This week I held a work session with SDOT staff.  We poured over a large map of the route to identify options for improvements.   I know this route, and I bicycle along this route to and from work when my meeting schedule permits.  It is very challenging because of the heavy traffic and the many and sometimes confusing crossings.  There are long stretches where the streets have been pulverized by the mammoth trucks going to and from the Port.  The conditions require extra caution on everyone’s part whether they bicycle or drive this route.

Please know that it did not take this heartbreaking fatality to bring attention for the need to improve this route.  Last fall the City Council increased the 2013 SDOT budget for bicycle improvements city-wide.  We specifically funded planning for improvements to portions of the West Seattle route to downtown.

During the next several weeks I will continue to work with SDOT and members of the community to develop a plan for improvements to the West Seattle – East Marginal Way bike corridor.  I am determined to implement those plans as soon as possible.

I would also like to share a video from AAA: Share The Road

If you have suggestions for improvement please write me at tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov.

The City of Seattle is updating the City’s Climate Action Plan, the city’s road map to becoming carbon neutral by 2050.  

Your input is needed to craft the final plan that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, helps the city prepare for the impacts of a changing climate, and makes Seattle an even better place to live.

For more information here’s the event flyer.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board Seeks New Members

The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board (SBAB) is accepting applications for new members to advise the City on the concerns and needs of the growing bicycling community. The volunteer board,  created by Seattle City Council in 1977, plays an influential role in implementing Seattle’s Bicycle Master Plan. The board advises the Mayor and City Council, participates in planning and project development, evaluates policies and makes recommendations to all city departments including the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).

Board members serve a two-year term, with an opportunity to serve a second term. Current members represent all types of cyclists and skill levels, from casual weekend riders to year-round commuters. Members must be Seattle residents and may not be city employees. The board meets the first Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. at Seattle City Hall.

According to Allegra Calder, current chair of the Bicycle Advisory Board, “Serving on the board is an opportunity to work closely with SDOT staff and bicyclists from across the city to review and weigh in on planned projects in an effort to make Seattle a great and safe place to bike.”

Mayor McGinn and City Council are committed to promoting diversity in the City’s boards and commissions. Women, youths, seniors, persons with disabilities, sexual minorities, and persons of color are encouraged to apply. Interested persons should submit a resume and cover letter explaining their
interest via email by May 31st, 2013 to walkandbike@seattle.gov with “SBAB” in the subject line. Interested persons without Internet access may call 206. 684.7583.

To learn more about the board or join the mailing list for agendas and other board updates, please visit: http://www.seattle.gov/sbab/default.htm.

SDOT unveiled a new website for the NE 75th Street Road Safety Corridor Project, which includes a project outline, easy projects, and the next steps.

Please share this information with your friends and neighbors.

Let me know what you think.

Join the SE Senior Center for thier first LGBTQ reception at 4655 S. Holly St, Seattle, WA.

There will be light refreshments and information about resources. 

Please RSVP by calling 206.722.0317.

We’ll see you there!

 Click here to see the flyer LGBTQ Reception Flyer

“We are working hard to capture these savings and spend them on the things that Seattleites care about,” said McGinn. “That’s why we are using these dollars to support pedestrian safety, invest in basic infrastructure upgrades, road maintenance and planning for the future. I thank our Department of Transportation for their stewardship of taxpayer dollars in their work to bring in Spokane Street under-budget.”

The work that will be funded by these savings include:

• Major road reconstruction – $3.5 million
• Freight corridor improvement – $1 million
• Repair of two city-owned retaining walls – $700,000
• Additional funds for crack sealing program, a pothole prevention technique – $200,000. This nearly doubles the Mayor’s budget for crack sealing to $450,000.
• Bike Master Plan implementation- $1 million
• Sidewalk improvements/Pedestrian Master Plan implementation- $1 million
• Neighborhood Street Fund – $1 million
• Adaptive Traffic Signal study and work on recommended projects – $2.5 million
• Support for Transit Master Plan implementation – $800,000
• Only in Seattle funding for infrastructure investments in neighborhood business districts – $50,000

“By completing the Spokane Street Viaduct project under budget, we are able to fund needed transportation investments elsewhere in Seattle,” said Hahn. “These resources will help make walking, driving and biking easier and safer for everyone.”

The Seattle LGBT Commission seeks applications from interested candidates for one vacant seat on the Commission.  The Commission is a 16-member body that advises the Mayor, City Council, and City departments on issues that affect LGBTQ communities throughout Seattle.  Commissioners have the opportunity to promote positive change by working with community groups and individuals to identify areas of concern, by making recommendations regarding policy and legislative changes, and by serving as liaisons between LGBTQ communities and city government.  

In 2013, the Commission plans to address a range of priority areas identified through community feedback and the findings from Snapshot Seattle, a citywide survey.  These priority areas include support of LGBTQ elders and aging services; issues pertaining to LGBTQ immigrants, refugees, and asylees; education and outreach around intersectional identities; LGBTQ economic justice; issues of gender identity inclusion and access within the shelter system; outreach to the Seattle Police Department; increased awareness of LGBTQ youth support; and support for development of an LGBTQ community center.  Additional information about the Commission’s 2013 Work Plan will be available online at http://www.seattle.gov/LGBT. 

Appointment to the Commission is subject to confirmation by the City Council.  Commissioners serve two-year terms, although may be appointed to fill the remainder of an existing term. 

How to apply?  The deadline to apply for a seat on the Commission is March 7, 2013.  To apply, please submit a completed application form, along with a letter of interest, a resume, a short biography, and the area of Seattle in which you live.  Click here to download the application.  Application materials must be submitted by email to Marta Idowu at marta.idowu@seattle.gov by the deadline. 

The Seattle Symphony will perform a free Community Concert this month as, part of the Orchestra’s ongoing commitment to provide free opportunities for West Seattle to experience the transformational and inspiring impact of live music. The program, while sure to delight symphony fans of all ages, should have special appeal to youngsters.

The evening concert will take place at West Seattle’s Chief Sealth International High School, 2600 SW Thistle St. at 7:30 pm on February 26. Ample parking is available onsite. Admission to the Community Concert is free and tickets are not required.

Assistant Conductor Stilian Kirov will lead the Orchestra in a charming program of 19th- and 20th-century masterworks, including Béla Bartók’s Rumanian Folk Dances for Orchestra; Maurice Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin; and Johannes Brahms’ popular Hungarian Dances Nos. 5 & 6.

Talented 16-year-old violinist Amelia Sie, who hails from Bellevue, will also perform the first movement of Sergey Prokofiev’s virtuosic Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor.

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development (DPD) began working to update our SMP in 2007.  As DPD’s work proceeded I heard from businesses and property owners who wanted me to know how the rules and regulations could impact their maritime businesses.  Other people contacted me because they were concerned that the SMP could affect their ability to live on their floating residences (note: I did not call them “floating homes” which are a different type of residence).

While DPD was drafting the updated plan, I toured incredibly interesting prosperous maritime businesses to gain a better understanding of their concerns and needs.  My tour of the twelve acre Lake Union Dry Dock site was particularly impressive because of the sheer scale of the operation and its remarkable history of boat building.

 This large shipbuilding and repair business has been in Seattle since 1919.  It is located on the south end of Lake Union where it employs hundreds of people in well-paying jobs.  You can learn more about Lake Union Dry Dock by going to its web site: http://www.ludd.com/.   I also toured a couple of floating residences in the Fremont neighborhood because their owners wanted me to see what their homes are like and to understand their concerns about the pending legislation. 

When DPD submitted its recommendations to the Council last summer there remained but one outstanding area of controversy.  The controversy was over the status of the floating residences which the owners call “liveaboards”.  

 While we don’t know the exact number, I have heard that there are between 113 and 130 liveaboards in Seattle. Some liveaboards may not be boats (vessels), or floating homes or “house barges”.  There are 480 floating homes and 34 house barges in Seattle.  All of those are permitted to be residences on the water by specific legislation passed decades ago.

The liveaboards arrived on our waters after 1990 when the last legislation allowing the house barges was passed.  The liveaboards were built in Seattle or towed to Seattle after 1990 and may not be allowed to be used as residences under the state Shoreline Management Act (SMA). Those who own the liveaboards are very concerned about their future and wanted the City Council to allow them through the SMA legislation to be lived in as vessels. 

The legislation before the Council did not propose to resolve the status of the liveaboards.  Some of the owners wanted the Council to delay passage of the updated SMP until the liveaboard status is resolved.  When the SMP came before the Council for a final vote Councilmembers delayed consideration for a week to consider how to address the liveaboard issue. 

The City’s process in updating the SMA has taken much longer than anticipated and the DOE in a letter dated January 10, 2013 to Councilmember Richard Conlin urged the City Council to “work to resolve questions related to existing floating residential structures (liveaboards) through a separate process independent of the SMP update”.  DOE also said that it anticipates that many of the structures do meet the definition of vessel and if amendments to the updated SMP are needed to resolve the liveaboard issue DOE will give prompt attention to the proposed amendments if they are consistent with the SMA. 

In reviewing the material and information submitted to the Council including comments and recommendations from liveaboard owners, the Council determined that the best path forward would be to develop a process for determining the future of the liveaboard residences.  The Council voted to pass the SMP on January 14 without further delay. 

I didn’t support delay because the city is way behind in meeting the deadline for completing the SMP update.  There are many water dependent property and business owners who will be affected by the SMP who need certainty about their rights and obligations and who wanted the code finalized so they may plan for their future. 

Councilmember Richard Conlin is taking the lead in developing the process to resolve the liveaboard issue.  He is creating a stakeholders group of people who know the issues including liveaboard residents.  The stakeholders group will be tasked with recommending a process to determine the status of each of the liveaboards. 

I am confident that those who live on the floating residences thought they were acting in good faith and were meeting the requirements of applicable laws and regulations when they built or moved into their liveaboards. I am also confident that the City will follow through and have an inclusive process to resolve the future of the liveaboards Seattle so that the owners can finally know the status of their homes and get a good night’s sleep in Seattle. 

Here are photos of various kinds of floating structures that people live in. Can you tell which is considered a vessel and which is not?  Which would be permitted to live in and which would not? 

If you are interested in learning more about the stakeholders group or about the SMO I encourage you to contact Councilmember Conlin at his office: richard.conlin@seattle.gov or go to his website: http://www.seattle.gov/council/Conlin/. 

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