Applications are now available for the trees as part of the reLeaf program. There are ten species to choose from and the trees can be planted anywhere in a residential yard.

Here are some rules:

• Permits are required if planting street trees – reLeaf staff will coordinate acquiring permits. Receiving a permit is not guaranteed. No permit is required for yard trees.
• You must be present at the planting training to pick up your tree(s). All trees should be planted shortly after receiving them.
• The number of trees approved for your yard may be fewer than the number requested. Please note that tree availability is not guaranteed.
• If you do not own your home, you must obtain the permission of the homeowner.

Trees are limited and applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. The application deadline for street trees (for the planting strip next to the street) is September 1. Yard tree applications are due October 24th. Attend a planting and care workshop and pick up your tree(s) on either October 30th at the Carkeek Environmental Learning Center or November 12th at the Garfield Community Center.

For more information and for the application, click here.

“Last week I noticed some red spray paint tags on real estate signs and parking signs near my apartment building (on Taylor Ave, right where it merges with 5th Ave.). Then when I was walking my dog in Trolley Hill Park I came across the saddest sight. Huge amounts of tagging on all the wood tables and benches, and down the entire length of a large tree’s trunk. Things like “Bloods” “Crip Killers” “KKK” and anarchy signs,” she wrote Queen Anne View. “Likely not really anything gang related, probably just some brats with some spray paint. Still SO sad.”

Trolley Hill Park is tucked away on the east side of the hill at 5th N and Blaine Street, and because of this it is more secluded and one of Queen Anne the neighborhood’s lesser known parks. The park includes a natural kids play area, a picnic area with tables and benches, a community P-Patch, and a beautiful view. It was named after one of the main trolley lines leading up Queen Anne Hill , which was in operation from 1890 to 1940.

In all cases of vandalism, officials recommend swift and and thorough action. When vandalism takes place on public property, as in this case, the City of Seattle takes on the responsibility of cleaning it up. Graffiti found on public property can be reported by calling the City of Seattle’s Hotline at (206) 684-7587, or filling out this online report form.

The graffiti at Trolley Hill Park was reported to the city’s response line this morning, and crews will be looking into the incident, though they were not able to provide a definite timeline for when the graffiti would be removed, though the city says that action will be taken in a timely manner.

For graffiti on private property, the city provides a number of resources to help residents respond. If you find vandalism on your property, the city recommends you document the vandalism for insurance purposes and call the Seattle Police Department’s non-emergency number (206) 625-5011 and file a report. If you witness an act of graffiti or vandalism in progress, it is recommended that you call 911, as vandals must be caught in the act to be prosecuted. For more information on what to do about vandalism in the community, check out the city’s resources here and here.

“Property with graffiti that has not been removed in a reasonable amount of time may be subject to fines under the Graffiti Nuisance Ordinance,” according to the Seattle Police Department website.

Though the city will be handling the incident at Trolley Hill Park, Vicki says she’s ready to take some action in the meantime.

“I’m going to head over to the park at 11 a.m. on Saturday to try and do some scrubbing, if anyone wants to help they are more than welcome to join me,” she wrote. “I go to this park every day and its just infuriating to look at.”

Even when city crews tackle public graffiti, they often ask for community volunteers to help them with the clean-up, so Vicki’s efforts are very much welcomed. Get more information on how to organize a Volunteer Graffiti Clean-Up Event here to keep a four-block area in your community graffiti free (Seattle Public Utilities provides the supplies and waiver forms needed for the event), or learn more about taking part in SPU’s Summer Paint Out program in July or August (again, SPU provides free paint  in white, brown or gray, and rollers, brushes, scrapers, and gloves).

Supplies can be picked up at the Seattle Public Utilities warehouse (3633 E Marginal Way S) on the following Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
-July 2
-July 16
-July 30
-August 6
-August 20

In order to receive the supplies, you must register first – use the link, email daniel.sims@seattle.gov or call 206-684-7790.

* Thanks to Vicki for the tip and pictures!

From the press release:

The Online Boost Project is designed to enhance skills and proficiency on the use of online resources for community groups with workshops, mentorship and seed funding to implement and/or increase their web presence. In coordination with the Seattle Communities Online initiative, we are seeking opportunities to enhance:

• Increased awareness of community issues;
• Increased community participation in problem solving; and
• Increased interaction with government.

Online Boost grantees will have access to:

• Up to $1000 mini-grants for a quick, specific project to be completed within 3 months.
• Workshop (required in order to receive funding) where participants would leave the workshop knowing what resources are out there, what their plan of action will be, and how to go about implementing.
• Mentorship and networking opportunities

Deadline to apply is July 12. Applicants must register ahead of time in order to access the online application. If you have already registered for another grant with the City, you can log in with your user ID and password and select “Funding Opportunities” and then “Online Boost Grant.”

The City of Seattle has launched an online portal that makes it easier to apply for grants for community projects. The city offers funding programs ranging from $250 to $1.5 million.

From the press release:

This user-friendly portal organizes the funding opportunities in six categories: youth; technology; community building and organizing; physical improvements; arts and culture; and the environment. Visitors can also search by the name of the city department and funding program(s), or can view all the programs side-by-side in an easy-to-read matrix format.

“We want to make it easy for people to improve their communities,” says Mayor McGinn.

The web portal includes an online calendar which lists funding deadlines, workshops, and events of funded projects. Its blog provides updates on the funding programs and shares stories about community projects. Seattle Department of Neighborhoods has been charged with monitoring the portal and to grow and enhance it over time.

Various city departments manage the funding programs; and the criteria and funding amounts vary depending on the type of project, city priorities, the departments’ capacity, and available funding. Some of the funding programs require a community match of volunteer labor, donated materials, donated professional services, or cash.

Starting July 5th, any vehicle that has four or more unpaid parking tickets will be “immobilized,” which is a fancy way of saying you’re going to get The Boot.

Once booted, to get the vehicle released you will have 48 hours to pay all parking tickets, default penalties, interest, collections agency fees, and a boot fee. If you do not pay within 48 hours of being booted, the vehicle will be towed and impounded. To release the vehicle from impound, you will need to pay all fees and fines, plus tow fees.

Finally, if your vehicle is not claimed from impound within 15 days, it will be sold at auction to help pay your debts.

Yikes.

So what if you’re not sure about any unpaid parking tickets? Check the Seattle Municipal Court – Public Information Web Site to see if your vehicle has unpaid tickets and then get them sorted out poste haste!

Image via City of Seattle.

If you’ve got unpaid parking and traffic tickets, now is the time to pay them off. Seattle Municipal Court is waiving collections fees and interest during May and June if you pay in full.

From the press release:

The Collections Reduction Event does not apply to those entering into a time-payment plan. The Court accepts cash, checks, credit cards, and money orders for payment of tickets. The Court efforts are designed to offer people with unpaid infractions in collections a significant savings if they pay off their tickets. The program also encourages people to pay their unpaid parking tickets before the new parking scofflaw program launches.

A scofflaw is someone with a vehicle that has four or more unpaid parking tickets. Starting July 1, scofflaw vehicles parked in public right-of-way will get their wheel locked with a boot. If a vehicle receives a boot, full payment of all past-due tickets and the boot fee must be paid within 48 hours or the vehicle may be towed. Full payment includes the initial parking fines, default penalties, collection fees and interest. If towed, full payment plus the boot and tow fees must be made before the car is released from impound. People unable to make a one-time full payment may arrange a time-payment plan with Seattle Municipal Court’s contracted collections agency, AllianceOne, Inc. (http://www.allianceoneinc.com).

To see if you have unpaid parking tickets and to pay them, go to www.seattle.gov/scofflaw (English) or call (206) 684-5600 (interpretation may be available). Payment can also be made in person at The Seattle Municipal Court at 600 Fifth Avenue in downtown Seattle, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

An agreement announced Thursday by the City of Seattle and King County means that the King County Jail will be the primary provider of bed space for the City’s misdemeanor inmates for the next 20 years.  That means there will not be a new jail at the Interbay location, one of six sites that was being considered in Seattle.

Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine said the  agreement will prevent Seattle from having to build a new jail anytime soon. The city and county are also agreeing to cooperate on programs such as drug courts and diversion programs that can help reduce the jail population.

“What had been a source of conflict has become a partnership that benefits the County and the City. This agreement ends—with certainty—proposals to build a new jail in Interbay or any other Seattle neighborhood,” said Metropolitan King County Councilmember Larry Phillips.

From the Spring Clean website.

Spring Clean provides opportunities for citizens to clean up Seattle’s public open spaces of their choice with city support, including planning assistance, gloves, safety vests, disposal bags, transfer station passes, and waste disposal. Typical volunteer projects include litter pick ups, invasive plant removal, storm drain stenciling, graffiti removal, and general area beautification.

To find out about participating events, or start your own, contact Gretchen Muller at gretchen.muller@seattle.gov. If you’d like to register your own event with the city, fill out this sign-up form (.pdf) and send it to Gretchen. More information here.

In February Hempfest organizers filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Seattle, Mayor Mike McGinn, the director of the Seattle Department of Transportation, the director of Seattle Center, and the chairperson of the Seattle Special Events Committee, claiming that the city was unlawfully delaying the permitting process and scheduling a conflicting construction project that would prevent the festival from taking place at its usual site at Myrtle Edwards Park, or the proposed alternative location, the Seattle Center.

Festival goers gather at the booth-lined Myrtle Edwards Park at Hempfest 2009.

In a statement released today city officials announced that the two parties have reached a collegial agreement, which will bring Hempfast, which draws some 100,000 people to the waterfront festival annually, back to Myrtle Edwards Park for its 20th anniversary this summer. From the press release:

Under the March 18 agreement, the City will issue a permit for Hempfest 2011 to occur at the waterfront park on Aug.  19, 20 and 21, subject to the conditions placed on the permit by the City’s Special Events Committee. In turn, Seattle Events, which puts on the festival, will dismiss the pending lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

Planned construction of the Thomas Street Overpass project in Myrtle Edwards Park this summer created a potential conflict with the festival, prompting Hempfest to file a lawsuit. The City and Hempfest quickly reached a compromise where Hempfest agreed to postpone its request for immediate relief from the Court and the City agreed to solicit alternative bids for the project that would allow Hempfest to be held in the park. When the bids were announced on March 16, it was clear that the construction timetable would not interfere with the festival. The City and Hempfest then entered into a memorandum of understanding that will allow the festival to proceed at Myrtle Edwards Park in August 2011.

City Attorney Pete Holmes noted his appreciation that Hempfest organizers agreed to put the litigation on hold while the City worked on a solution for the scheduling conflict.

For more information on the lawsuit, see our past coverage here.  For more information on the West Thomas Overpass Project, click here.

However it’s a tough racket to run a food truck in Seattle. Restrictive city laws make it hard for many small businesses and impeded the growth of the street food scene in neighborhoods like Queen Anne.

That may be changing very soon, according to a report by The Seattle Times.

New legislation is expected to go before the City Council by the end of the month, detailing changes that would make it easier for street-food vendors to set up shop and, in the process, help bring more economic vitality to neighborhoods.

“Urban neighborhoods are where we want our growth,” said Gary Johnson, center-city coordinator for the Department of Planning and Development, which helped craft the proposal. “A street-food scene can help brand a neighborhood in a positive way.”

Outside of the sunnier months and the Seattle Center grounds, you don’t see many sidewalk vendors in Queen Anne. Right now, street cart vendors in the city of Seattle are limited to mostly selling coffee, popcorn and hot dogs. Under the new guidelines, the city would “allow everything on the push cart except raw proteins.”

The Seattle Department of Transportation also wants to designate zones where curbside vending would be allowed. Right now vendors have to work out deals with business owners, which is why you always see food trucks in parking lots or outside local companies.

The flip side of this possible change is that local restaurants could see their business decrease, especially if a like-minded food is available down the block on a food cart.

Here’s the full rundown of the proposed changes. We’ll keep an eye on how this unfolds as we hear more.