A few months ago, SDOT removed over 30 planters from 3rd Ave in downtown Seattle and asked the folks in Ballard if they would be interested in finding them a new home. Immediately, 14th Ave NW popped into our heads. Why is this such a great idea? Let us count the ways….
- Beautification – plantings and art along the medians would instantly and affordably transform 14th Ave NW into a more beautiful and walkable boulevard.
- Collaboration – the design, planting, and maintenance program would deepen connections between neighbors, local businesses and our schools, fostering pride of ownership and a sense of belonging in the community.
- Recycling – reuse of the discarded planters keeps them from sitting in storage, or worse, from being sent to the landfill.
- Safety – the planters would be installed at the median ends to create a buffer between the parked vehicles and those crossing at the intersections. Maintenance parties will also provide the community with an opportunity to regularly monitor and address safety concerns.
Help us right now with your volunteer pledge!
To kickstart this project, we’re applying for a Department of Neighborhoods Small and Simple Matching Grant due at the end of August.
We need pledges for volunteer hours, services, and/or material donations from our community to provide with our grant application. We have already received verbal pledges from local businesses and schools for materials, consulting and meeting spaces, but we need more to match what we’ll be asking for our grant, which could be a max of $15,000!
Please take a moment right now to make your volunteer pledge online at SurveyMonkey. There’s no money necessary, just your time!
If you already plan to donate a few hours in October this year and April next year for Adopt A Street Cleanup on 14th, you can include these hours in your pledge!
Click here to pledge volunteer hours, services, and/or materials for our matching grant application
EBCA 
Dentist Seattle
Great article. I really enjoyed the perspective. Keep up the good thoughts.
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Hi India,
I’m hopefully going to be able to do an update post on the blog in a couple of days. We got enough pledges to be able to submit our grant. Woo Hoo! We won’t hear back from Department of Neighborhood until early October. We visited the planters last week at the storage facility and they look great! If we get the grant, we’re hoping to get them installed by end of November. We’d love to get started working with you and your students to brainstorm how they can be involved. Shannon and I will keep you posted!
How are things coming with the project? I am checking on how much time my BHS students will be able to supply. They are excited about plants and helping the community
Hi Mark,
We’re looking to install planters on 14th Ave NW at the median ends where there are currently no planters, which is between NW 59th and NW 63rd. The maximum grant amount is $15,000, which we need to match in volunteer hours, cash donations, services (like watering, landscape design) and in-kind donations like food for events, providing meeting space, plants, soil, etc. We’ve already received an incredible response from over 35 neighbors though our online survey, plus several more pledges from local businesses. I’m truly heartened by the responses! We’re also seeking neighbors who have experience in project planning and event planning who want to become more involved in East Ballard and help out with the steering committees. This type of involvement can also be pledged.
To answer your question about how many hours we’re looking for. I’d say just pledge what you feel comfortable pledging.
What blocks will this cover. I’m interested in helping and am trying to recruit others to join your effort.
How many total man hours are you looking for?