Equipped with handheld computers and digital cameras, a team of volunteers paused at the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and Hudson Street in Columbia City, making note of a few pieces of litter and uneven pavement. They spent a recent drizzly Saturday afternoon surveying the area for problems and opportunities for improvement that will eventually be reported to the city and community stakeholders by the non-profit organization Sustainable Seattle.
The volunteers hoped their work would lead to continued revitalization in the Columbia City and Hillman City neighborhoods.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to be methodical and detailed. It's not just calling up some city department and saying, 'We have a problem.' Since it's a focused, continued survey, hopefully it will make improvements over time," said volunteer and Mount Baker resident Deborah Sturm.
Sturm said she was particularly concerned about the increased dumping of large items that she's noticed in the past few years.
She and the other dozen or so volunteers spent hours carefully noting the neighborhood's assets and deficits. Time-sensitive issues, such as potholes, illegal dumping and serious tripping hazards, were immediately reported to the city.
Volunteers also reported positive conditions, such as safe crosswalks, public gathering spaces, and architectural landmarks.
All of their findings will be compiled and reported on Sustainable Seattle's Web site, www.sustainableseattle.org. Residents may visit the site to review and comment on the reports.
Citizen input, along with the data, will then be presented to community leaders and the city. Organizers expect that the systematically collected information will help neighborhoods determine priorities for improvement and apply for grants, project manager Deborah Kutznitz said.
Sustainable Seattle will also maintain a list of community assets for future activities, such as public meetings, Kutnitz said.
Supporting the effort
Volunteers came out for a variety of reasons.
"I hope for a more systematic approach to making improvements. I also want to educate myself more about parts of the community that I don't know, and meet my neighbors," said volunteer Mary Alice Theiler, who has lived in the area for 26 years.
After receiving an e-mail about the project from her block-watch group, Theiler showed up and brought along her 14-year-old son John so he could earn some community service hours.
Graduate student Leah Tivoli doesn't live in the South End, but volunteered after learning about the project through a listserv coordinated by the University of Washington's public affairs school.
"It looked like a great initiative. It seems like a nice thing to do for a community," Tivoli said.
Columbia City resident and volunteer Jeff Miller found out about Sustainable Seattle through a friend.
"This project seems organized and like it will help neighborhoods approach the city," Miller said.
Denise Gloster came out because she owns commercial property in Hillman City and was excited to have a hand in improving the neighborhood, which she said doesn't usually get a lot of attention.
"I feel that Hillman City has long been neglected," said Gloster, who recruited neighbors to participate in the survey using her block watch's online Yahoo! group.
Where it began
The Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods Initiative started two years ago in four Seattle neighborhoods: Capitol Hill, Chinatown-International District, North Beacon Hill and Greenwood-Phinney Ridge. It has since expanded to the Admiral, Columbia City, East Ballard, Lake City, Uptown and Wallingford neighborhoods.
The group's work has already led to tangible improvements in other neighborhoods, Kutznitz said.
The Phinney-Greenwood community was awarded a $20,000 grant to enlarge tree pits after surveyors reported that sidewalks had been disrupted by tree growth. In the International District, the group is facilitating outreach to businesses and citizens to resolve litter issues and to help elderly non-English speakers understand new recycling laws.
In addition to appealing to community groups and businesses, Sustainable Seattle also helps residents connect with municipal government.
"We facilitate the conversation between the city and neighborhoods. We know people who work for the city, and they know who we are and what we're doing," Kutznitz said.
The South End event marked the first survey of Columbia City and Hillman City; Sustainable Seattle plans to do regular follow-ups, Kutznitz said.
Eventually, organizers hope the City of Seattle will take over and expand the project.
"We're only in 10 neighborhoods. We want the city to put money and energy toward this in all of the city," Kutznitz said.
Sustainable Seattle invites Columbia City and Hillman City residents to complete its five-minute online survey that will be used to inform the community and city on priorities based on the findings of the street-level survey.
The survey may be found at http://www.sustainableseattle.org/Programs/SUNI/researchingconditions/streetlevelsurveys/columbiacitystreetlevelsurvey.
Denise Miller may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.[[In-content Ad]]
