With little fanfare, the North Transfer Station reopened its doors sometime in the past couple of days after a 2-year renovation. I’m pretty sure that their website noted that they were closed last Monday, so I think they opened Tuesday or Wednesday. Note that their hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 7 days per week.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who has wondered what the tangled, orange mass was on the south side of the station. A sign now clarifies things for us. “Artwork. Do not climb,” it says. (I remember Da Vinci had this same problem when he first painted the Mona Lisa. People walked all over it until he posted one of these signs.) The artist is a woman by the name of Jean Shin, and the piece is aptly named “Reclaimed.”
A few weeks back, we had an email query from a reader asking us if we knew why the playground across from the transfer station on the north side of 35th – which was a part of the overall transfer station rehab project – was fenced off. It seemed all ready to use. I had noticed this myself three weeks ago although some renegade skate boarders had gotten in over the fence and seemed to be making good use of the area. As the photo shows, the fencing is now gone, and the playground is available for use!
For those inclined to celebrate, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, December 10, from 10 to 11:30. Special guest is our Deputy Mayor Kate Joncas.
The opening of the transfer station comes as a mixed blessing for wallyhood. The debate over its renovation and the renovation itself yielded 7 articles including this one. Quite a haul for a facility that was closed or in the process of closing. Unless we have an off-leash dog in the playground or a proposal to upzone the transfer facility, this probably marks the last of the transfer station articles.
Thanks very much for posting about this! I’ve been monitoring the SPU website every week to see when they were going to open; they had changed it from “Late November” to “soon” last week.
Speaking for myself, I like the improvements; but more importantly, very glad not to have to drive to South Seattle for the occasional dumping of larger trash items.
Jack, maybe there is one more story for you.
Seattle Public Utilities is offering tours of the new facility for news media, over the next few days. We’ve got one tomorrow, at 10:30 a.m., and we would love to have you join us for a closer look at the new station. Please call me if you would like a spot on our tour. Six-eight-four seven-six-eight-eight. andy dot ryan at seattle dot gov.
Andy Ryan
Seattle Public Utilities
It’s disappointing how these epic projects get so little fanfare. Millions of dollars and years of waiting, everyone in the neighborhood walking by every day wondering what it will be like, getting all emotionally invested, and then one day they’re just…open. How about a little music and an announcement ceremony? Something to acknowledge all that time and effort?
“For those inclined to celebrate, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, December 10, from 10 to 11:30. Special guest is our Deputy Mayor Kate Joncas.”
Yeah, about 2 weeks after it actually opens. Pretty anti-climactic. And the park on 35th gets nothing.
Well, I’m the department’s media guy, Isaac, and we have been planning an announcement for a couple of weeks. The station has actually only been open to residential customers since Monday. We had to do our media announcement in a way that didn’t step on the Dec. 10 open house, so our actual formal announcement is set for Monday.
I am taking some print media out there tomorrow, so they can get a jump on the story. I don’t think most people who read the stories or see the shots of the new station on TV are going to feel deprived because the formal announcement happens a week after we opened the doors to the public.
But if you are feeling disappointed, you are personally invited to join us tomorrow at 10:30, as my personal guest. Please give me a call if you’d like to join us, or discuss this further.
Thanks for writing.
a.
Seething.
I’m sure these things are complicated and I’m glad you’re doing something, even if it’s a bit delayed. Both the park and the facility turned out beautifully and deserve to be celebrated.
Nice response, Andy. Thank you.
Next up might be the Gasworks Childrens Play Structures which the city has had 2 years of citizens feedback requests. When will this ever be done? Meanwhile the homeless have a couple tents on Stone Ave N. Will their plight be solved/
Be careful. Andy Ryan might answer you!
Not sure I’d call that a renovation, but then some of the ‘renovations’ that happen around here are in name only also.
And, why isn’t Big Ed showing up for the grand opening? Or our favorite city councilperson?
The Mayor doesn’t get up until Noon.
Heard is was the deputy mayor; didn’t know there was such a title
LOLZ that made me chuckle. King Edward doth fest into the late night.
Last of the transfer station articles? I doubt that!
I’ve been, and I dumped. There is going to be an opening ceremony on Dec 10, as mentioned in the article, but maybe they wanted to run some junk through just to get the atmosphere right, and anyway it’s nice to have access to it as soon as they’re ready, while they line up acts for the ceremony.
How was the experience, when you took a dump run?
Sorry to have to say this, but … the place is a dump! Literally! ha ha … sorry.
For me, the weird thing is that you set your trash on the floor, by your feet, rather than hurling it into the pit as everywhere else I’ve been. As an experience, this is wrong, it lacks “closure.” Your trash is sitting there as you drive away. Maybe someone else will pick it up and carry it off, and soon you will have the weird experience of seeing your trash returned from the grave. Or … what if someone’s trash has venomous spiders, and one of them runs out and crawls up your leg while you’re not looking?
A terrifying prospect and one deserving of careful consideration. Do we have an Arachnid Equity Toolkit study of this structure?
I enjoyed hurling stuff into the pit too, but when I had to go to the South Transfer Station, I think I recall setting things on the floor there as well. I suppose that eliminates a falling hazard for customers and employees alike.
Ha! I think you’re spot on, Donn, regarding this being the last article. My well developed ESP tells me that another article is on the way — perhaps as early as Monday.