The Seattle Department of Transportation has proposed improvements to the stretch of Dexter Ave N between Mercer and Nickerson that it says are “designed to benefit everyone who uses the street, including commuters, truck drivers, bus passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.”

The project would include:

• Repaving Dexter Ave N
• Installing bike lanes on both sides of the street that are separated from vehicle traffic by a parking lane
• Removing the two-way left turn lane
• Providing dedicated left-turn lanes at busy intersections
• Providing dedicated load zones for businesses that need them
• Providing in-lane bus stops to improve transit speed and reliability
• Installing dedicated bus islands

SDOT will be holding an open house regarding the plan from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29 in Conference Room A at the Seattle Center’s Center House.

If you can’t make it to the meeting, public comments may be submitted via e-mail to walkandbike@seattle.gov, or by calling 206-684-7583.

The project, if approved, would be funding Seattle’s Bridging the Gap Levy.

Last week we reported that Metro is considering replacing the city’s warn down fleet of electric trolley buses with diesel ones, which are cheaper to produce and thus less of a budget constraint.

The county is holding an open house tonight, Tuesday, June 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church, located at 1217 6th Ave, and invites the public to take part in the discussion. The meeting will cover the Trolley Bus System Evaluation, a study that will examine the 14-route trolley system and “help the county make an informed decision about the best vehicle technology to use on these routes as the current trolley buses wear out.” For more information, check out the City of Seattle’s electric trolley bus network data (.pdf).

Ever noticed how much quieter some buses (routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 13, etc.) are than the many others that run through Queen Anne? You can thank those overhead wires — and the electric trolley buses they power — for that respite from noise pollution. The trolley buses also produce much less air pollution than diesel buses.

Despite those benefits, Metro is considering whether to replace its aging fleet of trolley buses with diesel ones, which cost less.

Our news partner The Seattle Times covered this story last month. On Tuesday, June 22, the public will have an opportunity to learn more about the Trolley Bus System Evaluation, a study that will examine the 14-route trolley system and “help the county make an informed decision about the best vehicle technology to use on these routes as the current trolley buses wear out.”

(Photo provided by the City of Seattle, depicts the central corridor of the King Country Metro Trolley Bus Network as of 2010).

The open house will be held downtown at Plymouth Congregational Church (1217 6th Avenue) from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, see the City of Seattle’s electric trolley bus network data (.pdf).

What do you think of the trolley buses and their possible replacement with diesel buses or other alternatives?

The new Queen Anne Elementary is having an open house at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 5, in the Coe Elementary gymnasium, located at 2424 7th Avenue W.

Bring the kids and meet other families, our fantastic teachers and Principal Elliott.

Hear an update on the latest plans and progress and ask questions.
Speak with parent representatives and find out how you can get involved.

Last month the Queen Anne Elementary design team announced that the new Option school’s curricular focus would be “technology enhanced/enriched,” opening up questions from the community concerning what exactly a tech-focused elementary program would entail.

whatawaste wrote in the comments to our last story,

great, a technology school. just what our kids need. more time in front of computers and screens—heaven forbid they’re not staring at a screen 24 hours a day. btwn TV, computers, video games, watching videos in the car, etc. etc i think our kids already get more than enough of the virtual world and need to learn about the real world. ANYTHING would have been better than a tech school. language-immersion, math/science, montessori, waldorf. a tech school seems much better suited to middle or high school age students, not elementary kids. have studies been done about how teaching kids “tech” at this age affects their learning and development? i can’t imagine that it would be good…

maybe_K wanted to know more:

Does “technology” include tools other than the computer? For example, those used in a science lab, such as molecular biology? I’m really curious.

In a series of emails sent out to the QAE Google group this week, design team member Heather Anderson attempted to clarify the focus of the school and why they settled on this track.

According to Anderson, of the 199 respondents (113 of which currently have potential students for the 2010-2011 school year) to a survey in February asking parents what programs they would like to see implemented at QAE, the vast majority opted for an International/language immersion curriculum.

Respondents were allowed to select more than one program type for the survey question regarding preferred program foci.  International/Language Immersion was the overwhelming first choice (77%), Montessori and “STEM” tied for second (42%), “Innovation (33%) and other (5%). On average, respondents indicated two instructional approaches of interest.

However, despite the fact that the top two selections were for International/Language Immersion and Montessori/STEM foci, Anderson said that neither of these options is possible within the current restraints from Seattle Public Schools. She wrote,

Following is some information that we had on hand from previous
meetings with SPS:

• SPS isn’t willing, this year, to entertain the idea of QAE becoming an International/Immersion school as it does not fit into the current roll-out plan for International Schools.
• SPS stated that International/Immersion could be revisited at a later date
• Both Immersion & Montessori programs need to be implemented over time and are therefore restrictive to older students entering those programs while technology is immediately accessible (‘come as you are’).
• Considering that elementary grades must focus on teaching fundamentals of reading, writing and mathematics, the more specialized focus of STEM was determined as not quite appropriate for this age range.
• Montessori proponents and others were concerned about staffing a Montessori program by fall. There is an extremely limited number of teachers in our area that have appropriate Montessori credentials and this is not something that you can simply earn over the summer, as SPS had originally planned.

Beyond this, the school district also would like any program begun at QAE to be able to be continued at the middle school level, and currently McClure’s curriculum does not support an International/Language Immersion or Montessori/STEM program. Technology, however, could be continued at the middle school level and beyond, according to Anderson. She’s says the new program could pave the way for a third curricular option in Seattle Public Schools.

“Technology Enriched” is a term we are applying to describe the vision for Queen Anne Elementary. It is a combination of STEM and Innovation where technology empowers learning. It is a collaborative educational approach that promotes the development of social skills. It is teaching 21st century skills in a 21st century learning environment. It embraces the ability to explore critically and analytically by allowing technology to facilitate learning. It is not children plugged into a computer all day. It is not a library full of Kindles and no books. Rather, it is a collaborative environment that allows the integration of computers and other technology to enhance learning. It is teachers and students working together to co-create knowledge, rather than the 20th century model of only the teacher delivering knowledge to students.   It is about asking how engaged are our kids at school, and using technology to engage them as learners. It is taking the best practices from other Innovation and Technology models around the country and the world and applying them.

The first year, this school will continue to evolve. At this time, we
do not know how many computers or other means of technology we will have. We do not know if we will be a PC or Mac platform or a combination of both.  It will not be a dual-track curriculum.

David Elliott will be hiring a staff that will not be in place by the
end of Open Enrollment. He is recruiting teachers from within the SPS that are grounded in the fundamentals of elementary learning but that also desire the opportunity in integrate technology and embrace innovation. These teachers will thrive in a collaborative environment and work together to create learning models that will evolve and change as needed while still teaching our districts mandated curriculums.”

The Queen Anne Elementary design team will be discussing the nature of the new “technology enriched” platform at an open house this Saturday, March 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at Coe Elementary, located at 2424 7th Ave W. Community members are invited to come meet Principal David Elliott and discuss the future of the “technology enhanced/enriched” elementary. For more information, or to take part in the discussion, check the QAE Google group topics.

After several design meetings and a community survey on the future of Queen Anne Elementary, the QAE Design Team has come up with the focus for the neighborhood’s newest Option school: Technology. Its motto: “Nourishing a Solid Foundation for a Lifetime of Growth.”

Queen Anne’s Old Hay was renamed Queen Anne Elementary back in January, in preparation for its reopening for the 2010-2011 school year as part of the new district-wide Student Assignment Plan. QAE will spend its first year at the old Lincoln High School, located at 4400 Interlake Ave. N., while the Old Hay building is prepped to house the new Option School in the fall of 2011.

The QAE Design Team is encouraging parents interested in sending their kids to QAE to attend the school’s Open House this Saturday, March 6 from 10 a.m. to noon at Lincoln.

Because QAE is an Option School, it does not have an “attendance area” boundary. Students throughout the city may apply during Seattle Schools’ open enrollment period, which began on Monday, March 1 and continues until the 31st. For more information on the QAE, download the school’s brochure (.pdf) and contact the Design Team.

Last month our sister site, MyBallard, spoke with 36th District Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, who told them she was planning on filing a bill this upcoming legislative session (which begins January 10) that would legalize marijuana. Yesterday they reported that Rep. Dickerson and five other state representatives pre-filed HB 2401.

Meanwhile, Rep. Reuven Carlyle wrote down his thoughts on how he’ll vote on the state budget, which is projected to reach a $2.6 billion deficit in 2010, on his blog. He outlined three criteria for how he will vote on the budget – spending levels, revenue levels, and the question of system change and reform.

“To me systems change is about looking at our structures, systems, infrastructure of methodology, norms and behaviors and asking one core question: What would our systems look like if we designed them anew, today, from scratch?” he wrote. “We too often pull back from ‘what is possible’ before we even get a new idea of the drawing board. I’m not suggesting everything is broken and yet much of how we do business in state government does require a bold new approach.”

Carlyle went on to list several “modest but legitimate examples” of how government reform could be applied, tackling issues such as licensing and liquor (specifically the debate between whether these should be government run, or private sector), technology, transportation funding and the building of public infrastructure, and education reform and the Race to the Top challenge. Read Carlyle’s thoughts here.

Anyone interested in speaking with representatives about the upcoming legislative session is welcome to attend the 36th District Legislative Delegation holiday open house next week, on Tuesday, December 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Sen. Kohl-Welles’ and Rep. Carlyle’s district office on the base of Queen Anne at 3131 Western Ave, Suite 421, in the Northwest Work Lofts building. Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle will present an overview of the 2010 legislative session and answer constituent questions.

On Thursday, December 17 Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tim Gallagher will be hosting an open house for the neighborhood from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Queen Anne Community center, located at 1901 1st Ave W.

The purpose of the meeting is to give community members an opportunity to talk with Gallagher and department representatives about the needs of the Queen Anne community and whether or not the department is meeting them. Residents will have the opportunity to talk with parks representatives about what is working in the neighborhood and what can be improved, as well as with the superintendent about ideas for building community relationships through Parks programs and services that are best suited for the Queen Anne community.

For more information, contact Dewey Potter at (206) 684-7241 or via e-mail at dewey.potter@seattle.gov.

The 36th District Legislative Delegation is hosting a holiday open house from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15, and is inviting community members to join. The shindig will be held at 3131 Western Ave, Suite 421, in the Northwest Work Lofts building at the base of Queen Anne.

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle will present an overview of the 2010 legislative session, which begins on January 11, 2010. They’ll be answering constituent questions and concerns, and they’re even serving refreshments.

Free and pay street parking is available. Metro bus lines 1, 2, 8, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 24 and 33 connect to the meeting place, which is Sen. Kohl-Welles’ and Rep. Carlyle’s district office.

Seattle sure did have a lot of snow last year. In preparation for a similarly white winter season, the city introduced a new snow response plan, along with the announcement that they have hired a new street maintenance director, Monty Sedlak, who has more direct snow experience (he’s was formerly the Road and Bridge Division manager for Arapahoe County, Colo.) earlier this month.

To further prepare for quicker and more efficient snow response this year, the city and the Seattle Department of Transportation will be holding a series of open houses around the city so that community members can familiarize themselves with the new plan, ask question, and get tips on how to better prepare for the winter season. Our meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 27 at 7 p.m. at the Queen Anne Community Center. For a map and directions, click here (pdf).

• A new approach to snow that includes an expanded use of salt brine and salt, and limited use of sand;
• Significant improvements to facilities and fleet to include GPS technology and weather awareness;
• An improved organizational structure and significant training for winter storms;
• A commitment to better communicate with the people of Seattle and agency partners; and
• Performance measures to objectively evaluate accomplishments.

For a list of all the Winter Weather Open Houses in the area and further information on the new snow plan, click here. Download the Winter Weather snow map here (pdf).