Is the Wedgwood Community Council going to dissolve?
Project organizers presented Reimagining NE 85th Street at the NEDC meeting on May 5, 2016.
The answer is no, the community council is not going to dissolve. The Wedgwood Community Council is still alive and well.
Recent announcements from the Mayor of Seattle said that a program called Engage Seattle was being instituted, doing away with district councils. District Councils are the larger body of representatives of a region. The Northeast District Council includes representatives from Wedgwood, View Ridge, Inverness, Hawthorne Hills and other nearby neighborhoods, for a total of sixteen “seats at the table” in the Northeast District Council.
The Northeast District Council (NEDC) is the body which works together to coordinate on issues affecting the regional area. The Wedgwood Community Council sends a representative to the NEDC meetings who then reports back on the discussions. At the NEDC meetings the representatives of different but nearby neighborhoods have an opportunity to network and share concerns.
An example of recent issues addressed at NEDC was the applications for street funds. At their May 2016 meeting the NEDC endorsed Wedgwood’s project called Reimagining NE 85th Street to do needed improvements on the section of NE 85th Street between Ravenna and Lake City Way NE. The project was forwarded to the City’s street department to begin working on design and cost estimates.
The cleanup work of the Reimagining NE 85th Street project is supported by the Wedgwood Community Council with work parties and with liaison to City services.
An announcement by the Mayor of Seattle stated that Engage Seattle would be something to bring more equitable representation, rather than the existing thirteen district councils across the City (includes NEDC). See the postscripts/updates below, for how district councils are reacting to the announcement that they will no longer be linked to the City as of January 1, 2017.
Meanwhile, at the local level, the Wedgwood Community Council, which was founded in 1987, continues to engage in issues of importance to the neighborhood such as needed street work, commercial zoning, crime, and outreach activities.
Want to know more? Updates are posted regularly on this webpage and you can contact us with questions or comments at info@wedgwoodcc.org Come on out to the Wedgwood Community Picnic on Saturday, September 17 from 4 to 8 PM and you can meet the Wedgwood Community Council activists in-person and ask questions.
POSTSCRIPTS:
Here is an article on the Capitol Hill Blog which discusses some of the issues regarding the present structure with district councils. The City is already going ahead with accepting applications for the new People’s Academy for Community Engagement (PACE). If you feel strongly that you could represent northeast Seattle to give input to the City, please do apply.
Here is a report from the West Seattle blog about the reaction of that region’s district council and what they plan to do next.
Here is a report on the Seattle Neighborhood Councils reaction, and consideration of next steps for district councils.