by Kirby Lindsay, posted 11 May 2011
The April 27th meeting of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors contained very little earth shattering news – beyond word that Kim Ricketts and Arne Vemo had recently passed away. Yet, the meeting did contain information on basic projects going on here; ones that could have far reaching consequences.
Repaving of North 34th Street
Bob Derry, Construction Communications Officer for the repaving project along North 34th Street, came to report on the work to be done starting just east of Stone Way along 34th west to Fremont Avenue. The work will also include sidewalk repairs at Canal Building (706 – 716 N 34th,) installation of new ‘green’ bike lanes and boxes, removal of some unused railroad tracks, and curb ramp upgrades.
The work schedule concerned several Chamber Board members. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has scheduled work to begin in early July, after the 4th, and to be “substantially complete,” according to the SDOT handout distributed by Derry, by early September 2011. The Chamber Board urged consideration of the dates of the Fremont Oktoberfest (September 23 – 25th) should the work take more time than expected. Derry acknowledged this concern, but stated that the current schedule for the construction, “doesn’t anticipate work being done on weekends.”
During repaving, two lanes of traffic will be maintained on the roadway by removal of all on-street parking. Chamber Board members did ask that the company with the contract to do the work – Merlino Construction – be encouraged to rent off-street parking for their workers.
New President for the FNC
Newly elected Fremont Neighborhood Council President, Matt Gasparich, introduced himself and said that he hopes to do “a better job listening, and to communicate what we’re doing.” He wants to focus efforts of FNC members towards specific issues and projects this year. Where the interests of the FNC and the Chamber overlap, he’d like to see the two groups work together. He encouraged everyone to attend an upcoming FNC meeting, held on the 4th Monday of each month. He also mentioned his plans to move the meetings to the Fremont Abbey Arts Center.
‘Hot Topic’ – Welcome To Fremont
Under ‘Hot Topics’ on the agenda, Jon Hegeman displayed one of four remaining ‘Welcome To Fremont’ signs. Decades ago Hegeman and the Chamber hung similar signs at four locations around the neighborhood. He has now spoken with City of Seattle representatives about installing these last four signs, legally.
The Board considered – then postponed – a motion to authorize funding the installation of the signs. Hegeman quoted installation costs at $285 per sign, then rounded up to $300. Several Board members requested more concrete information before a vote to spend a potential $1,200. Chamber President Marko Tubic volunteered to work with Hegeman, and to see if installation could be done before the Fremont Fair on June 18th & 19th.
Gross Topic – To Clean Up The Troll Steps?
One visitor to the meeting identified himself as a Fremont resident, and waited patiently to the end before voicing his concern – about filth that collects on the stairway between the Aurora Bridge and the Fremont Troll statue.
In using the staircase both as a pedestrian and carrying his bicycle, the resident described the area as being “very unkempt,” strewn with broken glass, excrement and litter. Rainstorms generally clean out some of the refuse, but rain water creates a moat at the bottom of the stairs. Other Board members echoed these reports, and added a complaint about the poor lighting.
Chamber Executive Director Jessica Vets promised to distribute information on how to report the problem, as well as how to reach the community group working to improve this area, called Troll’s Knoll. The Friends of the Troll’s Knoll had their application for funds to improve the area approved, but those funds do not cover maintenance.
To find out more about such Fremont-esque matters, attend an upcoming Fremont Chamber Board meeting in person. Open-to-the-public, the meetings take place at History House on the last Wednesday of each month at 8a.
Related Articles
- FCC Highlight Reel: Housekeeping Details
- by Kirby Lindsay, April 8, 2011
- Dexter & Nickerson: Road Diets, Or Starvation Routes
- by Kirby Lindsay, September 13, 2011
- An Ambitious Plan To Fix The Troll’s Knoll
- by Kirby Lindsay, February 12, 2010
- FNC Highlight Reel: A Councilmember, A State Representative & An Election
- by Kirby Lindsay, May 4, 2011
©2011 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.