Category: Events

CALL TO ACTION ON LIGHT RAIL: January 28, 2016

Please click here for the Facebook Event page.

Dear West Seattle, South Park, White Center, and Burien Residents,

The West Seattle Transportation Coalition (WSTC) is made up of your neighbors. We are community volunteers who have been tracking mobility issues for the Peninsula and White Center since September 2013. We have been successful in bringing attention to our transportation challenges by banding together and asking for solutions.

In the Sound Transit 2 package, money was set aside to study potential corridors for Sound Transit expansion (ST3). Sound Transit has been studying the Ballard transit expansion since 2012. The three years of comprehensive citizen outreach and planning sessions have culminated in multiple routing and delivery options for Ballard. However, West Seattle and points south have not had the benefits of the same planning sessions. On December 4, 2015, Sound Transit presented to the Sound Transit Board (STB) a proposal for expansion of Sound Transit light rail:

http://soundtransit3.org/document-library

The WSTC has raised a question to the STB and the City of Seattle. The proposed three options are in direct conflict with projects voted on in Move Seattle. With a draft proposal set for March 2016 and a final draft set for June 2016, how can we get three years worth of planning done in three months?

Click here to read the letter that we sent:

http://www.westseattletc.org/letter-on-proposed-plans-for-sound-transit-3/

We need your help. Our next meeting is Thursday, January 28, 2016. We want to have a brainstorming session on ways we can help Sound Transit and the Cities of Seattle and Burien hold successful accelerated planning sessions.

You don’t need to be a transportation planner, you just need to want light rail to come to West Seattle, White Center and Burien!

Join us.

Date: January 28, 2016
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: (new location) The Kenney, 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW

City Council Candidate Debate: October 13

wstcdebateblog2015Please join the West Seattle Transportation Coalition and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce for a City Council Candidate Debate about our local issues. Hear about the issues, and meet the candidates! Please feel free to share this far and wide.

If you would like to RSVP on Facebook and share the event, click here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1706751236210417

Our guests will be:

It will be on October 13, 615pm, at Neighborhood House High Point Center.

Directions: 6400 Sylvan Way SW in West Seattle, three blocks east of 35th Ave SW & SW Morgan.

Mayor’s bus funding plan is tomorrow, and his transit policy advisor joins us tomorrow night.

It’s been an unusually and surprisingly busy month, for local transportation news:

Tomorrow night at 6:30pm, Mayor Ed Murray’s transportation and transit policy advisor, Andrew Glass Hastings, joins the West Seattle Transportation Coalition to discuss all this and a wide array of West Seattle related transportation issues.

Join us at Neighborhood House High Point, at 6400 Sylvan Way SW in West Seattle, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

Full agenda: https://www.westseattletc.org/tuesday-may-13th-2014-wstc-agenda
Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/835116326503353
Google Maps to our meeting: http://goo.gl/v2cvko

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 WSTC Agenda

Here is the agenda for our next meeting. We need as many people to come out as is possible for the Seattle Department of Transportation. Today, Mayor Ed Murray made it clear that transportation issues in West Seattle are a priority for the city. We need to demonstrate our commitment and get all our infrastructure issues out on the table for SDOT.

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 WSTC Agenda.

This meeting will be 6:30pm to 8:30pm at High Point Neighborhood House, 6400 Sylvan Way SW in West Seattle. Please enter at the rear plaza to the large meeting room.

The Facebook event for this meeting is here: http://www.facebook.com/events/1422447128008751/

6:30-6:40: Welcome, Introductions, Community news, Updates.

6:40-6:50: Committee News and Updates; Looking for new Committee Chairs

6:50-7:00: New business from the Membership – Anything to share, work on?

7:00-8:00: Seattle Department of Transportation, to discuss infrastructure and safety across the West Seattle Peninsula. Expected Guests:

  • Jim Curtin, Senior Transportation Planner
  • Brian Dougherty, Associate Transportation Planner
  • John Buswell, Roadway Structures Manager
  • Bill LaBorde, Strategic Advisor at Seattle Department of Transportation
  • Bob Chandler, Seattle Department of Transportation
  • Assistant Director Richard Sheridan, Public Information Manager
  • Cheryl Swab, Strategic Advisor for Council Relations at Seattle Department of Transportation

8:00-8:20: Set action items for the May WSCT meeting with guest Andrew Glass Hastings, Mayor Murray’s Transportation Policy Advisor.

8:20-8:25: Set the main Agenda items for May’s WSTC meeting.

8:25-8:30: Adjourn.

Other upcoming events:

  • Wednesday, April 9th: Seattle 2035 Meeting at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Tell the Department of Planning and Development your concerns about long-term planning and the direction of the city.

Join us on our mailing list here: https://www.westseattletc.org/wstc-talk/

Join us on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/westseattletc/

The first six months, and the next six months

The West Seattle Transportation Coalition formed in September 2013, in response to the looming 27% cuts to King County Metro to West Seattle. From that moment we started the process of building the WSTC so that there would be a unified voice for transportation issues in West Seattle, to drive our elected officials and agencies to stop — finally — overlooking West Seattle.

The first six months

The panel at our January 2014 forum.

The panel at our January 2014 forum.

How it began:

A huge crowd discussed this at our first meeting, which was recorded by the West Seattle Blog. You can watch it here:

West Seattle was getting a double hit: in addition to the 17% cuts the entire county was facing to King County Metro, we were also facing another 10% in cuts because of the “Viaduct mitigation money” from the WSDOT running out. This was a special fund for us, due to the massive disruption to our commutes from the Deep Bore Tunnel and Bertha digging. Unfortunately, the State only funded that through June 2014! At the end of that first meeting, with nearly all of the leaders of nearly all of the West Seattle neighborhood and community groups present, we unanimously formed the WSTC, and started working on our problems…

(more…)

Reminder: tonight is our next meeting

6:30pm at High Point Neighborhood House, 6400 Sylvan Way SW. Here is the Agenda:

6:30 – Welcome and Community News
6:40 – Board Elections in May; click here for details!
6:50 – Committee Reports & Updates:

• Communications; Joe Szilagyi – Plan survey. We will need volunteers to work on developing an agenda and legislative survey for all of West Seattle. The purpose? To find out exactly what everyone really thinks is wrong with our transportation situation. To define and refine the goals of the WSTC. And, most importantly, to let West Seattle tell us where to aim our efforts.

• Action; Amanda Kay Helmick – Meetings with the Governor’s office to discuss mitigation money; Mayor’s office meeting.

• Research & Solutions; Kevin Broveleit; (Meets 1st Tuesday of the Month) – Discuss the Transportation Benefit District that the County is proposing as Plan B for King County Metro funding. Is it appropriate for us to be endorsing a vote either or way or just educating on the subject?

8:30 – 2014 To-Do List: Tackling our items for the year. This is based upon feedback from the Q&A Panel forum in January.

(B = Board Level tasks; C = Committee Level tasks)

Miscellaneous:

B: Identification of projects protocol — set up a procedure for the WSTC to fairly asses things “in our wheelhouse”.

B: Public forum 2 & 3 — we want to hold more events like January, with specific topics, or as debates.

B: Overlay Map — a map of areas and issues that we need to focus upon.

On Peninsula issues (issues specific within our boundaries):

C: Grant funds – for what projects should we pursue?

C: Bike trails through greenbelts to W Marginal — a way for people to get up to and down from us toward the city easily. Inspired by the John Wayne Trail through Snoqualmie Pass.

C-RS: Master Plan — our main “Transportation Master Plan” for the peninsula, as a guide to curate and present to officials of outstanding issues.

Peninsula egress issues (issues related to the access points to and from West Seattle):

C: 4th/6th or bus way to WS freeway — a replacement for the long ago taken 4th Avenue on-ramp.

C: Viaduct Mitigation money — Metro must decide in March if our specific 10% cuts go through in June.

C: Viaduct/SR99 response times — brought about by the terrible December 6 incident.

C: Lander Street overpass — it was already funded once but the money was shifted to the Mercer Project.

C: Light Rail/ST3 — lobbying and pressing for Light Rail here. Surveys have shown 90%+ support in West Seattle.

C: Should we have another way out? Literally–another bridge?

2014 WSTC Board Elections

In May 2014, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition will hold it’s first ever Board elections, as detailed here in our by-laws. The rules and voting will work like this.

What is the WSTC Board?

  • The board is made up of eleven seats, numbered 1 through 11. This reflects the initial number of interim volunteer board members that stepped up in our inaugural meeting.
  • The Board members make all high level decisions for the WSTC as needed on behalf of it’s memberships and endorsers, subject to our by-laws and customs.
  • All Board members must actively serve as members of a WSTC Committee.
  • Terms are typically two years.
  • The Board elects it’s own officers of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Officer terms are one year.
  • The Board is typically present at each General Meeting, and there is usually a “working” meeting of the Board once per month for 90 minutes.

Who can run for the WSTC Board?

Anyone who lives or works in our boundaries. The area is West Seattle, South Park, Harbor Island, White Center, North Highline — anything west of the Duwamish River south to Burien. Also, anyone who is a member of groups, organizations, companies or institutions in those areas, may announce that they want to run for a Board Seat. If your status changes and you no longer qualify after being elected, you will step down from the Board.

How do I run for the WSTC Board?

  • You need to come to our February 11 or March 11, 2014 meeting and declare what Board position you wish to run for.
  • By a deadline of March 15, 2014, you must provide to the WSTC a photo and a statement of up to 500 words for our website.
  • By April 1, 2014, the WSTC will publish online all candidates, their positions, photos and statements.

What WSTC Board positions are open in 2014?

  • As this is our first-ever election, ALL eleven positions are open.
  • Following 2014 we will run even numbered positions on even numbered years and odd numbered positions on odd numbered years.
  • Anyone running for odd positions (#1, #3, #5, #7, #9, #11) in 2014 will serve one year until 2015.
  • Anyone running for even positions (#2, #4, #6, #8, #10) in 2014 will serve two years until 2016.

When are the 2014 WSTC Board elections?

  • The elections will be held in our May 13th, 2014 meeting.
  • Voting is by secret ballot. At least two people who are not running for office will count votes.
  • Voting is decided by simple majority.

Who can vote in the 2014 WSTC Board elections?

  • To vote, you must be a Member, with the same geographic requirements that Board members have.
  • To vote, you must also have signed into at least one meeting or event of the WSTC in the preceding calendar year.

For the 2014 WSTC Board elections, this means you must have signed into one of the following events or meetings:

  • September 10th, 2013 inaugural meeting.
  • October 15th, 2013 meeting.
  • November 12th, 2013 meeting.
  • December 10th, 2013 meeting.
  • January 14th, 2014 Q&A Panel.
  • February 11th, 2014 meeting.
  • March 11th, 2014 meeting.
  • April 8th, 2014 meeting.

When are the Officer elections?

The Board, in the current rules, will elect their own Officers for one year terms, again by simple majority secret balloting.

When will the new WSTC Board take office?

The new Board and it’s Officer take office with our June 10th, 2014 meeting, replacing the outgoing original Interim Board.

The WSTC is hosting a Q&A Panel with government officials

On January 14th, 2014 at 6:30pm, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition (WSTC) will be hosting a Q&A Panel with the offices of State of Washington Governor Jay Inslee, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the City Council’s Transportation Committee. This will be a panel Q&A with the WSTC moderators asking questions of each level of government about our transportation issues.

This will be relevant to everyone living in Seattle’s District 1, as well as our neighbors in District 2, District 7, White Center, Seacrest, and North Highline. Please plan to attend. The event will be at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Seattle, WA 98106.

For the Facebook event page, please click here.

WSTC Winter 2013 Listening Tour Dates

The West Seattle Transportation Coalition needs to hear from you! Are you unhappy with our current transportation system, situation, and options? Come tell us what you’re upset about, and learn about the WSTC, our mission, and what we’re doing. What you come and tell us at this Listening Tour will directly affect how we interact with and pursue issues with the City of Seattle, King County, Washington State, and the Federal government.

“We’d like you to tell us what works and what doesn’t work about transportation in West Seattle; what do you think can be improved, or what do you think is needed,” said WSTC Outreach Chairperson Deb Barker.

The Listening Tour schedule is:

  • December 14, 2013 from 12-2pm at Barnes & Noble Coffee Shop, Westwood Village, 2600 SW Barton
  • December 15, 2013 from 11-1pm at Cupcake Royale, 4556 California Ave SW
  • December 21, 2013 from 12-2 at The Feedback Lounge, 6451 California Ave SW
  • December 22, 2013 from 12-2 at Zatz a Better Bagel, 2348 California Ave SW
  • December 29, 2013 from 12-2 at Uptown Espresso, 3845 Delridge Way SW

WSTC Meeting agenda for November 12, 2013

Here is the agenda for our Tuesday, November 12th, 2013 meeting. The WSTC has it’s internal structure sorted out. How can you help? What do YOU want to work on, for your community of 105,000 people in the southwest?

We’ve got outreach–recruiting, going out to get feedback. We’ve got communications–polling, surveys, the internet, to get feedback. We’ve got research & solutions–working on land use, planning, technical planning. We’ve got action–going out to rallies, to meetings with agencies and elected officials.

Agenda:

6:30: Welcome and Updates

6:40: Introduction, Vote & Ratify Committees

Communications Committee

Roles: Online presence; Annual/bi-annual Issues Surveys. Writing press releases. Managing and facilitating communications between other advocacy groups. Works in tandem with all other Committees.

Action Committee

Roles: Calls Coalition to action, meets with elected officials, attends public hearings, and manages the Calendar. Works in tandem with all other Committees.

Outreach Committee

Roles: Community Outreach; Engagement with businesses, community groups, special interest groups, individuals, etc. Works in tandem with all other Committees.

Research & Solutions

Roles: Develops and adjusts the Master Plan by receiving and disseminating research info from Outreach, Communications & Meetings. Works directly with DPS, SDOT, WSDOT, EPA, etc for additional information and feedback. Works in tandem with all other Committees.

7:30: Communications Committee. Technology and Surveying; Joe Szilagyi

7:45: Action Committee. Call to Action; Amanda Kay Helmick

8:00: Outreach Committee. Listening Tour; Deb Barker

8:15: Research & Solutions Committee. Master Plan; presenter TBD

8:30: Other Items: Q&A; Community News, etc.

West Seattle Transportation Coalition

  • Tuesday, November 12th, 2013 6:30 – 9:00 PM
  • Neighborhood House – High Point, 6400 Sylvan Way SW
  • Click here for a PDF copy of the Agenda: WSTC_Agenda_111213Final

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/westseattletc 

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