Tag: Rasmussen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/1/2015

Rasmussen Announces Funds to Pursue Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial Project
Announcement made at World AIDS Day breakfast this morning

SEATTLE - Councilmember Tom Rasmussen today announced the City Council has dedicated $75,000 to initiate a planning process to create a Seattle AIDS Legacy Memorial. Those funds would be directly matched by a community organization, which would take a leadership role in planning and proposing an appropriate memorial.

Nearly 4,000 Seattleites died in the first two decades of the AIDS epidemic, and a history of both the crisis and the community's response has not been comprehensively collected, recorded or presented.  Councilmember Rasmussen sponsored the memorial proposal after listening to advocates involved in the early days of the epidemic who felt that the history and the stories of the lives that were lost be chronicled.

"The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) is deeply honored to participate in planning for a Seattle memorial to preserve the stories of those who lost their lives during the AIDS crisis, and to share the important lessons that we learned," said Leonard Garfield, Executive Director of MOHAI. "We will work to engage the entire community to help envision the memorial, to share the stories that it will honor, and to help raise funds to meet the city's generous initial contribution."

"We need to create a memorial worthy of those who died and of those worked creatively, tirelessly and fearlessly to help those diagnosed with the HIV virus," said Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, the proposal's sponsor. "The AIDS crisis personally touched my life, and the memories of those lost deserve to live on."

The planning process, which includes a requirement that the $75,000 in City funds be matched, will be put to bid in early 2016.  MOHAI, or whichever qualified organization receives the funds, will be expected to:

• Convene and staff an advisory committee of diverse community members familiar with or involved in the response to the AIDS crises;
• Conduct a series of public focus groups to gather input about the character of a legacy/memorial project;
• Engage artists, design and engineering professionals and historians and curators to develop concepts;
• Prepare collateral materials to share options of a legacy/memorial project;
• Produce a final report that outlines scale, location, timeline, financial information, and other components of the project; and
• Complete preliminary research and present legacy/memorial options to the advisory committee which would reach consensus on a recommended legacy/memorial project and course of action.

"Seattle stepped up during the most devastating epidemic of our time, to show the rest of the country how the community can care for each other," said Michele Hasson. "Seattle's response to this crisis deserves to be memorialized, and I'm thankful that we're moving toward a lasting memorial."

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[View in Council Newsroom]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/15/2015

Council to host Public Hearing on SR 520 West-End Design

SEATTLE - Council's Transportation Committee will host a Public Hearing Wednesday evening to hear public feedback regarding Seattle's goals for the proposed design of the west-end of the SR 520 bridge replacement project.  In July 2015, the Washington State Legislature approved funding for remainder of the 520 project.  Council is preparing to adopt a resolution which outlines the City of Seattle's priorities and principles as the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) moves forward to finish design and begin construction on the West Side of the SR 520 bridge replacement project.

The resolution under consideration concurs with the 2015 Final Design Concept Report, which calls for a box girder style bridge including a bike and pedestrian path over Portage Bay, redesigned highway lids with a new land bridge, and multimodal connectivity improvements. The City is also asking WSDOT to consider an additional bike and pedestrian bridge across the Montlake Cut, transit priority enhancements, intelligent transportation system improvements (ITS), improved pedestrian safety at the Montlake interchange, and neighborhood traffic enhancements.

Each member of the public will have up to 2 minutes to address the committee, and public comment sign-up sheets will be available at 5:15 p.m.

For more information, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/I5toLakeWa/default.htm

WHAT:
Council Public Hearing regarding the west-end design of the SR 520 Bridge

WHERE:
University Christian Church
4731 15th Ave NE, Seattle, 98105

WHEN:
Wednesday, September 16
5:30 p.m.

WHO:
Seattle City Councilmembers
Public

[View in Council Newsroom]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 8/31/2015

Mayor, Councilmember Rasmussen Announce Support of SR 520 West Side Design
Seattle’s Design Preferences Expressed in New Resolution

SEATTLE -- Today Mayor Ed Murray and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen introduced a resolution outlining the City of Seattle’s priorities and principles as the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) moves forward to finish design and begin construction on the West Side of the SR 520 bridge replacement project. The resolution incorporates years of feedback and engagement from the local community and stakeholders, and represents a unified policy position from the City on the major design elements of the project.

“The 520 bridge is a critical transportation corridor and economic lifeline for the region. The final design must improve the flow of the roadway and the livability of the communities that surround it,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “This resolution represents an important next step as we work with our state partners to complete the project so that it is seismically safe and works for all modes – cars, transit, bicycles and pedestrians. For the first time, we will have a unified City position on the design of the project.”

“After more than a decade working on SR 520 issues, I am eager for this project to be completed.  The design includes features that create more usable and integrated spaces for the community, provide safe connections for bikes and pedestrians and keep cars and transit moving,” said Transportation Committee Chair Tom Rasmussen. “This resolution affirms the commitment of the Council to work with the Mayor to ensure a successful outcome.”

In July 2015, the Washington State Legislature approved funding for remainder of the 520 project, which has been named the “Rest of the West” by WSDOT. The City’s resolution concurs with the 2015 Final Design Concept Report, which calls for a box girder style bridge including a bike and pedestrian path over Portage Bay, redesigned highway lids with a new land bridge, and multimodal connectivity improvements. The City is also asking WSDOT to consider an additional bike and pedestrian bridge across the Montlake Cut, transit priority enhancements, intelligent transportation system improvements (ITS), improved pedestrian safety at the Montlake interchange, and neighborhood traffic enhancements.

“We are pleased by the progress so far and look forward to continuing to work with the City and WSDOT to ensure the highest quality final design,” said Lionel Job, of the community group Montlake Neigborhood Greenways.

WSDOT and the City previously agreed to the following design framework through the Seattle Community Design Process in 2013:  

• A new Portage Bay Bridge between I-5 and Montlake, designed to better fit surroundings and resist earthquakes.
• Highway lids at Montlake Boulevard and 10th Avenue East/Delmar Drive East to help reconnect neighborhoods and provide transit facilities.
• New HOV lanes from I-5 to Montlake Boulevard that will complete the SR 520 HOV system from I-5 to Redmond.
• The south half of a new west approach bridge built to modern seismic standards for carrying eastbound traffic from Montlake to the new floating bridge.
• Mobility improvements such as bicycle, pedestrian and transit connections, and networks to and from SR 520 to existing and planned city networks, including options for users of all ages and abilities and safer undercrossing.
• An extension to I-5 of a regional bicycle and pedestrian path from Seattle to the Eastside, with connections to local trails and transit stops.

Council will host a Public Hearing to hear community feedback on the resolution. The hearing will be held at University Christian Church located at 4731 15th Ave. NE on Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m.  Full Council is expected to vote on the resolution in late September.

To read the full resolution, click: www.seattle.gov/council/attachments/SR520Resolution.pdf

For more information, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/I5toLakeWa/default.htm

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Office of the Mayor

[View in Council Newsroom]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 7/2/2015
Councilmember Rasmussen Hails State Funding for Traffic Management at Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal
SEATTLE - City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen applauded the Governor and the State Legislature for approving funding for t...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/26/2020
Councilmember Rasmussen's Statement on Supreme Court Marriage RulingSEATTLE - Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, the first and only openly gay man to serve on the Seattle City Council, today released the following state...