Seattle needs about 400 miles of sidewalks. Greenwood alone has about 187 streets without them, said Kate Martin, a leading member of Greenwood Sidewalks.The start-up, nonprofit group recently returned a $10,000 Small and Simple grant to the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods in hopes of winning a $100,000 Large Projects grant later this year."We were thinking small at the time," Martin said. "We just grew it into a much more comprehensive project."Greenwood Sidewalks focuses on educating neighborhoods about ways to get sidewalks, which the Seattle Department of Transportation hasn't allotted much money to, Martin said.The organization was started by a group of homeowners who tried getting sidewalks on their block. Liz Sullivan, another Greenwood Sidewalks leader, said the city's process of getting sidewalks was disheartening: "It's just not very user-friendly." The organization's goal is to enable blocks to get sidewalks on their own, whether through navigating the city's system or paying for them on their own."The whole point is the sidewalk isn't very effective if it's just one block, because it can't go anywhere," Sullivan said.Martin said there has been a strong demand for accessibility on the part of those with disabilities, but accessibility needs aren't just limited to less-able bodies. She explained, "Say you want to get to the bus stop or the park or the senior center.... You really don't actually have an option to walk or have a wheelchair because there is no place to be." Sullivan said it's also a sustainability issue. "It's not only safety; it's environmental impact," Sullivan said. "It's absurd [that I have to drive] when I live so close to the grocery story and the post office."Martin said safety within neighborhoods isn't a big issue because most injuries happen on main arterials, but it's a quality-of-life issue.CONNECTING WITH SIDEWALKSIn February, Greenwood Sidewalks submitted a letter of intent to the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. After refining the letter to make the application a bit more competitive, the members will formally submit it again in April. If they win the grant, they estimate that they will see the money toward the end of the summer, Martin said.The main plan detailed in the letter of intent involves educating people by publishing materials. As an appendix to the main content, they hope to print a book of maps showing all the streets that don't have sidewalks, in order to get perspective on the issue."Another piece of our study will be to develop 10 to 20 pilot projects that will actually be designed," Martin said. "We're getting the ball rolling."They're hoping once blocks have examples to look at, they'll be encouraged to develop sidewalks on their own streets. "We're really trying to inspire the idea that our whole neighborhood could be connected with sidewalks," Martin said.Currently, the city proposes just one way to build sidewalks: standard concrete with gutters, Sullivan said."We also want the city to expand its options, because part of the reason we're being told we can't...is because there is only one thing on the menu," she said.Although Greenwood Sidewalks won't be able to hire a consultant to develop alternative methods until it receives the grant, members say using alternative methods would lower costs, making it more affordable for residents and the city to pay for the projects.MOVING FORWARDAlthough the group has yet to receive the large grant, members are starting to scout for professionals, especially designers and engineers, who would be willing to pledge their time to help develop some of the projects. The grant requires that funds be matched by 50 percent. Greenwood Sidewalks can mark down $15 an hour for volunteer time, and when professionals volunteer, the organization can count that as $75 an hour, Martin said."We really need those citizen hours and the professional hours to pull it off," Martin said. "Because we have a lot of those types of people in our neighborhood who want sidewalks, I don't think it's going to be that hard."OPEN HOUSEProject updatesThursday, March 13, 5 p.m.Neptune Coffee House8415 Greenwood Ave. N.[[In-content Ad]]
