by Kirby Lindsay, posted 12 November 2012
On Tuesday, November 13th, the King County Wastewater Management Project Team will host another community meeting about the upcoming replacement of the Fremont Siphon. This time, they’ve invited the public to the Fremont Abbey Arts Center to learn about current plans regarding replacement of the 100-year-old wastewater pipe that runs beneath the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
At Fremont Chamber of Commerce and Fremont Neighborhood Council, the Project Team made presentations that showed the enormous scale and importance of this replacement, set to take two-years once construction begins. This meeting, in November, will share some of the same general information, but Monica Van der Vieren, spokesperson for the Project Team, reported that the Team can also update attendees on:
The Tree Count Results
A certified arborist and the City arborist have evaluated the construction areas at both ends of the Siphon, and this ‘tree count’ revealed that 25 trees in Fremont and 40 trees in Queen Anne will need to be removed. Within the next month or two, notices will go up on the affected trees, and the Team understands that many people will be understandably upset when they see the posters.
All trees that MAY be affected will be posted, although some may not be touched. Still, 25 will be removed (or, possibly, relocated) – “and will be replaced at a 2 to 1 ratio,” Van Der Vieren reported, when the new Fremont Siphon is installed.
On November 13th, Chris Tiffany, Project Manager for King County Mitigation and Restoration, will be available for questions on the replacing/relocating trees process. Of the trees to be removed, “there are a lot of non-native trees,” Van Der Vieren observed. “The [Army] Corps [of Engineers] will tell us what to plant on the canal,” she said, while for the rest, the City of Seattle demands “the emphasis is on native plants.”
They will replace the trees with ones that have a similar look, and/or function, to what had been there – for mitigating storm water, providing habitat, and/or aesthetics – but Van Der Vieren acknowledged that some people may still miss their favorites. This could be particularly difficult for those on the Queen Anne side, where two of the trees (and a bench) to be removed were originally installed as memorials.
Location & Design Of Permanent Structure
The new Fremont Siphon will be two micro-tunnels that will convey the wastewater from all over North Seattle to the treatment plant, just as the current one already does. The tunnels will be all but invisible once construction is completed, except…
The Project Team does need to build a permanent structure, and an access lift pad. The structure will contain a small odor-control facility, and “it’s the Project Team’s recommendation to place the permanent structure on the Praxair site,” Van Der Vieren stated.
The Project Team has recommended using a 12,840 square foot property currently owned and operated by Praxair Industrial Gases & Welding Supply, over land in Fremont Canal Park. Discussion has begun between the company and the County, but no word has been voiced about any agreement on this plan.
Still, the Project Team will need to go through a public process to design the structure, “including the public art component,” Van der Vieren explained. Cass Brunner, of 4Culture, will attend on November 13th, to explain the public art process. For the whole design, Van der Vieren said, “we really want people to think outside the box.”
The finished structure could be a fenced-in, concrete box. “It’s not a very complicated structure,” Van der Vieren acknowledged, but it does contain elements that can be creatively addressed – the fence, lighting, and features of the odor-control facility. “They’re going to be looking at whatever we build for a long time,” she observed. The previous Fremont Siphon lasted 100 years, and King County intends to build its replacement with a similar life span.
If built on the Praxair property, the design process can also address what else can be done with the property, in addition to the driveways necessary to access the odor control facility and the lift slabs.
This design work will not take place on November 13th. The meeting at the Fremont Abbey will only address the first steps, and give the date for the first design meeting in January, 2013. Another meeting, in February, will focus on the construction process – and mitigating impacts. On November 13th, however, Fremonsters can learn more about the trees, the location, and the overall project, and give their feedback.
For those unable to attend, visit the Fremont Siphon website for updated information – or contact Van Der Vieren (at monica.vandervieren@kingcounty.gov) with questions and/or comments.
Even if a 100 year old Siphon isn’t a project you feel passionate about, plan to attend. Everyone who travels through West Fremont could be impacted by this significant project – learn about it if only to be assured there is nothing you want to pass comment upon!
Related Articles
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©2012 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.