Before the Queen Anne Community Council turned into a platform for a heated discussion on whether a mini-mart selling cigarettes and alcohol should open at Third and McGraw streets, the council touched on sustainability, the Mercer Corridor project and Seattle Pacific's plans for a new music auditorium.
March is the last month in CleanScapes "Waste Less, Win More" waste reduction project. Neighborhoods between Magnolia and Leschi were challenged to reduce the total tonnage of waste-garbage, recycling and yard waste-produced. The neighborhood area with the largest decrease wins a $50,000 for a community improvement project. The competition ends at the end of March.
One of the best ways to reduce waste, according to Signe Gilson, CleanScapes vice president of waste division, is to compost at home as food and yard waste are the "heaviest" wastes.
"Leave grass cuttings on the lawn. Rake up leave and put them back under the tree so it composts right there," Gilson suggested. "The idea we need to put them in a bin, to go in a car that costs money and uses gasoline to take them somewhere else to get composted doesn't make the most sense."
So far, Queen Anne and Magnolia have each reduced their waste tons by 23-24 percent, but Gilson said this last month can really make a difference because the reduction percentage will be based on a comparison between November and March.
Sustainable Queen Anne has applied for a $1,000 Sparks Grant for a Bag Share program. If awarded the grant, Sustainable Queen Anne will purchase 5,000 canvas bags to promote the use of reusable bags instead of plastic or paper bags when shopping.
Land Use Review chair Craig Hanway updated the council on the status of Seattle Pacific University's University Center Project-a 1,200-seat auditorium at the corner of Third and Dravus streets. The project is basically a go-ahead at this point, and though the site's moved two blocks south (away from Nickerson Street) of the original site, Hanway said he doesn't think noise will be an issue for neighbors.
"It's a very nice project, well designed," Hanway said. "It will open up the campus to the neighborhood more than it has in the past."
QACC also sent a letter to the Seattle Department of Transportation to request the fourth lane on eastbound Mercer be retained, especially during construction time. The Port of Seattle has made the same proposal.[[In-content Ad]]
