by Kirby Lindsay, posted 1 June 2011
On Monday, May 23rd, the Fremont Neighborhood Council met for the first time under new president Matt Gasparich, and dealt with some of the new ideas and fresh air that inevitably come after a change in leadership.
No Move Imminent
The meeting started with Nathan Marion, Executive Director of the Fremont Abbey Arts Center. Gasparich introduced him, and mentioned the Upper Fremont Festival of Arts, held at the Abbey on May 7th, which he described as “a nice community event.” Marion then gave some examples of ways ‘Upper Fremont,’ the area surrounding the Abbey, has seen improvement. He specifically commented on noticeable improvements in the neighborhood since three nuisance motels along Aurora Avenue closed.
Marion then described the space available at the Abbey for community events, as the FNC Board of Directors has considered a change of locations for their monthly meetings. Marion suggested the meetings be held on the 1st Floor – also called the Café floor – and the Abbey would charge between $20 – 40 an hour for that space. Due to a popular dance class held weekly, Monday evenings cannot be made available. Marion offered Tuesday nights. When asked if the Abbey would provide the space for a neighborhood meeting for free, he explained that setting aside the space for a particular event – especially every month – would severely limit possible uses – and rentals – by others, and these financially support the Center.
After Marion had left, the Board discussed renting the Center, but quickly agreed the cost would be a strain on the budget. Perhaps of more significance, several board members refused to consider changing the meeting date and/or time.
They went on to discuss other potential locations – and to establish that a majority of the board want to relocate. Volunteers offered to explore a few other specific sites, before the next meeting which will continue to take place at History House, for now.
More Notes On the Troll’s Knoll
The Friends of the Troll’s Knoll also attended the meeting. Steve Harris (along with Kimberly Scrivner and Nathan Polanski) thanked the FNC for inviting them back to give an update on development plans for the park. Most of the information they shared can be read in a recent Troll’s Knoll Fremocentrist.com column (posted May 27, 2011,) although the Board raised two additional points.
Gasparich brought up an issue often discussed at FNC meetings, on the continued use of a portion of the Troll’s Knoll property by the Washington Department of Transportation for staging construction work on the Aurora Bridge. Scrivner reported that the Troll’s Knoll Friends have a good working relationship with the Department, and the State Project Manager, Andrea Burgess. At the request of the Friends, the construction workers have stopped driving across the entire west side property, and have contained their staging to a fenced and graveled area. Right now, the State plans to use the property during seismic work on the bridge, but they told Scrivner that they will look for other options in the future.
Long-time FNC Board Member, Dic Selin, asked about naming of the park. Scrivner had heard that a formal, city-wide naming process will be done after the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation completes the development work. She hopes that they will defer to the name the Friends, and the community, have adopted, but nothing will be changed soon.
For further information on the park, Polanski referred everyone to the Troll’s Knoll Facebook page.
A Brisk Walk through the Rest
During the meeting, the Board also discussed plans for the FNC booth at the Fremont Fair. They debated the wording on an A-frame/sandwich board sign, purchased to promote FNC meetings, and approved a motion to spend up to $150 on the sign.
The final part of the formal meeting focused on setting goals for the year. “Getting our priorities in order will result in membership,” stated Vice-President Stephanie Pure, as board members agreed that increasing membership needs to be a priority. Other items identified, that had volunteers step forward to take them on, included traffic calming (speed enforcement) on North 39th Street, the website & marketing, and continued monitoring of the Fire Station and North Seattle Transfer Station remodels.
During the meeting, the Board also discussed the need for a volunteer to serve as recording secretary. If you want to get involved, or just sit in and observe, attend an upcoming meeting. Monthly meetings take place on the fourth Monday of each month (next one on Monday, June 27th) at 7p at History House (790 N. 34th.)
Come and find out what else is going on – and visit them at the Fair!
Related Articles
- As The Troll’s Knoll Develops
- by Kirby Lindsay, May 27, 2011
- FNC Highlight Reel: Cancelled
- by Kirby Lindsay, December 1, 2010
- Fremont By Thirds: The FNC Takes The Lead
- by Kirby Lindsay, March 10, 1999 in The Seattle Press
©2011 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.