newrainiervista.com

Protect your identity.  The Better Business Bureau is offering Secure Your ID Day: A free document shredding event!  There will also be handouts with identity-theft prevention tips. The  goal is to raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding personal information and keeping sensitive documents out of the wrong hands.

October 17, 9 am – 1 pm
Carter Subaru
17225 Aurora Ave N
Seattle, WA 98133

More information is at http://alaskaoregonwesternwashington.bbb.org/article/shred-it-and-forget-it-on-october-17-12546.

Just a friendly reminder the next Traffic & Safety Committee Meeting will be held Monday, October 05, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm at the Neighborhood House (Paul Allen Room), 4410 29th Avenue South.  Captain Emerick from South Precinct will be joining us at the meeting.  In addition, we will be discussing potential community education on new Metro Bus scheduling, ORCA and RPZ as well as update from the South Precinct.

Our street curbs are scheduled for painting this week, which should hopefully make it clearer where the No Parking Zones are around the Vista. These areas to be painted include around fire hydrants, post box units, Columbian Way medians, and the curve areas where roads turn. Areas that are already painted will be touched up.

Please be sure that you are not parking in any of these areas! Not only is it risky and illegal, this week you could also get yourself a bonus of curb paint on your car!

Just a friendly reminder next Traffic Safety Committee Meeting will be held Monday  August 03 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm at Neighborhood House Paul Allen Room (4410 29th Avenue South (first Floor).

We had a visit from the Seattle Fire Department today in response to a fire that was burning in the greenbelt behind the lower side of Viewpoint Park (about where we cleared ivy a few years back).  The firefighters said it was about 10 feet by 10 feet and that they couldn’t tell what started it - no signs of matches or cigarette butts.  However, they did say that the fire was in a clear area that “had a nice log for sitting on” and that they would guess someone has been using that space as a smoking room.

Denise from SHA was present and mentioned that she would ask security to keep an eye on this area.  Having the rest of us on the look out as well probably wouldn’t hurt.

Now that the Link trains are running, there will likely be some adjustments to Metro bus service. Read on for updates. See especially section 5 below regarding the comments period for adjustments to the Route 7.

1. Expanded Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel hours
Metro and Sound Transit buses and Link light rail now operate together in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. The tunnel is now open according to the following schedule:
Weekdays and Saturdays: 5 a.m.-1 a.m.
Sundays: 6 a.m.-midnight

2. Many existing bus routes connect with Link light rail
Metro bus routes help connect passengers to Link. Below is a list of current Metro bus connections to the five Link stations that serve the southeast Seattle area. Metro will make routing and schedule changes for many of these bus routes beginning Sept. 19 (see below).

• Beacon Hill Station (17th Avenue S & S McClellan Street): Currently served by Metro routes 36, 38, and 60.
• Mount Baker Station (2415 S McClellan St.): Currently served by Metro routes 7, 7 Express, 8, 9, 34 Express, 38, 42, 42 Express, and 48.
• Columbia City Station (4818 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S): Currently served by Metro routes 39, 42, 42 Express, and 48.
• Othello Station (7100 MLK Jr. Way S): Currently served by Metro routes 42, 42 Express, 48, and 106.
• Rainier Beach Station (9132 MLK Jr. Way S): Currently served by Metro routes 36, 42*, 42 Express*, and 48. (*Routes 42 and 42 Express connect one block away on Renton Avenue South.)

For questions about current bus schedules and routing, contact Metro Customer Service at 206-553-3000 or visit Metro Online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro.

3. Metro bus route changes will begin Sept. 19
Metro will change most bus routes in the southeast Seattle area beginning Sept. 19.
For detailed information, visit http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/sc/planning.html. Metro will make additional changes in February 2010.

Detailed scheduling information will be available on approximately Sept. 11 from Metro Customer Service, 206-553-3000, and on Metro Online, www.kingcounty.gov/metro.

4. ORCA: the new way to pay fares for bus and light rail
Customers who currently pay cash for Metro bus rides and plan on using Link light rail as well will benefit from buying an ORCA card. Link will not accept Metro bus transfers after Link light rail’s introductory period, which runs through December 31, 2009. After that, the ORCA card will save passengers money when they transfer between Metro buses and Link light rail.

The ORCA card works like cash or a pass, automatically tracking the value of different fares and transfers. For detailed information, visit www.orcacard.com.

Regional Reduced Fare Permits (with a valid Metro fare sticker) will be honored on Link light rail as proof of full fare payment. For more information, call Sound Transit at 206-398-5000 or visit Sound Transit’s Web site at www.soundtransit.org/x131.xml.

You may request the following materials by calling Sound Transit at 206-398-5000:

• Quick reference cards on “How to Ride Link/ How to use ORCA”
• ORCA cards (no fare loaded) with ORCA Guide cardholder
• Link fare payment information sheets in the following languages: English, Amharic, Vietnamese, Chinese (traditional), Tagrinya, Tagalog, Spanish, Somali, Russian, Oromo, Laotian, and Cambodian.

5. Proposed changes to Route 7 bus stops: Metro requests community feedback by July 31
Metro is planning to streamline Route 7 service by reducing the number of stops in the Rainier Valley. For information about this project and a list of bus stops that are proposed for closure, visit http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/sc/plans/2009/062009-rt7-improve.html.

Metro is requesting public input on this project by July 31. There are several ways to submit questions and comments:

• Send an e-mail to community.relations@kingcounty.gov.
• Complete an online questionnaire at http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/sc/planning.html.
• Call Metro to record your comments or questions
  • 206-296-4511 - English
  • 206-263-5001 - (Chinese)
  • 206-263-5003 - Español (Spanish)
  • 206-263-5005 - (Vietnamese)
  • 206-205-9185 - Soomaali (Somali)
  • 206-684-1955 - (Amharic)
• Send a letter to Barbara de Michele, King County Transportation Communications, 201 S Jackson, KSC-TR-0832, Seattle, WA 98104.

Metro staff members will review all comments, adjust the stop closure proposal if necessary, and present a final plan that will be posted in early September at http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/sc/planning.html.

If you still don’t have your Zone 29 RPZ permit or guest pass, SDOT will be at the Neighborhood House lobby on Thursday, July 30, from 3pm to 5pm. Bring your current Washington State Vehicle Registration (copy ok) and proof of residency (current bill with name and address).

Enforcement of the RPZ begins next week!

The first annual Southeast Seattle Vietnamese Resource Fair will be on Friday, July 17, 2009 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the NewHolly Gathering Hall, 7054 32nd Ave South, Seattle, WA 98118. The goal of the resource fair is to help the Vietnamese American and immigrant community become better acquainted with government services as well as services provided by advocacy and community-based organizations.

At the fair there will be health, education, employment, housing, legal and a variety of other resources. We have government, city and community-based organizations participating in the fair. There will also be performances by youth, raffle prizes, food and more. The event is hosted by the Vietnamese Service Providers Network. For more info, please call 206-724-9480.

The next meeting of the NRV Traffic & Safety Committee will be held next Monday, July 6, at 7pm, in the large meeting room at the Neighborhood House.

The Seattle City Council’s Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing next week on Council’s proposed changes to the Restricted Parking Zone program.

When: Wednesday, May 27th at 5:30 p.m.
Where: City Hall, 600 4th Avenue in City Council Chambers, 2nd floor
What: The committee will take public comment on their proposed amendments to the Residential Parking Zone program. The Council’s amendments would:

1. Manage parking demand by limiting permit sales to 4 per household with the exception for adult family homes, assisted living facilities, domestic violence shelters, and permitted congregate residences
2. Modify the business pilot to explicitly limit it to the seven Central Link Light Rail Stations and not allow its expansion to other RPZs; to establish a trigger point beyond which permits for non-residents would cease to be issued in order to keep parking demand from exceeding available on-street parking spaces in residential areas; and to set a time frame for evaluating and deciding whether or not to continue the pilot
3. Change the threshold for establishing an RPZ to 35% non-resident vehicles to favor parking for residents while still allowing for an increase in visitor parking
4. Not approve the Executive’s limit on major institution support for RPZ permits costs for affected households; instead leave in place determination of level of major institution support for RPZ permits to negotiations as part of the master plan update process
5. Modify the Executive’s proposal to include additional public involvement approaches
6. Add a requirement for a public hearing prior to decisions on RPZs by the Seattle Department of Transportation Director; and clarify that appeals process applies to establishing, modifying, or dissolving an RPZ
7. Create a new Resolution stating Council’s intent to have the Seattle Department of Transportation report back to City Council on January 1, 2011 on how the changes to the RPZ program have affected neighborhoods and what additional tools are available to manage RPZ permits

For more information in this legislation, please go to: http://www.seattle.gov/council/Drago/rpzpermits.htm.