ABOUT THE MAGNOLIA COMMUNITY CLUB (MCC): Founded in 1924, MCC is one of the oldest and most consistently active community councils in Seattle. Our mission is to maintain a vigilant awareness of activities that affect the quality of life in Magnolia and to take appropriate action to promote and protect the interests of the community. MCC identifies and acts on these issues of concern by participating in the public process and by providing funding, management, and/or labor for community projects. Very often we help to negotiate changes in projects in order to mitigate potential adverse impacts. MCC informs the general membership about the issues through the monthly Magnolia Community Club Newsletter and via this website.

MCC MEETINGS General Meetings (for MCC's general members and the public) are held on the second Thursday of February, March, May, September, October, and November from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Blaine School Cafeteria, 2550 34th Ave. W. in Magnolia. Other General Meetings are added as needed and may replace a regularly scheduled General Meeting date. Here we give updates on current projects and issues of concern to the community, and we invite community discussion. Everyone is encouraged to attend our General Meetings. Your ideas and participation are always welcome.

MCC Board Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month (except July, August, and December), from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Magnolia Community Center, 2550 - 34th Ave. W.

MCC BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The MCC Board of Trustees consists of 15 members. There are 5 Officers, 9 Trustees, and an immediate Past President. The 5 Officers are the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Officer, and Membership Officer. Officers and Past President serve one-year terms; Trustees serve two-year terms.

New officers and trustees are nominated in September, presented at the October General Meeting, and voted upon during the November General Meeting (at which time additional nominations may be made).

PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR MISSION TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR COMMUNITY. If you are a resident of Magnolia or if you work here, we wholeheartedly invite you to join us, become involved, and help us to make Magnolia a delightful place to live and work. You may join MCC by printing out the Membership and Contribution Form above left and sending it in with your dues. You may also call the MCC with any questions at (206) 283-1188.

PLEASE GO BY ACE HARDWARE AND SIGN THE MCC PETITION REGARDING SAFETY AND TRAFFIC ISSUES WITH THE BAT LANES.

Emergency Preparedness - The Magnolia Community Club General Meeting on October 9th focused on how prepared Magnolia is to respond to an earthquake disaster. The documentary "Cascadia; The Hidden Fire" will be shown to graphically illustrate the dangers of "super earthquakes". The Emergency Planning Committee of the Magnolia-Queen Anne District Council will present their proposed District Response Plan for public comment. We welcome Mark Howard from the City of Seattle's Office of Emergency Management for discussion and questions.

Interbay Jail - The Magnolia Community Club General Meeting in September 2008 focused on the proposed Interbay Jail site. The MCC is taking an active role in opposition to this site at Interbay. Updates on the site selection were provided by City representatives and the public were given an opportunity to question City officials on the proposed site.

UPDATE: The first of four public forums for the newly identified sites is set for Wed., Dec. 3, 2008, from 6 to 9 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. The formal program begins at 6:30 p.m. Location: Bertha Knight Landes Room, Seattle City Hall 600 Fourth Ave. (between Cherry and James Streets), Seattle Focus: King County Jail Annex site, Seattle Videotape of and transcribed written comments from all four public forums will be posted on the NEC Municipal Jail Planning Web site: http://www.necmunicipaljail.org/default.htm

Fort Lawton Stakeholders Group Trustee Jose Montano represents MCC in the planning meetings to establish uses for the land and buildings as Fort Lawton undergoes the federal realignment process. Trustee Lindsay Brown will be his alternate. The Stakeholders will meet on five Saturdays from March - July, 2008 to fine-tune a plan for Fort Lawton that will include wildlife habitat, open space, and housing of several different types. Affordable, market rate, first-time owner, and homeless housing for veterans, seniors, and families will all be parts of the housing mix at Fort Lawton.

Graffiti Report - The best way to combat graffiti is to get rid of it as soon as it appears. If you see graffiti on public property, report it to 684-7587. If your property is tagged, call the police to make a report at 625-5011, and then paint it out or wash it off as soon as possible. Help keep Magnolia graffiti-free!

Smith Cove - Friends of Ursula Judkins Viewpoint Park. As a condition of the County's help in purchasing this land from the Navy, a youth ballfield is to be built on the lower field at Smith Cove. For the time being, the field will be unlit, grass only, and is to be used for youth sports only. Eventually, a long-term plan will be devised. MCC spearheaded an effort to name the upper portion of the park after long-time Magnolia resident and parks activist Ursula Judkins.

Magnolia Bridge Replacement Study - Nancy Rogers. Plans to replace the Magnolia Bridge are underway, with studies being done to determine the best location for the bridge and the best access routes to it. UPDATE: MCC supports "Alternative A" for the bridge replacement route. It is fiscally the most responsible choice, is least disruptive to industry located in the area, and is the environmentally sound choice. For more information on the City's bridge replacement plans, please visit Magnolia Bridge Replacement. And see MCC's letter in upper left of page supporting Alternative A.

Port of Seattle - Nancy Rogers. The Port is currently seeking appropriate economic uses for the area north of the Magnolia Bridge and the "West Yard" site. The Port has launched the first phase of a master planning process for the Terminal 91 "Uplands" to create a vital and diverse urban space. Follow the Port's progress at the Port of Seattle's Northbay website. Please see MCC's comments regarding the Port's choice of a Preferred Alternative for Northbay in upper left of this page.

Port's Noise Hotline is (206) 728-3706.

Interbay Mixed-Use Master Plan Effort -- Vic Barry. In October 2005 the City Council approved two bills that will allow the Interbay Neighborhood Association to work with the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and neighborhood groups to develop a zoning overlay for the Interbay neighborhood around 16th Ave. W. and Dravus Street. The DPD will make its zoning recommendation to the City Council by July 2006. MCC supports the INA's efforts to revitalize this area and add workforce housing density. For more information please visit Interbay Neighborhood Association.

Thorndyke Rezone -- The developer of the two properties on Thorndyke has halted work on the 1966 property in order to re-plan it for a small apartment building. The original plan was to build five townhouses on the lot, but given the market, the developer is seeking another way to build within the L3 zoning. The other property (immediately to the SW on Thorndyke) is proceeding. This property will consist of two condos and the developer has filed for a variance on the property to allow the units to be sold independently. As history,a proposal to rezone three properties on the east side of Thorndyke Ave. West, between West Howe St. and West Crockett St. from L3 to NC2-40 was submitted to DPD. The current plan calls for a rezone that would increase building height, but would not allow retail commercial space on the ground floor. Developers are seeking to create "work/live" space, allowing a variety of small business/home business activities to be housed in any structures built on their sites. A group of neighbors has formed called "Friends of Thorndyke Ave. W." that is opposed to the new zoning. The MCC has not taken any position on this issue. For information from the opposition's point of view, visit a website created by Robert Bismuth: Friends of Thorndyke Ave. W.

Magnolia Elementary Playfield - Seattle Dept. of Parks and Recreation renovated the 83,000 sq. feet of asphalted, weedy playfield behind the old Magnolia Elementary School on 28th Ave. W. as part of the ProParks Ballot issue passed in 2000. ELLA BAILEY PARK is now open for business and is a beautiful addition to Magnolia's parks. It's the best place in Magnolia to watch fireworks.

Discovery Park. - The most important issue facing Discovery Park right now might seem quite mundane, but it is in danger of destroying the park, quite literally. It is English Ivy. Volunteers work tirelessly to remove this monoculture plant that destroys trees and covers the ground so relentlessly that new seedlings of native forest can't get a foothold. In the worst case what we are left with is a dying forest of old maples and alders with no new conifer seedlings coming up to replace them. The Friends of Discovery Park and the Discovery Park Advisory Council hope to team up with Seattle Green Partnership on projects that focus on ridding the park of invasive plants and planting new urban forest. For a very good discussion of this problem that affects all of Seattle's urban forests and parklands, see this article from the Nov. 7, 2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: City Forests in Peril: Invasive Plants are Killing Native Trees. Seattle's chief Urban Forester, Mark Mead, has written about the Seattle Green Partnership and the City's plans to restore Seattle's ailing urban forests by 2024: Seattle prepares to "re-green" 2500 acres. Discovery Park is always looking for volunteers to adopt portions of the park to keep them weed and ivy-free. Please visit Discovery Park's website by clicking on the link at left under "Featured Links."

Capehart Housing in Discovery Park. - Lindsay Brown. For about 30 years the Navy has maintained a 25-acre parcel of land in the heart of Discovery Park which contains 66 units of 1960s-era housing for enlisted personnel. In 2003, the Navy determined that it no longer wants to maintain this housing because it is too far away from where the employees who live there actually work. (Most work in Bremerton or Everett and have very long commutes.) Accordingly, the Navy has now accepted a bid from private developer American Eagle Communities for a proposal regarding the use and development of the Capehart land as well as the property on which the historic district housing and officers' quarters are located. MCC has urged City, Federal, and Navy representatives to find a way for the Capehart parcel to be returned to Discovery Park, and in December 2005 the City and American Eagle announced their plan to make this dream come true. In exchange for $9M and some city property located elsewhere in Seattle (not in the park) American Eagle will turn over the Capehart parcel to the City. American Eagle will demolish the housing at Capehart at its expense, leaving open ground for the City to return to natural area. The Historic District housing may be sold or leased by American Eagle and will continue to be used for private housing, but under the terms of the agreement no additional housing may be added to the Historic District areas. For more information about current issues in Discovery Park, please visit Friends of Discovery Park.

Joint Athletic Field Development Plan - The City Council voted to limit lighting at playfields to 10:00 p.m. when fields receive new lights. However, for existing lighted fields the former night-time limit of 11:00 p.m. will be maintained. MCC notified the City Council that the topography in our area (West Magnolia Playfield at the bottom of a "bowl" allowing lights to shine into homes on the hillsides) dictates that lights should go off at 10:00 p.m. See West Magnolia Playfield below for recent update to lights-off time.

West Magnolia Playfield - Victor Barry. MCC monitors the night lighting impacts on nearby residences.UPDATE: Preliminary findings of a lighting study have been submitted to the Parks Dept. for review and comment. Deficiencies in aiming and considerable distant glare are problems that cannot be fixed by retrofitting. Report recommends full replacement of all lights at West Magnolia Playfield. MCC will be working to persuade the Parks Dept. to replace the old lights with efficient lights that eliminate glare and sky glow. In the meantime, because the lights are so poorly aimed at the West Magnolia Field, the Parks Department has agreed to a compromise on the 11:00 p.m. lights-off time. Field lights at the West Magnolia Field are now supposed to go off at 10:15 p.m. in winter. Call (206) 910-0540 seven days a week (until 10:00 p.m.) if there is a problem with lights being on when the field is not in use. After 10:00 p.m., page the Parks Duty Officer at (206) 982-4583.

Magnolia Farmers Market -- A Summer Success. - Lindsay Brown. Summer 2008 will mark The Neighborhood Farmers Market's 6ixth successful season in Magnolia. The Market operates at the Magnolia Community Center, 2550 34th Ave. W., every Saturday from June until mid-October, 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Fresh row and orchard crops, beautiful flowers, honey, goat cheeses, wild salmon, fresh meats, and bakery items are available. Live acoustic entertainment and cooking demonstrations from local chefs are offered almost every market day. Parking on the street is usually pretty easy to find.

Library Expansion - In October, 2000 MCC was successful in its effort to get $1.6 Million allocated by City Council for an addition to the Magnolia Library, which has been designated by the City as a historical landmark. The plans submitted by MCC are for a one-story attachment on the West side of the main library building, in keeping with the architectural style of the original building. Jose Montano, a Seattle architect from Magnolia and a past president of MCC, drew up plans for the addition that perfectly matches the existing building. This addition will include a much-needed community meeting room. In September 2004, the Library Board selected architects Snyder Hartung Kane Strauss to design the renovation of the current space and study the feasibility of doing the addition. UPDATE: Residents attended a "hopes and dreams" meeting in July, 2005 to share ideas on design, services and programs, collections, and artwork for the library. A study presented at the meeting showed that it is feasible to expand the branch. Architects studied a 1,200-square-foot addition, but the design process will determine the actual size of the expansion. For more information about the library expansion, visit SPL Magnolia Branch Renovation. The MCC has also requested that King County Council Chair Larry Phillips seek two covered bus stop waiting areas, one on each side of 34th Ave W, near the library. Mr. Phillips has sent our request to Metro with a letter of endorsement for the two enclosed benches.

Magnolia History Book MCC sponsored the update of the Magnolia history book, called "Magnolia: Memories & Milestones." UPDATE: The first printing sold out in 2 months, the second printing is gone as well, and now a third printing is available at MCC General Meetings and at locations noted in left column. If you join MCC for $50, you will receive a one-year membership plus a book. Please click on Membership Form in upper left corner.

SummerFest - Every summer, MCC helps to sponsor the annual Seafair event and celebration in the Village.

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