PORT GARDNER NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION NEWS

www.portgardner.net

October Agenda

Monday, October 14, 7:00pm Jackson Elementary Cafeteria

3700 Federal Avenue

7:00 Welcome 7:05 Sgt. Bruce Bosman Everett Police Department 7:20 Announcements 7:25 Government Affairs - Victor Harris 7:30 Kevin Fagerstrom Code Enforcement Div. ‘til 8:30 Social Time !!!!

Need a ride to the meeting? Contact a Board member for help.

To get your newsletter by e-mail contact: bjacksonjmurphy@aol.com

OCTOBER 2013

LET’S KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BEAUTIFUL!

Have you seen this on your street? Boarded up houses, uncut lawns, piles of trash gathering in alleyways. Some people call them eyesores, others call them be health and safety hazards. The City of Everett calls them “nuisance properties”.

Kevin Fagerstrom, from the City of Everett Code Enforcement Unit will join us for our October 14 meeting. Code Enforcement works with residents and property owners to maintain and improve the quality of life in our community by solving problems with trash, unsafe buildings, overgrown vegetation and other issues.

Learn about what criteria determines a code violation, and what steps you need to take to report and solve problems on your block. Find out about how to deal with abandoned or foreclosed properties, chronic nuisances and graffiti. Explore the ways that our neighborhood can band together to help keep problem areas cleaned up. And hear about programs and assistance that the City offers to help property owners stay in compliance with city ordinances.

And – be sure to bring lots of questions!!

ASK SERGEANT BOSMAN – WHEN TO CALL 911

The purpose of the Port Gardner Neighborhood Association is to represent the interests and improve the general welfare of all PGNA residents by providing a democratic forum for exchanging ideas, setting neighborhood goals and organizing neighborhood activities.

Everyone wants to live in a friendly, safe community. The Police Department is often called to investigate “suspicious” people in our neighborhood. Upon arriving, it has been discovered recently in a few cases, these were residents or friends of our neighbors. This has led to much second guessing and a flurry of emails. So - we are setting aside some extra time (at Sergeant Bosman’s request) in October’s meeting, to briefly discuss when it is a good idea to call 911, and how to effectively keep our neighborhood safe.

BLOW YOUR DIET FOR A GOOD CAUSE – THE PGNA!!

November’s meeting will feature a fun, fabulous dessert auction to benefit the PGNA’s coffers. This is a great way to support neighborhood projects and treat yourself. Our very own auctioneer extraordinaire, Gene O’Neil, will be auctioning off Port Gardner’s sweetest creations just in time for your holiday table. If you are interested in donating your special dessert, pies, cakes, whatever - contact Christina Robertson at moosetales@aol.com, 425-252-5434 or Jean Hewat at meanjeancreative@earthlink.net, 425-259-5212.

Be sure to come to the meeting -- bring an appetite and your wallet!

coming in November… PGNA DESSERT AUCTION

SEPTEMBER MEETING RECAP

Our first meeting after summer break featured some information and advice from our favorite man in blue - Sgt. Bruce Bosman. Fresh off a vacation in Colorado, Sgt. Bosman shared information about some problem properties in our neighborhood, and who to contact at Code Enforcement: Officer Cynthia Keirsey – Lead Officer, ckeirsey@everettwa.gov.

He also gave us an overview of the reasons for increased transient activity in our neighborhood, (Everett is known by the homeless community as a good place to get steady meals), and what steps the police department is taking to manage the influx. Also it was interesting to note that Everett has no “no loitering” ordinance on the books.

Victor Harris gave us the latest on City happenings,

- Beaches are open after the flooding, - the City is taking some responsibility for the sewer backups in our area. - The Multi-family tax exemption zone is being expanded to include a property on 35th and Hoyt..

Plus – attendees were encouraged to contact Board Members with ideas and feedback on how to make our meetings more fun and helpful!

Agendas for City Council, Planning Commission, School Board and Port of Everett meetings are usually not available in time for our Newsletter. Please check the websites a few days ahead to confirm.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

IMPORTANT MEETINGS IN OCTOBER

PORT OF EVERETT Waterfront Center 1205 Craftsman Way Blue Heron Room October 8 5:00 pm Check http://www.portofeverett.com/home/index.asp?page=193 for Agendas and http://www.portofeverett.com/home/index.asp?page=255 for podcasts of Port of Everett meetings. EVERETT CITY COUNCIL Everett City Hall 3002 Wetmore Avenue City Council Chambers

October 9, 16, 30 at 6:30pm October 23 at 12:30 ****See Public Hearing Notice below Check http://www.everettwa.org/default.aspx?ID=10 for Agendas and podcasts of Everett City Council Meetings EVERETT SCHOOL BOARD Educational Service Center 4730 Colby Avenue Board Room October 8 at 4:30pm October 9 at 4:30pm – SPECIAL MEETING – CAPITAL BOND PROPOSAL Check http://www.boarddocs.com/wa/waesd/Board.nsf/Public for Agendas.

COUNCIL OF NEIGHBORHOODS REPORT !

THE$BIG$DAY$OF$SERVING$on$November$2$!"!Clean"up!Project!for!youth!who!will!be!going!abroad!on!! service!missions.!!Takes!4"6!hours.!! Contact!Kaitlin!@!425.392.7799!ext.!16!! !!Snohomish$County$Council$on$Aging!is!recruiting!new!! board!members!for!terms!beginning!in!Jan!2014.!!! Contact!Bronlea.Mishler@snoco.org!!

Mayor$Stephanson,!City!of!Everett,!noted!the!passing!of!George!Dean,!a!long"time!community!activist.!!

Flooding!has!been!a!critical!concern!and!the!Mayor!has!! asked!the!City!Council!to!step!up!and!make!! people!whole.!Call!Public!Works!or!!! Megan,!@!Mayor's!office,!425.7257.8700!!

The$Budget$Update!will!be!presented!to!City!Council,!October!30!!

Polygon$is$moving$forward$with$the$Riverfront$Project!and!has!applied!for!permits.!Polygon!has!submitted!a!pre"application!notice!for!414!residential!units.!!

Comprehensive$Land$Use!is!due!in!June!2015.!!Planning!Department!would!like!to!meet!with!neighborhoods.!!

Burlington$Northern$Santa$Fe!has!completed!agreements!for!the!Broadway!Bridge,!construction!will!happen!in!2014,!and!involve!detours!between!Everett!and!Hewitt.!!

PUBLIC HEARING EVERETT CITY COUNCIL – Interim Zoning Regulations on Marijuana Business Uses October 23 at 12:30pm Everett City Hall 3002 Wetmore Avenue City Council Chambers Check out http://www.everettwa.org/default.aspx?ID=2128. for more information.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD DIRT IS BACK! Check out page 4

PGNA PROJECTS AND EVENTS

HISTORIC EVERETT SEEKS BOARD MEMBERS

If you are interested in preserving the history of Everett and Snohomish County, and have some time and energy to spare, consider becoming a board member of Historic Everett. This group of history buffs is responsible for the Historic Everett Home Tour, Evergreen Cemetery Tour, and Historic Everett annual calendar. They have also amassed a collection of historical artifacts - with no place to permanently display them. Establishing a museum is probably the group's number one priority. For more information on how to become involved, either on the board or simply as member of the group, please call Andrea Tucker at 425-870-6699.

THE GARDEN GUY

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FALL CLEAN-UP Just!because!the!growing!season!is!over,!it!doesn’t!mean!your!days!in!the!garden!are!over.!!Autumn!is!the!perfect!time!to!do!some!serious!cleaning!in!your!garden,!to!eliminate!weeds!and!overwintering!diseases!and!pests.!!

Tackle!these!three!general!cleanup!tasks!every!year:!$$$$1.$Pull!annuals!when!they're!finished,!whether!they're!!!!!!!!!!!planted!in!beds!or!pots.!$$$$2.$Start!cutting!perennials!back.!!If!you!receive!a!killing!!!!!!!!!!!frost,!start!pruning!after!that.!!Leave!3"inch!stubs!in!!!!!!!!!!!place!to!catch!leaves!for!insulation.!Don't!cut!down!!!!!!!!!!!perennials!that!accent!your!garden!with!winter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!interest,!such!as!ornamental!grass,!'Autumn!Joy'!!!!!!!!!!!!sedum,!yarrow,!and!coneflower.!$$$$$3.$Prune!dead!or!damaged!branches!on!shrubs!or!trees.!!!

ELIMINATE WEEDS Eliminate!spring!weeds!by!blanketing!vegetable!beds!with!

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chopped!leaves,!mulch,!or!newspaper!topped!with!either!of!those!materials.!Or!plant!a!winter!cover!crop.!!!

PLANT SPRING BULBS You!can!plant!spring!bulbs!until!the!ground!freezes,!or!!the!rains!begin.!Choose!from!favorites,!like!tulip,!daffodil,!or!hyacinth,!or!try!some!unusual!beauties,!like!species!tulips,!fritillaria,!or!allium.!Check!in!with!Port!Gardeners!on!Facebook!for!further!answers!to!your!gardening!questions.!I!will!be!discussing!the!proper!ways!to!plant!your!spring!bulbs,!and!how!to!cut!back!your!Hydrangea!and!preserve!the!blooms!for!the!next!season.!!Take!pictures!of!the!garden,!you!can!go!over!these!in!winter!and!weed!out!what!plants!did!not!work!out!this!summer.!Chins!up,!October!can!be!lovely!.!.!.!Pumpkins!!!"!!Robert!Allan!–!The!Garden!Guy!

Email$Robert$at$gardenguy11@aol.com$

COMING IN DECEMBER – THE PGNA HOLIDAY LIGHTING CONTEST

Brighten up Port Gardner one home at a time – enter the PGNA Holiday Lighting Contest. Do you decorate like Martha Stewart or Tim (Home Improvement) Taylor? We’ll have prizes from local business and restaurants for almost every style, even one for the brightest block in Port Gardner! Check out the November newsletter for details on how to enter.

Bridge Group Looking for New Members

Have you been looking for a place to play social bridge and maybe improve your game? Look no further. For years, a growing number of us have been meeting every other Thursday evening to do just that. It's a congenial group with room for more right here in the neighborhood. If you would like to join us, call Jean Murphy at 425 303-0127.

ADOPT-A-STREET CLEAN-UP

Saturday, Oct. 12 at 10am

Bond St. and Hewitt Ave. near the Anchor Pub

For years, the PGNA and Bayside neighborhoods have worked together to keep lower Hewitt Ave. and W. Marine View Dr. clean. Three times a year, we spend an hour or so picking up litter. And our efforts have made a difference! Those streets simply look better than they used to. Let’s continue the great work!!

Recently, the number of people taking part has dropped to almost zero. Please show you care about our neighborhood by meeting Saturday, October 12, at 10am at Bond St. and Hewitt Ave. by the Anchor Pub. All equipment is supplied. Call Bob Jackson at 425 303-0127 or email bjacksonjmurphy@aol.com with any questions.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD DIRT

by Christina Robertson

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October is always my favorite month. Not just because it’s the prettiest. Cheerful, chubby orange pumpkins. Tall, tasseled cornstalks. Pantry shelves filling with colorful canning jars. The fallen leaves on the street and sidewalks reflecting a beautiful, golden light.

But October also provides folks like me - who need at least 30 hours a day to check off even some of the items on each day’s To Do list – a break.

I try, I really do. Every night I dutifully list the myriad tasks, chores, errands and projects that I hope to get done the next day. What a joke. A list that often spans multiple pages, with many of the listed items having been bounced from list to list for weeks. A “humanly impossible to accomplish” list that only someone with a dedicated team of assistants and workmen could finish in one day, especially since most every home project takes three times longer and costs twice as much as anticipated. I never learn this, though, so every day – a new list.

Then along comes glorious October.

Those long-ignored cobwebs in every corner? Well, they’re Halloween decorations, silly! The yard filled with overgrown shrubs and un-pruned bushes? Well, that’s ‘habitat’ if course.

Ah, habitat – the busy person’s handy way to postpone indefinitely having to stand amid the cold, dripping branches to prune, snip, rake and haul hundreds of pounds of suddenly unwanted soggy foliage and underbrush.

Bordering the Norton Avenue ravine, my sweet, 110-year old house has been the first port-of-call for wild creatures seeking quick shelter for, well, 110 years, judging from the ravaged condition of my crawlspace and the countless holes and tunnels around the property perimeter. Mice and rats are unavoidable. Squirrels leap and dangle from branches and birdfeeders daily. A never-ending parade of opossums. I actually fished a baby opossum out from behind my washing

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machine a few years ago. Not sure who was more surprised.

In the basement, a mama raccoon had her babies in one of my packing boxes shortly after I moved in. Another time, I opened the door to the crawlspace and four sets of bandit-masked eyes stared back. Let’s just say they were REALLY unhappy to be evicted.

Because my original goal was to create a bird sanctuary, I have many birdseed and suet feeders all around my property, unwittingly ringin’ the dinner bell for all the other critters too. So a couple of years ago I gave up trying to dissuade them and put out the “Welcome” mat, or in this case two lovely signs from the National Wildlife Federation proclaiming my unruly yard a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

There are four criteria that must be met for Wildlife Habitat certification: 1. Provide Food for Wildlife, 2. Provide Water for Wildlife, 3. Create Cover for Wildlife, and 4. Give Wildlife a Place to Raise Their Young.

You don’t need to have tons of space – even an apartment balcony can qualify! It’s easy and fun and can really make a difference for neighborhood critters. After filling out a simple questionnaire on NWF’s website (www.nwf.org), you’ll receive a certificate, a subscription to NWF’s publications and endless entertainment just outside your windows.

When I opened my kitchen curtains this 4th of July and saw a deer standing there I thought I was hallucinating.

Then I realized - he must have read the sign…

CANDIDATE’S NIGHT

October 15th 6:30 pm Evergreen Middle School 7621 Beverly Lane Not sure who to vote for this year? Come to Candidate’s Night and hear the issues straight from the source. This multi-neighborhood supported event covers the positions for City of Everett Mayor and City Council, Everett School District Board of Directors and Port of Everett Commissioners. They will begin start with pre-prepared questions, and then will move on to questions from the audience, which will be submitted in written form so they may be reviewed for relevance, fairness and to avoid repetition. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED. Email Louise Uriu at luriu@comcast.net or Tom Norcott attom.norcott@comcast.net

City of Everett Mayor - Ray Stephanson City of Everett Council Position 1 - Paul Roberts City of Everett Council Position 2 - Jeff Moore

Everett School District Director-at-Large Position 1 - Ted Wenta City of Everett Council Position 3 - Scott Murphy Everett School District Director-at-Large Position 1 - Rod Reynolds City of Everett Council Position 3 - Jackie Minchew Everett School District Director-at-Large Position 2 - Carol Andrews Everett School District Director-at-Large Position 2 - Kim Guymon Port of Everett Commissioner District 3 - Glen Bachman

OCTOBER EVERETT LIBRARY 2702 Hoyt Avenue All this month the Everett Library is presenting films, speakers on HealthCare Reform, A Food Day Author Event, Photographer John Marshall and others, ” book discussions, classes and more. Check out the website at http://www.epls.org/calendar/default.asp

October 10 MONTE CRISTO AWARDS The Everett Performing Arts Center 2710 Wetmore Ave. 6:30pm The Monte Cristo Awards recognize neighbors who help make Everett special by taking pride in their property. The Council of Neighborhoods chooses winners from properties that have been nominated by the community. Come to support winners in the Port Gardner Neighborhood!

Reception at 6:30, Awards ceremony at 7:15pm.

Would you like to volunteer to help out at the event? For more information, contact Brooklyn Holton, At the Office of Neighborhoods 425 257-7195 or email BHolton@everettwa.gov October 15 CANDIDATE’S NIGHT Evergreen Middle School Cafeteria 6721 Beverly Lane 6:30pm This informal question and answer session will feature candidates for the Everett City Council, Port of Everett and Everett School Board.

THE SOCIAL CALENDAR

ONGOING EVENTS

THE 2013-2014 PORT GARDNER NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD

CHAIR: Daisy Bramall maribelbramall@hotmail.com 530-301-7308 VICE-CHAIR: Scott Crownewourth-Siddley crownewourth@gmail.com 707-303-0675 TREASURER: Sheryl Becker shebec1@frontier.com 425-259-2196 SECRETARY: Jean Hewat meanjeancreative@earthlink.net 425-259-5212 WEBMASTER: Tim Ellis the_tim@portgardner.net NEWSLETTER: Jean Hewat meanjeancreative@earthlink.net 425-259-5212 COUNCIL OF NEIGHBORHOODS REPS Victor Harris victorcharris@hotmail.com 425-760-4064 Dean Smith deansmith4@mac.com 425-328-9979 Dave Weiser davidann@gmail.com 307-760-0839 GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: CHAIR: Victor Harris victorcharris@hotmail.com 425-760-4064

OUR MAILING ADDRESS IS: PGNA, P.O. Box 13032, Everett WA. 98206

CITY STAFF: OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOODS Wendy McClure wmcclure@everettwa.gov 425-257-8717

EVERETT POLICE North Precinct Admin Sgt. Bruce Bosman bbosman@everettwa.gov 425-257-8474

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Port Gardner Neighborhood Association Board wants to hear from you! If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact any of the Board Members below.

To receive the Newsletter via email, contact Bob Jackson at bjacksonjmurphy@aol.com. If you do not have internet access or a computer and would like to receive the Newsletter via USPS, please contact any Board member.