Join us tonight at North Seattle College, for our first ever Open Source development meetup:

There will be free food and coffee (from Pilgrim Coffeehouse!).

Hope to see some of you there!

~Timothy

Hi Neighbors!

We at LoveLicton wanted to wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for this year:

• Our readers and community members that together make this a great place to call home.
• Licton Springs Community Council as they've continued their great work of giving a unified voice to all community members and helping to lead community events (including the phenomenal Halloween event at Licton Springs Park).
• ALUV who has been working tirelessly to improve the Aurora Corridor. Their latest work can be seen on the Aurora Ave N. pedestrian bridge art project.
• Licton Springs P-Patch leadership really making our p-patch not only beautiful but a cornerstone of the community.
• Licton-haller Greenways / Seattle Neighborhood Greenways working to make North Seattle and Licton Springs walkable and bikeable. They've been crucial in the creation of many Licton Springs Greenways such as the one nearing completion on N 100TH street, and have been working on North Seattle's pioneering Home Zone Pilot right here in Licton Springs.
• Epic Life Church has consistently been there for the community. Allowing community meetings to be hosted in their church, leading a cleanup down along Aurora Ave N., and hosting community events.
• Meridian Health Center which has served as the closest thing to a Licton Springs Community Center. They've hosted all the Licton Springs Community Council meetings, Mineral Springs Park meetings, and even community events such as Saturday's board game event.
• Friends of Mineral Springs Park, Mineral Springs Disc Golf Club, and Seattle Parks and Recreation as they've worked to bring a strong sense of community to Seattle's only Disc Golf Park. This has lead to many events being held at the park and increased / more varied usage.
• Pilgrim Coffee set up in Oak Tree Plaza when we needed them most and have been roasting and brewing excellent coffee for the community.
• North Seattle College who've worked with the city and local community members to ensure a safe, appealing, and environmental conscience bridge is built from Licton Springs to the upcoming Northgate Lightrail Station. They've also been working with us to ensure Licton Springs and North Seattle College become a hotbed of Open Source innovation.
• Northwest Danish Association beyond all the great work they do for our Danish residents, they opened up their doors on many occasions for community-wide events.
• Buy Nothing Licton Springs who has done more than just provide a venue for the exchange of items, providing a forum for constructive community conversation, and the sharing of community events.
• All the other countless local businesses and non-profits in Licton Springs.

We hope you enjoy the holiday with your family and loved ones!

And after the holiday and Black Friday shopping is over we hope to unwind with some of you over coffee and board games:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Significant progress has been made since we originally introduced the Licton Spring's Home Zone Pilot back in August. Just recently the City passed $350K in funding for Home Zone Pilots (the Licton Springs pilot being the first such in North Seattle), following an article about the project on Crosscut. If all goes well, some of this funding will help to compliment the Small Sparks grant the community was awarded for the project as well as funding received from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. All of which, was accomplished after the community gave valuable input, shaping what such a project would look like in Licton Springs.

After discussion with the community and collection of initial traffic counts, we've coalesced on some simple initial steps:

• Intersection / Street Art
• Planters placed along the roads without sidewalks
• Pedestrian Wayfinding / newsletter signs
• A professionally performed traffic study

Despite the progress that has been made - walking around the neighborhood, for the most part, everything still looks untouched. While the community has identified many locations that they believe would be suitable for street art, it is not feasible to paint the street during Seattle's rainy season, leaving such work to wait for next year. And, while there have been some areas identified as potentially suitable for planters, this work will not begin until permits are secured and impacted households are contacted and give their direct approval.

Meanwhile, there is at least one physical reflection of the project, as the first prototype wayfinding sign was installed at the corner of N 88th and Burke Ave N right before Halloween:

The sign was constructed by volunteers using basic material and equipment:

• A standard pre-treated 4 x 4 inch x 8 feet post.
• Outdoor & weatherproof resilience paint from the Licton Spring's Sherwin Williams (6797 Jay Blue, 6740 Kilkenny, & 7077 Original White)
• 2 inch and 1 inch white vinyl letters
• 2 1/2 x 4 x 8 Hemlock Boards cut into 2 foot sections (for the direction signs)

During the construction of the sign, which costs well under $200 to build, significant lessons were learned that will be applied to any future wayfinding signs:

• The directions were painted on one side of each direction sign, with a solid color on the other, this can lead to the wayfinding sign seeming blank from some angles. Future signs will be 4 inches longer and have the locations printed on both sides.
• Some of the direction wood pieces split slightly where they were attached to the main post. Having the directions not use the 4 inches where the connection needs to be made, as well as making pilot holes into the connection points, should remedy this issue for future signs.
• Over-sized rubber bands are an amazing tool to line up letters.
• Stencils tend to bleed, and even if they don't they have an amateur appearance. Vinyl letters are cheap, easy, and if done right, resilient.
• A clear coat, such as Polyurethane, should be applied after letters are placed to ensure they stay in place and offer extra protection against the elements.
• These really are fun to make!

Finally, to both this wayfinding sign and future ones, we will be adding a brochure box where community members will always be able to physically pick up a community newsletter and know about upcoming events and happenings in the neighborhood.

Want a wayfinding sign in your lawn strip?

As part of the Home Zone project, there is an opportunity to get a wayfinding sign installed on your lawn strip! If you are interested, please sign up here. This opportunity is available to any homeowner within Licton Springs.

Want to help out?

Want to help move the project forward? Have artistic ability or are willing to help build planter boxes or signs? Willing to reach out to neighbors or host a meeting? Please sign up here!

What's next?

Over the next few months expect to see the first prototype planter/traffic calming measure installed. Expect opportunities to provide feedback on the initial traffic calming measures, as well as initially proposed street art. Then as, weather permits, expect street art painting to begin.

What do you think about the Home Zone project? Have any feedback on the initial wayfinding sign? We'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you are as excited about the ongoing art project on the Aurora Pedestrian Bridge as we are, you will be thrilled to hear there is now an opportunity to meet neighbors and help enhance the project! This coming weekend (Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th), neighbors will be meeting 10:00am-4:00pm to prepare the soil and then plant over 3 thousand daffodil bulbs.

The project will be completed in two steps, first preparing the soil on Saturday and then planting on Sunday:

• Aurora Bridge Art Installation - Ground Prep
• Aurora Bridge Art Installation - Daffodil Planting

Wear heavy gloves and yard shoes. Bring your own planting tools: shovels, trowels, hand clippers (for cutting ivy roots). Rain gear if it is wet!

You can find out more on ALUV's website, who first alerted us to this community project.

Hope to see you there!

Well ahead of the light rail opening, many changes are coming to Northgate Transit Center, some over the next few weeks, and others early next year.

Back in September, we saw our first positive change as the 41 bus received more frequent service. However, as Seattle prepares for the period of maximum constraint early next year, you can expect even more changes to come to our transit station.

The first major change coming is the opening of the new parking garage to the north of the station, coinciding with the close of the 2 west side lots:

The new parking garage will contain 450 parking spots, more than making up for the closed lots, but some of the new spots will be reserved for paying customers. More information about the parking changes can be found on Sound Transit's overview. These changes will take effect Monday, November 19th.

Then, come March of next year, big changes are planned for our fastest connection to Bellevue - the 555. The route will be updated to bypass Montlake and operate only between Northgate and Bellevue, no longer serving Eastgate or Issaquah. This should result in much quicker and dependable transit times for those commuting between Licton Springs and Downtown Bellevue.

Finally, with land usage signs now visible around the North Seattle College's Campus, construction on the pedestrian bridge from Licton Springs to the transit center has passed its biggest hurdles and is set to begin construction next year.

Here's to hoping all the transit changes lead to a quicker more dependable commute!