Now is the time to get involved- Attend Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Open House        WSDOT,King County and the City of Seattle are making stops around the city to get your comments about the viaduct. They will hold three open houses in May to share progress and the plan to take down the viaduct by 2012. At the meetings, you will learn about:             ·                    Central waterfront decision-making ·                    Column safety repairs ·                    Electrical line relocation ·                    Battery Street Tunnel upgrades ·                    South Holgate Street to South King Street viaduct replacement ·                     Keeping people and goods moving during construction Visitors will be encouraged to give comments on new ideas for a central waterfront solution, including options for transit, surface streets, I-5, policies and management, and SR 99. Time will be set aside for formal public comments and a court reporter will be available for those who prefer to give verbal comments, rather than write their comments. The open houses will be held from5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the following locations:   May 8 Seattle Center,Northwest Rooms- Lopez Room (305 Harrison Street) May 13 MadisonMiddle School (3429 45th Avenue SW) May 15 AdamsElementary School  (6110 28th Avenue NW) To learn more about the project visitSR 99-Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement website.

SeattleCity Council Community Budget Meetings The Seattle City Council will be holding four community budget meetings throughoutSeattle. These meetings will provide residents the opportunity to hear about current budget challenges and discuss their budget priorities directly with Councilmembers and staff. As the economic outlook for the City budget becomes increasingly uncertain over the next budget cycle, citizens can discuss how they want to see their city tax dollars spent- balancing the City’s need for public safety, parks and human services among other programs provided by taxpayer dollars through the City’s general fund. Don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard! Date Time Location Address May 08, 2008 5:30 - 7:30 PM Miller Park Community Center 330 19th Ave. E, May 20, 2008 5:30 - 7:30 PM Ballard Northwest Senior Activity Center 5429 - 32nd Ave NW, May 22, 2008 5:30 - 7:30 PM High Point Community Center (Spanish and Vietnamese translation provided) 6920 34th Ave. SW, May 29, 2008 5:30 - 7:30 PM Rainier Valley Cultural Center (Chinese and Tagalog translation provided) 3515 S Alaska St, .             Visit the Seattle City Council’s budget committee web page  for more information and a complete schedule of the council’s budget process.

Free Trees for Your Neighborhood The Tree Fund, a component of the Neighborhood Matching Fund, provides trees to neighborhood groups to enhance the City's urban forest. The City provides the trees, and neighbors share the work of planting and caring for the trees. Tree Fund projects are a great way to build a stronger sense of community. Trees . . . - Absorb carbon dioxide emissions and filter air pollution. - Help soften the edges of the urban landscape and frame residential streets. - Reduce noise pollution. - Provide shade and help cool the street in warm weather. - Provide habitat for birds and wildlife. Who Can Apply: Groups of neighbors that represent a minimum of 5 households on the block can receive trees for planting strips on residential streets. How the Tree Fund Works: Neighbors can request 10 to 40 trees for their projects, selecting from a list of varieties determined by the City Arborist. Before deliveries are made, participants must attend a training session provided by the City. Trees are delivered in the fall to a requested spot near the planting site. To match the City's contribution of free trees, neighbors must organize the planting effort, provide necessary tools, and be responsible for watering and maintaining their trees. This contribution from neighbors helps meet the community building objectives of the Tree Fund. For more information and an application, visit: Department of Neighborhood's Tree Fund website.

Customer Service: Moving from "not my problem:" to fixing the problem In a year the City of Seattle receives more than 10 million phone calls and thousands more e-mails, letters, and visits from people looking for help. Many are handled well. But too often, callers are confronted by a bureaucratic and unresponsive system that does not value their time or their intelligence. City government can do much better. But first the City must establish clear standards and expectations, which will be based on the following guiding principles outlined in a Customer Bill of Rights: Easy and understandable -- City products and services should be easy to locate and access. Responsive -- City employees should be helpful, connecting customers with others who can help if they cannot. Fair -- There should be no economic, social or cultural barriers to accessing City products and services. Results oriented -- Customers should get results, not just process. To help us develop a meaningful "Customer Bill of Rights," we need to hear from our customers. Please visit the Customer Bill of Rights website to respond to few questions.  Your responses will help us focus and develop an open, responsive and accessible government that serves all customers regardless of language, income or neighborhood. For more information, call the Customer Service Bureau at (206)684-CITY (2489)

Seattle Public Schools Strategic Plan   Seattle Public Schools has embarked on a strategic planning process to: Support high-quality teaching and learning: increase the consistency of curriculum, instruction and assessment across the district. Attract and support talent: increase professional development opportunities to meet existing staff’s needs and simplify the recruiting process to identify and attract new staff. Drive efficiency and effectiveness: improve central office functions – such as information management and human resources – to use public resources more efficiently and better support our students, teachers, principals and schools. Introduce effective district-wide performance management: develop clear measures of success and accountability focused on supporting student achievement. Strengthen relationships with stakeholders and partners: develop better processes to gather and share feedback on our performance and identify the best ways to reach out to the broader community  As the School District pulls together its Strategic Plan, several  community meetings have been scheduled to share and engage with the School Board, staff, families, and community members. Important dates include: Wednesday, May 14, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Roosevelt High School - Library (1410 NE 66th Street) Thursday, May 15, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. West Seattle High School - Commons Area (3000 California Ave. SW) Tuesday, May 20, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.* *Meeting designed with our bilingual community in mind Aki Kurose Middle School - Cafeteria (3928 So. Graham Street)    Updates will continue to be posted on the Strategic Plan website.

Healthy Aging Fair- Calling all Seniors and Baby Boomers! May 15, 2008 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Central Building, 810 3rd Avenue (between Columbia & Marion, in downtown Seattle)   Get your blood pressure and bone density checked, your hearing tested, and your posture/spine screened. You’ll gain a wealth of information on wellness, fitness and disease prevention. And there’s more! What would you like to know about senior employment services, hospice care, nutrition, recreation, utility assistance, and volunteer opportunities? Come to the Healthy Aging Fair for answers!

Seattle Walks Day Help make Seattle the Most Walkable City in the Nation! May 10th, is Seattle Walks Day. At 10 a.m. hundreds of Seattle residents will get together with neighbors, friends and families to walk their favorite routes in your community! Getting involved in EASY! Volunteer to be a Neighborhood Walk Captain. Select a meeting location, invite your neighbors, determine a route, WALK and then complete the survey. Completed surveys can be mailed to the Seattle Department of Transportation or can be dropped off at any Seattle Parks and Recreation Community Center, Neighborhood Service Center or Library. The information provided in the surveys will help the City make Seattle the Most Walkable City in the Nation! For more information about Seattle Walks Day! and the Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan, please visit Neighborhood Walk. On the site you will find useful information and tools to help you plan your walk including, a link to Google Maps and a flyer that you can modify and distribute to your neighbors. You can also order the surveys that you will need for your walk. Happy Walking!

Seattle's Annual Spring Clean Event Spring Clean is Seattle's premier clean up event and part of Mayor Greg Nickels' Clean and Green Seattle initiative. Now in its 22nd year, Spring Clean provides opportunities for citizens to clean up Seattle's public open spaces of their choice with city support. Typical projects undertaken by citizens include litter pick ups, invasive plant removal, storm drain stenciling, graffiti removal, and general area beautification. City support includes planning assistance, tools, gloves, safety vests, disposal bags, transfer station passes, and waste pick ups. Once again, Seattle Public Utilities is partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods on the event. So if you have a project that needs some clean up work, as long as it is on City of Seattle property, we can help! Spring Clean begins Saturday, April 5th, 2008 and runs through Saturday May 31st, 2008. If you are interested in participating, please complete and mail in the registration form (pdf) to be eligible for resource support. For additional information, visit Seattle Public Utilities Spring Clean .

Coffee Hours at the Mayors Office for Senior Citizens Central Building 810 3rd Avenue (between Columbia & Marion) 4th Floor Boardroom 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Thursday, May 15   Special Guest: James Keblas, Office of  Film and Music The Office of Film and Music’s director, James Keblas, advocates for policies that support Seattle as a place to create, produce and enjoy film and music. In addition to providing entertainment, these industries employ thousands, contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to Seattle’s economy, promote a positive image for the city, and stimulate tourism. Come learn what’s happening today!

Chamber of Commerce May Events   Event Date Time Location Wallingford Chamber  contact  chamber@wallingford.org May 15 Noon - 1:30 pm Selena's Guadalajara 1715 N. 45th Street SLU Chamber Contact jason@sluchamber.org May 20 11:00 - 1:00pm Moss Bay Event Center 1001 Fairview Ave N Suite #1200 Fremont Chamber Contact director@fremontseattle.com May 21 8am Lk Washington Rowing Club 701 North 34th Street

May Events at the Fremont Library 731 N. 35th Street Fremont Historical Building Display Every day 5/3 – 5/31 The Fremont Historical Society will be displaying pictures of local Fremont buildings with their histories at the library in celebration of National Preservation Month. Family Story Time Thursdays 5/1 – 5/29 11 am – 11:30 am It is story time at the Fremont Branch! Bring your preschoolers and toddlers to enjoy stories, rhymes, songs and fun with our children's librarian. Family Fun Night Tuesday 5/27 7 pm – 7:45 pm Come enjoy an evening of fun for the whole family with puppets, folk dancing and crafts! Talk Time Mondays 5/5 – 5/19 5:30 pm – 7 pm Tuesdays 5/6 – 5/27 2:30 pm – 4 pm Come to a free English as a Second Language (ESL) conversation group to practice speaking English. This program is for beginning to advanced level learners. Participants will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Library events and programs are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Evening Book Group Tuesday 5/13 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm Join us for a book group at the Fremont Branch. Everyone is welcome. This month’s title is "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi. Pick up your copy of this month's book at the Fremont Library. This is the astonishing true story of young women who met in secret each week to read and talk about forbidden Western classics--and their lives and loves--in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Next Month's Title "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Seattle Climate Action Now For most of us, the pressing question is, “What can I do to stop global warming?  How can I get started?”  Thanks to a campaign launched today--Seattle Climate Action Now--the answer is getting easier. Seattle Climate Action Now offers practical tools and resources that help us take concrete steps become part of the solution to climate change. Visit www.SeattleCAN.org to get started.

Passports Now Processed in Seven Neighborhood Service Centers in Seattle Offering Saturday hours was a stunning success, so the Department of Neighborhoods is adding more hours and more places where you can apply for your passport. The new times at our Neighborhood Service Centers (NSC) are effective today. Passport Processing Available Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Ballard NSC 5604 22nd Ave NW 684-4060 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 10am - 2pm Lake City NSC 12707 30th Ave NE 684-7526 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm Closed University NSC 4534 University Way NE 684-7542 10am - 5pm 10am - 5pm 10am - 5pm 10am - 5pm 10am - 5pm 10am - 2pm Central NSC 2301 S. Jackson St Suite 208 684-4767 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm 9am - 5pm Southeast NSC 3815 S. Othello St Suite 105 386-1931 9am - 4pm 9am - 4pm