The meeting was called to order at 7:07 PM.

Attending: Jennifer Biely, Jean Colley, Susan Torrance, Barbara Ragee, John Burge, Jeannie Hale, Karl Weyrauch, Pat Wright, Don Torrie, Maggie Weissman, Heather Newman, Mark Holden, Sahina Piyarali, Stan Sorscher.

Excused: Mimi Levin, Mark Trumbauer, John Clark, Kate Lloyd

Dr. William Callahan: Dr. Callahan is a veterinarian who took care of pets of Laurelhurst neighbors for over 30 years at Union Bay Veterinarian Clinic behind University Village. He served on the Animal Control Commission for about ten years and served as chair of that group for a number of years. He served on the Animal Control Code Review Panel that has submitted its recommendations to the City Council for changes in the Animal Control Code.

Changes recommended by the Animal Panel include:

Create a new civil citation for potentially dangerous dog notices, thereby granting automatic rights of due process and rights of appeal;

Change the definitions of "potentially dangerous" and "dangerous" to allow for a five-step scale of dangerousness;

Allow a Level 4 dangerous dog (a dog determined to be dangerous but that has not killed or severely mauled a human) to stay within the City limits, given compliance with restrictions as currently required by the State of Washington (Note: Seattle has never allowed such dogs to remain within City limits, and prior to 2001 had euthanized such dogs);

Abolish the Animal Control Director's ability to make determinations of dangerousness;

Ban cat trapping without advance notification within the neighborhood of the trap; and

Allow feral cat colonies to remain in place if someone is managing that colony.

Children’s Hospital Emergency Department provided the following information about dog bites:

The Center for Disease Control reported that in 1994, approximately 800,000 sought medical care for dog bite injuries. Dog bites represent about 0.4% of all Emergency Department visits. Dr. Callahan believes about a dozen animals have been seized or euthanized under the existing law in Seattle.

Children and young adults are the most frequent victims of animal bites, and males are bitten more often than females. Dog bites are the most likely kind of animal bite injury seen in Emergency Depts.

Copies of a report entitled “A Community Approach to Dog Bite Prevention” provided by Children’s was distributed and a comparison of state law, current city law and the law of the city of Sausalito.

Seattle's law on dangerous dogs is much stricter than that suggested by the American Veterinarian Medical Association (AVMA) model ordinance, which is more analogous to Washington State's law. But the AVMA model is pretty much what the Animal Panel recommended for Seattle. That plan would allow "dangerous dogs" to stay within the City limits given all the conditions and restrictions outlined. Seattle currently has only 2 options for dangerous dogs—euthanasia or exile.

After some discussion, the sense of the Board was that Sorscher, Torrie, Biely and Piyarali would draft a letter to Council members Licata, Steinbrueck and Drago, who seemed to be most directly involved in this issue. The letter would review proposed changes and encourage better balance of public interests in safety and interests of pet owners.

Minutes: The board reviewed the March 2003 LCC minutes. Motion: Weissman moved that the minutes be approve with minor changes. Seconded by Holden. Motion passed unanimously.

Dues Update/Treasurer’s Report: Postponed until next month.

Waterway No. 1: Judy Thornton called on March 30th to express concerns about the encroachments on Waterway No. 1. The new dock is blocking public access and a hedge has been planted on the public land. Lloyd and Ogden will follow up on this.

Break-In: Torrance reported on March 30 that Betty Bottlers home was broken into. A door was wide open, but nothing was reported missing to date.

Lights: Wright and Torrie described a light pole with no power for the light.

Barking Dog: Piyarali reported that barking dog had been a problem, but the owner would consider corrective steps.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thank You! Thanks Don Torrie for coordinating distribution of trustee packets and to Mimi Levin for her assistance.

Annual Meeting: Mark Holden will take care of the banner announcing the annual meeting.

Damage to Planted Median: Several months ago, a big truck making a delivery to CUH ran over the planted median while making the turn into the Center. The truck ran over three rhododendrons and the ground cover. Neighbor Dick Barnum got an estimate from Heath Landscaping that came to $189. He mailed it to the trucking company’s headquarters in South Carolina and never heard back. Several months later, Hale got a call from the parent organization of the trucking company. Hale sent the estimate to them and noted that it was also possible that one of the sprinkler heads would have to be replaced, but we wouldn’t know until spring because that is when the system is activated. She told the company that LCC replaced all of the heads a year or two ago, so they were all in very good shape. If the sprinkler head needed to be replaced, that cost would be $18 for the parts and $45 for the labor or a total of $63. On Time Trucking sent LCC a check for the $189 and did not include anything for the sprinkler head.

Spiger Sign Issue: A Farmers Insurance business is going into the Spiger Building. LCC has a Settlement Agreement with the Spigers that allows LCC to approve all signage that goes in. Trustees were sent a copy of the proposed sign. As the sign would not be obtrusive, no objections were raised other than the need to compliance with the Seattle Municipal Code. In this regard, Romano pointed out a Land Use Code provision dictating that externally illuminated signs within 50 feet of a residential zone be oriented such that the face not be visible from the abutting lot. He thought that the sign would meet the letter of that Code provision, but wondered if the intent would be satisfied. Because of the building corner angle, and the height of the building, the sign and its glare might be visible further to the east, say on 44th behind Varlamos. These issues will be addressed through the permitting process.

Peace Group: A new neighborhood group has formed to work on peace issues. It is working with GROW, Greater Ravenna Opponents to War, and is an affiliate of SNOW (Sound Non-Violent Opponents to War). The group will meet on Friday, April 18th at the home of Betsy Boyle, 5138 NE 41st Street. Neighbor Beth Alderman is helping to organize the group and can be contacted at aldermanboyko@attbi.com.

Garden Club: Neighbor Catherine Kalke is exploring the possibility of starting a Laurelhurst garden club. Jean Amick and Carolyn Corson have provided her with information about the old garden club that disbanded years ago. Lorrelle Shearer formerly led that group.

New Restaurant: LCC received notice of a liquor license application for the new restaurant going in where Rasoie (formerly Roasted Pepper, Komen’s, CafÈ Europa and Truffles) is located (3701 NE 45th). Neighbors in the Town of Yesler were contacted to see if they had any concerns and none were noted. Jak’s Grill will be an upscale steakhouse. Jak's first restaurant is in Issaquah, at Front St & Sunset.

Traffic Signal Project on 50th and Sand Point: Liz Ogden has reported that addressing traffic safety issues along 50th is the number one safety priority in the Laurelhurst transportation plan. The option presented to the board last month with the enlarged curb bulb and traffic signal is preferred. The Seattle Transportation Department (SDOT) has suggested that it could come up with $10,000 if LCC could apply for a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant for $20,000—which would have to include $10,000 in cash from Laurelhurst. SDOT would pay for the traffic signal which would cost about $150,000, but cannot move forward with the project without the curb bulb. Ogden and others will be meeting with SDOT and the gas station owner about the project soon. LCC will address the issue again next month.

Asphalt Walkway on Sand Point: Children’s is planning on installing an asphalt walkway on the north side of NE 50th Street to provide a safe walkway to and from Children’s for patients and families staying at Ronald McDonald House. Construction would start this summer. The plans are included din this month’s correspondence packet.

Crime Prevention: Wright reported that the police have been busy handling demonstrations, and are responding to high-priority calls. The Block Captain program will coordinate with SDAR – Seattle Disaster and Response Teams. Police reported parking complaints in the area. A burglary was reported at a construction site. The Seattle Police Officers Guild will sponsor a Krispy Kreme fund-raiser for families of soldiers called up for the Iraq war. The playfield is in good shape for summer activities.

Water Way No. 1: Lloyd and Liz Ogden have started the process of working with DCLU and the Seattle Transportation Department to address blockage of the waterway by a new dock and a boat parked on the side of the dock in front of the public access area. One of the adjacent landowners also planted a row of bushes on the public property. A recently constructed carport area also encroaches. In February 2000, a Shoreline Inspector conducted an inspection of the property and determined that the new dock violated the Land Use Code and the Shoreline Code. The dock was supposed to be a floating dock and the current dock is anchored with tall poles.

Annual Little League Sponsorship: Each year, LCC has sponsored a Little League team for $500. At the $500 level sponsorship is available for the Majors Division or Juniors & Seniors. Sponsorship is also possible at the $400 level for American Minors, National Minors or the Softball Division. Farm/T-ball sponsorship is available for $250. Motion: Ragee moved that LCC sponsor a Little League team at the $500 dollar level. Seconded by Piyarali. Motion passed unanimously.

Annual Neighborhood Meeting: After some discussion, the date of the meeting was proposed for Thursday, June 5 from 7-9 p.m. There will be a reception starting at 6:45 p.m.

Topics/speakers: Suggestion include: UW lease lid, the dog ordinance, University Village development, cottage housing, accessory dwelling units, Transit, Trans-Lake Washington project.

Thank-You Neighbor Segment: In the past, LCC has had a short segment thanking neighbors and business leaders for helping out our community. Each person thanked receives a beautiful rose and recognition at the meeting.

Election of Trustees: Piyarali is again chairing this year’s nominating committee. Trustees whose terms are expiring should notify Piyarali if they would like to continue on the board.

Cornelian Cherry Trees at CUH: At its March meeting, LCC learned from CUH director, Tom Hinckley, about plans to remove half of the 42 Cornelian cherry trees that grace the entrance to CUH and the neighborhood. LCC was told that CUH wanted to have a more open entrance to the Center and to have more light for groundcovers to grow. Hinckley said that details of the plan would be posted on the CUH website to give neighbors an opportunity to comment.

Since the last meeting, the new information has been posted on the CUH website. The Berger Partnership, part of the design team for the rebuilt Merrill Hall, has come up with two alternatives for tree removal. One plan is to remove 20 trees, now indicated on site by blue flagging on the branches. The alternative is to remove eight trees indicated by orange flagging.

CUH is now collecting comments on the tree removal.

Colley visited the site, and looked at which trees were marked for the two thinning options. It is hard to visualize the final effect, but we might propose that the landscaping team include a volunteer from the neighborhood. Torrance suggested a more open feel would promote the security interests of the project planners. Other comments dealt with noise and lighting, and how the tree plantings would interact with the main entrance.

Children’s Master Plan Annual Status Report: Children’s annual status report on its master plan implementation is included in the trustee packets. Comments should be directed to Biely.

Laurelhurst History Book Update: Miller Pollard one of the businesses that sells Laurelhurst history books would like to add a $2.00 surcharge to each book purchase.

UW Issues:

CUCAC Representation: Due to travel plans of Torrance and Colley’s decision not to continue on the board, LCC needs to designate someone to assist in representing it at CUCAC. City budget reductions might result in fewer CUCAC meetings in the future.

Mayor’s Proposal to Revitalize the Ave: Ragee, Hale, Weissman and Sorscher attended and testified at the April 8th public forum and hearing at University Heights on the lease lid issue and noise ordinance proposed changes. Hale, Colley, Sorscher, and Weissman gave the Board general impressions of the public meeting, the arguments and reactions from City Council members and people active in the community.

Hale testified at the April 10th hearing at city hall. Copies of statements from Laurelhurst as well as from other groups are included in the trustee correspondence packet. LCC will work to have amendments included in the proposed changes to the noise ordinance to address commercial noises adjacent to our neighborhood.

LCC wrote to the UW asking if it would work with the neighborhoods on a compromise on the lease lid. The UW has refused to do that. At the March CUCAC meeting, Colley offered a motion asking CUCAC to oppose elimination of the lease lid and to support a compromise that would include safeguards to protect the neighborhoods, provide oversight of UW leasing by CUCAC and possibly expand of the lease lid square footage to meet the University’s needs. The motion failed -5 to 4. The Ravenna Bryant representative abstained despite direction from his board to oppose elimination of the lease lid. The Wallingford rep voted with the University despite the position taken by Wallingford to vote the other way.

Because of the action taken by the Wallingford rep at CUCAC, the Wallingford Community Council testified at the April 10th hearing opposing elimination of the lease lid. They will work with their rep to present a motion for reconsideration at the next CUCAC meeting as Roberts Rules of Order allow anyone voting on the prevailing side to make that mind of motion. In the meantime, Ravenna-Bryant is also talking to its rep. Montlake and University Park reps were not at the meeting, probably due to a change in meeting time and location. Those reps will support the Laurelhurst position.

Councilmember Richard McIver wrote to NEDC on March 31st stating that he believed that elimination of the lease lid must be negotiated with the public and based upon the neighborhood plan.

Growth Appeal: The tentative schedule for consideration of the petition of the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board is included in the packets. The pre-hearing conference is scheduled for May 5th. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 26th. A final decision and order is set for Monday, September 1, 2003.

State Legislation: In mid-March, LCC learned of Senate Bill 5282, a bill in the state legislature that would eliminate the growth management hearings boards. The bill passed the senate and was sent to the house for consideration. LCC wrote to legislators in the 43rd and 46th legislative districts and members of the House Local Government and Housing Committee asking them to oppose the bill. The bill would have eliminated LCC’s appeal to the growth board. LCC heard back from Representatives McIntire and Kenney saying they would oppose the bill and work to keep it from going to a vote. Representative Judy Clibborn wrote to LCC expressing her support for our position. SB 5282 did not receive action in the house and is now dead for this session.

Cottage Housing and Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): Follow-up materials on the recent focus groups on the Housing Choices proposal are included in the packets.

Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 9:13 PM.

Minutes submitted by Stan Sorscher