June 24th Meeting Recap
We are sad to announce the passing of Judie Clarridge, longtime Fremont Resident, Neighborhood Council Board member and Secretary, and an integral member of the Fremont Historical Society. Remembering Judie.
Hello Neighbors!
Thank you for attending the jam-packed agenda meeting on June 24! We had several speakers who shared lots of information on some great programs.
Bria Blitch, Trees for Neighborhoods
Here is your opportunity to plant more trees, either in your yard or along your street, and the application for free trees is open TODAY! (July 1) Go to the website to apply and for more information. Applications are open through July but the available trees are quickly spoken for so don’t wait!
Teresa Tam, Social Connection Program Coordinator and Amanda Coba, Membership and Outreach Manager, PNA Village and the Phinney Neighborhood Association
Back in January some of you expressed an interest in learning about Mutual Aid organizations, and we responded! PNA Village is geographically and culturally bound and includes Fremont and much of North Seattle. They offer programs for Social Connection, Memory Loss, Community Care and many types of support groups. Visit www.phinneycenter.org and the Volunteer Portal to see everything offered and how you can get involved.
Anna Cronin and Brianna Stevenson, Solid Ground
Solid Ground was founded as the Fremont Public Association 51 years ago. Now they serve about 65,000 people annually all over King County, and in Pierce and Snohomish. They are fighting poverty and providing statewide advocacy for low-income communities. They provide Stability, Housing, Food Access, Education and Transportation. They are also fighting the Medicaid and SNAP cuts! To get involved in volunteering go to www.solid-ground.org/get-involved. There is a school donation drive starting July 29 and the Annual Day of Service is August 22, at three sites this year, at Marra Farm, Sand Point, and Solid Ground Transportation.
Brandi Gaines, Creative Arts District
We are at the beginning stages of having a Creative Arts District in Fremont, which is of course the most creative! Brandi is president of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, which has joined with the Fremont Neighborhood Council, Fremont Arts Council, the Rotary club, and the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation to work on this long application process. What is a Creative District? There is a long inclusive list of creative jobs and enterprises. The Creative District program is funded by Washington State. District certification comes with funding opportunities to help improve our community. Some of the possibilities are bringing in pop-ups and small businesses to fill vacant storefronts, boost livability and development opportunities, redevelop historical properties, and provide arts maintenance for our many local examples of iconic public art. We would love extra help! We need board executives for our 501(c)3 who are not already executives of our member organizations. Once established we can use volunteer hours towards our matching funds requirements. Take the survey (see below). Find more information here. Join us!
Please remember to submit your annual dues to be an official FNC member!
Announcements:
Dennis is helping to organize a clean-up event for community members and residents of the Catholic Community Services building. Volunteers are welcome. They are shooting for the citywide Day of Service on July 12. (TBD)
Santos Moreno provided text of updates from Representative Jayapal’s office which will be included in full in the Minutes. Questions were from Tim Kitchen.
Board Business:
Treasury report and approval of May minutes.
Simone Childs was approved to be appointed to the Board. Aly resigned as Treasurer, Simone was appointed Treasurer. Aly was nominated for Vice-President, accepted and was approved.
Discussion of yard signs. Previous vote for 60 signs was rescinded as the price and selection had changed. New vote to select a design and an amount for initial printing. Discussion of issues with AI generated art as poorly representative of a creative artist community like Fremont. Final vote was for a simpler sign with the FNC logo and an initial printing of 20 yard signs. Caroline, Cindy and Colleen will work on a competition for artwork for the next iteration of yard signs.
Discussion of flyering, and of FNC agenda email going to spam folders.
Discussion of August meeting. A.B. Ernst Park update on the agenda, other options? Selection of Fremont storefront vacancies as a topic and Pete Hanning as the likely speaker.
Discussion of September Candidate Forum, how many positions to host (probably four), when to invite, possible need to change the date to accommodate candidates.
Detailed minutes of past meetings can be found here!
Next month (Tuesday, July 22) the topic is Safer Streets. We will have representatives from the SDOT Vision Zero program and from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. Come and join us!
Click to put the July 22 Meeting on your calendar!
August will (most likely) be an A.B. Ernst Park update and discussion of vacant Fremont storefronts and what to do about them.
Click to put the August 26 Meeting on your calendar!
Fremont Creative District Survey!
Fremont community organizations are working together to get our neighborhood certified as a Creative District! This is a state program that comes with funding opportunities to enhance and promote creative economy opportunities, and the funky, artistic and inclusive values Fremonsters hold dear. Learn more about the program here.
We want to year from all of you about what you value most about Fremont and what you would like to see happen with a Creative District recognition. Please take a few minutes and fill out the Values Survey! It’s also important to getting the application approved, so let us know what you think!
