One week left to submit park and street improvement ideas

If you have an idea for park and street improvements in Ballard, there’s one week left to submit them to the City’s Your Voice, Your Choice program.

Each year, the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods asks for community members to propose citywide neighborhood improvement ideas, which will then be democratically chosen. The City has a budget of $2 million for the winning projects.

Improvement projects could include park benches, trail improvements, marked crosswalks, and sidewalk repairs; the City says the only criteria are the project ideas must focus on physical improvements to Seattle’s parks or streets, benefit the public, and cost $150,000 or less.

Previous projects in Ballard include crosswalk improvements at Shilshole Ave NW and 46th St, and the 6th Ave NW Neighborhood Greenway.

After the Department of Neighborhoods receives the submissions, a group of volunteers will turn the ideas into 8-10 proposals per council district. This summer, the ideas will be listed online and voting will begin. The City says that of the $2 million budget, approximately $185,000 is allocated to each district; the remaining funds will go to projects in underrepresented communities of Equity and Environment Initiative (EEI) Focus Areas.

Project ideas will be accepted through March 18, and can be submitted by anyone age 11 and up who live, work, go to school, receive services, or participate in activities in Seattle. Submissions can be made online or in-person at any Seattle Public Library branch.