playfield,” and mail it to Friends of View Ridge Playfield, P.O. Box 15013, Seattle, 98115.

 

If you’ve already given, thank you! We plan to recognize donors who have contributed more than $100 through a plaque or engravings at the play-ground area, and will contact you soon to ask whether you want to be recognized and how you want your name to read. 

 

If you have questions, phone T.C. Richmond at 522-5983. Be sure to watch the thermometer in the park and then watch for the groundwork to begin in Spring!

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Don’t miss the next meeting of the View Ridge Com-munity Club—Tuesday, January 16, 7 p.m. at the Sand Point Community Church, 4710 NE 70th St.

See you there!

Correction to September VRCC Minutes

The September minutes were inadvertently published prior to review by the Trustees. Unfortunately, they were in error with regard to the resolution in support of the off-leash area (OLA) at Magnuson Park.

Current trustees spoke both for and against the OLA at the September meeting. In addition to comments noted in the minutes, there were three trustees who spoke in favor of the OLA and several neighborhood residents also spoke in support. All of those speakers are environmentalists.

 

Supporters pointed out that the OLA has withstood several challenges to the city’s environmental review of the area. In each case it has been determined that the OLA has no significant adverse environmental effects. It was further commented that the OLA is the most used area of the park (though it encompasses less than three percent of the total park space) and that its presence helps reduce crime, builds community through socialization among neighbors, and provides valuable recreational opportunities for both people and their pets.

 

Keep Your Cats Indoors!

Every year, thousands of cat owners allow their pets outdoors, where many suffer injury, disease, or death. Well meaning cat owners pay millions of dollars in veterinary fees or mourn the deaths of their cats, when these losses could have been prevented!

 

Outdoors, cats are exposed to diseases transmitted by other animals, chemical hazards such as antifreeze or garden pesticides, and being struck by vehicles. Outdoor cats can be a nuisance to neighbors (breaking into trashcans, digging in flowerbeds and sandboxes) and a major killer of wildlife. Free-roaming cats are the major cause of loss of nesting songbirds in urban areas. Nationally, cats are a major proportion of rabid domestic animals. Also, feeding cats outdoors pro- vides a significant attraction for rat populations.

If you have an outdoor cat, please consider changing its lifestyle. Gradually shorten the length of time it spends outdoors, until you no longer let it out at all. Substitute outside time with special playtime indoors;

 

 

 

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supervised trips to the balcony, deck, or patio can make the transition easier. (If your cat ate grass, try a potted supply inside.) Finally, play games with your cat and provide plenty of human companionship—with love and attention, your cat won’t miss the “great” outdoors!

 

Check it Out: Building Materials Exchange

 

Attention contractors and home remodelers: Did you know that the King County Solid Waste Division sponsors an on-line exchange site for used building materials? It’s called the Reusable Building Materials Exchange, and it is free to residents of King County. Residents can list used materials for sale or to give away, and can also register to receive materials that they are interested in obtaining. The service is located at: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/swd/rbme/index.htm.

 

You Can Make a Difference for the Arts

 

The Sand Point Arts & Cultural Exchange (SPACE) has been working for the past year to build an arts presence at Sand Point/Magnuson Park (SP/MP). Recently, SPACE and the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation signed a Memorandum of Under-standing acknowledging SPACE’s central role in developing arts and cultural programming for the SP/MP campus. The initial goal is to develop the old firehouse (Building 18) into an artist studio program and workshop/gallery space. These studios will bring local, national and international artists together to create new work and share ideas.

 

As the vision for Sand Point Magnuson Park evolves, SPACE is working with recreational, housing, environmental and civic advocates to ensure that the visual, performing and literary arts play a role in the final plans.

 

To continue these efforts, your help is needed: Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to help SPACE develop art facilities and programs throughout the Park. You can make a difference—please help SPACE create a vital presence for the arts at Sand Point Magnuson Park.

 

 

 

Can You Help?

Community Has Volunteer Opportunities

 

Interested in Assisting Public Utilities?

 

Are there any View Ridge residents out there who would like to become involved with the Seattle Public Utilities? Specifically, Public Utilities is working on a 2001 Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Reduction Plan Amendment.

 

What is a CSO? In Seattle, some pipe systems carry both sewage and storm water. During heavy storms, these pipes may get too full, causing water to dis-charge into local waterways (these discharges are called Combined Sewer Overflows).

 

Public Utilities is seeking input from community groups representing neighborhoods included in the Plan Amendment. If you are interested in attending a January workshop to learn more about the subject, and offer your input, please phone Meg O’Leary at 623-0232, ext. 253.

 

Seeking Members: Parks Oversight Committee

 

As Seattle Parks and Recreation gears up to implement the levy approved by Seattle voters in November, a first priority is to form a Citizens Oversight Committee to review and make recommendations on expenditures from the levy fund.

 

The $198.2 million Pro Parks 200 Levy includes more than 100 new or improved opportunities in every section of the city. Projects funded include green space acquisition and preservation, habitat restoration, playfields, trails, and improvements at city landmarks such as Woodland Park Zoo and the Arboretum.

 

The 16-member Oversight Committee will meet bi-monthly, without pay (though members may be re-imbursed for their expenses). If you are interested in serving on the committee, contact Catherine Anstett at 615-0386 or catherine.anstett@ci.seattle. wa.us and request an application packet. If you are not interested in serving on the committee but would like to receive notices and agendas, please contact Catherine.