Seattle Press on Line - Neighborhood Projects Receive City Funding

Neighborhood Projects Receive City Funding

Feb 08, 2001 -- In January, the city Department of Neighborhoods awarded over $200,000 for neighbor-initiated projects, with almost $50,000 going to groups in North Seattle neighborhoods. Neighborhood Matching Funds are awarded every two months, and may cover such projects large and small, from planting trees to creating playgrounds and community gardens. Past neighborhood projects have also included community schools and intergenerational history projects.

Money is available for projects that involve neighborhood people and provide a public benefit. The Small and Simple Projects Fund supports short-term neighborhood-based self-help projects with awards of up to $10,000, while the Large Projects Funds supports more complex projects.

The following North Seattle projects--all matched by community contributions of money and/or labor--were among the January awards:

$3,000 to develop a wildlife sanctuary in a 230-foot stretch of land on the west side of 27th Avenue Northeast near North 80th Street.
$3,990 for a landscaped traffic circle at Dibble Avenue Northwest and Northwest 83rd Street.
$2,669 to purchase and install a non-illuminated reader board near the recreation complex at Green Lake. The board will promote community events, programs, and classes.
$7,585 to construct two traffic circles on 64th Street, at Evanston and Fremont Avenues. The circles will reduce traffic short-cutting to and from Aurora Avenue North, calming traffic speeds and making the area more community-friendly.
$10,000 each for the Haller Lake Community Center, the Whittier Elementary School playground and the Magnuson Community Garden Coalition.

At $4.5 million, Seattle's Neighborhood Matching Fund is the largest of its kind in the U.S. Since 1988 neighborhood groups have completed approximately 1,800 projects utilizing the fund.

Applications are accepted year-round, and the next application deadline is Monday, March 19. For more information or to request an application, call (206) 684-0464, or see www.cityofseattle.net/don.

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