Wedgwood Community Council meeting – Safer Streets for All (LIVE COVERAGE)
Bike-to-School Day ride and rally at Bryant Elementary (UPDATES)
Wednesday, May 8 was Bike-to-School Day, and Bryant Elementary School students and family turned out in force.
Participating cyclists started their ride to school at the Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts, who provided morning treats. About 40 minutes later, and under Seattle Police escort, the group headed south on 35th Avenue NE toward Bryant Elementary (on NE 60th Street).
Once at school, everyone gathered on the playground for a rally and press conference. Speakers included:
- Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. José Banda
- Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
- Seattle School Board President Kay Smith-Blum
- Cascade Bicycle Club Education Director Julie Salathé
- Bryant Elementary School Principal Kim Fox
And Ravenna Blog was there! Taking lots of pictures.
View from the Top Pot driveway off NE 70th Street as families gathered.
Lesile Loper (AKA The Bike Fairy) in blue, next to Seattle Schools Superintendent Dr. José Banda in bright green. On the left in red is Michele Solis with her son, Linus (who I think had just taken a bite of a powdered sugar doughnut).
Overflow bike parking at the Wedgwood Top Pot along 35th Avenue NE.
This pink beauty was the first bike here this morning, as you can see in the tweet below:
The calm before the storm. The forecast is for a joyous din of kid bikers, beginning around 8 a.m. twitter.com/Eckstein_Bikes…
— Eckstein Bikes (@Eckstein_Bikes) May 8, 2013
Clint Loper (Walk.Bike.Schools co-founder, Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board member, father of Bryant and Eckstein Middle School students, and husband to The Bike Fairy) was handing out these smiley bike pins. (The eyes are the wheels, get it?)
A gaggle of bikers walks their rides through the crosswalk at NE 70th St and 35th Ave NE.
KOMO TV morning photographer Fred Veinfurt let a few kids check out his camera gear while he was on scene with reporter Kelly Koopmans. Here’s Fred and his “students” from another angle:
@photogfredkomo showing the kiddos what it’s like to be a big time photographer #liveonkomo twitter.com/KellyKOMO4/sta…
— Kelly Koopmans (@KellyKOMO4) May 8, 2013
Many of the kid’s bikes were decorated. This one is even sporting a Seattle Children’s Bike to Work Month seat cover.
GIRLS RULE indeed.
Another view from the NE 70th Street side of Top Pot, as the crowd swelled (in numbers and with doughnuts consumed).
Here, Clint Loper (in black, with the bullhorn) thanks Bike to Bryant attendees for coming, and Top Pot Doughnuts for supporting the cause.
Seattle Bike Blog‘s Tom Fucoloro (center) interviews Car Free Days‘ Anne King (right) while Robyn Ellis (behind the camera) records the conversation.
Members of the Seattle Police Department line 35th Avenue NE and look for the start of the ride.
The front row of riders get a briefing just before heading out onto 35th Avenue NE. Cascade Bicycle Club Education Director Julie Salathé is in the yellow jacket at right.
A *lot* of riders, no?! For contrast, here is the first Bike to Bryant Donut ride:
Bike2Bryant 1st Donut Ride, 2008. bit.ly/16Yi1nk Today we will ride with Jose Banda & 100+ kids & parents. #SEAbikes @oninformation
— Anne K (@annesavvy) May 8, 2013
And they’re off! Banda and The Bike Fairy lead the way.
A number of Cascade Bicycle Club members were along for the ride, wearing red, white and black wool cycling shirts. The rider on the yellow bike here happens to be Kathy McCabe, Deputy Director of the Cascade Bicycle Club.
Cyclists of all ages and sizes, heading to school.
No worries: Her dad had the other wheel. (Two unicyclers in the family!)
Cyclists fill the streets while the media lines the sidewalks.
The Seattle Bike Blog people-powered news van on its way to the rally.
Back of the pack. Clint, armed with his cowbell, is on the far left.
And Michele Solis and her moving sculpture-style ride brought up the rear.
The Cascade Bicycle Club has a video of the start of the ride, as well as a sped-up version of the route to school:
One the primary school peloton arrived at Bryant Elementary, everyone cruised around to the playground behind the school for the Bike to School Day rally.
Ready to ring, or tweet, at a moment’s notice.
Bryant Elementary School Principal Kim Fox addresses her students.
Cascade Bicycle Club recorded Superintendent Banda’s speech, and you can view it below:
This is Brian Dougherty, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator with the Seattle Department of Transportation, dressed for the occasion.
Here, a KIRO TV photojournalist gets an exclusive with The Bike Fairy.
I took a picture of this balance bike, thinking it was an ancient family heirloom. Talking to the family that owns it revealed that the bike was only about two years old — it gets USED.
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw spoke to the crowd as well.
And here’s Seattle School Board President Kay Smith-Blum speaking to the kids from the podium, the younger ladies literally hanging on her every word.
Shots from the PACKED bike racks behind Bryant.
Who doesn’t love a miniature vanity license plate?
Tim King of Bike Free Days tallied the kid’s bikes at the end of the ride:
That’s a whole lotta kids’ bikes! #seabikes #bike2schoolday #bike2bryant twitter.com/oninformation/…
— Tim K / Carfreedays (@oninformation) May 8, 2013
UPDATE (Thursday, May 9): Here’s Q13FOX’s coverage of the event (not embedded here due to its autoplay feature).
And here is the video of the event that the Seattle Bike Blog put together. Includes an interview with Car Free Days’ Anne King:
Roosevelt “lake” views headed down the drain as reservoir empties (UPDATE)
Ravenna and Roosevelt neighbors near the Roosevelt Reservoir were told (via mail, around Saturday, April 6), that not only was the reservoir disconnected from the city’s water system on Monday, April 1, it will soon be drained…and stay that way, for two years.
Roosevelt Reservoir, by neighbor Jenifer Gonzales.
The clock started ticking for all of the city’s open reservoirs back in the mid-1990s with the passage of an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This amendment “added new requirements related to annual water quality reports, operator certification requirements, system capacity, and source water assessment and protection.”
In 2004, the Seattle City Council approved a plan to fund the covering of four of the city’s reservoirs at a cost of $150 million.
Then, in 2006, a federal law “required all uncovered drinking water distribution reservoirs to either be covered or treated to a high standard.”
Of the city’s open reservoirs, six have now been replaced with underground structures: Magnolia in 1995, Lincoln in 2004, Myrtle in 2008, Beacon in 2009, West Seattle in 2010, and Maple Leaf in 2012. All but the Magnolia site were transformed into parks by various Seattle Parks and Recreation levy funds.
There are four above-ground reservoirs remaining: The Bitter Lake, Lake Forest Park, Volunteer, and Roosevelt Reservoirs.
Volunteer Park Reservoir in 2008, by Flickr user stevevoght.
Floating covers have been installed at the Bitter Lake and Lake Forest Park facilities, and will remain through the operational life of these two reservoirs.
As for the Volunteer and Roosevelt Reservoirs, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has started testing them for potential decommissioning:
To perform the tests, the reservoirs were taken out of service on April 1, 2013. While out of service, Roosevelt Reservoir will be kept drained, while Volunteer Reservoir will remain full with water and continue to be a water feature at the park.
The reservoirs will remain disconnected from the City’s drinking water system throughout the two-year test. During this time, SPU will study the impact the out-of-service facilities have on Seattle’s overall drinking water system, make evaluations and determine whether the reservoirs can be permanently taken out of service.
If SPU finds that the reservoirs are no longer needed, the costs saved by not having to replace them with covered storage facilities would run between $10 and $50 million dollars. Each.
If and when SPU decides the Roosevelt and/or Volunteer Reservoirs ares no longer needed, public process would then kick in, and neighbors would have a say in their futures.
Until then, enjoy a nice, tall glass of (c0vered) Maple Leaf Reservoir water, now flowing out of our taps.
…
For more information on the Roosevelt Reservoir decommissioning test, visit the Reservoir Covering Project page on the Seattle Public Utilities website.
…
UPDATE (Thursday, April 18): At least one neighbor of the Roosevelt Reservior has asked SPU “Why us?” And here is the reply by Bill Wells, Senior Engineer of the Drinking Water Division:
We had to make a difficult decision in weighing the benefits of keeping Roosevelt Reservoir full versus the additional costs to the customers of Seattle. We estimated that it would cost an additional $100,000 each year (about $200,000 in total) to keep the reservoir full during the two-year decommissioning test.
The costs to keep Roosevelt filled and maintained are significantly more than that of Volunteer. This is because Roosevelt Reservoir is a 50-million-gallon reservoir – more than twice the size of the 20-million-gallon Volunteer Reservoir.
Another key factor in the decision to refill Volunteer Reservoir is the park’s historical landmark status, of which the reservoir is a contributing feature.
We wish we could maintain water in both reservoirs throughout the two-year test period, but in the end we decided it was in the best interest of the city as a whole to keep Roosevelt Reservoir empty throughout the testing period.
Timeout to say THANK YOU, on behalf of the Schulte family (UPDATES)
What follows is a compilation of the ways that neighbors and local businesses have helped the Schulte family since Monday, March 25.
We do not claim to know every story of giving surrounding the days and weeks after the tragedy, but this post is our attempt to list as many as we can.
If we’ve left anything out, feel free to leave your stories of kindnesses and thanks in the comments below.
…
During the last week of March, in the first days after the tragedy, local businesses stepped in and donated food to the family:
- Grateful Bread (7001 35th Ave NE) donated sandwiches, salads and soup on March 28.
- Eat Local (nearest location at 503 Broadway E on Capitol Hill) donated six meals to the family on March 28.
- When we found out that Karina’s birthday was on March 28 (mentioned by Schulte family friend Adrienne Bergman on one of the medical fundraiser sites for the family), we contacted Trophy Cupcakes (Northeast Seattle location in University Village). They graciously and swiftly donated a dozen cupcakes, which we were able to get to the family at Harborview Medical Center that day.
- Cafe Javasti (8617 35th Ave NE in Wedgwood and 8410 5th Ave NE in Maple Leaf) donated pastries and coffee for breakfast on March 29.
…
After the first few days of meals were covered by local businesses, Wedgwood resident Jess Creach set up a site for the Schultes at Take Them a Meal. People interested in helping the family with food can sign up for a specific date and meal (lunch, snack, dinner), which can be delivered in advance to the Sand Point Community United Methodist Church for pick up.
At the time of this writing, the meal calendar for the Schultes was full through April 27. So far, 61 different people have signed up.
You can still sign up, too, if you’d like.
…
By the time we contacted the manager of Sand Point Metropolitan Market (5250 40th Ave NE), Mark Marsh, on Thursday, March 28, his store had already contributed flowers to the memorial site and food for after the prayer vigil.
On Friday, March 29, his store began taking donations at their checkstands from community members. Marsh told us on the morning of Friday, April 6 that the total amount donated by community members at their checkout stands so far is $7,434.00. This total does not yet include the $1,000 that Metropolitan Market will also be donating on top of that.
With the hope of reaching $10,000, the store will continue taking donations at the registers for one more week, until Friday, April 12.
…
Thank you to Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Car Free Days, Eckstein Bikes, the Wedgwood Community Council, the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, and anyone else who helped organize the Memorial Walk on Monday, April 1.
Thank you to the Seattle Police Department for closing off roads and providing an escort during the walk. And thank you, Mayor Michael McGinn, for attending.
Thank you to the Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts location for supplying participants of the Memorial Walk with doughnuts and coffee. And thank you for the use of your property as a gathering, starting, and ending point for that walk.
Furthermore, Top Pot, thank you for walking, too.
Wedgwood Top Pot manager Jennifer Surbaugh and one of the owners of Top Pot, Mark Klebeck, on the walk.
…
Other local fundraising:
- The Wedgwood Safeway (7340 35th Avenue NE) donated a gift card for $100 on March 28. Also, thanks to Bridgette in the floral department for donating buckets and food for flowers left at the memorial site.
- The employees at the Wedgwood QFC (8400 35th Ave NE) made a donation to one of the funds for the family set up at the Wedgwood branch of HomeStreet Bank on March 28.
- The Van Gogh Coffeehouse (8210 35th Ave NE) donated all their tips from Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30, for a total of $786.48.
- Cooper’s Alehouse (8065 Lake City Way NE) set aside 25% of their sales on Wednesday, April 3 for the Schulte family medical fund, and donated over $500.
- Thank you to the (as of the publishing of this post) 989 people who donated $59,492 to the medical fund for Karina and Baby Elias that friends of the family Adrienne and Brett Bergman set up.
- Thank you to the people who have contributed to both the Karina & Elias Ulriksen-Schulte Medical Fund (currently at $7665.00) and the Dennis & Judy Schulte Memorial Fund (currently at $645.00). These funds were set up at the Wedgwood Branch of HomeStreet Bank by Per Johnson, President of the Wedgwood Community Council, after we learned the names of the victims.
UPDATE (11:12 AM): We’ve been told by Per Johnson that the online amounts for the funds at HomeStreet Bank are only the online totals. “There have been a ton of people who have donated in-person to the tune of $5000,” Johnson says.
We’d also like to thank the staff of the Wedgwood Branch of HomeStreet Bank for all of their assistance.
UPDATE (1:38 PM): We’ve learned that the Wedgwood Drama Studio also donated money to the Schulte family. You can read about the studio’s mission here.
Police closed down 35th Ave NE for the annual Spring Bike to Bryant Elementary ride. Photo by Car Free Days (carfreedays.com), used with permission.
…
Thank you to National Barricade (6518 Ravenna Ave NE) for donating use of some of your street signs (a pair of SLOW DOWN and yellow pedestrian signs) at both the east and west ends of NE 75th Street (at approximately 27th and 34th Avenues NE).
…
Thank you also to the staff of the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, the respective board members of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association and Wedgwood Community Council, and Jenny Frankl with the Department of Neighborhoods for help making the meeting happen.
…
Thank you to the two women on 33rd Avenue NE who, very late on the night of Tuesday, March 26, worked together to scrub NE 75th Street clean with soap and water, and their own loving hands.
Thank you to the three neighbors on 33rd Avenue NE who made the two white crosses for Judy and Dennis Schulte at the memorial site, added on Friday, March 29.
Thank you to the sixth grade class in one of Seattle’s middle schools who wrote a card for the family.
Thank you to Lacia Lynne Bailey for taking on the role of caretaker for the memorial on the corner of 33rd Avenue NE and NE 75th Street. Thank you for respecting every last flower petal, slip of paper, and stuffed animal left at the site, in honor of the victims.
Blow drying wet bear before gets bag rain gear & back to growing memorial for #DUIseattle tragedy twitpic.com/cf3t01
— Lacia Lynne Bailey (@GoatGuild) 2013年3月28日
Thank you to Judy’s Truffle, for being such a comforting (and fuzzy) presence at the memorial site, hugged and cried upon by countless people.
Sweet little Truffle seems to be bringing love to #DUIseattle memorial site while I clean it up a bit twitpic.com/cewx9k
— Lacia Lynne Bailey (@GoatGuild) 2013年3月28日
…
And finally, some thank-yous from the Schulte family, conveyed through Lisa Schulte (wife of Mike Schulte, a cousin of Dan).
Here are some thank you’s the family would like mentioned locally!!
Addy and Brett Bergman (set up the donation site)
Pastor Cathy and Sand Point Community United Methodist Church
The awesome neighbors and dear friends of the family including Daniel and Jennifer, Trevor, Felipe and Indre
Seattle Fire Department and EMTs
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways walk coordinator
EMI
Wedgwood/Ravenna Community, Jess Creach, Per Johnson (Wedgwood Community Council) & Rebecca Nelson (Ravenna Blog)
Harborview doctors and nurses
Seattle Children’s Hospital (Karina’s work)
Colehour and Cohen (Dan’s work)
Sand Point Metropolitan Market
All the incredible people who have donated time, money, food etc.
Lisa has acted as the main point of contact with the family during the last two weeks, and we (and other community members and organizations) are very, very thankful for her and the role she has played.
…
More on this story on Ravenna Blog:
Memorial service in Indiana for Judy and Dennis Schulte (last updated on Thursday, April 11)
Arraignment of NE 75th Street DUI homicides suspect on Thursday (last updated on Thursday, April 11)
Hundreds walk to remember, honor the Schulte family (PHOTOS) (last updated on Monday, April 1)
Prayer Vigil for mother and child this Thursday night (PHOTOS) (last updated on Friday, March 29)
Memorial to the family at NE 75th St grows (PHOTOS) (last updated on Sunday, March 31)
Memorial and medical funds set up for victims of Monday’s traffic tragedy (last updated on Thursday, March 28)
Suspect in Monday’s traffic fatalities no stranger to DUIs (last updated on Sunday, March 31)
Multiple casualty incident on NE 75th St near Eckstein Middle School (PHOTOS) (last updated on Wednesday, March 27)
RBCA community meeting on crime/NE 75th Street (LIVE COVERAGE)
Our live coverage of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association Spring Community Meeting will be posted below starting around 6:30 PM on Tuesday, April 2.
You may download the agenda here (62 KB Microsoft Word document). Or refer to the abridged version posted below:
7:00 PM: Moment of silence (Lead by Virginia Gunby, RBCA Board Member, Transportation Committee Chair)
7:05: Welcome (Sarah Swanberg, Outgoing RBCA President)
March 25 vehicle/pedestrian double fatality collision on NE 75th Street
7:10: Traffic & pedestrian safety, DUI enforcement & prosecution
- Seattle Police Department
- Captain Robin Clark, North Precinct
- Sergeant Don Smith and Officer Eric Michl
- Seattle City Attorney’s Office
- John Schochet, Deputy Chief of Staff
- Rachel Cormier Anderson, Criminal Division Attorney
- Jana Jorgensen, North Precinct Liaison
7:30: Report from Harborview
- Eileen Whalen, Executive Director, Harborview Medical Center
- Dr. Beth Ebel, Director, Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center
7:50: NE 75th Street improvements
- Dongho Chang, Chief Traffic Engineer, Seattle Department of Transportation
- Peter Hahn, Director of Transportation
8:20: RBCA business
- Sub-committees to address traffic, safety, DUI issues in Ravenna-Bryant
- Election of RBCA officers
8:40: Q and A with local leaders
City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
Rebecca Deehr, Mayor’s Office
Senator David Frockt
Meeting between city, neighborhood representatives yields NE 75th St improvement plan
In the early afternoon of Monday, April 1, before the Memorial Walk for the Schulte family, neighborhood groups, pedestrian/bicycle safety advocates, and staff from Eckstein Middle School, gathered at Eckstein (3003 NE 75th St). They met with representatives from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the Mayor’s Office, and the Seattle Police Department and discussed plans to improve the safety of NE 75th Street.
The Mayor’s Office met with SDOT several times throughout the last week, and developed a list of planned improvements and actions for NE 75th Street (4 KB PDF; presented to the assembled groups that afternoon), including:
• Installing a flashing school zone beacon on Northeast 75th Street in front of the school
• SDOT will begin the process of evaluating and potentially installing a school zone speed camera on Northeast 75th Street
• The crosswalk at Northeast 68th Street and 25th Avenue Northeast will be remarked with fresh and highly visible paint
• The intersection of Northeast 68th Street and 25th Ave Northeast will be evaluated for a traffic signal
• SDOT will install new pedestrian countdown heads [crosswalk signs with timers] at 75th Street Northeast and Northeast 31st Street
• SDOT has already installed pedestrian countdown heads at 75th Street Northeast and Northeast 35th Street
The timeline for these improvements shows a tentative completion date of August 2013 (just before Seattle Public Schools are back in session for the 2013-1014 school year).
Read more about the planned street safety improvements on the Mayor’s blog, here.
Hundreds walk to remember, honor the Schulte family (PHOTOS)
Walkers gathered under the swaying palms of the Wedgwood Top Pot before setting out.
Seattle Police Department officers and their rides wait to escort everyone down local streets. Local traffic was blocked as the group walked to and the memorial site.
Pedestrian and cyclists, young and old, the sighted and the blind all participated, and fueled up with coffee and doughnuts beforehand, provided by Top Pot.
This walker in orange was one of three I noticed walking with a white cane. She is pictured with her ASL interpreter (the woman in orange is Deaf-Blind).
The walkers spread out to cover 35th Avenue NE on the way to the memorial site (1 of 6).
The walkers spread out to cover 35th Avenue NE on the way to the memorial site (2 of 6).
The walkers spread out to cover 35th Avenue NE on the way to the memorial site (3 of 6).
The walkers spread out to cover 35th Avenue NE on the way to the memorial site (4 of 6).
The walkers spread out to cover 35th Avenue NE on the way to the memorial site (5 of 6).
The walkers spread out to cover 35th Avenue NE on the way to the memorial site (6 of 6).
A cameraman films the start of the walk on 35th Avenue NE.
The group walks west on NE 73rd Street, after turning off 35th Avenue NE.
Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn (center, light blue shirt) walks with Schulte family members down NE 73rd Street.
More walkers heading down NE 73rd Street.
Here the group is shown walking north on 33rd Avenue NE, taking the approximate route the family took on Monday, March 25. On the left side, Lacia Lynne Bailey, Judy’s Truffle (the baby goat), and some Schulte family members and friends stand where Bailey chatted with the Schultes one week ago. She was the last person to speak to the family before they attempted to cross NE 75th Street.
More walkers heading up 33rd Avenue NE, to the memorial site.
33rd Avenue NE and NE 75th Street. Some family members stand together on the right, behind the main crowd.
Bailey talks to Dan Schulte, husband of Karina and father to Elias, who are both still at Harborview Medical Center. They are flanked by a female neighbor from the immediate area and two of Dan’s cousins.
Members of the Schulte family, gathered in front of the memorial. Hundreds of neighbors and complete strangers have stopped by throughout the week to pay their respects, Bailey told us. She has been tending the site daily ever since people started leaving flowers, notes, or other tokens after the tragedy.
One of the Seattle Police Department officers who escorted the walkers to and from the memorial site looks on.
“Look out for pedestrians.”
After spending some time at the memorial, the walk heads back to the starting point, heading east on NE 75th Street, before heading south down 35th Avenue NE.
Mayor McGinn talks with Dongho Chang,(Chief Traffic Engineer for the Seattle Department of Transportation) at 33rd Avenue NE and NE 75th Street.
Before starting down NE 75th Street with his family, this dad said to his small son, “This is the one time we’re walking in the street, buddy.”
Mayor McGinn with Bailey, and Judy’s Truffle. Bailey has added to the baby goat’s original name in remembrance of Judy Schulte.
…
My thoughts, from Sunday, March 31:
Tonight I met 2 of the 3 makers of the Schultes’ white crosses at #75th. One made them, one painted them white, one did the calligraphy.
— Ravenna Blog (@RavennaBlog) 2013年4月1日
All three cross makers, neighbors of the young Schulte family.“Neighbors are our geographic (not genetic) family.” – Lacia (@goatguild)
— Ravenna Blog (@RavennaBlog) 2013年4月1日
The cross painter, husband of the calligrapher, still has white paint on his fingernails…
— Ravenna Blog (@RavennaBlog) 2013年4月1日
…like I think many of us carry the tragedy on our hearts.Because this happened to our neighbors. Our family.
— Ravenna Blog (@RavennaBlog) 2013年4月1日
Thoughts from a run through Wedgwood,View Ridge, past Sand Point Comm UMC, to the memorial on 75th. (We’re all much closer than we think.)
— Ravenna Blog (@RavennaBlog) 2013年4月1日
…
More on this story on Ravenna Blog:
Memorial service in Indiana for Judy and Dennis Schulte (last updated on Thursday, April 11)
Arraignment of NE 75th Street DUI homicides suspect on Thursday (last updated on Thursday, April 11)
Timeout to say THANK YOU, on behalf of the Schulte family (last updated on Sunday, April 7)
Prayer Vigil for mother and child this Thursday night (PHOTOS) (last updated on Friday, March 29)
Memorial to the family at NE 75th St grows (PHOTOS) (last updated on Sunday, March 31)
Memorial and medical funds set up for victims of Monday’s traffic tragedy (last updated on Thursday, March 28)
Suspect in Monday’s traffic fatalities no stranger to DUIs (last updated on Sunday, March 31)
Multiple casualty incident on NE 75th St near Eckstein Middle School (PHOTOS) (last updated on Wednesday, March 27)
Community meeting on Tuesday to address crime, NE 75th Street safety issues (UPDATES)
The spring community meetings of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association (RBCA) are used to elect new board members, inform the community about any local, recent concerns, and perhaps have a guest speaker from the City Government.
The RBCA Spring Community Meeting this Tuesday, April 2, will feature officials from at least six City departments, including the Seattle Police Department, the City Attorney’s office, and Harborview Medical Center. The meeting will take place in the gymnasium of the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Avenue NE) from 7-9 PM.
Our LIVE COVERAGE of this event will be HERE (page will go live on the afternoon of April 2 prior to the meeting.)
The list of confirmed attendees includes (via the RBCA homepage):
- Council Member Tom Rasmussen will be coming with Eileen Whalen, Executive Director of Harborview Medical Center and Dr. Beth Ebel, Director of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center.
- From the Seattle Police Department, North Precinct Captain Robin Clark will be there to introduce Captain Mike Nolan from the SPD Traffic Section. DUI enforcement experts will also be on hand to answer any questions/concerns the community may have.
- Dongho Chang, Chief Traffic Engineer from the Seattle Department of Transportation will be there to address improvements that can be made to NE 75th. The Director of Transportation Peter Hahn will also be in attendance.
- Members of the law department from the City Attorney’s Office will attend to discuss the prosecutorial side of DUIs.
- The Mayor’s office will also be on hand, should you have questions for him.
- Gina Iandola, Homestreet Bank’s Wedgwood Branch Manager will also be there should you want to donate funds. You can read more about ways to donate on Wedgwood Community Council’s website.
The Mayor’s office staff members attending include:
- Beth Goldberg, City Budget Director
- Beth Hester, Director of Public Affairs and Management
- Rebecca Deehr, Mayor’s Office lead on their Road Safety campaign and on the new school road safety initiative
Everyone is welcome to attend. We also expect a large number of Wedgwood Community Council board members and neighbors to attend.
We have spoken with the staff at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center about the meeting, and have been told that the gymnasium will be in use up until the 7 PM meeting start time. Neighbors: Please come prepared to be patient and/or help set up some of the approximately 200 chairs available for seating.
UPDATE (Monday, April 1): Senator David Frockt (D) representing the 46th District is also scheduled to attend.
The agenda order appears to be: SPD and the City Attorney’s Office, then CM Rasmussen, Senator Frockt, and Harborview, and then the Department of Transportation at the end.
…
Also, to further inform the officials attending Tuesday’s meeting, you may want to contact them in advance with your questions and concerns (or later, if you still have questions/concerns):
[NEW] Senator David Frockt (D), 46th District: (206) 729-3225 and email form
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, Transportation Committee Chair: (206) 684-8808 and tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov
Eileen Whalen, Executive Director of Harborview Medical Center: (206) 744-3036
Dr. Beth Ebel, Director of of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center: (206) 744-9430 and bebel@uw.edu
North Precinct Captain Robin Clark: (206) 684-0850 (N. Precinct front desk) and Public Information Officers (206-684-5520)
[NEW] Sergeant Dianne Newsom, North Precinct Community Police Team supervisor: (206) 684-0794 and dianne.newsom@seattle.gov
[NEW] Sergeant Don Smith, Traffic Section supervisor, Seattle Police Department
[NEW] Officer Eric Michl, Traffic Section/DUI Squad
Dongho Chang, Chief Traffic Engineer from the Seattle Department of Transportation: 206-684-5106 and dongho.chang@seattle.gov
Peter Hahn, Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation: 206-684-5000 and peter.hahn@seattle.gov
City Attorney’s Office: 206-684-8200 (Civil main phone number), 206-684-7757 (Criminal main phone number), kimberly.mills@seattle.gov (Communications Director)
Beth Goldberg, City Budget Director: (206) 233-7115 and beth.goldberg@seattle.gov
Beth Hester, Director of Public Affairs and Management, Mayor’s Office: (206) 684-3493 and beth.hester@seattle.gov
Rebecca Deehr, Mayor’s Office lead on the Road Safety Initiative: (206) 233-2662 and rebecca.deehr@seattle.gov
One Week Later: A Memorial Walk for the Community (UPDATE)
The Seattle Neighborhood Greenways group, along with other members of the local community, has coordinated a Memorial Walk on Monday, April 1, from 4-5 PM.
That date and time marks one week from the day that Judy and Dennis Schulte lost their lives while crossing NE 75th Street at 33rd Avenue NE with their daughter-in-law, Karina Ulriksen-Schulte, and her then 10-day-old son, Elias. Mother and son are still in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center.
All four were struck by a drunk driver traveling over the speed limit westbound on NE 75th Street just after 4 PM on Monday, March 25.
The circular walk will start and end* at Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts (6845 35th Ave NE), stopping at the memorial site in between.
*UPDATE: The direction shown on the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways map may not be correct — The walk may instead start west on NE 70th Street, later mimicking the walk north along 33rd Avenue NE that the Schulte family made together.
View Memorial Walk for the Schulte Family in a larger map
For those whom mobility is a problem, the plan as we know it is to be gathered at the memorial site (33rd Avenue NE and NE 75th Street) at 4:30 PM.
From the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways event page:
You can bring flowers. Or bring canned food to leave at the site that will be taken to the University Food Bank. Dennis and Judy Schulte, who were killed on Monday, had a passion to provide food for at-risk children.
A Facebook event page has also been set up.
Mayor Michael McGinn will be participating in the walk along with several other Mayor’s Office and City Hall staff members. The Seattle Police Department will also be present.
…
More on this story on Ravenna Blog:
Arraignment of NE 75th Street DUI homicides suspect on Thursday (last updated on Tuesday, April 9)
Timeout to say THANK YOU, on behalf of the Schulte family (last updated on Sunday, April 7)
Hundreds walk to remember, honor the Schulte family (PHOTOS) (last updated on Monday, April 1)
Prayer Vigil for mother and child this Thursday night (PHOTOS) (last updated on Friday, March 29)
Memorial to the family at NE 75th St grows (PHOTOS) (last updated on Sunday, March 31)
Memorial and medical funds set up for victims of Monday’s traffic tragedy (last updated on Thursday, March 28)
Suspect in Monday’s traffic fatalities no stranger to DUIs (last updated on Sunday, March 31)
Multiple casualty incident on NE 75th St near Eckstein Middle School (PHOTOS) (last updated on Wednesday, March 27)
Your Moment of Ravenna Zen: Velo-Mayor with Vegetables
This is a picture of the mayor riding away on his bicycle with a bunch of carrots:
Mayor Mike McGinn was in our neighborhood on Saturday, December 1 for a “Tour de Ravenna” and a town hall at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center. This picture was taken after the last stop on the tour (the Ravenna Community Garden) where he was presented with a bunch of carrots grown there.
Do YOU have a Moment of Ravenna Zen to share? Email rebecca@ravennablog.com, or use our handy dandy comment form to tell us about it.
Stay Connected