On Earth Day last year we told you about the top five polluted sites in the neighborhood that are sitting without any plans in place for cleanup. We’ve followed up on that via public reports on the Ecology Department’s website, and have found that all five are in exactly the same position as a year ago: still polluted, some into the groundwater, and no plans for action.

Each site is ranked on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is the most hazardous and highest priority for cleanup and 5 is the least serious.

Here’s the details on each:

• L&E French Cleaners at 2800 E. Madison – Given a ranking of 2 out of 5 (smaller is worse), the soil and groundwater of this property are contaminated with dry cleaning solvents which can cause liver and respiratory problems, birth defects, and possibly cancer.  Problems were first reported here in 1999, but no action has been taken yet to clean up the contamination.
• Goodwill Property at 1400 S. Lane – Also given a ranking of 2, the large Goodwill property is contaminated with petroleum products, solvents, and heavy metals in both the soil and groundwater. The problem was first reported in 2001, it would have been cleaned up during the proposed redevelopment of that campus, but is now uncertain since the big project was cancelled after the economic downturn.
• Ralph’s Concrete at 1511 Rainier Ave S. – Given a ranking of 3, several different parcels used by this company have been contaminated with petroleum products, solvents, and corrosives. First reported in 1998, it is still waiting for cleanup to begin.
• TD Auto Body & Repair at 1209 E. Fir St. – Given a ranking of 3, the groundwater and soil of this property are contaminated with petroleum products, metals, and solvents. First reported in 1993, there is no current plan for cleanup.
• A1 Brake at 1520 10th Ave – Given a ranking of 3, this property has contaminated soil and groundwater due to both petroleum products and solvents. 

There is some positive news on other sites outside that list of top-5:

• The “Pearson Site” at 426 Broadway, former home to an auto shop, is now clean within acceptable limits, and may become home to a new mixed-use building if they get city approval for a rezone
• The old Metal Laundry site at the corner of 12th & Cherry was cleaned up last year, in anticipation of a new Seattle U development that kicks off very soon.
• The pollution from an old gas station at 12th & Jefferson has been better quantified and could get cleaned up if CHIP’s housing project there gets approved and funded.

We’ve attached three PDF documents above which list all of the polluted properties around the neighborhood.

The path towards getting these sites cleaned up is very uncertain. The Ecology department has a limited budget to pursue polluters in court, but that is often spent only on the sites that rank the highest on their statewide list. Although serious, none of the spots in the Central District rise high enough to get that kind of attention and funding.

As we reported last year, individual citizens can take the polluters to court at their own expense, and possibly recover their legal fees if the court rules in their favor. 

Many of you might recognize our very own Sam Pockets a/k/a MaryEllen Anderson and her large earth ball that occasionally walks around the Central District.  She has recently taken it on a tour of the West Coast, spending Earth Day in Berkeley, California, and visiting the Earth Island Institute.  Here is a clip from her visit to Eugene:  http://kezi.com/news/local/168966

The monthly East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition meets tonight at 6pm. Note that it’s not going to be at the normal SVI location, but instead in the new Seattle Univerity Alumni & Admissions building at 12th & Columbia.

Parking will be available on the Seattle U campus on Marion west of 12th Avenue, behind the performing arts building.

Got a crime issue near you? EPCPC is your chance to speak directly with Seattle Police leadership. 

Happy Earth Day from Seattle’s East Precinct:

The Seattle Transit Blog reports that the #8 bus route will be going through some stop consolidation to improve its travel time and operating cost:

Metro is putting another bus on a stop diet. Route 8 is the latest to see some stops removed, after routes 28, 7, 16, 48, and 120 have all had some stops removed in the last handful of years.

The 8 currently services 70 stops, but 18 of those will be removed which will increase the average stop spacing to about 1,080 feet from 940 feet.

“The projected travel time savings is one minute per direction,” said Linda Thielke, a spokeswoman for Metro. “The exact operating cost savings won’t be known until more detailed scheduling work is completed.”

We’ll be losing the following stops in the neighborhood (mapped at left):

• 27th & E. Madison – Eastbound
• 25th & E. Yesler – Eastbound
• 25th & S. Jackson – Westbound
• MLK & S. Jackson – Southbound

You have until April 30th to leave your comments with Metro on their website.

We just got a call from our friend JW who asked an important question: “should we put our garbage cans out tomorrow, what with the strike and all?”

The answer is yes! If your normal garbage day is Thursday!

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, our pickup is handled by Clean Scapes, whose workers are happily working under an existing labor contract and are not on strike.

That’s just one of the many benefits of living in Seattle’s Best Neighborhood ™.

Update: City says to put out your trash even if you live in an affected area (heads up to all our buddies in Mt. Baker)

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is asking its Thursday customers to put out their regularly-scheduled garbage, yard waste and recycling for collection, despite a strike by Teamsters Local 174 garbage and yard waste drivers.

Those customers whose collections were missed today – Wednesday – are asked to put all of their garbage, yard waste and recycling out on their next regular collection day.

Waste Management services approximately 18,000 residential customers on Thursdays in the following approximate areas:

— W. of I-5 to the Sound, between N. 145th St. and N. 105th St.

— Between I-5 and SR99 from N. 85th St to Northgate Way

— S. of I-90 to S. Orcas St; from Beacon Ave. S. to Lake Washington.

Today Mayor McGinn was at the White House to accept a federal grant of $20 million to help fund the city’s Weatherize Every Building initiative. And the Central District is in luck, as we make up a big chunk of the area that will participate in the program, as shown in the map at left.

The federal funds will be used to drive a series of programs that help people increase their home’s energy efficiency, saving them money and helping the city reach its environmental goals.

Here’s the key pieces:

• Help 8,000 residents install compact fluorescent lamps and low-flow showerheads
• Offer energy performance audits to 2,000 residents for a subsidized price of $95
• Arrange discounted financing for large retrofit projects on things like windows, doors, insulation, and heating systems. Financing will be backed by municipal bonds and could be billed through your normal utility payments. The city will also help connect residents with a list of qualified contractors to do the work.

With the project now approved by the feds, detailed planning will begin to prepare for a public launch this summer. Performance audits will begin before the end of summer, and financing for retrofit projects will become available in the fall.

The program is estimated to create 2,000 new jobs, and will cut 71,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Stay tuned for a big public outreach process (meetings!) that will begin within the next few months.

It’s suddenly cold and rainy in Seattle’s East Precinct:

Bravo’s Top Chef (reality show featuring aspiring and young chefs) has an older sibling called Top Chef Masters (featuring established chefs).  This year, Masters includes three chefs originating from Seattle: Jerry Traunfeld of Poppy, Maria Hines of Tilth and Thierry Rautureau of Rover’s.  Rover’s is a high-end French restaurant located in Madison Valley.

Chef Rautureau may have been eliminated in the last episode of Top Chef Masters.  However, he was a good enough sport to show up to watch his performance at CD News Sponsor Bottleneck Lounge last Wednesday.  He continues being gracious by allowing Bravo access to the Rover’s kitchen.  In the video, he explains how he came by his “Chef in the Hat” moniker.

Statewide media filled up the whole shop at SOHO Coffee (a CDNews sponsor) at 20th & Yesler today to hear about the kickoff of a new initiative campaign that would impose a statewide tax on incomes above $200,000 for individuals and $400,000 for couples. Revenue from the new tax would go to lower statewide taxes on property and small businesses, and provide more stable funding for education and healthcare.

SOHO owner Barry Faught spoke and said he supports the new tax because it will remove the burden of the existing B&O tax for small businesses. That tax is based on gross revenue of all businesses, regardless of whether they make a profit or not. He says that’s a tough proposition for small businesses that are trying to stay afloat in the current recession. By contrast, the new measure would only apply to the net income for individuals, excluding the costs incurred in the course of running a business.

The measure would also reduce state property taxes by 20%, saving homeowners an average of $160 a year.

Other speakers at the event included Bill Gates Sr., who has long advocated reforms of the state tax system, and representatives from education, heathcare, and the small business community.

The campaign has until July to collect 241,000 signatures to get the measure on the November ballot, and will use a mix of paid and volunteer signature gatherers to get there.

For more on 1077, see the Seattle Times article from earlier today.