Phinney Ridge resident Janelle Shafer has won a national conservation fellowship from Audubon and Toyota. Shafer is one of 41 people nationwide selected for the TogetherGreen Fellowship, which comes with $10,000 to be used for a community-based conservation project.

Through her TogetherGreen fellowship, Shafer will be able to integrate a stewardship component into Seattle Audubon’s already successful Elementary School education programs. Currently, two programs exist: Finding Urban Nature (FUN), which introduces 3rd and 4th graders to nature in their own schoolyards; and the FUN Explorers Program, helping 5th grade students to better understand a local environmental indicator – birds. The fellowship will enable her to continue to provide free environmental education programs to schools who are in need while also introducing a stewardship project that will focus on identifying keystone bird species and strategies for restoring and protecting bird habitat. As a culmination of the project, students will teach their community about neighborhood birds and what they can do to protect them.

In her current role as the Elementary School Programs Manager for Seattle Audubon, Shafer engages 3rd through 5th graders in experiential, hands-on, science-based lessons to promote a closer connection to the natural world.

“Each student has a unique style of learning, their own spark that empowers them to become engaged learners,” Shafer said in a press release. “If I can ignite that spark just once, using environmental education and the skills I have learned through this fellowship, than I feel like I have planted a seed for a more sustainable future.”

Back in April we told you about the local group CoolMom setting up a temporary “wind farm” of pinwheels at Green Lake, in celebration of Earth Day.

Now, Greenwood and Phinney members of CoolMom have taken bouquets of those pinwheels to state legislators, calling for an end to coal-based energy in Washington.

Phinney residents Maris Sovold and Brooke Doyle and their children recently took pinwheel bouquets to Rep. Scott White, Rep. Phyllis Kenny and Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson to ask them to enact legislation to close the TransAlta coal plant in Centralia by 2015.

Sovold said that she participated because she is concerned about the impact of burning coal on her children’s health, since studies have linked it to mercury poisoning and asthma. She also had heard that closing the plant would be equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the road, which sounds like a concrete way to help reduce Washington’s carbon footprint.

Kari Boiter, legislative assistant to Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, receives a pinwheel from Nolan and Annika Sovold.

Maris sent us photos of this CoolMom.org event at Green Lake on Sunday in celebration of Earth Day. Kids created their own pinwheels, then planted them in the ground to symbolize wind power.

The pencils were donated by various sources ( I scoured our collection of pencils and donated a couple bundles) and the wind wheels were made from recycled calendars. This was to promote the “Coal-Free Washington” campaign – an effort to reduce our air pollution in Washington state.

More than 50 residents of Greenwood and Phinney Ridge packed a meeting room at Loyal Heights Community Center Thursday night for an environmental review of the proposed Fred Meyer project on 85th Street.

This meeting focused on soil and groundwater issues only, not design. (The city’s Design Review Board approved the project’s preliminary designs in September.) The project includes not only a Fred Meyer store but up to 250 residential units and about 20,000 square feet of other retail, and will be called Pipers Village West.

The meeting began at 7 p.m. and was scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m., but lasted until after 9:30 p.m. The first 45 minutes was given to the project team to explain their hydrology studies of the site. The remaining time was given to neighbors to voice their concerns, which many did – vigorously.

The main issue revolves around the fact that approximately half of the project will be built on the Greenwood Bog. The peat bog covers a large area of downtown Greenwood. Issues arise when water is removed from the bog – called “dewatering” – causing houses and streets to sink.

GGLO Architect Ted Panton started off by explaining the concept of “infiltration” – which is when water moves from the surface into the ground in a variety of ways, whether through pervious paving or gutters or landscaping. Moving the water back into the bog is a good thing, because you want to keep it hydrated. It’s when you remove water from that compressible soil that it causes sinking.

City Planner Scott Kemp, in the background on the left, and GGLO Architect Ted Panton, in the background on the right, go over hydrology issues.

“This is one of the largest peat bog occurrences in the Seattle area, and that is really the critical issue for this project,” said Michael A.P. Kenrick, a hydro-geologist with GeoEngineers Inc., who was hired by Fred Meyer. “We want to try and preserve the existing nature of the peat. Everybody recognizes the significance of that soil. It’s very compressible. The whole emphasis here is to protect the peat and keep it from losing moisture.”

Kenrick said they have drilled 30 “bore holes” in various sites around the project and installed monitoring wells to get soil samples. He said that was a very high number of bore holes for a project such as this. They look at whether the soil is silt, sand, clay or peat, and how wet it is. The project needs to stay well above the water table, which is the area of saturation.

The bog area contains three different layers of soil. The top thin layer is peat. In some areas the peat is about three-and-a-half to four feet; the thickest location is about eight-and-a-half feet. The middle layer is silt. The bottom layer is glacial till, also called hard pan. The Peat Settlement Prone Areas Ordinance prevents them from constructing anything below ground water elevation.

Hal P. Grubb, director of engineering services for Barghausen Consulting Engineers Inc., hired by Fred Meyer, said the existing Fred Meyer site is almost entirely covered with impervious surface. Storm water is now collected in downspouts and catch basins in the parking lot, and routed straight into the city storm drain system on 87th Street and 1st Avenue. Then it travels to the north and out to Puget Sound, with no control or treatment measures, which is common for older projects.

However, the new project would collect it and meter it out either into the ground or into the city storm water system. The idea is to put as much of the collected water into the peat as the peat will accept – thereby keeping it hydrated – and put any overflow into an underground retention vault. Water in the vault would be metered out into the city system. The vault would be large enough to handle so-called “100-year event” flooding before it overflowed.

Many neighbors brought up sinking issues they believe were caused when the Safeway was built on 87th and Greenwood a few years ago. Some neighbors said they had to pay to jack up part of their houses and that their basements routinely flood.

Kate Martin, a long-time vocal critic to the project, has long complained that putting most of the proposed one-story Fred Meyer underground would cause irreparable harm to the bog and surrounding areas. She called it a “submarine superstore.”

Kate Martin argues that the project will harm surrounding properties.

“We knew that dewatering in and around this area damages public infrastructure and private property, because when peat is robbed of its water source because of dewatering, peat dries, compresses and sinks and anything resting on it goes down with it when it sinks,” Martin said. “Greenwood has been sinking and continues to sink.”

She said there has been a lack of data and science surrounding the project, and that too many assumptions are made. She – and many others in the audience – wondered why the city had not yet ordered an Environmental Impact Statement. Currently, the project only needs a Determination of Non-Significance (DNS).

City Planner Scott Kemp said the city had not yet made the decision on whether an EIS is needed, and that the first step is to approve or deny the DNS. One woman in the audience asked for a show of hands as to who wanted to see an EIS. Nearly every hand went up.

“It’s a very fragile site,” the woman said. “There are impacts, impacts and impacts. I know you can look at all the numbers in lots of different ways. So who’s going to be helping me when I have to move out of the city when my house sinks and I can’t afford to lift it up? It’s a serious possibility for some of us.”

Many others in the audience wanted to know how they could get relief if their houses do sink during or after construction of the project.

“My house is already sinking. I’ve been there five years and I’ve had to raise my house an inch and a half on one corner,” one man said. “What are the assurances that homeowners around the area won’t be affected?”

“If you do the things right on the project itself, there shouldn’t be any impacts on surrounding sites,” Kenrick answered.

A woman who lives directly across the street from the site on 87th Street said the city pipes in the street in front of her house have burst four times in the last few years. Kemp seemed surprised by that. “As you’re building, are our water pipes going to burst again?” she asked.

Matt Heilgeist, who lives across from the project, says he assumes there will be some movement of his home during the project. He asked if the city could establish baselines and elevations for neighboring houses before the project starts, then compare them afterwards. Kemp said the city could look into that.

“My approach is to be as careful as we can. We really don’t feel like we have experts who are trying to fool us,” Kemp said of Fred Meyer’s development team. “They are spending millions and millions of dollars…and do seem to want to do what’s right.”

Note: The meeting was long and many, many people spoke passionately, and there’s no way I can cover everything that was said. So if you think I’ve missed anything important, please put your two cents’ worth in below in comments.

One more thing: If you received a notice in the mail about the meeting from the Department of Planning & Development, then you’re already on the official mailing list for this project. If you didn’t and you want to be on the list, email Scott Kemp with your snail mail address.

We’re not rushing you, but at some point you’re going to have to let go of that tree drying out in your front window.

When that time comes, you can put your tree(s) and greens out on your regular yard waste collection day at no extra charge through Jan. 10. Trees should be cut into sections of six feet long or shorter, with branches trimmed to less than four feet. Sections should be bundled with string or twine.

Flocked trees and those that still have tinsel or ornaments on them will be collected as extra garbage. Those trees will need to be cut into three-foot pieces and each piece will cost you $7.60 in extra garbage charges.

You can also drop off your tree and other holiday greenery for free at the north or south Seattle Public Utilities Stations.  The closest to Phinney/Greenwood is in Fremont at 34th Street and Carr Place North. It’s open daily from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. More info here.

The Green Seattle Partnership is hosting the 4th Annual Green Seattle Day on Saturday Nov. 7th. They hope to recruit 1,000 volunteers for Seattle’s largest day of tree planting (last year they had 800 volunteers).

Green Seattle Day is more than just a forest restoration event: it is the largest day of native tree and shrub planting of the year. It is also a recognition of the benefits of our urban forests, a celebration of our commitment to a healthy city, and a statement of Seattle’s strong sense of civic pride and community.

Volunteers will be planting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 16 locations throughout the city, including Carkeek Park, rain or shine. Click here for more information or to register to volunteer. If you have any questions, contact info@greenseattle.org, 206-905-6906.

After last December’s disastrous snow response, the city has come

up with a new plan that includes using more salt and hired a new street maintenance director who has considerable snow removal experience.

Here’s the full press release:

City Debuts New Snow Plan for Seattle

Applies national best practices, hires new Street Maintenance director

SEATTLE – The city of Seattle today announced the completion of a comprehensive effort to revamp and upgrade its winter storm readiness and response plan. In addition, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) welcomes aboard Monty Sedlak as the new director of Street Maintenance.

“Based on nationwide best practices, our new plan will ensure Seattle is ready for any kind of winter storm,” said SDOT Director Grace Crunican. “With an aggressive, high-tech oriented approach and new leadership, SDOT will keep people and goods moving in Seattle during challenging winter weather.”

Plan highlights include:

-A new approach to snow that includes an expanded use of salt brine and salt, and limited use of sand;

-Significant improvements to facilities and fleet to include GPS technology and weather awareness;

-An improved organizational structure and significant training for winter storms;

-A commitment to better communicate with the people of Seattle and agency partners; and

-Performance measures to objectively evaluate accomplishments.

Designed in consultation with King County Metro Transit, city agencies and other key partners, the plan will facilitate a coordinated response that keeps buses moving and critical institutions accessible, including hospitals. Businesses and residents are reminded of their obligation to shovel sidewalks near their properties.

Mr. Sedlak, formerly the Road and Bridge Division manager for Arapahoe County, Colo., possesses significant winter storm experience and will be a key leader in applying SDOT’s new snow response procedures as of October 26. To learn more about the plan and the new snow map, visit http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/winterweather.htm.

The Seattle Department of Transportation builds, maintains and operates Seattle’s $12 billion transportation infrastructure. To further Mayor Nickels’ goal to get Seattle moving, the department manages short- and long-term investments in streets, bridges, pavement and trees, that better connect the city with the region.

The Sneakery, 612 NW 65th St., is collecting used bottle caps for recycling, playing off an initiative started by Aveda. Drea writes:

I’m probably not the only one who cringes every time I throw a cap in the trash when I put a bottle in the recycling bin. I don’t understand all the politics and science of recycling, but thankfully someone has found a way to get these caps into the proper recycling facility. Aveda salons has started an ongoing program called “Recycle Caps with Aveda” to address this issue and I’ve started a collection at The Sneakery which I plan on taking to the drop-off point downtown. I’d like to invite anyone else who wants to see their caps go somewhere with a purpose to drop them off with us. The Sneakery is not affiliated with Aveda in any way, this is just something I heard about and want to participate in. Hopefully you’ll think this is a project worthy of getting others involved in and post it on your blog.

Here is a general overview of what types of caps can be recycled:

Caps included in this collection are any plastic “twist on” caps. Some examples are: Water bottles, soda bottles, laundry detergent bottles, ketchup bottles, and shampoo/conditioner bottles. Caps that are NOT included are any metal caps and any “Snap Fit” plastic caps. Some examples of snap fit caps are; margarine and cottage cheese caps.

More information via Aveda can be found here.

Some neighbors concerned about environmental and quality of life impacts of a proposed four-story mixed use building where Roosters, Daily Planet Antiques, Chef Liao and Phinney Ridge Cleaners now stand, are circulating petitions asking the city for a public hearing on the plan.

Organizers Roger Ball and Sandy Lemlich are saying the development is a bad idea, arguing in part:

A neighboring property, now a Zeeks Pizza, was a dry cleaner in a former life.  As far as we know, a site investigation was never conducted for the presence of perchloroethylene (PCE, or tetrachloroethylene), a solvent once commonly used by dry cleaners.  The proposed project is adjacent to this old dry cleaning site and includes the digging of a parking garage, a deep hole that may reach PCE containing ground water, and thus releasing PCE into the air.  This potential release of PCE into the air may endanger neighbors and anyone else around.  Therefore, it is requested that a study including collection and analysis of groundwater samples for the volatile compound, PCE, be conducted before the project is approved. 

What makes Phinney Ridge such a desirable place to live is its location near downtown and the zoo but also the amenities such as the restaurants and interesting stores like the ones that would be torn down to make way for this project.  The restaurants, Chef Liao and Roosters, an interesting store, The Daily Planet, and a currently operating dry cleaner, Phinney Ridge Cleaners, are all well loved businesses that help make Phinney Ridge a wonderful and convenient place to live.  What has happened with other condo developments in the area is that the ground floor retail areas are either empty or contain expensive and often under-patronized retail spaces.  This does not help the liveability of the neigborhood. 

The real estate climate has significantly changed since this project was first proposed. The sale of condominiums in the past year in this neighborhood has dropped significantly (-55.8% since November 2007; Seattle Times Real Estate Section, Sunday, December 14, 2008). Condo sales in adjoining areas were down by much higher percentages. Therefore it is likely that if this project is approved and goes forward, either the existing building with successful and interesting businesses will be torn down and the lot left vacant, or worse, the hole for the parking garage will be excavated and the project abandoned with a deep hole left for the neighbors to deal with, as is currently the case with several other projects of this type in North Seattle. Either alternative is unacceptable. Based on the above information, there is no need for the proposed project to be built in our neighborhood.

Expect to see fliers in the neighborhood encouraging people to visit the businesses to sign the petition. The orignal comment period was set to close 12/24, but was later extended to 1/7. Organizers are told it’s now been extended to 1/21.

All 56 Bartell’s Drugs stores, including ours at 120 N. 85th St., are now recycling compact fluorescent light bulbs for free. 

Bartell’s is working with Total Reclaim, Seattle-based recycling firm. CFL bulbs contain small amounts of potentially harmful mercury and safe disposal of the bulbs keeps mercury out of landfills. Bartell’s will accept mini-twists, flood, globe, 3-way bulbs and other CFL bulbs.

 Fluorescent tube lights are not accepted at this time, but here’s a list of other locations around the area that will accept them, including Greenwood True Value Hardware at 7201 Greenwood Ave. N.