I previously blogged about the Madrona Neighborhood Appreciation Day and the 4 awards that were being presented. Please click the link above for a detail description of the awards. The winners were as follows:
The Nora Award: Audrey Seale
The Local Hero Award: Barbara Schwartz
The Tyrone Love Unsung Hero Awards: CDSA teachers: Ms. Heather, Ms. Dora, Ms. Gwen
The Madrona Resident for Life Award: Carlos Kainz & Julie Guerrero (Dulces owners)
The flower baskets that decorated the Madrona business district the previous 5 years will once again beautify the storefronts and street lamps along 34th Avenue and Union Street. The baskets have been planted and will be ready sometime this May.
Donations are still being collected to pay for the baskets. Each basket costs $275 to plant and maintain. Look for a donation envelope next month in the Madrona Newsletter to make a tax deductible donation or call 323-6128 and ask how you can help.
There is still time, although not much. The Madrona Community Council is having the first annual Mayfair T-shirt Decorating Contest. The contest is open to all Madrona residents who are 5 to 12 years old.
Simply create a design on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper and submit it to Madrona’s Cupcake Royale by March 31st. The design should be what you think best represents the tradition of Madrona Mayfair. When submitting the design be sure to include the artist’s name, age, and phone number.
The Madrona Community Council will pick the winning design to be featured on T-shirts and tote bags which will be available to be purchased online by April 8th. All proceeds for the sale will be used to fund future Madrona neighborhood events.
Leschi was one of the first neighborhoods to create an open space plan, and residents are very active in their local parks and green spaces. No matter the weather local Leschi residents and their friends meet monthly at 36th Avenue and East Terrace to preserve the Leschi Natural Area.
According to the Seattle Parks website, the Leschi Natural Area was acquired in 1989 to preserve the green space for the community:
In 1989, the Leschi Natural Area was included in the King County Open Space and Trails Bond, and Seattle Parks and Recreation purchased and preserved several acres in the green space. The Leschi community then adopted the natural area through Parks and Recreation’s Adopt-A-Park Program, created a loop trail at the site, and restored native plants.
In 2001 an adjacent property became available and was acquired and preserved through the Green Spaces category of the Pro Parks Levy. The site features panoramic views of Lake Washington, Mount Rainier and the Cascades, and provides a significant addition to the Leschi Natural Area. The property is also adjacent to the East Terrace Street stairs along a well-used pedestrian route leading down to Lake Washington Boulevard.
Matching funds from the King County Conservation Futures Levy were also used in the purchase of this property.
If you are interested in participating in the neighborhood work party for the Leschi Natural Area, new volunteers are always welcome. This weekends it starts Saturday morning at 9 AM. If interested contact Bunny and Fran Wood 323-2296 or Diane Morris 322-7648.
Gloves and lunch is provided for participants who help.
I previously blogged about the Work Party at Madrona Woods. Madrona Woods is the section of Madrona Park that leads down the hill towards Madrona Beach. Friends of Madrona Woods has been working with the Seattle Parks Department to maintain this area for over 14 years. Generally there is a work party the 4th Saturday of every month. This being the 4th Saturday, there is a work party tomorrow, March 26th, from 10 AM to 1 PM. New volunteers are always welcome. Meet at the toolbox at Spring Street and Grand Avenue – for more information, contact Deirdre at (206) 325-9035 or deirdre_jaymccrary@msn.com or check out the link to website above.
Tomorrow, March 26th is Madrona’s annual Neighborhood Appreciation Day. Please join fellow residents and friends at Madrona School Library from 10 AM to 11:30 AM to honor some of the local neighbors who make Madrona so special. There will be food and entertainment by Madrona Elementary School students.
Four awards will be presented: The Nora Award, The Local Hero Award, The Tyrone Love Unsung Hero Award, and The Madrona Resident for Life Award. The Nora award, named in honor of Madrona activist Nora Wood, is given to a resident who has left their mark on the community. The Local Hero Award is bestowed to a Madrona resident for an act of heroism, kindness, or generosity. The Tyrone Love Unsung Hero Award is dedicated to a Madrona resident for service to others in the greater community. And The Madrona Resident for Life Award is granted to a longtime resident who has left Madrona but is dearly missed.
Nominations are made by local neighbors and winners are selected by the Madrona Community Council. To nominate someone for future consideration, send your nominee’s name, the award you are recommending them for, and the reason for your nomination to a member of the Madrona Community Council.
As I was leaving Madrona this morning, I noticed on 23rd Avenue between Union (the gas station) and Pine (the power plant) they had blocked off one lane heading south. There were trucks in the area – it looked like they were going to dig up one of the lanes.
UPDATE: I drove by today (Friday) and they have taken up part of the street. They are now working on 23rd Avenue on both sides of Union. I googled Seattle Department of Transportation and found this handy map of Seattle Planned Construction. It does not give a ton of detail about this particular project on 23rd and Union other than it says “Street Maintenance Crew Work” on 23rd Avenue between East Olive and East Spring with project notes stating “Arterial Major Maintenance – mill and overlay on both curb lanes.” The work is estimated to be done by today, Friday, March 25th.
Backyard of Home Just North of John Street After Rain Storm
I will not rehash the entire article, but about 12 homes in Madison Valley settled with the City of Seattle for $2.5 million for flood damage. You can click the link and read the article on the Seattle Times for more details, but as most Madrona residents know the area around 30th and John often floods in heavy rains. The block just north of John Street between 30th and 31st Avenue has the most issues since their backyards are very low and collect a lot of water.
The City has spent about $3 million buying the homes north of John and east of 30th to build a park that is also used to collect water during heavy rain storms.
The City is expected to spend about $27 million to build stormwater pipes that drain into a huge stormwater storage tank in the southwest corner of Washington Park (by the soccer field).
I know it is politically incorrect and too late, but I think the City should have bought the 19 homes north of John between 30th and 31st (or possibly just half of the homes – the ones closest to John) and built a similar park as they did across the street rather than take on the stormwater pipe project. But maybe not, since it would have cost an average of at least $500,000 to buy each home ($9,500,000), then tearing down the homes and building a park (say $5,000,000), so about $15,000,000 as compared to $30,000,000 ($27 million for storm drains and $2.5 million for settlement). But in doing so you would have to displace long time residents and I am not sure it would have solved the entire area’s stormwater issues. I know they looked into this option before deciding on what they did.
In short, the settlement seems fair from a bird’s eye view: 12 residences getting $2.5 million for extensive flood damage. But if further shows how ridiculous it is that the City of Seattle settled just under $1,000,000 for damages to a single Leschi home.
Hi Spot in Madrona
Outdoor seating is coming soon to Madrona’s Hi Spot Cafe (map) and not just like how it has been in the past. I talked to Mike, the owner, last weekend and he said he was getting ready to open up the patio for dining soon. He told me he is getting a new umbrella that will cover the entire deck as well as heat lamps and he is hoping to keep the outside dining area open almost 9 months a year. When he was describing it, I could not really picture it (I kept asking if it was a tent, and he would say no its an umbrella), but that makes me even more excited to see the finished product.
Mike said he nearly doubles his capacity when the deck is available which means people have to wait less, especially on weekends when one can easily wait over a half hour to be seated for breakfast.
For those of you who do not know, Hi Spot Cafe is a Seattle favorite for breakfast and lunch (breakfast only menu on weekends). I do not know how long Hi Spot has been in Madrona – I am guessing at least 20 years. Open daily from 8 AM to 2:30 PM, they have a great menu for breakfast and lunch (again lunch weekdays only).
With weather like it is today, I can’t wait to enjoy breakfast on the patio on a sunny weekend morning in Madrona.