The big event of May within the Madison Park Community Council’s boundary was the start of construction of the Arboretum Loop Trail. The trail was billed as a multi-purpose facility, but as has been pointed out before in this column, the steep slopes on sections of the trail seriously discourage its probable use by cyclists, so it will end up as yet another north-south road through the Arboretum. It will also be 12 feet wide; a foot wider than the general freeway traffic lanes on the newly opened State Route 520 bridge. The benefit of this trail is questionable in my opinion, since some 137 trees are being removed for its construction. Maybe the trail should have been half the width, and wound around the trees?
What is even more interesting is the ironic and almost hidden way that the bureaucracy has admitted that the trail has no net value. Signs have been attached to the remaining trees, which proclaim dollar values ranging up to nearly $100,000. If one compares the basal diameters of the trees that have already been removed – the stumps being still there – with the labelled trees, it is a simple task to evaluate the approximate total worth of the 137 trees removed. This number comes amazingly close to the $7.8 million cost of the trail. It is therefore a serious question as to whether or not we are getting anything for the money, even just in a hard cost sense, let alone the environmental degradation.
On Tuesday, May 17, a meeting was held at the Bush School concerning the proposed re-development of the City People’s Garden Store property. The proposed project is unquestionably large, at 165,000 square feet, and will significantly and permanently change the character of Madison Valley.
Of interest to us in Madison Park is how the project will directly and indirectly affect us. At capacity, there will be 155 cars in the parking garage, and these cars will, of course, add to the traffic on East Madison Street, but, more importantly, could possibly overburden the signalized intersection at Lake Washington Boulevard. Probably the greater impact on traffic will be caused by delivery trucks to the proposed PCC Market.
Upcoming in the Park, MPCC has put together two talks by our city’s highest ranking law and justice personnel. The first, held in conjunction with our regular monthly Board meeting on the first Monday of the month, June 6, at 7 p.m. in the bath house, is by Pete Holmes, our city attorney. It will be interesting to find out just what cases the city attorney’s office takes on – the office employs nearly 100 attorneys. The second talk is by Kathleen O’Toole, head of our City’s Police Force. This meeting will be held in conjunction with MPCC’s Annual General Meeting, on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in the chapel/meeting room at the Parkshore Retirement Community.
We encourage you to come and hear both of these speakers, and, of course, to attend the AGM of your Community Council.
Maurice Cooper - President