More than 70% of Eckstein Middle School students report walking or biking to school according to results from the WA Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) given last October. The HYS is conducted every two years among public school students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 and provides a snapshot of student health in the state and in local communities.

Percent of students who report walking or biking to or from school on an average week.

Eckstein students – dark blue

State average – light blue

 

So many middle school students walking or biking to school is not only important for their health, but it’s a good indicator that families feel safe in our community.

Here are some resources that support walking and biking to school:

• Seattle Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School
• Walking map for Bryant
• Walking school bus
• Bike train

Healthy People 2020, a federal initiative to encourage people to live healthier lives, identifies walking and biking to school as two science-based objectives for increasing physical activity among children.

For the first time since 2008, the Seattle Police Department shifted the boundaries of its 51 police beats. The change was made to improve officer supervision and public safety service, better align police patrols with Seattle’s neighborhoods, and achieve a major milestone in the department’s work toward reform with the Department of Justice.

Here is a close-up of the beats covering Ravenna-Bryant:

Beginning January 28, the department increased the number of patrols squads and sergeants at each of SPD’s five precincts with the goal of improving each precinct’s officer-to-supervisor ratio. This is to enable supervisors to work more closely with officers, providing guidance in investigations, reviewing use of force, and ensuring quality of public service.

As part of the patrol map realignment, the department will also revise neighborhood-based crime data available on My Neighborhood Maps, Tweets By Beat and Data.Seattle.Gov to reflect the new beat boundaries.

People are sometimes reluctant to call 911 about behavior that they feel is suspicious.  They don’t want to burden police with non-emergencies.  However, police encourage people to call 911 to report activity or behavior that is felt to be unusual or out of place.

What is suspicious behavior?  If it is suspicious to you, it is worth reporting it to 911.  Examples:

• Unusual noises including screaming, sounds of fighting, and glass breaking.
• People in and around buildings who do not appear to be conducting legitimate business.
• Unauthorized people in restricted areas.
• Vehicles driving slowly or aimlessly through neighborhoods, around schools or parking lots.
• People peering into parked vehicles that are  not their own.
• People who change their behavior when they notice that they have been seen.
• People dressed inappropriately for the weather — wearing a heavy coat in warm weather.

People are especially urged to call 911 when:

• You believe someone is in physical danger.
• You believe a specific crime is happening.
• You believe something is suspicious.

Reporting suspicious behavior may not only prevent crime but it may help police working to find suspected burglars and car thieves.

On Monday, November 17, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will begin construction of several measures that were identified in the University Area Transportation Action Strategy to improve mobility and safety, including the following:

Union Bay Place NE
• A new paved/painted pedestrian pathway along both sides of Union Bay Place NE between NE 45th Street and 30th Avenue NE.
• A raised crosswalk at 30th Avenue NE and the Burke-Gilman Trail to alert drivers of this crossing and slow vehicle speeds.
• New sidewalks approaching this crosswalk along 30th Avenue NE between NE 50th Street and Union Bay Place NE.
• Upgraded curb ramps to be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Blakeley & 25th
Once the work above is completed (in approximately 3-4 weeks), crews will move to NE Blakeley Street and 25th Avenue NE at the Burke-Gilman Trail. Improvements at this intersection will include:
• Signal modifications for a bicycle/pedestrian phase for the south crossing on the Burke-Gilman Trail with bicycle icon signal heads, push buttons and radar detection.
• Signal modifications to accommodate a new right-turn only pocket and protected turning phase on the west side of the intersection for eastbound motorists on NE Blakeley Street. This change is designed to reduce the number of conflicts in the south crosswalk.
• Bicycle leaning rails on the Burke-Gilman Trail at both approaches to 25th Avenue NE. Leaning rails are structures that allow riders to rest a foot and have something to hold onto for balance while waiting at a traffic light and help align bike riders to one side of the trail and keep the sidewalk clear for pedestrians, making it safer for all to cross the street. To see an example of what these leaning rails will look like, visit SDOT’s project webpage.
• Upgraded curb ramps to be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

More information on the project background, funding and schedule can be found at the project webpage.

As for the construction itself, during this work you can expect:
• Lane restrictions on NE Blakeley Street, 25th Avenue NE and 30th Avenue NE
• Parking and driveway restrictions near the work areas
• Construction during normal work hours, between 7 AM and 6 PM
• Noise, dust and vibration associated with concrete removal and paving
• A temporary three-week closure of 30th Avenue NE at the Burke Gilman Trail
• Construction to be completed by early to mid-February, depending on weather

Since car-related crimes have increased in the Ravenna-Bryant community, the following information, posted earlier this week on Seattle Police Department’s blog, may be helpful:

If you drive a Honda Accord, Honda Civic or Subaru Legacy—or a car that was made before 2002—there is a greater chance that auto thieves may target your car.

Auto theft remained a key topic of discussion at our SeaStat meeting yesterday. Officers and detectives are working hard to address this problem and reverse the trend.

There were 525 reported auto thefts in Seattle during the month of October and a total of 4715 through the end of October. That’s a 38 percent increase from last year during the same time period.

According to our crime data, 77 percent of cars stolen in Seattle are model year 2001 or older. The top three cars stolen in Seattle year to date are Honda Accord, Honda Civic and Subaru Legacy.

If your car was made in 2001 or older – or you drive an Accord, Civic or Legacy – please consider purchasing a steering wheel lock anti-theft device at a reduced price from the Seattle Neighborhood Group.  Follow this link for details.

Auto theft is a crime of opportunity. Consider following the easy steps outlined here and reduce the likelihood that someone will steal your car.

We find 76 percent of all cars reported stolen to our department, and it takes us about 7 days on average to do so.

Starting in 2016, Sound Transit’s Link light rail will connect the the University District with downtown Seattle, Rainier Valley, and Sea-Tac Airport.  Last month, the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association board sent a letter to Metro asking them to consider creating a bus connection from our community to the new light rail station at Husky Stadium once it opens.  Most Ravenna-Bryant neighbors plan to use light rail when the Roosevelt Station opens – 63% of Bryant neighbors and 82% of Ravenna neighbors — according to a survey RBCA conducted in 2013.

Metro is now seeking public input about improving connections between buses and light rail in NE Seattle.  Metro and Sound Transit are thinking about ways to connect the new light rail service with buses to make an efficient network of service. Some buses will connect with new Link stations to make it easy for riders to transfer between buses and light rail. Other changes will restructure service with the goal of creating a faster, more reliable, and easy-to-use transit network.

Join the conversation and tell Metro how you use bus service today, what works well, and what you’d like to see change. Your input will help shape the future of transit in our area.

To provide input, attend a community meeting this week!

Link Connections: Community Conversation

Thursday, November 13

6-8:00 p.m.

Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center

If you cannot attend, you can participate by visiting Metro’s website.  There you can:
• Fill out a survey by November 30
• Find an outreach event
• Apply to serve on a sounding board – applications are due by November 30
• Join the conversation on Metro’s blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram – #Bus2Link

See www.kingcounty.gov/metro/LinkConnections to learn more.

Car prowls and thefts are a problem city-wide, including in the Ravenna-Byant area.  The following chart, from the Seattle Police Department’s online crime map, shows that auto thefts were up at the end of 2013 compared to previous years.

What can be done to prevent auto crimes?

From the Seattle Police Department’s webpage about car prowls:

You are more likely to be a victim of a vehicle crime than any other crime reported to the Seattle Police Department. An experienced Car Prowler or Thief can gain access to your car in virtually seconds. In less than 30 seconds, someone could break into a parked car. Most car prowls themselves take less than two minutes.

The following are recommendations that can reduce your risk of being a victim of a car prowl or theft.

• When you exit or enter your parked vehicle, stop and take a look around the area.
• Before leaving your parked car, always remove the keys, roll up the windows and lock the car.
• Make a habit of locking your garage door and car doors.
• If possible, store your car in a closed and locked garage.
• If your car is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.
• If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting & trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.

SPD provides the following information about auto theft:

• More than two thirds of all auto thefts occur at night.
• Approximately 86% of the stolen vehicles are recovered
• While some vehicles are definitely stolen to be sold, or dismantled for parts, the large majority are simply used as temporary transportation by common criminals. Thus, most vehicles are recovered within a few weeks to a month and with relatively little damage.
• Auto theft happens fast.  An expert auto thief can break into and steal a car in less than a minute.  An unoccupied car, with it’s engine running, can be taken in seconds.

Here are some tips for preventing auto theft:

• Don’t leave your keys in your car.
• Close your windows and lock your doors whenever you leave your car, regardless of how long you plan to be gone.
• Park in well-lit areas.
• Keep your car in a garage if you have one.
• Park in lots that have attendants.
• Use an anti-theft device whenever you leave your car .

 

The Ravenna-Bryant neighborhood is part of the Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct.  The precinct is broken up into sectors and a portion of the west part of our neighborhood is in the Union Sector and the east part is in the Lincoln Sector.  Within the sectors are police beats and Union Sector beats 1 and 2 (U1, U2) include parts of Ravenna-Bryant, though most of those beats cover other neighborhoods.  Lincoln Sector beat 3(L3) covers the largest swath of Ravenna-Bryant.

Crime Information on Twitter

This is important information for those who want want to receive information on Twitter about crime.  With Seattle Police Department’s Tweets by Beat, you can follow or view a Twitter feed of police dispatches in each of Seattle’s police beats, and find out about the flashing lights and sirens on your block.  In order to protect crime victims, officers, and the integrity of investigations, calls will display one hour after a dispatcher sends the call to an officer. The feeds also do not include information about domestic violence calls, sexual assaults, and other certain types of crimes.

Crime Information Maps

SPD’s online crime map shows 911 incident reports and police reports.  It also includes trend data about select crimes.  For instance, auto theft is a concern among Ravenna-Bryant residents.  Below is a chart showing auto theft trends since 2008 in L3.  As you can see, there was a spike in car thefts last June.

Get Your Car Back Tweets

The SPD 911 section tweets stolen vehicles as they occur. You do not need a Twitter account to view this information. If you spot a stolen car, do not make direct contact with potential occupants – call 911.

 

Future of 35th Ave NE
FINAL PUBLIC WORKSHOP
Thurs, July 31st, 7-9PM
Messiah Lutheran Church
7050 35th Ave NE

The final public workshop to proactively plan for change along 35th Ave NE is scheduled for Thursday, July 31st, from 7-9PM in the Fellowship Hall (downstairs) at Messiah Lutheran Church.

Two previous public workshops took place in May and June where the community provided feedback on streetscape designs and potential zoning changes. About 80 people attended each meeting and provided excellent feedback that has shaped the community driven plan.

At this final public workshop, attendees will be able to provided feedback on the proposed streetscape design guidelines and zoning recommendations. This will be the final opportunity to provide formal feedback on the recommendations.

Make sure to tell your neighbors, friends, and family about the public workshop and bring a neighbor or two along with you.

 

Bring neighbors together to prevent crime and host a block party on National Night Out!

National Night Out is a unique opportunity to bring your neighbors together, welcome new neighbors, talk about crime prevention efforts, and mainly just have a great time with food, music, games – whatever you want. Some gatherings are just a few households and others expand into large block parties.  Knowing neighbors is an important way to prevent crime.

Night Out Against Crime is an opportunity for individual neighborhoods to renew their commitment to the following:
• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships
• Send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

To learn how to organize a neighborhood event, including how to have your street closed for a block party, visit the Seattle Night Out website.

The second of 3 public workshops for community members to provide input about improvements to the pedestrian environment along 35th Ave NE, from Bryant through Wedgwood, will take place Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.  in the Fellowship Hall at Messiah Lutheran Church at 7050 35th Ave NE.

The information captured at these public workshops, along with the data received through the Wedgwood Vision Plan and Survey and 35th Ave NE Business District Survey, will be used to develop streetscape design guidelines and zoning recommendations to help shape the future of 35th Ave NE as the inevitable change occurs.  This planning process is occurring thanks to a grant received by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.

Read about the April workshop and more on the Future of 35th Ave NE blog.

Please help us spread the word by telling your friends, family and neighbors!

On Tuesday, the RBCA Land Use Committee will host a community meeting about several projects happening in the neighborhood.  The meeting will take place 7:00 p.m. at the Messiah Lutheran Church, 7050 35th Ave NE.  The agenda includes an update about the development of the former Children’s Home site and the sale of the Theodora.

During last week’s RBCA board meeting, members voted to send the following letter to Volunteers of America (VOA), owners of the Theodora, in response to their letter earlier this spring.

Dear Mr. Smith:

On June 3, 2014, the Board of Directors of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association discussed your response to our letter of March 7th. On behalf of the Board, I am writing to let you know that we appreciated hearing of your plans to assist the residents of the Theodora.

As members of our community, the well-being of the residents of the Theodora is of utmost importance to us and we are pleased to hear of your commitment to assist in their transition. We look forward to hearing that each resident has been successfully housed in a new location.

Sincerely,
Tony Provine
President

In March, the RBCA board expressed concerns to VOA about the sale of the building.

School Road Safety Public Meeting

Tuesday, May 27

6 PM to 7:30 PM

NE Branch Seattle Public Library

6801 35th Ave NE

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) invites community members to a design workshop during which improvements to traffic safety near schools will be discussed.

Why?  Starting in 2015, the School Road Safety Plan will prioritize millions in safety improvements every year around our schools.  The workshop will include a presentation and discussion on road design treatments and a “walk about” intended to provide examples of traffic barriers and potential opportunities.  The workshop is part of an effort to improve safety near schools through a combination of street improvements, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation.

In addition to hearing from the City Attorney about legal actions being taken regarding the Sisley properties located in the Ravenna and Roosevelt neighborhoods, during RBCA’s May 6 community meeting neighbors heard from Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) staff members about pedestrian, bike, and motor vehicle safety locally.

They began with an overview of traffic-related trends.

• In Seattle, while population is increasing, vehicular traffic volumes are declining and transit and bicycle volumes are increasing.

• Though collisions are decreasing, there are nearly 12,000 collisions each year — about 33 crashed per day.

• Most traffic fatalities and serious injuries are preventable.

In the Ravenna-Bryant area, several changes have been made to increase pedestrian safety.

• As part of SDOT’s Safe Routes to School project, flashing lights and photo speed enforcement systems are being installed near schools.

• After a recent hit and run incident on NE 55th Street that resulted in life-threatening injures to a pedestrian, RBCA reached out to SDOT.  As a result, SDOT conducted a traffic assessment that shows most vehicles on NE 55th Street drive at or near the speed limit.  SDOT staff also agreed that pedestrian safety measures should be taken.

• To request studies of a road that may pose safety hazards, community members may contact SDOT at Neighborhood.Traffic@seattle.gov or 684-8681.

• The presentation concluded with an update about changes made to NE 75th Street since the traffic incident that killed two people last spring.

 

University District Food Bank is in the midst of a three-year, $3.25 million capital campaign designed to  build a larger, more efficient facility —expanding capacity to provide nutritious food to families in need in addition to greater access to community resources.

The Food Bank currently operates out of a constrained 800-square-foot facility. There is limited food storage and preparation space, inadequate storage, and limited floor space for food shopping. Many perishable donations are turned away. In addition to space, the present facility lacks both ADA-approved access as well as a weather protected area for shoppers to wait for access to the facility.

This capital campaign, known as Fight Hunger Build Hope, will allow the Food Bank to:

• Provide more clients easier access to nutritional ingredients for healthy meals;
• Increase capacity to accept and distribute more fresh food donations;
• Offer their neighbors greater access to resources that promote self-sufficiency in a dignified space.

For more information about the food bank, click here.

Ravenna-Bryant donations to be included in matching challenge.

The University Kiwanis Club and University Kiwanis Foundation have pledged $50,000 as matching grant to be paid when the Food Bank raises $50,000 in capital gifts from local organizations and small businesses. Ravenna-Bryant community members will be recognized as part of a local organization if they donate to the campaign  and note that they are part of RBCA.  Donation forms are available by clicking here.

Recognition

For gifts of $1,000 or more donors will be recognized in a permanent donor wall in the new Food Bank – unless an anonymous gift is requested.

Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.  If you are interested in learning more about the campaign or making a pledge, please contact Joe Gruber, Executive Director, at 206.523.7060 or joe@udistrictfoodbank.org

All community members are invited!

Ravenna-Bryant Community Association General Meeting

Tuesday, May 6, 7-8:30 p.m.

Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center

I. Welcome and Introductions

 II. City’s Efforts to Tackle Housing Code Violations – City Attorney Pete Holmes

    7:10 – 7:25    City Attorney Pete Holmes on enforcement actions

    7:25 – 7:35    Q & A

 III. Safer Roadways – Brian Dougherty, John Marek, Jim Curtin and Dongho Chang, Seattle Department of Transportation

    7:35 – 8:10    SDOT staff presentations and Q & A

 III. Getting Creative – Community pARTnerships

    8:10 – 8:25    Steve Johnson, OED, “Only in Seattle” grant program

    8:25 – 8:40    RBCA board member Sarah Rathbone, Seattle Mural Project, NE 65th St. Survey

 IV. Wrap-Up and Acknowledgments, Announcements

All community members are invited!

Ravenna-Bryant Community Association General Meeting

Theme: Our Neighborhood, Our Future

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

7-8:30 p.m.

Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center

Agenda

• City’s efforts to tackle housing code violations in the Ravenna and Roosevelt neighborhoods — City Attorney Pete Holmes
• Safer roadways including safe routes to school and traffic calming — staff from the Seattle Department of Transportation
• Getting creative: Community pARTnerships

On April 26^th Seattle Police Department and the The Drug Enforcement Administration will be providing you with the opportunity to make your homes and communities safer.  On the 26^th from 10am-2pm you can drop off any unused or unwanted drugs at local precincts with no questions asked.

You can find the drop-off site in your neighborhood by visiting our precinct map.  The North Precinct is located at 10049 College Way North, just north of North Seattle Community College.

Over three and a half years these events have netted 1,700 tons of expired and unwanted drugs nationwide.  In Seattle alone we collected over 600 pounds of drugs during one day.

This program helps address the public safety and health concerns over prescription medications that sit unused in cabinets nationwide.  Over the past four years, the abuse of prescription drugs has increased among NE Seattle middle and high school students.  According to the DEA, more Americans died in 2010 from overdoses of prescription medications than from motor vehicle accidents. and surveys of drug users found the majority of abused prescription drugs are taken from family members and friends.

Help make your home and community safer by bringing your unwanted prescriptions to your local precinct on Drug Take-Back Day.

The 35th Ave Committee, a citizen group comprised of residents from Wedgwood, Ravenna-Bryant, and View Ridge have received a grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods to develop streetscape guidelines (designs that influence the pedestrian environment) and prepare zoning recommendations.  RBCA board members are members of the 35th Ave Committee.

The 35th Ave Committee has gathered data from the users of the 35th Ave NE Business District through a survey they held in 2013.  Over the coming months they will host 3 public workshops to gather more information from users, residents, landowners, and business owners on the type of pedestrian environment the community wants.  These workshops will result in recommendations on ways to improve the zoning along 35th Ave NE to support the conditions that the community wants to see from its business district.

All public workshops will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church, 7050 5th Avenue NE.