Meadowbrook News

Meadowbrook is the name of the neighborhood to the north of Wedgwood from NE 95th to 125th Streets and includes the sites of Nathan Hale High School, the Meadowbrook Community Center and the Pond.  A lot will be happening in the upcoming five months in Meadowbrook with community activities, street paving and Pond improvements.  At the Meadowbrook Community Council meeting on Tuesday, May 14, Seattle Public Utilities workers Deb Heiden and Greg Stevens reviewed Meadowbrook Pond projects and gave the timeline of the work to be done in this summer of 2013.  In 2012 the pond was dredged, an every-ten-years event to scoop out the accumulated silt and soil.   Now another phase of improvements is about to begin.

Deb Heiden of Seattle Public Utilities spoke to the Meadowbrook meeting about Pond improvements.

Meadowbrook Pond will be closed from June 10 through September 30, 2013, for major renovations. The Pond will be fenced off, but the walking trails on 39th Ave NE and on NE 105th Street, along the perimeter of the Pond, will still be accessible. Meadowbrook Pond is located on the east side of 35th Avenue NE from NE 107th to 110th Streets.   Its “front door” access point is marked with large boulders and is directly across 35th Ave NE from the Meadowbrook Community Center.

The Meadowbrook Pond was created by Seattle Public Utilities beginning in 1996 as a flood control and water quality improvement site.   The ability to collect and filter the water helps prevent sediments from going downstream and blocking the creek on its way to its outlet at Matthews Beach.   This summer the Pond will be enlarged at its northwest corner to provide even more capacity for water.   At the same time new ramps will be built for better access for sediment-vacuum trucks and access to trash racks which must be cleared on a regular basis.   After considerable clearing of the land area at the northwest corner of the present pond to do the new construction, the area will be replanted with hundreds of new trees.

Street Re-paving Projects

Art Brochet of SDOT explained the NE 125th Street Repaving Project.

At the May 14th Meadowbrook meeting Art Brochet of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) presented repaving projects which have been funded by Bridging the Gap.   The NE 125th Street Paving Project will repave NE 125th Street from the freeway, all the way east to Sand Point Way, and repave Sand Point Way NE from NE 125th Street as far south as NE 77th Street.   Work will begin in June and may be finished by October, or if not then certainly by the end of the year. It is suggested that drivers who use these streets sign up for the project email updates to get advance notice of road closures.   Drivers can expect one lane of traffic in each direction during construction and some detour routes.   Residents within the work zones will receive postcards in the mail to alert them to temporary traffic restrictions.   At the roadside there will be electronic signboards with messages prior to any changes in construction zones.

Meadowbrook Community Activities

Meadowbrook Pond is for flood control, water quality, and is an oasis of nature for people, birds and animals.

Meadowbrook is abuzz with many community activities, and project updates were given at the May 14th Community Council meeting.   A community garden is in place by the tennis courts of Nathan Hale High School and a Cleanscapes-funded grant proposal has been made for improvements to the Meadowbrook Community Center kitchen.  The NE 110th Street sidewalks project was discussed and there were updates on the Wedgwood and Lake City Emergency Communications Hubs, the NE Seattle Tool Library, and Crime Watch.   Meadowbrook Community Council has an active webpage and lists upcoming local events.  It will be a busy summer in Meadowbrook!