By Johnson, on January 24th, 2013
 At the end of 2012, we asked you a couple questions: What are your priorities for 2013 and what was your favorite Wedgwood event of 2012? The poll, which was open for over a month, gave us some great direction and reaffirmed much of the work that the trustees have been working towards throughout 2012 and earlier.
According to the poll, the top three priorities for Wedgwoodians are:
- Land use planning (design guidelines, 35th Ave NE zoning, streetscape),
- Pedestrian improvements (sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian overlay zone), and
- Public safety (police presence, block watch, emergency preparedness)
Land Use Planning
As you may know, the WCC has a land use committee that was formed out of the Wedgwood Vision Plan steering committee. While this committee hasn’t been meeting regularly in recent months, there are several things that will see this change in the very near future. First, the results of this poll confirm that the community values the land use planning activities that it has been working towards. Second, and perhaps more importantly logistically, is that we are fortunate to have a new trustee who is excited to chair the committee! If you’re interested in being part of the Wedgwood Land Use Committee, please email » us and let us know!
Based on the comments we received, there are many people in the community who are concerned about the proposed new school on the Thornton Creek Elementary School site. While we share the concerns of the project, especially the loss of the playfields, we have also tried to explain our position on the proposed school (see the bottom of this post). Should the BEX IV levy succeed and the Thornton Creek Elementary School site is chosen for the new school, we intend to work with the School District to make sure the community is part of the design process.
Pedestrian Improvements
The single most surprising thing for me to learn before working on pedestrian improvements was just how expensive they are. It is very expensive for the City to design and construct many of the improvements that we hear about (e.g., more sidewalks) for a variety of issues. However, there are some simpler forms of improvements that may have a great positive impact at a low cost. In 2012, we worked towards large projects which will result several blocks of new sidewalks as well as smaller projects, such as a new crosswalk at 35th Ave NE and NE 80th Street. The poll results again reaffirms our work on these improvements and will encourage us to continue seeking pedestrian improvements, both large and small, as we move forward. If you have specific blocks, intersections, or forms of improvement that you suggest we work on, please let us know. Better yet, get involved and help us out! The more the merrier!
Public Safety
In 2012, we saw a rash of armed burglaries at 3 of our banks. This level of crime is unusual for our neighborhood and it reminds us that we need to keep our ears and eyes open for any suspicious activity. We also began the process of revamping our Wedgwood Block Watch and transition from our old email system to a new Wedgwood Block Watch Google Group. 2012 also saw us partnering with Sustainable NE Seattle to secure a grant for emergency preparedness. The purpose of the grant was to help our NE Seattle residents prepare for emergencies, learn to respond as a community in such an event, and establish our Wedgwood Emergency HUB located at the Hunter Farm Gathering Place. There is an upcoming emergency preparedness training on Wednesday, January 30th at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, from 7-9 PM.
Other Priorities
We know there are other priorities for Wedgwoodians as well as land use planning, pedestrian improvements, and public safety. We’re continuing to work on increasing public open space, including the park acquisition process (which is going slower than we hoped) and funding a trail system through the Inverness Ravine Park.
What do you think of these rankings? Share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.
The WCC is an all volunteer council that advocates on behalf of the Wedgwood neighborhood. We aren’t nearly as successful without your involvement and your donations (or membership dues!). We would love to talk with anyone in Wedgwood who would like to become involved and serve as a WCC trustee? Please email » Per Johnson or email » to discuss further.
By Johnson, on December 19th, 2012
As you know, the WCC is an all-volunteer community organization representing and advocating for you…the Wedgwood community. Over the past year, we have made some changes to the way we operate and have made steps towards the priorities you shared for us in 2012. However, there’s always room for improvement. While the Vision Plan gives us great direction and provides us long term goals, your priorities and feedback are also critical. As we plan ahead for 2013, please help us by voting on the polls below and provide your constructive feedback in the comments section below.
If you are interested in getting involved with the WCC, we’d LOVE to talk with you. Please email » Per Johnson or email » Brian Turnbull to discuss more about how you can help.
Share Your Top 3 Priorities!
- Land Use Planning (design guidelines, 35th Ave NE zoning, streetscape) (62%, 26 Votes)
- Pedestrian improvements (sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian overlay zone) (60%, 25 Votes)
- Public safety (police presence, block watch, emergency preparedness) (52%, 22 Votes)
- Open Space (park acquisition, trails, recreation facilities) (33%, 14 Votes)
- Transportation (traffic calming, bus service, bicycle infrastructure) (31%, 13 Votes)
- Utilities (stormwater, water/sewer lines, low impact development) (14%, 6 Votes)
- Other (please describe in Comment Section below) (14%, 6 Votes)
Total Voters: 42
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What Was Your Favorite Event of 2012?
- Wedgwood Art Festival (47%, 17 Votes)
- Business District Halloween Trick-or-Treat (17%, 6 Votes)
- Wedgwood Outdoor Cinema (14%, 5 Votes)
- Your Street's Block Party (8%, 3 Votes)
- Other Event at Hunter Farms Gathering Place (8%, 3 Votes)
- Sustainable NE Seattle PLANET:HOME Festival (6%, 2 Votes)
- Chad Shanks Memorial Car Show (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 36
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By Johnson, on March 23rd, 2012
In an effort to go green, the WCC has decided to begin phasing out the print version of the Wedgwood Echo newsletter over the next several months. This decision was not taken lightly for the WCC trustees to reach as the Echo has been in print form for over 20 years. However, we believe that this is the best decision for the WCC and the community as this website, the Facebook page, Twitter feed, and email listserves appear to be effectively reaching and informing the community. Meanwhile, the costs to WCC to print and mail in its current format diminishes the WCC’s ability to address the community’s priorities.
In its current format, the WCC is a 12-or-so page printed newsletter that’s mailed every 2 months to WCC members only with extras placed at local coffee shops. Past Echos are then posted on this website on the online Archive. The Echo requires a significant amount of resources in both time and money to complete and yet only reaches a limited number of Wedgwoodians. Not only does is this phase out a greener solution, but we believe we can be more effective at communicating with the neighborhood. So, in May 2012 we will mail out our final full Echo. After this, we will transition the Echo into an online newsletter that anyone can sign up for. In fact, you can sign up for it below or on our Listserves page and get the Echo in your sent directly to your Inbox.
We want to hear what you think on the phasing out of the Echo? Fill out the poll below and feel free to expand on your thoughts in the comment section below.
What Do You Think About Phasing Out the Echo (Print Copy)?
- Well its about time! (50%, 19 Votes)
- I guess so. (32%, 12 Votes)
- I'd hate to see it go. (16%, 6 Votes)
- Worst idea ever! (3%, 1 Votes)
- Never read it and never will. (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 38
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Sign Up for the Wedgwood Echo HERE
By Johnson, on January 3rd, 2012
 Receiving the Wedgwood Echo newsletter in your mailbox every other month is the one tangible benefit of becoming a WCC member. In case the joy and overwhelming feeling of peace that comes over you from supporting your active neighborhood council isn’t enough, receiving the Wedgwood Echo has always been that extra incentive.* Typically, this newsletter is mailed out to all members while a few extra copies are scattered around Wedgwood’s businesses shortly after its publication. The back issues of the newsletter are then posted on our Online Archive. However, it turns out that printing and postage for these newsletters every other month is rather expensive.
We believe that there are still many people in Wedgwood that prefer or can only access the paper version of the Wedgwood Echo. Yet the WCC has been asking ourselves whether we should continue the paper copy given the costs; the resources it requires; and the other sources of Wedgwood-related news like our blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed, and email listserves. So, this month we’re posting the January 2012 edition of the Wedgwood Echo online and asking for your thoughts.
In November 2011, the Wedgwood community (or at least readers of our blog) updated us on their priorities. While we didn’t ask about whether or not receiving paper copies of the newsletter was a priority, it was clear that those who responded have several priorities and using membership dues effectively is very important. So, let us know if you have a strong preference in the Comment Section below.
*Emotional side effects differ amongst those who join the WCC.
By Johnson, on December 1st, 2011
 On October 31st, we released a poll on our website in the hopes of hearing what your single-most priority was. The purpose of this poll was to see what generally is important to our neighbors. After being open for 1 month, 41 people completed the poll, which is a small sample set. Also, we only asked 1 question, so there are bound to be nuances that weren’t captured. Nevertheless, this poll is helpful to make sure that we are a more effective advocate for our neighborhood. Here is what we learned.
The Wedgwood community’s top priorities, generally, are as follows:
- Public safety (police presence, block watch, emergency preparedness) (32%, 13 Votes)
- Neighborhood Plan (design guidelines, 35th Ave NE zoning, streetscape) (27%, 11 Votes)
- Pedestrian improvements (sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian overlay zone) (20%, 8 Votes)
- Open Space (park acquisition, trails, recreation facilities) (15%, 6 Votes)
- Traffic and Transit (traffic calming, bus service, bicycle infrastructure) (5%, 2 Votes)
- Other (2%, 1 Votes)
- Utilities (stormwater, water/sewer lines, low impact development) (0%, 0 Votes)
Thank you to everyone who completed the poll!
These results reaffirm our commitment to public safety, land use planning, and pedestrian improvements. Our neighborhood has a strong Block Watch program and the WCC recently began focusing on emergency preparedness. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing exciting plans that the Wedgwood Land Use Committee has been working on for over a year. We also continue to pursue pedestrian improvements like new sidewalks and crosswalks, especially around our schools.
What do you think of these rankings? Share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.
The WCC is an all volunteer council that advocates on behalf of the Wedgwood neighborhood. We would love to talk with anyone in Wedgwood who would like to become involved and serve as a WCC trustee? Please email » Brian Turnbull or email » Per Johnson to discuss further.
By Johnson, on October 31st, 2011
The Wedgwood Community Council is a volunteer community organization that represents and advocates on behalf of the Wedgwood neighborhood. We do this through a variety of ways, whether its through general meetings we organize; the grants we pursue for creating open space and improve pedestrian safety; neighborhood planning such as the Vision Plan; helping to make Wedgwood safe by supporting our Wedgwood Wide BlockWatch program; creating a more livable community through sponsoring annual events like the Outdoor Cinema or Business Trick-or-Treat; and other important things. However, we want to make sure we are representing our community effectively and accurately. Therefore, we want to hear what your priorities are so we can focus on those things that are most important to you.
Please take a moment and share your TOP PRIORITY in the poll below. Also, please feel free to expand on your top priority (or secondary priority) in the Comment Section below (fyi, your comment may not show up immediately since we have a spam filter set up). We want to hear from you!
(By the way, these are intended to be broad, general categories to help point us in the right direction. If you have specific ideas, expand on them in the Comment Section below.)
Share Your Top Priority
- Public safety (police presence, block watch, emergency preparedness) (32%, 13 Votes)
- Neighborhood Plan (design guidelines, 35th Ave NE zoning, streetscape) (27%, 11 Votes)
- Pedestrian improvements (sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian overlay zone) (20%, 8 Votes)
- Open Space (park acquisition, trails, recreation facilities) (15%, 6 Votes)
- Traffic and Transit (traffic calming, bus service, bicycle infrastructure) (5%, 2 Votes)
- Other (describe in Comment Section below) (2%, 1 Votes)
- Utilities (stormwater, water/sewer lines, low impact development) (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 41
Loading ... Did I mention, the WCC is all volunteer? So, if you haven’t already, please consider getting involved or becoming a member. Our members really are the life blood of this organization, so JOIN NOW (you also get the Wedgwood Echo mailed to you)! If you’re passionate about any one of these issues in particular or are interested in becoming a trustee, please email » Brian Turnbull or email » Per Johnson.
By Johnson, on September 8th, 2011
This months edition of the Wedgwood Echo is currently making its way to mailboxes around the neighborhood. That is if you’re a member. The Echo newsletter is filled with all sorts of great articles on the latest happenings, upcoming events, and stories of our great neighbors and businesses. The WCC sends out the Echo 6 times a year as a thank you to our members. An online archive of previous Echo issues can be accessed on this very website. Take a peek! You’ll see what a great resource the newsletter is and all the great things the WCC is working on. You may even want to join the WCC ($20/year per family)!
By Johnson, on June 21st, 2011
By Johnson, on June 3rd, 2011
There are lots of ways to rank Seattle neighborhoods against each other depending upon your preferred metric. Seattle Times does a good job of breaking down the results of the 2010 US Census for King County. There’s WalkScore, which is a great way to see how walkable your house or neighborhood is given its proximity to businesses and transit. And there’s Zillow, which summarizes the demographics and median home value information for Seattle neighborhoods. And then there’s NabeWise, which in part uses information gathered by actual residents of each neighborhood to rank them in numerous categories (click HERE to review Wedgwood now!). Given these reviews, the reputation for Wedgwood includes “Woodsy,” “walkable,” “community-oriented,” and “super friendly” amongst other adjectives.
According to NabeWise, here are some of the highlights for Wedgwood (rankings based out of 149 neighborhoods):
- Wedgwood ranks 2nd is public schools
- We rank 3rd in public safety
- We’re 4th in religious
- We’re the 6th best neighborhood for seniors, and
- 6th best neighborhood to find parking (I assume this is a good thing?).
Now for the lowlights:
- Wedgwood is 64th in Dining (this must be due to the number of options as opposed to the quality of our establishments)
- we have the 65th highest rent for a 2BR rental
- 67th in income (it’s not clear if we’re the 67th highest or lowest, but I presume lowest)
- 91st worst neighborhood in available public transportation options
- and 116th worst neighborhood for parks.
For those familiar with the WCC, you likely know that we are actively working to build upon many of the highlights and improve several of these lowlights. For instance, we are working on bringing pedestrian improvements to Wedgwood to further improve pubic safety. We are looking at ways to work cooperatively with adjacent neighborhoods to improve traffic flow through Wedgwood and increase transit options within our community. Building upon the Vision Plan, the Land Use Committee is working with the reforming Chamber of Commerce to encourage wise investment in Wedgwood and greater retail space for greater dining options. And last, but definitely not least, the Parks Committee is working with the Seattle Parks Department and Seattle City Light on the transfer of the Morningside Substation for a new park to serve north Wedgwood. Not to mention the public/private partnership that we’re developing with the Hunter Family given the new Gathering Place grant.
These are just a few of the things that the WCC is doing on behalf of the Wedgwood community. While these efforts are largely done through volunteer commitments with important sponsorships from Wedgwood businesses for various events, the foundation of the WCC is your membership donations. To learn more about donating to the WCC, including joining or donating using PayPal, click HERE.
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