The west half of Queen Anne is a close second to win a stake in a $50,000 community project through a city-wide contest held by Seattle waste management company CleanScapes.

Running from September 2010 to September of this year, trash collection areas are competing against one another to make the largest reduction in trash, yard waste and recycling compared to the previous year. This is the second year Queen Anne has competed in CleanScapes annual Neighborhood Waste Reduction Rewards program, which is meant to encourage Seattle residents to limit the amount of waste they produce.

“We think it’s a great program and a great way to give back to the community,” said CleanScapes Government Relations Manager John Taylor. “What we like about this is that it gives something back tangible to the community that everybody in the community can enjoy.”

The first four months of the competition have already been tallied, and the trash collection area in second place, Tuesday South, includes Queen Anne west of Queen Anne Avenue North and the top portion of Magnolia north of West Emerson Street. First place, Tuesday North, which encompasses the Ravenna neighborhood, is leading west Queen Anne by only 0.7 percent. Wednesday South, the half of Queen Anne east of Queen Anne Avenue North including the Westlake, South Lake Union and Eastlake neighborhoods and a portion of Capitol Hill, is in fourth place.

“What’s unique about the competition is it invites communities and traditional neighborhoods to work with other neighborhoods and communities,” said CleanScapes Waste Diversion Project Manager Candy Castellanos. “Queen Anne is in a couple different areas, which actually gives Queen Anne a better opportunity to compete.”

If the Tuesday or Wednesday South collection areas win, Queen Anne could inherit the $50,000 community project. Once an area has been deemed a winner by CleanScapes, a project selection committee is made of representatives from the community councils of the neighborhoods in the collection area. They then decide on a project from proposals submitted by the public. If come September Queen Anne and Magnolia in Tuesday South manage to surpass the Ravenna area, they will get to decide how to spend $50,000 in their area.

Picture Perfect Queen Anne chair and Queen Anne Community Council board member Margaret Okamoto said that there are many proposed projects in Queen Anne that could benefit from the $50,000 prize money.

“Picture Perfect Queen Anne has tons of projects that are part of our streetscape plan that we’d love to see done, clearly $50,000 could go a long way towards that … and the Galer Stairs would lend themselves wonderfully to some community activity,” said Okamoto, adding, “anytime you can bring people together to make decisions for public spaces it makes you feel more cohesive as a neighborhood, and the more community involvement there is I think the more vibrant a neighborhood is.”

FOLKpark Chair Debi Frausto said the money could easily be used to fund the organization’s plans for the renewal of lower Kinnear Park. They received a matching grant of $100,000 from the city of Seattle, and they are currently looking to raise $50,000 to honor the terms of that grant.

“It would be a perfect number for us,” said Frausto. “It would be very exciting to know we had that additional money already raised so that we could go into full production.”

Last year’s winner was Thursday South, which includes the neighborhoods of Montlake, Madison Park, Madison Valley, Madrona, Capitol Hill, First Hill and Yesler Terrace. They’re turning the prize into a playground at Washington Park Arboretum.

CleanScapes has many tips and resources for reducing waste on their website, and representatives are available to give presentations and help organize events, said Castellanos.

From the CleanScapes website:

Winning is easy: stop waste before it happens. Compost at home. Use a worm bin. Grasscycle. Use refillable water bottles and coffee mugs. Replace paper towels and napkins with cloth kitchen towels and washable napkins. Bring your own bag. Use Tupperware. Reuse. Repair. Buy in bulk. Buy local. Buy second-hand. Share. Trade. Swap. Rent. Donate or sell unwanted items. Print double-sided. Stop junk mail and phonebooks… you get the idea!

Picture Perfect Queen Anne, the local volunteer-based organization that has charged itself with the task of revitalizing the streetscape of Queen Anne Ave N from Galer to McGraw, is looking for new community members to join its board of directors.

Our goal is a pedestrian and family-friendly, safe and vibrant main street that everyone in our community will enjoy.

If you spend a considerable amount of time at the top of the hill, you’ve likely noticed some of the work PPQA has done to beautify the neighborhood’s main retail thoroughfare over the last few years. Helped along with community support, and grants from the Department of Neighborhoods, the organization has built benches, consolidated newspaper boxes, and greened curbside bulb beds along Upper Queen Anne. The group’s flagship Green Gateway project was completed last spring, after Key Bank and several neighbors pitched in to help.

With another major project completed, PPQA is looking ahead to 2011 for new projects to kick-start in the community. The group outlined plans for several community improvement projects in its Streetscape Master Plan (.pdf). The following ideas are on the table for consideration this year:

• Improvements to the Galer Stairs
• Community Kiosk
• Public Art
• Permanent Signage
• Creating Photo-Op Destination (analogous to Fremont Troll)

PPQA is also looking for community members interesting in joining the team and serving a term on its board of directors. PPQA chair Margaret Okamoto sent the following:

Picture Perfect Queen Anne is looking for people who work or reside on Queen Anne to join our Board. We are an active, hands-on group that works with other community organizations and City government to enhance the public streetscape of the hilltop retail core of Queen Anne Avenue N. Our most recent project has been the redesigned curbs and landscaping at the Galer and McGraw intersections. For further information about us and the Queen Anne Avenue Streetscape Master Plan, please visit our website: ppqa.org.

Interested? Please e-mail Margaret Okamoto at pictureperfectqa@gmail.com.

Picture Perfect Queen Anne has been working to beautify the entrances of the Upper Queen Anne business district along Queen Anne Ave N at Galer and McGraw through the Green Gateways program. Beginning with the construction of curb bulbs last year, the group has been busy raising money and organizing volunteers to help “green” these intersections and make them more friendly for pedestrians and passersby.

(Photo courtesy of PPQA).

Last week PPQA reached its fundraising goal of $16,000 to complete the Green Gateways project and cover landscaping and maintenance for the 2,200 square feet of garden space for the next two years, a feat PPQA Treasurer Elaine Talbot attributes to “the overwhelming generosity of our neighborhood residents, organizations, and business people,” alongside support from the Office of Economic Development and SDOT.

To commemorate the completion of the project, PPQA has planned a community celebration at the Galer gateway (meet at the foot of the Galer Stairs, at the intersection of Queen Anne Ave N and Galer) this Saturday, May 1 at 12:30 p.m., where they will unveil the paving stones and fully landscaped curb bulbs.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of the Green Gateways Project,” said PPQA founder Kathy King in a press release last week. “Queen Anne is one of Seattle’s most walkable neighborhoods. Pedestrian safety and a family friendly environment are important to our neighborhood and the city. Not only will we have welcoming spaces, we will, with the engraved paving stone walkway, have a historic reminder of the people who made our neighborhood what it is today.”

Happy Valentine’s Day Queen Anne! There are many reasons why I love Queen Anne – two vibrant neighborhoods in Uptown and on the top of the hill, our lovely parks, the Queen Anne Farmers Market, great local businesses, beautiful views…it’s a great neighborhood! Whether you’re out and about, or having a nice day at home today, I hope you take a few moments to reflect on why you love Queen Anne. And now, a love note to the neighborhood, from our friends at Picture Perfect Queen Anne.

Valentines Day: A Queen Anne Love Note

Looking for the perfect way to say “I Love You” this Valentine’s Day?

Picture Perfect QA has just the thing. You can say “I Love You” over and over again with a paver inscription dedicated to your romance. You’ll score mega points with your sweetheart. You’ll also be sending a love note to Queen Anne.

30 pavers will be placed at the just completed Galer Gateway near the 5 Spot on Queen Anne Avenue this spring. It’s part of a fundraiser to complete landscaping for the big pedestrian and traffic improvements recently installed on Queen Anne Ave. at Galer and McGraw Streets. For $250 you get four lines on your own paver; for $100 you get one line on a shared paver.

Create a lasting memory and show your sweetheart — and your community — just how big your heart is. Reserve your paver at www.ppqa.org/downloads_files/flyer-paver12-1-09.pdf now!

Your Neighbors at PPQA
Margaret, Elaine, Lori, Scot, Virginia, Patti, Kathy, Jeff
www.PPQA.org

Picture Perfect Queen Anne (PPQA), a community organization dedicated to revitalizing and maintaining the neighborhood’s business district streetscape from Queen Anne Avenue from Galer to McGraw St., has just signed on a Platinum Sponsor for their Green Gateways fundraising campaign.

The new KeyBank branch at the top of the hill has donated $3,000 toward the group’s efforts to make Queen Anne Ave more pedestrian friendly, putting PPQA’s sponsorship at $12,000, just $4,000 shy of their $16,000 goal.

“KeyBank has a tradition of being active in the neighborhoods where we’re located. We’re excited to finally have a branch to serve the top of Queen Anne Hill and the Green Gateways project gives us a great opportunity to get involved with our new neighbors,” said branch manager Tia Catli in a press release.

“I’m impressed by how quickly KeyBank stepped forward to support our community. Their generous contribution as the Green Gateways Platinum Sponsor provides a critical boost to our fundraising efforts,” said PPQA’s president Margaret Okamoto.

The funds raised for the Green Gateways campaign will be used to finish installing landscaping for the major pedestrian improvements along the “gateways” to the upper Queen Anne neighborhood – Queen Anne Ave., at Galer Street and McGraw Street.

Landscape design for the project is being donated by neighborhood-based Land2c Landscape Design, and Vertumni Fine Landscaping and Gardening is providing maintenance, donating a large portion of the cost on their end.

PPQA hopes to raise the remaining $4,000 and complete the installation of the Green Gateways landscaping projects by March 1, 2010. Donors can purchase pavers inscribed with their names or the name of the donor organization for $100 per line or $250 per paver. Half of these have already been claimed. For more information on making a contribution or purchasing a paver, visit their website, PPQA.org.

You may have noticed several gardening tools, rakes and watering cans included, popping up around the neighborhood over the last few months. They are the work of Picture Perfect Queen Anne, a volunteer-based organization dedicated to revitalizing the neighborhood’s business district streetscape–Queen Anne Avenue from Galer to McGraw St.

PPQA has, with support from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and the Office of Economic Development, built benches, consolidated newspaper boxes, and greened curbside bulb beds along Upper Queen Anne. And now they’re asking for community support to continue the work they’ve done.

As part of their Green Gateways campaign, PPQA hopes to raise $16,000 to continue the greening of Queen Anne’s main business district intersections, Galer and McGraw, by buying drought-tolerant plants and two years of maintenance and watering. As of November 16, they are $5,764 closer to their goal. For more information, or to make a donation, click here.

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 3, community members are invited to a neighborhood celebration and ribbon cutting put on by the Seattle Department of Transportation and Picture Perfect Queen Anne, in honor of new pedestrian improvements on along Queen Anne Ave N.

From 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, members of Picture Perfect Queen Anne, a volunteer-based neighborhood alliance funded by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Office of Economic Development, will be installing plants around the new pedestrian plaza at Queen Anne Ave N and W Galer St, as well as curb bulbs near the new crosswalks at Queen Anne Ave N and W McGraw Street. The group welcomes anyone interested in assisting with the planting throughout the day.

At 3 p.m. the ribbon cutting and ceremony will take place at the pedestrian plaza (Queen Anne Ave N and W Galer St.) with SDOT Director Grace Crunican.

The project was requested by Picture Perfect Queen Anne, who is working to revitalize Queen Anne Ave N from Galer to McGraw to provide a vibrant pedestrian and family-safe street-scape, through the Neighborhood Street Fund and funding by the Bridging the Gap Levy.