Water Taxi ridership shatters previous records

Summer 2007 has seen a record-breaking number of passengers using the Elliott Bay Water Taxi. Ridership in May, June and July increased by 27 percent over last year’s record numbers.

The downtown-to-Seacrest Park run served a total of 22,259 riders during May, a 37 percent increase over May 2006. June ridership was also up 16 percent over the previous June, and July ridership rose 20 percent compared to last July. In the summer of 2006, the Water Taxi carried a record 122,650 passengers. So far, a total of 88,336 passengers have ridden the Water Taxi this summer.

The record ridership is expected to continue in August, as Southwest Seattle residents use the Water Taxi to avoid construction on Interstate 5. Multiple freeway lanes on I-5 will be closed from Aug. 10-29. To mitigate the effects of construction, the state of Washington has funded an extra morning Water Taxi run, paid for additional shuttle service, and purchased equipment that boosts boat capacity from 149 passengers to 250 passengers.

The Water Taxi could be converted from a summer service into a year-round operation through a King County Ferry District established this spring by the County Council. The ferry district could also allow King County to take over Vashon Island passenger-only ferry service and to study and test possible new waterborne transit routes throughout the county.

We’ll be working to refine costs and service levels during this year’s King County budget process. The County will also need to complete negotiations with the state about taking over the Vashon passenger-only route.

Georgetown residents convince city to drop waste site

On June 21, the city of Seattle dropped a proposal to build a new garbage transfer station on Corgiat Avenue in Georgetown, signaling a major victory for neighborhood residents.

Armed with strategies ranging from publishing well-argued newspaper opinion pieces to wearing funny hats at City Council hearings, the residents of this scrappy industrial neighborhood worked hard to sink the city’s unwise proposal. I salute everyone who took a stand on this issue, but I want to single out three leaders who played a particularly strong role in the fight for Georgetown: Kathy Nyland, Joel Ancowitz, and Holly Krejci.

The decision had a major upside for all city of Seattle residents. A plan is being created to further reduce the amount of trash being sent to landfills, while increasing recycling.

White Center Heights Park gets dramatic makeover

With a bit of rain to water the new plants and a ton of youthful enthusiasm—courtesy of students from nearby White Center Heights Elementary School—I joined hundreds of community members on June 15 to celebrate the newly renovated White Center Heights Park.

When the curtain swept aside at a June 15 ceremony, people could barely believe their eyes—in just one week, a 5½-acre patch of invasive weeds had been transformed into a beautiful neighborhood park. The work was funded through a $550,000 grant from Starbucks Ultimate Park Makeover program and completed through the hard work of some 1,500 volunteers, including community members and Starbucks employees.

This makeover isn’t finished. The state of Washington is providing another $500,000 in this year’s budget to fund wetlands restoration and other water quality improvements on the property.

Five-point emergency preparedness plan approved

In response to last winter’s devastating storms, I drafted a five-point legislative plan to improve King County’s response to major emergencies. The King Council Council unanimously approved the plan on June 4.

The plan calls for five separate reports to be created. Each will be compiled by the Executive and submitted to the Council by October 1—before consideration of the 2008 King County budget.

This legislation would:
• Create a coordinated shelter plan;
• Update King County’s emergency communications plan;
• Create a traffic management plan and identify key intersections;
• Better integrate human service providers, non-profit organizations, and businesses into emergency planning, and
• Identify King County residents who may need special help during a crisis.

King County residents can also learn about ways they can better prepare for emergencies by visiting www.metrokc.gov/prepare and www.govlink.org/3days3ways.