At the Ballard District Council meeting last night, the members voted to move three Neighborhood Projects Funds proposals on to the next round.

Earlier this year, the city put out a call for small scale improvements to parks and transportation proposed by citizens and neighborhood groups to be considered for funding from the Neighborhood Projects Funds (NPF). The city received 14 proposals from citizens and community groups in the Ballard district and after review, a four-member review committee, appointed by the Ballard District Council, narrowed the list down to three recommendations.

While the NPF is intended for any small scale transportation and parks improvements, the Ballard NPF Review Committee favored proposals dealing with traffic safety.

"Some projects proposed murals. Murals are great. We love murals but it's not a safety issue," Joe Wert, Ballard NFP Review Committee member

Wert said the Review Committee favored proposals that addressed unsafe conditions, would benefit to the largest number of persons, are “shovel ready” and don't require a great deal of planning and design work, and are priced in a way which will allow for multiple projects to be funded from the available 2012 dollars.

The Review Committee found that three proposals met their criteria and recommended to move forward the following projects:

Textured sidewalks on N.W. 85th. The Review Committee recommended that all four crosswalks at the intersection of N.W. 85 at 15 N.W. would be constructed with textured or enhanced crosswalk material similar to that used on 20th and N.W. Market.

"We are not able to proof that textured crosswalks make a difference, but it definitely changes the atmosphere of the area," Wert said. "That area definitely needs some work."

Speed control on residential streets. There were two proposals submitted by two different groups asking for a similar speed control on 13th Avenue N.W. and 14th Avenue N.W. from N.W. 95th to N.W. 100th.

"We combined the two as one proposal are recommending that the city takes a look at both of them," Wert said.

Both projects flank the Crown Hill Center and the committee recommended that a common solution should be found for these long-block residential streets.

The third recommended proposals also deals with speed control. The proposal calls for radar speed display signs on 8th Avenue N.W. between N.W. 85th Street and N.W. 100 Street.

"We agree [with the proposal's author] that cars are traveling at excessive speeds along 85th," Wert said.

The Committee also suggested that, if this project is determined to be feasible by SDOT, its cost might be shared between Ballard and the adjoining NW district.

The Ballard District Council agrees with the Review Committee's three recommendations and moved proposals along to the next round. The city will decide which projects ultimately receive funding from the Neighborhood Projects Funds.