United by the Light: East Ballard and Gilman Park Neighborhoods Connected

Andrew Natzel – Senior Signal Operations Engineer at SDOT and long-time EBCA organizer – wearing an orange safety vest, standing next to the new bicycle push button signal at the NW corner of 11th Ave NW and Market St.

The East Ballard community is celebrating a new milestone in our journey to improve safety and accessibility at the intersection of 11th Ave NW and NW Market St. After years of advocacy, planning, and persistence, the community has finally secured a new traffic signal and crosswalk that connects two neighborhoods that have been divided by busy Market Street for decades. The project has been a collaborative effort between the East Ballard Community, the Seattle Department of Transportation, and the Ballard-Fremont  Neighborhood Greenways group.

Click on the image to view a time-Lapse video of the vertical pole getting pulled up into position by a crane and witness how deftly the folks from Prime Electric maneuvered around the tree

The East Ballard Community Association has been advocating for this project since 2013 when we first applied for funding from the Seattle Neighborhood Park and Street Project Fund. While we received some funds in 2015 to create curb bulbs, it wasn’t until Move Seattle funding was granted for the Route 44 Transit-plus multimodal corridor that the new traffic signal was finally made possible.

Earlier this year, Andrew Natzel, Senior Signal Operations Engineer at the Seattle Department of Transportation, and long-time East Ballard Community Association organizer notified the community that signals were going to be installed this spring.

Click on the image to watch a time-Lapse video of the traffic signal arm swinging into position and being attached to the vertical pole by Prime Electric

On April 15, 2023, we gathered in the rain to watch the installation of the long-awaited traffic signals and crosswalks, and were excited to be the first to cross the intersection with the push of a button!

(click on the image to watch Dawn and Chris Hemminger, EBCA organizers, pushed the crosswalk signal at the SE corner of 11th Ave NW and Market St and safely cross for the first time.

Click on the images above to watch the videos or click here to go directly to the photo album.

We moved our site!

Check us out at eastballard.org. We’re going to keep this site up for awhile for archive purposes. Cheers!

Spring Clean while distancing May 16-31 – Sign up today!

This is our bi-annual neighborhood clean up event with a little twist due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Instead of a one-day event with a large group of volunteers, we are asking that you commit to a section of the neighborhood to pick up trash and/or weed the rain gardens and medians along 14th Ave NW.

Sign up today via SignUp Genius where you can adopt a section or 2 or 3 of your choice and commit to a task to be completed from May 16 to the end of the month (dates are flexible). Join in the fun by maintaining a safe distance and share your pics on Instagram with #ebcacleanup.

Guidelines for safe participation
– Wear a mask
– Maintain 6′ distancing – Check here to see what that looks like
– Wear a safety vest
– Bring your own tools and bags or arrange to pick up from EBCA*
– Be smart and check out additional Covid-19 resources from the state of Washington
– Post photos to Instagram #ebcacleanup or email to eastballard@gmail.com.

What are you waiting for?
Sign up today to help keep our neighborhood clean and beautiful.

*Vests, bags, gloves and picker uppers are available upon request.
Please contact Dawn at eastballard@gmail.com to schedule a pick up.

Make a wish!

East Ballard neighbor, Roxanne Baechler-Gill’s five-year-old really wants to be a wizard, and a wishing well somehow figures into this. Accordingly, they have posted a wishing well on a tree outside their house, just across from Gemenskap Park (near NW 59th on the west side). If you’re nearby, please consider dropping a coin and/or a written wish (for anything you want!) to assist a child’s wizardly wish-granting dreams! They’re checking the wishing well every morning, just in case there are any wishes to grant.

Autumn Clean while distancing -Extended until all volunteer slots are filled

We had a great volunteer turn out for our Autumn Clean. Many Many thanks to Jen and her daughters Clara and Lydia, John and Erin, and Peter who weeded the rain gardens in Gemenskap Park. Thank you to Christy who weeded the rain gardens at NW 58th, and Dave, David, and Peter who picked up trash along 14th Ave NW!

There are still more opportunities to help clean up the neighborhood. We will keep this going until all the slots are filled. Click on the SignUp Genius link and volunteer today! Vests, bags, gloves and picker uppers are available upon request.

Got a student at home who needs volunteer hours? This is a great opportunity for them to give back to the community!

Please contact Dawn at eastballard@gmail.com to get your gear, get your volunteer form signed or to answer any questions you may have!

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Join in the fun by maintaining a safe distance and share your pics on Instagram with #ebcacleanup.

Guidelines for safe participation
– Wear a mask
– Maintain 6′ distancing – Check here to see what that looks like
– Wear a safety vest
– Bring your own tools and bags or arrange to pick up from EBCA
– Be smart and check out additional resources from the state of Washington
– Post photos to Instagram #ebcacleanup

Autumn Clean while distancing Sign up Nov 21-29

This is our bi-annual neighborhood clean up event with a little twist due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Instead of a one-day event with a large group of volunteers, we are asking that you commit to a section of the neighborhood to pick up trash and/or weed the rain gardens and medians along 14th Ave NW.

Sign up today via SignUp Genius where you can adopt a section or 2 or 3 of your choice and commit to a task to be completed between November 21 and November 29. Join in the fun by maintaining a safe distance and share your pics on Instagram with #ebcacleanup.

Guidelines for safe participation
– Wear a mask
– Maintain 6′ distancing – Check here to see what that looks like
– Wear a safety vest
– Bring your own tools and bags or arrange to pick up from EBCA
– Be smart and check out additional resources from the state of Washington
– Post photos to Instagram #ebcacleanup

What are you waiting for?
Sign up today to help keep our neighborhood clean and beautiful.

Vests, bags, gloves and picker uppers are available upon request.
Please contact Dawn at eastballard@gmail.com to schedule a pick up.

Reminder to sign up for Spring Clean while distancing – May 30-June 14

We’ve received great response from you, our neighbors, to help clean up East Ballard in June while continuing to maintain physical distancing.

There are still some sections along 14th Ave NW for you to Sign up today via SignUp Genius. This is also a great opportunity to pick up trash anywhere in your neighborhood while you’re walking your dog or going on a neighborhood adventure with your kids!

More Details
Instead of a one-day event with a large group of volunteers, we are asking that you commit to a section of the neighborhood to pick up trash and/or weed the rain gardens and medians along 14th Ave NW.

Sign up today via SignUp Genius where you can adopt a section or 2 or 3 of your choice and commit to a task to be completed between May 30th and June 14. Join in the fun by maintaining a safe distance and share your pics on Instagram with #ebcacleanup.

Guidelines for safe participation
– Wear a mask
– Maintain 6′ distancing – Check here to see what that looks like
– Wear a safety vest
– Bring your own tools and bags or arrange to pick up from EBCA
– Be smart and check out additional resources from the state of Washington
– Post photos to Instagram #ebcacleanup

What are you waiting for?
Sign up today to help keep our neighborhood clean and beautiful.

Vests, bags, gloves and picker uppers are available upon request.
Please contact Dawn at eastballard@gmail.com to schedule a pick up.

Check out this cute video about Gemenskap Park!

Seattle Parks and Recreation staffer Doug O explores Gemenskap Park, the first Swedish-named park in the Ballard neighborhood. How the heck is it pronounced, anyway? Watch and find out.

Spring Clean while distancing – Sign up May 30-June 14

This is our bi-annual neighborhood clean up event with a little twist due to the current state of emergency as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

Instead of a one-day event with a large group of volunteers, we are asking that you commit to a section of the neighborhood to pick up trash and/or weed the rain gardens and medians along 14th Ave NW.

Sign up today via SignUp Genius where you can adopt a section or 2 or 3 of your choice and commit to a task to be completed between May 30th and June 14. Join in the fun by maintaining a safe distance and share your pics on Instagram with #ebcacleanup.

Guidelines for safe participation
– Wear a mask
– Maintain 6′ distancing – Check here to see what that looks like
– Wear a safety vest
– Bring your own tools and bags or arrange to pick up from EBCA
– Be smart and check out additional resources from the state of Washington
– Post photos to Instagram #ebcacleanup

What are you waiting for?
Sign up today to help keep our neighborhood clean and beautiful.

Vests, bags, gloves and picker uppers are available upon request.
Please contact Dawn at eastballard@gmail.com to schedule a pick up.

Spring Fling postponed & some little things we can do while our lives are turned upside down

It’s the little things that can brighten up someone’s day. How about creating an uplifting picture or message in chalk in Gemenskap Park?

It probably goes without saying that we’ve had to postpone the EBCA Spring Fling. We’re were looking forward to bringing all our friends and family together in the park for a big event this summer. In the meantime, we’re all figuring out in our own little way how to weather the Coronavirus storm. Our lives have been turned upside down and we’re truly inspired by our neighbors who are figuring out ways to keep our way of life as normal as possible and still strive to keep all of us safe and healthy.

During these times, let’s come together as a stronger community, look out for each other, and lend a helping hand where you can. Please help our small businesses stay afloat, check on your neighbors who may need some assistance and say hello to people you walk by on the sidewalk or in the park (while remaining 6 feet apart of-course).

The following is a very short list of things we can do to help support our neighborhood. It’s not an exhaustive list by any means, but something to start with. Please send us things to share and we’ll do our best to post.

Support our local businesses
Ballard Farmers Market online ordering
Support Ballard restaurants
Tom Douglas Pop up Charitable event this Friday, Sat & Sun,(14th Ave NW and NW 52nd) 12pm-5pm

Culture
National Nordic Cultural Museum digital archives
Seattle Symphony broadcasts and recordings
Seattle opera video and audio streams
UW cherry blossom cam

Volunteer
A neighbor on Nextdoor has posted a spreadsheet where you can sign up to get help and to offer help.

Consider volunteering at the Ballard Food Bank or Ballard Urban Rest Stop

One last note
The Public Affairs team at the Seattle Fire Department has asked our assistance in distributing the following messages to provide guidance to people who may be hesitant to fully report their symptoms when calling 911, fearing that firefighters may not respond. They want to assure the public that having accurate information allows them to send the right resources, and they can trust we will be there to assist them.

The Seattle Fire Department wil respond to all life-threatening emergencies. If you suffer from a fever or shortness of breath, it doesn’t always mean you have COVID-19. If you believe your symptoms are life-threatening, please call 911. Tell the dispatcher all of your symptoms so they can better assist you.