Metro Transit Proposes Many Bus Route Changes Once Light Rail Opens in 2021

Metro Transit (and Sound Transit) have released preliminary plans for how bus routes around Victory Heights will be changing once Link Light Rail service begins in September 2021. For now these are just proposals, this is the public comment period before the new service is implemented.

For starters, Route 75 would be rerouted to NE 125th Street, a new Route 61 would start in Lake City, then cross Northgate Way, stop at the new Northgate light rail station and then continue down to Greenwood and extend all the way out to Crown Hill to provide cross-town bus service.

The suburban buses that pass by our neighborhood’s east side along Lake City Way, the 312 and 522, would no longer provide direct service downtown but instead would terminate at the new Roosevelt light rail station on NE 65th Street. The 372 on Lake City Way would continue to service the Husky Stadium light rail station (via Steven’s Way on campus) and then continue through the U District to terminate at the new Brooklyn station.

The 73 would continue to run on 15th Avenue NE with service to the Roosevelt and Brooklyn stations.

Just south of us, NE 75th Street from 15th Avenue NE through Wedgwood and View Ridge to 55th Avenue NE would have bus service for the first time ever via the new Route 79, which would connect the Roosevelt station with Sand Point Way and continue as the 74.

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Seed Swap February 9th

Join us on Sunday, February 9th, for the Victory Heights Seed Swap. Bring seeds to swap, and your 2020 seed calendars to find others and split the costs of packets.

It will be completely free, starts at 3 PM at the co-op preschool building in Victory Heights Park.

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Northgate Pedestrian Bridge Construction Begins Monday

The long, long gestation cycle for a pedestrian/bike bridge over I-5 to connect North Seattle College and the Link Light Rail station at Northgate turns a corner on Monday, January 27th as construction begins.

Read the complete minutes of the January Victory Heights Community Council.

For many years, this blog has been talking about building the bridge (read about it here, or here, or here), and at this month’s community council meeting we finally discovered there is an actual start date next week. Three support pillars will be sunk into the ground, one east of the freeway, one west of the freeway and one in the median. The bridge span will be prefabricated in two sections and then during alternative 5-hour freeway closures, each span will be swung across to set from pillar to pillar and meet in the middle. Work will continue until the opening of the light rail station in September 2021.

In other community council news: the gingerbread house sale was a big hit, we made $180. The Welcome Wagon is gearing up (know of new neighbors? Let us know). And Lake City has a new community blog: https://enjoylakecity.org/ .

The next meeting is Tuesday, February 18th at 7 PM at the co-op preschool building in Victory Heights Park.

Please “Like” the Victory Heights Blog Page on Facebook.

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January 2020 Events Calendar

Here are things happening in around Victory Heights this January:

Tuesday, January 7th: Northgate Light Rail Pedestrian Bridge Drop-In Session. The first of three opportunities this week to learn more about the pedestrian/bike bridge that will be built over I-5 from the new Northgate Link Light Rail station to North Seattle College. Noon – 1:30 PM at the College (The Grove), 9600 College Way N.

Wednesday, January 8th: The second bridge drop-in will be 8 AM – 9:30 AM at Aljoya in Thornton Place, 450 NE 100th St.

Thursday, January 9th: The third bridge drop-in will be 5 PM – 6:30 PM at Olympic View Elementary, 504 NE 95th St.

Thursday, January 9th: 46th District Town Hall. Meet your state legislators, Sen. David Frockt, Rep. Gerry Pollett, and Rep. Javier Valdez, at this public town hall before the 2020 session begins. 7 PM – 9 PM, Nathan Hale High School Auditorium, 10730 30th Avenue NE.

NEW: Thursday, January 9th: Sound Transit System Expansion Committee Meeting. Will meet to discuss the NE 130th Street Station light rail project. The Committee will hear several options for the construction schedule of the station, and we need to ensure that members of the community are there in support of building the station as efficiently and rapidly as possible.  If you are interested, please RSVP to this Facebook event put together by neighbors working to support the station. 1:30 PM, Union Station, Ruth Fisher Boardroom, 401 S. Jackson St (Pioneer Square).

POSTPONED: Thursday, January 16th: Thornton Creek Alliance Meeting. Updates on Lake City’s newly acquired park/floodplain property on NE 125th St. And the latest news about our Citizen Science efforts to monitor E. coli. 7:00 PM, Maple Leaf Lutheran Church, 10005 32nd Avenue NE.

Tuesday, January 21st: Victory Heights Community Council meeting. We’re back after a holiday break to help organize events and information for residents of Victory Heights. 7 PM – 8 PM, Victory Heights Co-op Preschool Building in the Park.

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Victory Heights Carol Sing December 23rd

The second annual Victory Heights Carol Sing will be held on Monday, December 23rd at the Victory Heights co-op preschool in Victory Heights Park between 7 PM and 7:30.

There will be live musicians, lyric sheets provided, just bring your voices and join in!

Rain or shine, we’ll be there!

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Gingerbread House Decorating Parties In December

Victory Height’s annual gingerbread house decorating event is coming up. We’ve made the houses, you just have to buy them, “assemble” it, and then apply decorations (we provide the materials).

Sign up to reserve a house and a time slot either on Saturday December 7th (10 AM – 11:30 AM) or Sunday December 15th (10 AM – 3 AM), bring $10 (cash, please) to the co-op preschool building in Victory Heights Park and you’ll get two houses, one for you and one to be donated to the Ryther Children’s Center on NE 95th St. Bring a large plate or tray to transport your finished house.

Fun for all ages!

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Are You Prepared? Block Captains Wanted For Neighborhood Emergency Organizing

At this month’s meeting of the Victory Heights Community Council, we focused on trying to get neighbors organized for emergency preparedness on their own streets.

Read the entire minutes of the November meeting.

Do you know your neighbors? Do you know what resources they have, or what special needs they might require in case of a disaster or emergency? We are organizing block-by-block neighborhood groups so households and families can be prepared and help one another should the situation arise.

In a severe emergency, it is unlikely a neighborhood like Victory Heights would get help from the city for up to two weeks. Do you have enough food, water, and essential medicines to last that long? We would like to help folks organize and slowly acclimate them into thinking about disaster preparedness without overwhelming them too many checklists and things to buy at the outset. But basic things like having water on hand, non-perishable food, prescriptions, and a hard-copy of emergency contact numbers, are things that can be accomplished easily, and are a good first step.

The emergency communications HUB we have in Victory Heights Park is just to exchange information and troubleshoot resources but it has NO supplies. The city, the community, and your neighbors all expect that YOU will have everything you need in order to survive for several weeks if need be. So be prepared.

If you are interested in becoming a block captain, please contact the community council and we can give you some tips and pointers to get started. You can keep things small, start with all the neighbors you can see from your house on your street. Have meetings so people can recognize their neighbors, and start working on emergency preparedness. We (and the city) have many resources to help you out (signs, pamphlets, tips). Thanks.

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Victory Heights November Events Calendar

Here’s what is coming up in the month of November in and around Victory Heights.

Monday, November 18th: Seattle Police Burglary Prevention Class. Attendees will learn about current burglary trends in their area, how to secure their home to reduce the likelihood of a burglary, and what
to do if they have been a victim of a burglary. The class will be instructed by the North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator, Mary Amberg. 7 PM – 9 PM, Co-op preschool building in Victory Heights Park. Please register to attend at… https://signup.com/go/tTEnyLv

Tuesday, November 19th: Victory Heights Community Council Meeting. Bring new socks for our sock drive tonight. 7 PM – 8 PM, co-op preschool building in Victory Heights Park.

Friday, November 29th: Black Friday, also, put your garbage out on FRIDAY this week in Victory Heights as there will be no pick-up on Thanksgiving.

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November Sock Drive

Help us with this year’s sock drive by bringing your NEW (no used ones) socks to this month’s meeting of the Victory Heights Community Council on Tuesday, November 19th at 7 PM at the co-op preschool building in Victory Heights Park.

Sponsored by the North Precinct Police Department and the Victory Heights Community Council. Thanks!

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Free Extra Yard Waste Pickup in November

Have you raked more leaves than can fit in your food and yard waste cart? We’ve got you covered! As a thanks for raking leaves, Seattle Public Utilities provides free extra yard waste pick up for household customers in November. Just set out your extra yard waste next to your food and yard waste cart on your collection day. They’ll accept up to 10 bags of extra yard waste total per household between November 1 and 30. 

Extra yard waste must be in paper bags or placed in an extra container that contains only yard waste. Fallen branches and twigs can be tied into bundles up to 4 feet long by 2 feet in diameter and tied with fiber twine. Do not use wire, nylon cording, or plastic banding.

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