Seattle Mayor Ed Murray came to West Seattle's Westwood/Roxhill neighborhood with numerous city officials on July 25 to conduct a Find it and Fix it walk of the area. During these walks, neighbors, police, and City officials walk together to identify physical elements in the neighborhood that make it feel unsafe or poorly maintained. Examples include overgrown trees, graffiti, street light outages, and litter. Once the elements are identified, the City and community work together to fix the problems.
Mayor Ed Murray, joined by numerous other City of Seattle officials took a Find It Fix It walk through the Westwood/Roxhill neighborhood on Monday July 25 to see for himself what was both right and in need of attention in this area. Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole, Scott Kubly Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Fire Department Chief Harold Scoggins, Madeline Goddard, Seattle Public Utilities, Fred Pedesto Dept. of Finance and Administrative Services, Patricia Lallly, Seattle Office of Civil Rights, Kathy Nyland, Director of the Dept. of Neighborhoods, Sam Assefa, Director Seattle DPD.
They began at the Longfellow Creek P-Patch for opening remarks then took the walkway on 25th Ave SW where public safety was the topic. A large group of people tagged along down the staircase at 22nd Ave SW and SW Henderson talking about loitering, illegal dumping, and drug use at the site. Next up was the busy crosswalk at Westwood Village and SW Barton, at the Metro Transit hub there, where crosswalk improvements are needed. The walk ended at Roxhill Park where the history of the park and it's current condition were shown and discussed.
· Department representatives and City staff were available for follow-up questions.
Participants were able to use the Find It, Fix It mobile app on the walk. This smartphone app offers mobile users one more way to report selected issues to the City.
In partnership with Cities of Service, the City is offering up to $5,000 in grants for community-led projects to each 2016 Find It, Fix It Walk neighborhood. The Roxhill/Westwood Community Project Grant Application is available in seven languages at www.seattle.gov/finditfixit until Wednesday, August 3. If you have an idea for a project in Roxhill/Westwood you are urged to apply soon.
For more information on the Find It, Fix It Community Walks program, please contact Laura Jenkins at 206.233.5166 or laura.jenkins@seattle.gov or visit www.seattle.gov/finditfixit.
