Report on Clean Seattle Initiative Cleanup:
Golden Gardens Area Cleanup

Cleanup:
Golden Gardens and Seaview Avenue

Date of Cleanup:
June 28th and 29th

Target Area:
Seaview Avenue including Golden Gardens Park and related areas

Departments:
Parks, Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Transportation, City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, DCLU, Arts Commission, Department of Corrections, SPD Crime Prevention

Cleanup Activities:
• Removed more than six tons of debris and invasive plant material from Golden Gardens Beach and natural areas
• Cleaned up and shifted sand from more than 50 illegal fire areas and eight legal fire pits.
• Designed 12 new fire pits on the beach to allow more effective and efficient cleanout of ashes and other debris.
• Department of Corrections removed 1,260 pounds of litter and debris. Eighty-four bags of litter were picked up and the crews cleaned three illegal dumping sites.
• Replaced or repaired 50 street lights along Seaview Avenue.
• Repaired or replaced 14 street and traffic signs along the area.
• Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Transportation crews removed more than 150 graffiti tags from city property.
• SDOT crews swept the Ballard Locks parking lot, repainted stall stripes, emoved vegetation and other debris, installed new signs, established a disabled parking zone, and repaired the pedestrian walkway adjacent to the north perimeter fence.
• Mowed and groomed more than two miles of grass property recently purchased from BNSF along the east side of Seaview Avenue from GG Park to NW 65th.
• Used more than five tons of asphalt to patch potholes and the parking lot near the park.
• Removed invasive non-native plants from the wetland restoration area.
• Installed bark mulch to protect native plants and the area near the off-leash area.
• Installed four additional BBQ grills next to picnic tables at beach.
• Installed three cement pads along the main path between the beach and the picnic tables to hold four garbage cans each.
• Fabricated and installed a new gate at the entrance to the middle parking lot to prevent illegal dumping after hours (fence donation by Burlington Northern). Note: To date, there has not been one reported case of illegal dumping in the area since the gate was installed!
• Added 760 square yards of washed sand to the beach adjacent to the creek, and in the beach restoration area in the north.
• Spread two dump trucks of wood chips throughout the dog off-leash area.
• Painted over graffiti on the pedestrian tunnel mural in preparation for a replacement art project.
• Re-stripped stalls in the middle parking lot and edges were scraped.
• Pressure washed picnic tables, benches and shelters.
• Hydro-seeded facility at 54th and BNRR tracks.
  
  Miscellaneous
• Ballard Terminal Railroad Company removed several tons of track maintenance material from the rail spur between Hirams Restaurant and Seaview Avenue. Removing this material allowed neighbors and volunteers to mow and trim vegetation.
• Graffiti removed from City Light facility by Graffiti Rangers.
• US Army Corps of Engineers trimmed a substantial amount of tree limb overgrowth which was unsightly and impeded pedestrian travel adjacent to the Locks parking lot.
• Port of Seattle crew thoroughly swept the 1,500 plus stall parking lot at Shilshole Bay Marina, trimmed landscaping, removed graffiti, and replaced missing or damaged signs. Port employees and members of their families showed up at Golden Gardens Park on June 29 and volunteered with a variety of tasks within the park area.
• Inspectors conducted seven initial inspections of Land Use Code violations with warnings given to each of the violators. Follow-up will be provided by inspectors when compliance date comes up.
• Kay Odgrun, Chair of the Ballard District Council, welcomed Mayor Nickels on behalf of the Ballard community
• Don Maze, Director of Transportation in the NW Division for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, hosted Mayor Nickels on a train ride and officially donated the middle parking lot gate to the City.
• Handed out 1,000 to 1,500 flyers per night during two weeks before cleanup event.
• Removed a pair of shoes from electrical wires.
  
  Volunteer Activity
• A total of 146 volunteers came together to perform 233 hours of volunteer service in Golden Gardens Park and along Seaview Avenue.
• Seven members of the Parks Senior Programs hiking group pitched in to pull out invasive weeds in the natural area next to the wetlands.
• More than 50 dog guardians helped spread chips in the Golden Gardens Park off-leash area.
• The Ballard Rotary Club participated with a large number of volunteers who arrived at the park on Saturday. Rotary is the Adopt - A - Street volunteer group for the Seaview Ave area. Volunteers from Rotary swept for litter and other debris along this nearly one-mile stretch south of Golden Gardens Park.
• 136 volunteers came together to perform wetland, trail, and beach restoration in Golden Gardens Park.
• Ten volunteer residents, including volunteers from the Ballard Rotary, performed litter pickup along Seaview Avenue.
• Three Seattle Fire Department Battalions joined in the beach cleanup activities.
• Seventy volunteers came from Citizens for Off-leash Areas (COLA), who performed restoration activities in the upper park, both within the off-leash dog park and the surrounding forest.
• Other participating volunteer groups included: Ballard Kiwanis, Sunset Hill Community Association, Seattle Park Seniors, Shilshole Liveaboards, and Friends of the Wetlands.
• Officer Larry Jackson, North Precinct Community Service Officer, participated and brought his two children to help whitewash the tunnel.
  
  

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