Tag: Greenwood

City Staff Continues Support to Greenwood as the Recovery Office Closes

On March 16, the City of Seattle opened a temporary office to support those affected by the March 9 explosion. Staff from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Office of Economic Development have been meeting with individuals and business owners to help them receive information and assistance. Now that immediate needs are handled, the office will close on Friday, March 25. However, city staff is available to help anyone who has questions or needs assistance. Please feel free to call Thomas Whittemore, Neighborhood District Coordinator, at 206-396-2788 or email him at Thomas.whittemore@seattle.gov or contact AJ Cari of the Office of Economic Development at aj.cari@seattle.gov  or 206-384-0133 for business questions. You can also visit our Greenwood Assistance and Resources webpage for additional information and contacts.

There were several residents directly affected by the explosion and no longer had access to their homes. After urgent needs such as food, clothing and emergency shelter were taken care of by the American Red Cross, its caseworkers continue to provide personal support to those displaced and are helping to create recovery plans, navigate paperwork, and locate help from other agencies and partners, including the Phinney Neighborhood Association.

Since the beginning, the Phinney Neighborhood Association has been an integral part of the recovery by organizing the amazing outpouring of financial support for the Greenwood community. Last week, it cut initial relief checks to the 12 residents evacuated from apartments above Gordito’s and the 30 displaced employees from damaged businesses. It has also arranged for storage units for those who needed to store belongings while their apartments are being repaired. This week, the fundraising efforts have reached $234,053 with 1,811 people and businesses donating, plus the many uncounted folks who gave cash! Over 40 businesses have hosted or are hosting benefits in the coming weeks. To learn more visit PNA’s Greenwood Relief.

Thank you, Greenwood, as we work on recovery efforts together.

 

Greenwood Recovery Office Is Open

The Greenwood Recovery Office will continue to be open for the neighborhood from Monday, March 21 – Friday, March 25.  The temporary office is located at Works Progress (115 N 85th St, Suite 202), a coworking space in Greenwood, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The phone number is 206-396-2788 during regular business hours. If you have been affected by the Greenwood explosion, please call or visit us. Staffs from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Office of Economic Development are there to help.

More information for neighborhood businesses and residents can be found at: seattle.gov/greenwood-assistance.

Site of Greenwood Explosion Transitions from Cleanup to Recovery

Neighborhood Recovery Center Established to Continue Support

On Tuesday, Mayor Murray announced that the Incident Command Center for the explosion in Greenwood has wrapped up operations and opened a neighborhood office to support local businesses and residents.

“I am very grateful to the cooperation and support from the community, partner agencies, local businesses, and multiple City departments,” stated Mayor Murray. “This goes to show that when tragedy strikes, we come together to support one another.”

Greenwood Avenue North is open in both directions, although the southbound bike lane between 85th and 84th will remain closed until cleanup is complete. The sidewalk on the west side remains closed, and the City is working with the property owner to open it as soon as possible.

“Thank you to the community for their support and understanding during the investigation and clean-up activities,” stated Captain McDonagh, incident commander with the Seattle Police Department.

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Office of Economic Development will coordinate the Greenwood Recovery Task Force, an effort to continue to support the community. The Greenwood Recovery Office has been set up at Works Progress (115 N 85th St, Suite 202), a coworking space in Greenwood, which will be staffed by the City Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The office will be open through Friday, March 25. The phone number is 206-396-2788.

More information for neighborhood businesses and residents can be found at: seattle.gov/greenwood-assistance.

Greenwood Avenue is Open to Traffic

As the investigation continues into the explosion that destroyed a building near 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue, a multi-functional team from the City of Seattle has been able to open an additional lane of Greenwood Avenue for traffic.

Greenwood now has two traffic lanes for northbound traffic and one southbound lane. The northbound bike lane is open. Cyclists riding southbound on Greenwood must merge with traffic or take other routes.

Puget Sound Energy crews were working to determine what caused the explosion. Seattle police officers and employees from the Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Public Utilities, the Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle City Light and other departments were working to support the investigation, control traffic through the work zone and provide information to residents, area businesses and people who travel through the area.

84th is closed westbound from Greenwood and restricted one block to the east.

City and Community Working to Clean up Greenwood

As clean up continues today at the Greenwood incident site, city departments are working together with our state and utility partners. We appreciate everyone’s patience, especially the Greenwood neighborhood, while this work continues. Deputy Mayor Joncas stopped by to tour the site and impacts to the neighborhood to show her support of city and community efforts clean up efforts.

The community has come together in an amazing way with more than 150 volunteers helping to clean up the area. They are planting flowers, painting the plywood that is covering the blown out windows, sweeping debris, and helping out as needed. Fred Meyer donated supplies and Home Depot donated flowers. Local businesses are also passing out cupcakes and other treats to support the volunteers. Way to support Greenwood!

There are many ways to help out. Just visit the Phinney Neighborhood Association website, http://www.phinneycenter.org/greenwoodrelief/index.html, for updates on fund raising activities. In fact, several are happening this weekend. Plus, most businesses are open, so feel free to stop by.

Please note that there is a high wind advisory for Sunday, so the city encourages the Greenwood neighbors to clean any debris they discover on their property as high wind gusts are expected.