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Aurora study to focus on safety

Last year, transportation officials from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), assisted by King County and the cities of Seattle and Shoreline, launched a study of safety, mobility and the appearance of State Route 99, the highway also known as Aurora Avenue.

But on Feb. 11, Project Manager Nytasha Sowers announced that the study was being redirected to consider only safety issues (such as ways to prevent accidents), largely due to financial concerns.

"With our budget we realized there were a lot of things we couldn't do justice to," Sowers said. She added that issues about Aurora that have been raised by the surrounding communities, such as transit and traffic movement, parking and street beautification, will be forwarded on to the City of Seattle and King County to address.

WSDOT's study of Aurora has led to concerns from local merchants, who feared that the state's findings could lead to restricted parking. After the announcement was made, both businesses and community leaders expressed satisfaction with WSDOT's decision.

"It's what needs to be done in an already built environment - to study safety," said Faye Garneau, executive director of the Aurora Avenue Merchant's Association. "I think we're going in the right direction."

Jerry Owens, a member of the Aurora/Licton Springs Planning Group, agreed. "If you solve safety issues, you're going to increase mobility."

An open house scheduled for Wednesday, March 20, 6-9 p.m. at the Phinney Neighborhood Center has been cancelled. To find out the rescheduled date or for other info., call Nytasha Sowers with WSDOT at 464-6161.

North Green Lake group forms

In January, a group of residents living near Aurora Avenue between North 85th Street and North 105th Street formed a new neighborhood group: the North Green Lake Neighborhood Association.

The association formed largely in response to the area's high crime rates. The group's mission includes increasing the number of block watch leaders in the area, documenting public safety problems and criminal activity, working with residential and business property owners to encourage cleaner streets and property and generally making Aurora and the surrounding areas less hospitable to criminal activity.

At present, the North Green Lake Neighborhood Association is meeting monthly and has not chosen officers for the organization.

Sonja Richter of the Seattle Police Department's Crime Prevention program said the North Green Lake Neighborhood Association already has about 50 people on its mailing list. For more information, call Richter at 684-7717.

Laurelhurst bridge damaged

On Feb. 13, a flatbed truck coming from a construction site in Laurelhurst damaged the the overpass on NE 45th Street between 47th and 48th Avenue NE, near Laurelhurst Elementary School.

According to Dave Chew, bridge maintenance and operations manager for the Seattle Department of Transportation, a crane on the back of the truck hit the bridge knocking a chunk of concrete out of the floor portion and destroying a six foot section of railing. Chew said repairs will likely by done by the end of February. No injuries were reported.

Thornton Creek Alliance meeting

The Thornton Creek Alliance will hold its annual meeting Thursday, March 14 at Maple Leaf Lutheran Church. The meeting will include an election of new officers and a presentation by Joe Engesett and students of the Institute for Environmental Health on their findings from research done in the Thornton Creek Watershed over the past six months. The church is located at 10005 32nd Ave. NE in Meadowbrook. For more information, contact Cheryl Klinker at 367-4635.

Fremont Market negotiating summer site with City

Fremont Sunday Market operator Jon Hegeman hopes the market will soon secure a permanent home for the summer.

Hegeman has been working with the City to obtain a permit to close N. 34th Street (between Phinney and Evanston avenues) on Sundays so vendors can hawk their wares outdoors, next to the market's current location in the Burke Building parking garage.

"They just have to process the paperwork. We're optimistic," said Hegeman. "(This site) is basically what the Chamber of Commerce and the retail community supports. We're hoping this will be a regular place for us."

The Fremont Sunday Market is expected to open its summer season on April 28.

Fremont Library to be renovated

The Seattle Public Library recently announced plans for a $554,000 renovation project of the Fremont Library, located at 731 N. 35th. Built in 1921 thanks to a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, the Fremont Library is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated as a Seattle landmark.

The renovation project would convert 780 square feet of storage space into public and staff space. Other planned improvements including more seating, an expanded book collection, more computer work stations, improved parking and more efficient lobby, circulation desk and work areas. The renovation is scheduled for completion in 2004.

Library seeks book donations

The Friends of the Seattle Public Library will hold a book drive from March 11 through 17 to get donations for its annual sale. The sale itself is scheduled for April 12 through 14 at Sand Point Magnuson Park.

Donors can drop off books from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sand Point Magnuson Park. There will also be a special evening drop off from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13.

The group is seeking clean books, CDs, videos, records and framed and unframed art prints. Textbooks, encyclopedias, computer books and business books older than 10 years are not needed. Magazines and Reader's Digest Condensed Books also cannot be accepted.

All donations are tax deductible. Money raised from the sale helps support services and programs of the Seattle Public Library.

For more information, call 523-4053.