Celebrate Seattle’s 16^th annual Neighbor Appreciation Day, a special day to reach out to neighbors, create new bonds and express thanks to those who help make your neighborhood a great place to live.  Community organizations, businesses and residents across Seattle come together on February 6 (and the week of) to celebrate this day.  There are three ways you can participate: 

·         Organize a neighborhood event such as a block party, open house, potluck, or work party to celebrate the day. If planning an event, contact Wendy Watson at [email protected] (206-684-0719) and tell us about it.  To post your event to our online calendar, visit www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/calendar, hit the link for “Submit an Event” and complete the form.  (Be sure to select “Neighbor Appreciation Day” under the section called DON Programs.)  

• Use our FREE Neighbor Appreciation Day greeting cards to acknowledge your neighbors.   The cards feature winning artwork from the annual Neighbor Appreciation Day Student Art Contest.  You can either send an e-card by going to www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/appday    or pick up cards at one of the Neighborhood Service Centers, community centers, or libraries, as well as Seattle City Hall and Seattle Department of Neighborhoods office. The Capitol Hill Neighborhood Service Center is in the Capitol Hill Library. Miller Community Center is at 330 – 19th Avenue East.
• Attend one of the many community activities listed on our online calendar.  Visit www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/appday for a list of special Neighbor Appreciation Day events. 

Following closely upon the appearance of the ” No parking for 6 years ” signs, there are now signs of action in the blacktop wasteland at Broadway and John that is rumored to be the site of our light rail station.

A construction trailer and at least eight parked cars, presumably those of workers on the site, have appeared. I only went past a couple of times, so I don’t know what the occupants of the cars are actually up to. Any enlightenment?

Don’t often see 6-year timeframes on No Parking signs: closure of Denny between Broadway and 10th for light rail construction. I admire their optimism on setting a re-opening date. Anyone want to go to Vegas and bet on it?

A companion piece to Capitol Hill light rail station Phase 2 about to begin: Let’s get ready to tunnel

Hot off the electrons is an announcement from the Mayor-Elect, which the West Seattle blog has already commented on. The SLOG seems to be asleep at the wheel (or whatever implement they use to guide themselves).

Most relevant to ordinary mortals (IMHO) and to the still redeveloping Capitol Hill area is this from the end of the press release:

Four department directors have been retained in their current roles.  Diane Sugimura will continue as Director of the Department of Planning and Development.  Mark McDermott will continue as Director of the Department of Personnel.  Stella Chao will continue as the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods.  And Bill Schrier will continue as the Director of the Department of Information Technology.

Additional department director decisions will be announced next week.

Not clear what to read into it about the directors not named. Are they staying or going? Grace Crunican (Transportation) was widely suspected to be on the way out. The (fairly recently appointed) Parks Director Tim Gallagher is not mentioned. Anyone know any rumors?

Planning and Development, Neighborhoods and Parks are obvious Departments which will affect Capitol Hill, as is Housing (and Transportation!). I’ve known Diane Sugimura since she was a DPD staff member helping us with the 1998 Central Area Plan. Mike McGinn and I served as neighborhood representatives on a DPD panel she chaired, a few years ago, discussing proposed multi-family housing code changes. I met Stella Chao soon after she was appointed to the Department of Neighborhoods. I’ve found both of them to be smart and approachable, and I think we should look forward to working with them as we continue to make Capitol Hill “more perfect“.

Picture says it all. A one-day-only  politically correct alternative to the Dunshee House tree lot.  

All the details on the order form (but we missed the ordering deadline).

(click here to volunteer right now)

Every year Miller Community Center and the Country Doctor Community Clinic (on 19th) work together to put on a giant holiday party for the clinic’s patients and other (mostly disadvantaged) families in Seattle. The kids all enjoy games and their presents, and everyone gets a holiday meal.

This year’s party is on Saturday December 12th, and it would be great if you were available to volunteer your time to help things run smoothly: please use this form to volunteer.

Thanks, Andrew Taylor (Miller Community Center Advisory Council).

Now sit back and enjoy these pictures from the 2007 party.

The State Department of Transportation offers its normal charts predicting traffic flows on the major highways this holiday weekend. On I90 at least , both the 29th and the 30th seem to be Sunday. Maybe it will just seem that way if you’re stuck in the traffic.

The farmers all have to be out there in all weather……….

so maybe Capitol Hill residents shouldn’t be put off by a little rain. I stopped by on Sunday (11/22/09)  at about 2, and was immediately struck by how few people were shopping at the Sunday Capitol Hill Farmers’ Market.

The vendors were there in force, almost as many as I’ve ever seen. Maybe some people will be off at grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, but you’d think that others would be shopping for the holiday.

Maybe there’s another explanation. However, it’s been mobbed on recent sunny days, so I fear it is the weather.

I urge you all to make an extra effort on these grey drippy days to support the farmers. It really wasn’t that bad out, and it actually got better (OK, not good enough to get something from Molly Moon’s to eat on the way home).

They’ll be there, rain or shine, every Sunday from 11 – 3 till December 20th, in the parking lot behind the Bank of America on Broadway. Will you?

(Bonus thought: any escapees from Eugene out there? You’re all well trained in eating (Rita’s) burritos in the pouring rain at the Saturday Market, aren’t you?)

• Tuesday 11/17/09, 6PM at Miller Community Center: Join former Mayor Norm Rice for the kick-off of a major update to Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan “Seattle 2030 and Beyond”. 6 – 8 PM, presentation at 6:30. Mayor Rice introduced the “urban village” idea to Seattle, back in the 90’s.
• Most of you sensibly avoided going out last Tuesday to the “Neighborhood Plan Status Check” presentation. After an introduction by Sally Clark, the 30 or so of us Queen Anne/Belltown/Pike-Pine/First Hill/Eastlake/Cap Hill/Centralites were treated to a brief Powerpoint presentation, and then broke into our separate areas (I attended the Central Area one). We discussed minutae, voted on priorities via sticky dots, then decided we couldn’t even read the accursed neighborhood planning matrix in the time available, let alone comment sensibly on it.
• YOU can achieve much more, from the comfort of your couch, by reading the summaries of discussions and answers to questionnaires for the Capitol Hill area (attached here, more at Planning Commission site) and then answering yet another questionnaire (see overview here). Central Area info at CD news. Contact me for Pike-Pine, First Hill or Eastlake info or look on Planning Commission report (page 7)
• Sorry, Neighborhood Planning is NOT going away. Today’s City Council press release on the budget (“City Council rolls out major budget highlights”) notes the following: 

Planning for a strong future included not losing focus on the importance of strong neighborhoods and restoring needed funds benefiting neighborhoods.

“Preserving neighborhood planning and historic preservation programs are two of the ways that this budget sets the table for economic recovery,” said Councilmember Sally J. Clark. As the recession ends we’ll be better poised to make stronger communities in our built environment.”

McGinn’s lead has dropped from 910 to 462 (less than the # of write-in ballots counted). Your vote really is going to count this time. King County lets you follow the path of your ballot through the system, which you might care to do.

See a problem? Contact the elections office:  http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/aboutus/contactus.aspx (many ways to contact them)

While you’re there you can check the number of votes still to be counted (King County 129,000 on 11/4). Seattle Times estimates that about half the mayoral votes have been counted.