The Phinney Ridge Community Council meets at 7:30 tonight (Tuesday), at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in the Blue Room of the Blue Building.

On the agenda:

• Aurora Avenue Improvement Project
• New PRCC officers/goals
• Building updates: Zoo NW Parking; 5555 Phinney Townhomes/SF Homes project
• Report on meeting with Councilwoman Bagshaw re: Woodland Park Zoo

The Phinney Ridge Community Council is hosting a discussion about “The Future of Phinney” from 7-9 p.m. tonight at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., Room 6, followed by its annual board member election.

Forum panelists are:

• Dongho Chang, SDOT city traffic engineer
• Morgan Shook, Seattle Planning Commission
• Michael Shiosaki, Department of Parks & Recreation
• 36th District Rep. Gael Tarleton

Each panelist will talk about neighborhood, city and state trends, conditions and upcoming policies, along with recommendations on how Phinney Ridge can work on those issues over the next five years. The floor will then be opened for discussion.

Beginning at 8:30 p.m. will be the annual PRCC board election. Nominations will be taken right up until the vote. Responsibilities as a Phinney Ridge Community Council Member include:

• Attend PRCC meetings the first Tuesday of each month at Phinney Neighborhood Center
• Live or own property or a business between Aurora Ave and 8th N.W. & 46th Street and N. 75th St.

To submit a nomination or if you have questions, contact Diane Duthweiler, PRCC president at 206-782-1420 or dduthweiler@comcast.net.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council is seeking candidates for its board. Nominations will be accepted until voting begins at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., Room 6.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council (PRCC) is a volunteer, not for profit organization that tracks public safety, transit, land use, zoning, city budgets, capital improvements, parks and other civic issues.

The PRCC maintains communication with elected officials, city departments and community and civic organizations to ensure our neighborhood shares in the opportunities for public input and resources.

The PRCC is a resource for sharing ideas and building coalitions for action.

Responsibilities as a Phinney Ridge Community Council Member

• Attend PRCC meetings the first Tuesday of each month at Phinney Neighborhood Center

• Live or own property or a business between Aurora Ave and 8th N.W. & 46th Street and N. 75th St.

To submit a nomination or if you have questions, contact Diane Duthweiler, PRCC president at (206) 782-1420 or dduthweiler@comcast.net.

The May 7 meeting also features a discussion on “The Future of Phinney.” Topics will include transit, traffic, building codes, property development and design, public safety, parks and green space. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m. The discussion takes place from 7-8 p.m.

Panelists will include 36th District Rep. Gael Tarleton, representatives from Seattle’s Departments of Transportation, Parks & Recreation, and Planning & Development.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in the Blue Room downstairs. The meeting is open to the public.

On the agenda:

• 7:30-7:45 p.m.: Traffic concerns at North 62nd Street and 2nd Avenue NW
• 7:45-8 p.m.: Annual meeting topic discussion
• 8-8:05 p.m.: Woodland Park Zoo’s Wildlights attendance numbers
• 8:05-8:10 p.m.: Broken city sewer line near 220 NW 58th St.
• 8:05-8:15: 5555 Phinney – Report on meeting with developer
• 8:15-8:20: North 52nd Street and Phinney Avenue North triplex – illegal tree removal
• 8:20-8:30: Zoo long range plan/Parking space funds request from city

The Phinney Ridge Community Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N.

The agenda includes discussion of a neighborhood effort to create a residential parking zone on the south side of Woodland Park Zoo. We will also be discussing the Woodland Park Zoo’s Wildlights event with the goal of providing feedback to the zoo to help minimize impacts on the neighborhood in future years for Wildlights and similar events.

Solarize Seattle: Northwest is hosting a one-hour orientation meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6523 Phinney Ave. N., Room 6.

Solarize Seattle is a group purchase program that offers free workshops and solar assessments, plus discounts and financing help for homeowners who want to add solar power to their homes. The Northwest program is open to residents and businesses in the following zip codes: 98103, 98107, 98117, 98133 and 98177.

It’s funded by Seattle City Light, and managed by the nonprofit Northwest SEED (Sustainable Energy for Economic Development). It’s also supported by the PNA, Sustainable Greenwood-Phinney, Phinney Ridge Community Council, Greenwood Community Council, Green Lake Community Council, Wallingford Meaningful Movies, and Sustainable Seattle.

Solarize workshops will begin in early 2013.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council tonight will hear from a representative of Woodland Park Zoo about the zoo’s new “Wildlights” holiday event this winter.

Wildlights will run from 5:30-8:30 p.m.  Nov. 19 through New Year’s Day, bringing tens of thousands of visitors to the neighborhood. Hear more about parking and driving impacts.

The PRCC hopes to learn more about the following questions:

• Where will the guests park?
• How will the zoo monitor and manage the additional peak hour traffic impacts on major intersections along North 50th St.?
• How will the zoo manage ticket sales to control parking impacts over such a long period of time?
• How will residents preserve parking near their homes for holiday guests if zoo visitors are expected to use street parking for nearly 40 consecutive nights?
• Will this event become permanent?

PRCC members also hope to hear more about a proposed parking lot expansion on the west side of the zoo. The 180-stall parking lot is included in the city’s latest budget, with the city paying $2 million of the $2.7 million cost.

The PRCC meets at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in Room 6 of the Blue Building.

Here’s a roundup of neighborhood news.

West Woodland Elementary is one of three schools that will receive a combined $800,000 as part of the Safe Routes to School project. Beacon Hill and McGilvra are the other two schools. Mayor McGinn made the announcement at West Woodland on Wednesday. The funding comes from the City’s Real Estate Excise Tax. The money will be used to upgrade a half-signal to a full signal at NW 58th Street and 8th Avenue NW, and install new marked crosswalks and curb ramps.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association will now manage all of the facility rentals for the Sunset Hill Community Association in Ballard. The SHCA clubhouse is at 3003 NW 66th St.

Because PNA and SHCA are both nonprofit organizations with similar missions to connect neighbors and foster community, this partnership is a good fit for both organizations. PNA has a history of success in managing rentals and programs at the Phinney Center and Greenwood Senior Center and welcomes the 1929 meeting hall into the rental options. PNA’s staff will promote, rent and provide custodial services for the SHCA clubhouse.

Questions regarding rentals for both the SHCA and the Phinney Center can be directed to Margaret Pai by email margaretp@phinneycenter.org or 206.783.2244 x 42.

A Community Project CrossFit, which moved into 7216 Linden Ave. N. less than two months ago, is moving to a larger space a few blocks away. ACP CrossFit will be closed Saturday through Monday for the move, and will reopen Tuesday at 7622 Aurora Ave. N. (a former Kung Fu studio). The new space is much larger and has locker rooms and showers.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council will host an informational meeting about Woodland Park Zoo’s new annual “Wildlights” holiday event, a nightly light display with live entertainment from Nov. 19 through Jan. 1. The meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., Room 6. Zoo staff will address plans for traffic, parking and other neighborhood impacts.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is holding its second public meeting on the renovation of Woodland Park Playground at 1000 N. 59 St. The meeting is from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the PNA, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., Room 1. Landscape Architect Shwu-jen Hwang will present three play area options for community discussion. Construction is planned for fall of 2013.

And the Rotary clubs of greater Seattle are seeking business and professional people ages 25-40 for a month-long cultural and vocational exchange program in Russia in April and May 2013.

The Group Study Exchange is a longstanding program of Rotary International. It offers an all-expense paid experience with home stays with Rotarian host-country families, vocational visits, and an opportunity to exchange ideas and customs with Russian counterparts. Applicants must live or work in Rotary District 5030, which covers all of King County and the communities of Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Mill Creek in Snohomish County. The exchange is not open to Rotarians or their lineal descendents.

Applications for team members are due by October 22,2012. Complete information and application forms are available at www.gse.rotary5030.org.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, in the Blue Building.

On the agenda:

• 2012 Pro-Parks Opportunity Fund application(s) – Jan Satterthwaite
• Lower Woodland Park Update – Ted Holden
• Web Committee
• Murals possible partnership updates
• “Wildlights”update

The Phinney Ridge Community Council meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in the Blue Building. On the agenda:

New Business:

• 7:30-7:35 – 36th & 43rd state legislative districts
• 7:35-7:45 p.m. – Murals/possible Urban Artworks partnership
• 7:45-7:50 p.m. – Trees for Neighborhoods program
• 7:50-8 p.m. – Rapid Ride ELine
• 8-8:05 p.m. – Web Committee

Old Business:

• 8:05-8:15 p.m. – 59th & Phinney Playground Project update
• 8:15 -8:25 p.m. – Zoo Lights update

The next meeting date is Sept. 4.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Phinney Neighborhood Center.

Two 36th District candidates - Noel Frame and Evan Clifthorne – will each have about 20 minutes to talk about their campaigns. The PRCC also will hear from proponents and opponents of the library levy that will be on the August ballot.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council meets Tuesday at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the PNA’s Blue Building, in Room 6.

On the agenda:

• 36th District state legislative candidate Brett Phillips will answer questions.
• Progress report from the Zoo Neighborhood Liaison Committee.
• Update on environmental issues at the North 60th Street and Phinney Avenue North condo project.
• Officer elections and committee assignments.
• Proposed zoning changes and the potential effect on pedestrian zone between North 59th and 62nd streets.

The next PRCC meeting will be July 10. 36th District state legislative candidate Noel Frame will attend to answer questions.