tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post3528208921679642150..comments2024-03-27T20:01:11.889-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Facilities Department Goes Unchecked (Further Updated)Melissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81358258493778198592008-08-12T02:23:00.000-07:002008-08-12T02:23:00.000-07:00By the way, tonight (Tuesday 8/12) the Westwood Ne...By the way, tonight (Tuesday 8/12) the Westwood Neighborhood Council meets, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct meeting room, with Denny/Sealth on the agenda - including the future of the Denny site - and guests, according to WNC president Steve Fischer, including School Board rep Steve Sundquist. I'll be there and will file the report as soon as I can afterward.WShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06932627099385203863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91631231763640307042008-08-12T02:21:00.000-07:002008-08-12T02:21:00.000-07:00What Marlene alludes to was coverage of a hearing ...What Marlene alludes to was coverage of a hearing that was apparently not widely publicized - I spent time yesterday trying to find out from various sources, district and otherwise, where they publish notice of these hearings, as I would have been there if I'd known about it, and I watch a multitude of government calendars daily looking for exactly this type of thing. Maybe a newspaper knew about it because of mandatory legal notice? I don't know. <BR/><BR/>At any rate, I have since spoken to Chris Jackins, who brought the appeal that led to the hearing. He told me earlier this (early) morning that while Supt. GJ issued her ruling relatively quickly after the Ingraham appeal hearing, she has yet to issue one - at least so far as he knows from watching his mailbox - in this one. Meantime, he is providing us with more information for our next followup, including at some point hopefully the photos he took of the cut trees before they were cleared away (this all happened in mid-July, he says) - TR (WS Blog editor)WShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06932627099385203863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1622887990394845602008-08-12T00:19:00.000-07:002008-08-12T00:19:00.000-07:00Im not certified as an arborist, but because this ...Im not certified as an arborist, but because this stand apparently has not been maintained by the district, necessitating removal of a large number of trees for disease and hazard ( 18) & 66 conifers removed for construction, ( while apparently replacing half of them with seedlings), resulting in 32 original trees remaining from 116 ( and 32 transplants), I worry that we will end up losing more of the Doug firs.<BR/> <BR/>Trees in a stand- protect each other from wind and weather-<BR/>If the Douglas firs are upwards of 100 ft. they are likely to be well over 100 years old. Root biomass decreases with age- at age 21- they would have 51% biomass, @ 100 years- less than 20%.<BR/><BR/>Root grafting is very common in Pseudotsuga menziesii & removal of half the trees will compromise the root ( & support) systems of the rest.Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21224757272224534402008-08-11T21:56:00.000-07:002008-08-11T21:56:00.000-07:00The following is part of a report from the West Se...The following is part of a report from the West Seattle Herald that discusses the hearing held at Chief Sealth High School. During this meeting, the contractors were busy taking down trees were not approved to be taken down by DNS:<BR/><BR/>Gillmore said at the hearing that he had not known about the construction on the east perimeter until the day before. Later he claimed that only branches, and not entire trees, had been cut to install a filter fence which would keep pollutants out of the creek during construction.<BR/><BR/>But when presented with photos of freshly cut tree stumps just east of the filter fence, Gillmore admitted that he had not seen them before, and that in fact these could be trees cut during the premature construction.<BR/><BR/>"We admit that the contractor should not have plowed that land," Gillmore said.<BR/><BR/>In her recommendation Klockars did recognize that 10 trees had been cut along the east perimeter of the construction site, while Lorne McConachie, the lead architect for the project, had only anticipated that two birch trees would be removed from the drive aisle. She went on to recognize that premature actions by the contractor had in fact resulted in damage to the nearby trees.<BR/><BR/>While The State Environmental Policy Act prohibits any actions that have an adverse environmental impact before a final Determination of Non-Significance is issued, Klockars said the regulation does not apply to appeals. Nonetheless, she claimed that the recent premature construction activity would effectively require that the projects proposal be revised to include a loss of at least 35 trees, instead of the initial 25.<BR/><BR/>So, this is more evidence that there is no oversight for BEX.speducatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06111450720892395316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3107752130827698842008-08-11T16:14:00.000-07:002008-08-11T16:14:00.000-07:00And in case you had any doubt as to how blatantly ...And in case you had any doubt as to how blatantly devious the Facilities dept. has become under the watch of MGJ as evidenced with the early Denny/Sealth battle and most recently with the arrogance displayed with Ingraham's trees, check out the following link to a "mistake" with trees at Denny/Sealth. It appears that Facilities is taking the approach that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.<BR/><BR/>http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=9690#more-9690teacher99https://www.blogger.com/profile/09702748477568936168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-13087596735364739232008-08-11T10:37:00.000-07:002008-08-11T10:37:00.000-07:00THe mention of special education is in the BEX pdf...THe mention of special education is in the BEX pdf file titled Ingraham Project Information.- under Other Desigh considerations. ( Click on Architectural Renderings)<BR/>It mentions that special education is housed in seven portables onsite & that the construction will alleviate that.Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-61494182149620400302008-08-11T08:40:00.000-07:002008-08-11T08:40:00.000-07:00According to the BEX III campaign brochure:"The In...According to the <A HREF="http://www.seattleschools.org/area/facilities/BEX3_brochure_winter2007.pdf" REL="nofollow">BEX III campaign brochure</A>:<BR/><BR/>"<I>The Ingraham project replaces a modular building constructed for temporary use in 1967 and will include:<BR/>* Six math classrooms with up-to-date health and safety features<BR/>* An addition that will further support the International<BR/>Baccalaureate program<BR/>* Sidewalk improvements and new landscaping</I>"<BR/><BR/>No mention of special education, it says that the news rooms are for math and IB. I guess "new landscaping" is a reference to cutting down the trees.<BR/><BR/>The BEX III web site includes links to <A HREF="http://www.seattleschools.org/area/bex/ingraham/IHS_SEPA_Decision_080723.pdf" REL="nofollow">Findings, Conclusion, and Decision Recommended to the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools</A> from a land use hearing and the <A HREF="http://www.seattleschools.org/area/bex/ingraham/080724_IHS_appeal_decision_final_letter.pdf" REL="nofollow">Superintendent's letter</A> in response to the hearing examiner's recommendations.<BR/><BR/>The neighbors' appeals were denied.<BR/><BR/>Here's the thing: just because the District CAN do a thing doesn't mean that the District SHOULD do it.<BR/><BR/>If the District is right about this project, why are they getting so much resistance? Are their opponents simply wrong and ornery?Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-74456806901402037062008-08-10T22:44:00.000-07:002008-08-10T22:44:00.000-07:00They are going to also add 46 parking spaces &...They are going to also add 46 parking spaces & supposedly make room for special education students in the main building.<BR/><BR/>Actually they could do this now, as the self-contained SPED students spend the bulk of their time in the portables- which are cold, damp & have vermin.<BR/>By pushing those students to the portables, it underlies the attitude that they are not in the mainstream of the Ingraham student body, regardless of efforts by teachers and administration.<BR/><BR/>Since the building does not enroll the numbers it has previously, I am wondering what they are doing with that space?Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17768982881492701252008-08-10T18:51:00.000-07:002008-08-10T18:51:00.000-07:00Well, the BEX website says one addition which is t...Well, the BEX website says one addition which is to get rid of using portables for math classes. <BR/><BR/>Will enrollment warrant it? Well, it might after they change the assignment plan. However, this doesn't preclude people continuing to leave the district.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71997184727257917632008-08-10T10:38:00.000-07:002008-08-10T10:38:00.000-07:00Does anyone know what the Seattle School District ...Does anyone know what the Seattle School District is planning to build on the north side of Ingraham? Is their enrollment actually going to increase that much to warrant two new additions?speducatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06111450720892395316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-31315702407009916822008-08-09T22:15:00.000-07:002008-08-09T22:15:00.000-07:00The BEX Oversight Committee is poorly named. They ...The BEX Oversight Committee is poorly named. They do not oversee anything. In fact, the Committee's stated purpose is to keep the BEX projects "intact". That means that they don't think it is their role to make changes in the projects as necessisary, but to protect the projects from changes. That's not what I call oversight.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5997415726771963852008-08-09T11:41:00.000-07:002008-08-09T11:41:00.000-07:00The Seattle School District does not need to cut d...<I>The Seattle School District does not need to cut down any large trees to build the addition at Ingraham High School. The North side of Ingraham High School has an open grassy lawn that the school district has actually identified as a future building site in their master plan for Ingraham High School. Considering the magnitude of the impact on the current site that clear cuts 2/3 of a magnificent grove of trees, most reasonable persons would scratch their heads and ask, "Why don't you build the proposed addition there and save the trees?"</I><BR/><BR/>Not just the neighbors in the immediate vicinity ( my inlaws live a block a way, but those concerned about bird habitat, erosion & air quality in this region are upset that trees that have been around before any of us were born ( they are older than 75 yrs), will be cut down unneccesarily.<BR/><BR/>ttp://www.majorityrules.org/blog/<BR/>2008/06/seattle-school-district-works-overtime.htmlJet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.com