Capitol Hill Community Council

Capitol Hill Community Council general meeting minutes
August 20, 2009

16 in attendance in including officers Jen Powers, Hong Churor, Clark Smith, Tony Russo, Webster Crowel & Josh Maher.

Open Floor
o On behalf of the Museum of the Mysteries, Charlette LeFevre filed a formal complaint with the Council pertaining to the transfer of information regarding the Capitol Hill Pride Festival. A link to the complaint will be posted in the near future.
o Community member Dizzie and others would like us to be more diligent in updating our Facebook page and in general use social networking websites to market the council

Report August Meeting Minutes/
Finance Report-

General Fund- $1593.31
Unpaving Paradise: $110.59

Committee Reports

Community Events Report:

o Chill ‘N’ Grill Recap
o The event was a great success.
o List of community speakers (Three Dollar Cinema, CHCC, Unpaving Paradise, Equal Rights Washington, Peace for the Street by Kids from the Street, etc)
o Plans for next year

o Halloween Trick or Treating
o Community trick or treating along businesses on Broadway

o Thanksgiving/November Potluck
o Discuss community wide potluck
o Location TBD

o Holiday Concert/Fundraiser Idea
o Discussion over possible locations and format
 Bands, Contests, t-shirts, sponsors, etc

o Volunteer Opportunities
o Planning (meetings with us, contacting potential partners)
o Staffing (be available to volunteer at the event)
o Promoting (creating the flyers & putting them up, Facebook invites, press releases)
o moc.liamg|stneve.cchC#moc.liamg|stneve.cchC

Open Space-
o Unpaving paradise has made the construction budget for the John & Summit Park. Ground will be breaking in the winter.
o Parking day will be held September 18th. We will be occupying the parking on lot on 500.E Pine.
o For more information go to peoplesparkinglot.blogspot.com.

Policy & Planning
o There is Design Review for the 11th and Pine building coming up on August 18th at 6:30pm at the Seattle Vocational Institute (2120 Jackson St.) The proposal isn't on the web yet but it should be soon. You can find it here:
 http://www.cityofseattle.net/dpd/planning/design_review_program/project_reviews/upcoming/default.asp
 If you can't make the meeting I encourage you to review the proposal and send your thoughts to the point planner Liza Rutzick at vog.elttaes|kciztur.asil#vog.elttaes|kciztur.asil
o Since we talked about the mission statement being the same as the CHCC's, here is the Mission Statement for the full Capitol Hill Community Council:
o The Capitol Hill Community Council (CHCC) shall be a WA State nonprofit organization created for the purpose of preserving and improving the neighborhood and encouraging a sense of community. The Council shall serve the best interest of the Capitol Hill community by:
 Providing leadership in the investigation of community needs;
 Informing and communicating with agencies in an effort to protect and represent the interests of the community; and,
 Working collaboratively with community stakeholders and other organizations.
o Does everyone think that is reasonable for us (with the understanding that our focus in Planning and Policy)?
o If anyone would like to volunteer to chair one of these groups and start working on project ideas, please let me know. Also, it would be great to have a few small projects to work on that could get us some credentials and give us something concrete to encourage other people to get involved with. If you have any such ideas please feel free share them!
moc.liamg|gninnalp.cchC#moc.liamg|gninnalp.cchC

Debrief on Candidates Forum

Invite Jeff Munnoch to talk about progress on Light Rail Station
o Contractor is finishing the paving and will be off of the property by the 28th.
o Sound Transit is seeking community groups to co-sponsor community events while the site lays dormant. Below is Sound Transit statement.

o What to do with the temporarily vacant Capitol Hill site?
o Sound Transit is in contact with the Capitol Hill Chamber and other community organizations to discuss various potential uses for the paved site while it awaits the next phase of construction. Sound Transit could co-sponsor one or more community events, if a capable partner group would help define and organize the activities. Or someone could organize their own event for the site, provided they had liability insurance. The possibility of a temporary public art display, analogous to the displays installed in the vacant storefronts before the buildings were demolished is also being considered. Sound Transit is open to good ideas, particularly from groups and organizations who could marshal the resources for success. We will work with them on the details. The parameters are simple – no alcohol, no commercial use, and mindful of how public funds are being spent. Anyone is free to submit an idea or proposal for temporary use of the Capitol Hill construction site. Contact Jennifer Lemus, Community Outreach Specialist, at 206-398-5314 or gro.tisnartdnuos|sumel.refinnej#gro.tisnartdnuos|sumel.refinnej.

NPAC Update: Dennis Saxman and Kate Stineback
o City’s current perspective is that they don’t have the time/money/resources to complete the Neighborhood Plan Updates on their own. They need a lot more help from the community.
o One approach they’ve tried is to hold what are called “sector open houses” to fill in information gaps, particularly in regards to demographic data.
o However, at each of these open houses, no more than 50 community members were present and less than 15 attended the one for Capitol Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods.
o The Department of Planning & Development (DPD) has to-date been very directive in its approach; sometimes coming to meetings with prepared plans/resolutions for the community representatives to approve as opposed to working collaboratively.
o The DPD is currently looking at options for additional public meetings given their limited funding to determine if it will be plausible to update neighborhood plans next year.
o It appears as though the city is currently looking at moving away from established ordinances with regards to procedures and neighborhood validation requirements.
o In summary, the Neighborhood Plan Update process is under-resourced and is in a “stuck” state where little meaningful process can be made.

Meeting Close