Some Interesting Laurelhurst History

A Laurelhurst Community Club member published this history about NE Surber Drive:

William H. Surber Researched and written by Jim Rupp, LCC trustee

 

When developers created Laurelhurst, their plats had picturesque street names that are long forgotten. Names like Laurel Avenue, Prospect Avenue, Ridge Road, and View Drive (all included in the Laurelhurst Heights Plat of the early 1900s) disappeared when Laurelhurst was annexed to Seattle in 1910. 

Most street names were given numbers, which helped the fire department find homes before they burned to the ground. There are some exceptions. For instance, Cascade and Olympic drives became East and West Laurelhurst drives. 

And Surber Avenue and Surber Place became Surber Drive. Why keep the Surber name? Well, it’s because its namesake – William H. Surber – was one of the earliest settlers in the area, and he was a memorable figure they called “Uncle Joe.” 

He came to Seattle in 1858 and worked as a carpenter and as a contractor driving piles for many of the early waterfront railroad trestles. He was also Seattle’s first chief of police. Through it all he supplemented his income by selling wild game he hunted throughout the area. He shot his first deer in downtown Seattle, near what is now Marion Street and Third and Fourth avenues. 

One of Surber’s favorite hunting spots was what became Laurelhurst. In 1861 he acquired 160 acres along the shores of Union Bay, bordered on the east and west by what are now 45th NE and 35th NE. 

In 1888 Henry Yesler bought part of that property and built a sawmill and created the town of Yesler, near where the UW Horticulture Center is located. Surber had a house and a farm on the property, and he would regale visitors with stories of pioneer days. To get there, friends would often take the trolley to Madison Park, then rent a canoe or rowboat and cross Union Bay. Surber was still living in his Laurelhurst house when he died in 1923 at 89. Surber is buried at Seattle’s historic Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill, near many pioneers who enjoyed his good company. 

Owl Swipes Joggers Hat On Surber Drive

 

A Bryant resident, Ed, taking a jog through Laurelhurst had an unexpected encounter with an owl last month.

He wrote the below about his encounter and also told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff: "I wonder if the will show up in someone's yard, but it's probably part of a nest or something now (the price of a good story)."

Cap burglar

My wife thought it might be instructive to inform any fellow nocturnal sojourners of an aerial wildlife encounter in darkest Laurelhurst on the night of November 28th. A few minutes past 6 p.m., I was strafed by an owl while jogging around a quiet bend of NE Surber Drive (SE of Yesler Swamp/boglands).  

Curious and a bit unnerved, I flashed my phone light into the trees around to see if I could spot this winged assailant. But there was no sign of it. I continued on my way northward.  

About half a block later, I felt a quick, mild blow to the back of my head, coupled with a profound lack of hat. I didn’t hear or see a thing before or after this stealth attack. The owl and my cap simply disappeared into the black night. 

Largely unschooled in the ways of owls, I can only speculate that maybe the beige color of my cap appeared from above as one of our proliferating population of rabbits ambling along the sidewalk, just ripe for the taking? 

Anyway, hold on to your hats out there. And if you happen to find an abandoned beige running cap in the vicinity, please let me know…

Eagle And Baby Eagle Sightings in the Neighborhood And Talaris

The Laurelhurst Blog has received inquiries about how the baby eagles are doing at Talaris, where a long time eagles nest is located, just off of 41st Avenue NE.

Over the last several years, neighbors have been keeping Laurelhurst Blog informed of the baby eagle activity.

Recently neighbors wrote to the Laurelhurst Blog:

Have you heard any update on the eagles at Talaris?  It looked like eagles were sitting on the nest earlier in the spring. We wonder what has happened with the babies now.

I saw five eagles last week! All were in the air, though. I assumed two were juveniles, as I couldn't see white markings, but I didn't have binoculars. The problem is, I have not seen activity at the nest specifically, so those could have been eagles from either nest. Or do they mingle? They were circling above the Talaris campus, however.

Neighbors have also recently reported about other eagles nest:

There is another eagles nest on 55th Avenue NE and we saw two extra heads in the nest.  Please let neighbors know not to shoot off fireworks on July 4th, out of consideration of the eagles and of the dogs in the neighborhood.  We are also very curious about the eagles at Talaris. 

We saw two adults, and a younger eaglet, or fledgling, were being harassed by crows last weekend on Surber Drive and NE 41st Street. We also saw 7 playing in the wind about a week ago south of the Laurelhurst Beach Club.

 

Last July a neighbor sent the above picture and update about the eagles nesting near Talaris:

The chicks seem to be doing fine.  They mostly stand around and wait for food.  They are starting to whistle for food now.  By the time they go the neighbors, at least some of us are not sad to see them go.   

If there is a breeze one will stand on the edge of the nest and practice flying jumping into the air in small hops.  They are making trips out of the nest onto nearby branches.  If they follow past years,  they will be fledging toward the end of next month or so.

Last March and in May 2014, eagle chicks were sighted by residents on Surber Drive. In April of last year, a neighbor sent a video of the activity.  And in early 2013 there were more baby eagle sightings.

In September of 2013, residents were concerned about the eagles when suddenly a black vinyl fence was put up around the nest. Neighbors were again concerned last May when many reported hearing dump trucks and seeing a digging machine too close to the eagles nest. 

Please send your sightings and pictures to the Laurelhurst Blog Staff at laurelhurstblogger@gmail.com.

Cottonwood Tree Removal On NE Surber In Pedestrian Triangle Postponed Till Fall, Oak Trees To Replace Them

cottonwood trees to be removed in the fall
and replaced with Oak trees

notice of tree removal posted in April



Removal of four cottonwoods (Populus Haagus) in the pedestrian triangle of the entrance to NE Surber Drive, off of Mary Gates Drive, has been postponed until the fall.  The trees were originally planned for removal in April as shown in the picture above. 

The City will plant two scarlet oaks and smaller understory trees yet to be chosen.   LCC, along with several neighbors will pay for the removal and grinding of the cottonwoods.

The Laurelhurst Community Club worked closely with the City on the decision to remove the trees stating:

About 10 years ago, a neighbor coordinated the installation of the pedestrian refuge island at the corner of NE 41^st and Surber and purchased the original cottonwoods.  LCC was deeply involved and was a major help with the fundraising on the adjacent median on NE 41^{s Street}, part of the same project to improve the street and the City of Seattle, through a Small and Simple Grant, was also involved.   

Very unfortunately, the cottonwoods (Populus Hagus) have not worked out. Their roots have taken over the site and made it impossible for the ground cover plants (Genista pilosa) to thrive. A neighbor has replanted the ground cover a couple of times to no avail. Further, the cottonwoods are prone to aphids.  And in the Spring,  the cottonwoods sucker in the spring, which works well in the Colorado wilds, but not so much in this space. 

Ben Roberts, SDOT Arboriculturist and ISA Certified Arborist, by chance dropped by an extra scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) he had left over from another job and the neighbor  asked him if the cottonwoods could be replaced with three new oaks and he said that would be possible.  They are much longer lived than cottonwoods.

The neighbor said that the site will be lovely and the trees will add to the urban canopy. And they have great fall color.

LCC said in a recent letter to Ben Roberts confirming approval to remove the trees:

LCC voted unanimously to support the removal and replacement of the four cottonwoods  at its April 11 meeting  and agreed with SDOT's recommendation that the pedestrian refuge should be replanted with three red oaks. 

In your April 8 email to LCC about why the cottonwoods should be removed: “Populus species in general are a short term, fast to grow, fast to die species, that historically have a reputation of failure once to a mature size. In addition this species has an overly aggressive root system has the potential to damage ROW infrastructure such as the sidewalk and curbing.”

LCC has heard from one neighbor on the tree replacement and considered his views.

The neighbors who originally were involved in planting the cottonwoods as part of a grant to LCC in the highly competitive Neighborhood Street Fund concur.  Neighbors have particularly noticed the negative impacts of the cottonwoods’ aggressive root systems. This is apparent in LCC’s annual traffic circle clean-up.  

The dozens and dozens of cottonwood seedlings that surface each year have very deep root structures and are impossible to pull. All we have been able to do over the years is clip the new seedlings and they return. In the meantime, they choke off the groundcover with beautiful yellow flowers planted below. 

The neighbors and LCC have agreed to pay for the removal of the trees. LCC is pleased SDOT will replace them with three Quercus coccinea, the scarlet oak, and maintain them. LCC urges you to move forward with this project soon. Thank you for your efforts in addressing this issue and working with our neighbors.

Ben Roberts provided this history of the decision to remove the trees:

SDOT Urban Forestries' decision to remove the existing Populus trees out of the Right of Way triangle was based on the idea the community was in support of this restoration, re-forestation project. SDOT UF came together with the local community members who had originally established the trees and developed a plan that would, in the long range of tree life, and maintenance, beautify and improve the area based on tree species and understory improvement, including SDOT Urban Forestry taking over ownership and maintenance responsibilities of the Oak trees for the extent of their lifespan.

The original Oak tree that was intended to be planted in the triangle,  a crew was sent out out to salvage the tree before it got too dry due to the closing of the optimal tree planting window.

SDOT Urban Forestry was trying to find a location to plant an Oak tree that was originally part of a 2 for 1 replacement program. I found a suitable ROW planting strip in the Pedestrian triangle at 41^st NE and Suber. I then placed a flag notifying the proposed planting location so that the proper steps could be taken to plant the tree. (This planting was to be done by an outside contractor, not SDOT).  

That day, SDOT Urban Forestry was approached by a neighbor, the original community member who had planted the under story plants and the Populus trees within this pedestrian triangle some 10-15 years ago.  

The neighbor explained that she would like to re-establish the vegetation and tree canopy within the triangle, noting that the tree species was not the most ideal selection for the location. ( The species Populus is in fact not an approved species to be planted in the ROW, based on our current SDOT UF standards)  

At this time (March 30^th) I inspected the location with the neighbor and discussed the health and long term outcomes of these trees. Populus species in general are a short term, fast to grow, fast to die species, that historically have a reputation of failure once to a mature size. In addition this species has an overly aggressive root system that has the potential to damage ROW infrastructure such as the sidewalk and curbing.  

SDOT Urban Forestry’s Standards on Ownership/maintenance are as follows:

• If SDOT Urban Forestry planted the tree- then the tree is “Owned and Maintained” by SDOT Urban Forestry
• If someone other than SDOT Urban Forestry planted the tree, than it is under the ownership and maintenance of the adjacent property owner.
• Because these trees were originally planted by Mrs. Colley, SDOT Urban Forestry does not Own nor Maintain these trees. Therefore the trees removal request was treated as a Citizens Request for Tree Removal and Replacement.
• As per standards, the neighbor was then required to hire a Registered Tree Service Provider, Receive a permit for removal and replacement, and fund the entire project privately.

I then approved the removal of these trees based on:

• Unsuitable species within the ROW & with the mindset of improving the long term canopy potential of the public triangle. 

In addition: SDOT Urban Forestry had in its possession 2 additional Scarlet Oaks that we needed to find suitable homes for. (This species is a highly desirable ROW tree with long lasting canopy potential, structural integrity, beautiful fall colors, etc.)

My contribution to this project was to plant these additional 2 trees for a total of 3 in this landscape, and after their installation, take on watering responsibilities for the required 3 year establishment period, and for SDOT Urban Forestry to take on ownership and maintenance responsibilities for the life of these trees. Its SDOT Urban Forestry’s goal to improve and maintain the urban canopy. Suitable, long term asset acquisition is part of this goal.

From my understanding, the neighbor has worked endlessly within the local community, to help improve local public space (Median strips along 41^st, and work within the UW wetlands).  From what I have gathered the neighbor has raised several hundred dollars from the local community members to help fund this project, and she sent out a community email on March 31^st explaining the project.  

No City funds, aside from my 1 hour visit/inspection, were allocated to this project. This has been treated as a standard SDOT Urban Forestry Permit Application, and standard SDOT Urban Forestry practices have been followed.

Uncovered Manhole On Surber Drive Now Finally Covered

Long-time uncovered manhole 

near Surber Drive 

finally covered February 4th

Last month the Laurelhurst Blog reported about a very long time uncovered manhole in a parking strip, about 2 feet wide and 2 1/2 feet long,  just off of NE 41st Street at the intersection of Surber Drive.

Residents in the area sent the Blog Staff many concerned emails about the danger of pedestrians and dogs walking in that area:

The uncovered manhole is right next to a crosswalk. I imagine a parent with little kids, waiting at the corner to cross, especially in poor lighting conditions, and the child running right into the hole. 

What makes it really dangerous is when it is dark and there is no orange cone in it. When the orange cone was missing for several days it was really dangerous. And actually the hole was a lot worse before I cut away a lot of the weeds and grass about three weeks ago. 

For a good decade or more there has been insufficient cover for the manhole near the Yesler swamp area.  For a number of years they had just plywood.  Now they have an orange cone.  I tried to see who is responsible for this.  I got nowhere with the University or the City.  If a car goes up on that grassy strip, it would damage a tire or axel.  A cyclist on the sidewalk could get hurt if not paying attention and wandered into that hole.  I wish the responsible party would put a proper iron cover over it. 

If the cone blows away, there is a big square hole there and someone could fall in and get hurt. Plus, it’s ugly.  

The Laurelhurst Blog contacted the City and was referred to SDOT Street Maintenance, who said they checked with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), who verified it was not their box.  

Roxanne, SDOT Street Maintenance Manager, worked to determine ownership of the utility box for a couple of weeks and was unsuccessful.   

She said:

We are going to just go head and take a measurement and our North District Supervisor is working on finding a replacement cover.  Since the UW has not taken care of the repair of their box, we will go out and purchase a top for the box and get it installed. 

On February 4th Roxanne notified the Blog Staff that they were able to purchase a new box top for the damaged irrigation box and had installed it.  

She added:

Hopefully this will resolve the problem.  Again, I apologize for how long this has taken but it has been difficult to determine who actually owns this facility.  We will continue to try to locate the owner of this box in case it needs attention in the future.

LCC emailed the Blog Staff confirming the new manhole had been installed saying:

Really excellent persistance on getting this safety hazard fixed. Every time I walk by, it will remind me of the Blog Staff's commitment to the neighborhood.

Beware Of Uncovered Deep Manhole On Surber Drive



The Laurelhurst Blog has received many concerned emails from residents on and near Surber Drive about a manhole that is over a foot deep without a cover.   

A Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) Board Member contacted SDOT Traffic Safety two months ago, however still nothing has been done to cover the manhole.

The manhole, which is about 2 feet wide and 2 1/2 feet long, is just off of NE 41st Street and is located on the parking strip between the pathway and the road heading south into Surber Drive NE .  It is about ten feet south of the street sign at the intersection of NE 41st Street and Surber Dr NE, a Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) Board Member said.

One nearby resident commented:

The uncovered manhole is right next to a crosswalk. I imagine a parent with little kids, waiting at the corner to cross, especially in poor lighting conditions, and the child running right into the hole.

Another resident said:

What makes it really dangerous is when it is dark and there is no orange cone in it.  When the orange cone was missing for several days it was really dangerous. And actually the hole was a lot worse before I cut away a lot of the weeds and grass about three weeks ago.

An LCC Board Member sent Jim Curtin, SDOT Traffic Safety Coordinator, an email on November 5 saying:

Several weeks ago I sent you an email concerning a deep hole, about 24” x 30” in size, at the north end of Surber Drive NE.  

The hole, which appears to be a water meter, has an orange cone in it to keep folks aware due to the thick weeds and grass growing out of the hole. SDOT then installed a red and white trestle over the hole the give even better protection.  

Yesterday I went to have another look at it because I noticed the trestle was missing and there was still no cover or manhole installed.  

Could you please give me some idea of when SDOT will fix this problem? It’s a potential leg breaker in the current condition.

Jim Curtin responded on November 12 saying:

We coordinate with SPU on these issues and it sounds as if they have not responded to this issue just yet. I will have our crews go back out there to reinstall the temporary barrier. I’ll also ask SPU to expedite the repair of the cover.

On December 10, LCC again followed up with Jim saying:

I dropped by this site today and noted that there is no change. Just the orange cone and lots of weeds and grass.  No temporary barrier has been installed.  

On December 15, Jim Curtin responded:

Thanks for the update.  I’m guessing that the massive amount of rain that we’ve received lately has something to do with the delay. I’ll ping my contacts and see if we can get some action out there sooner rather than later.

As of yesterday, the LCC Board member said that Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has still not shown up to make changes to the open manhole saying:

I’m still waiting to hear or see any action from SDOT or SPU on this problem.  What I don’t understand is the hole has water meters in it so, if they are still active, SDOT or SPU should install a new cover over the hole or, if the meters are no longer in use, fill the hole in will dirt an be done with it. It’s a one hour job in my opinion.   

Anything the Blog can do that you think can help get some action would be really great. This has been going on long enough and is very dangerous for our neighbors.

The Laurelhurst Blog contacted Jim Curtin this morning and is awaiting a response.
 

 

 

Residents On NE Surber Drive Concerned That Speed Bumps Are Not Slowing Larger Vehicles Down, SDOT To Conduct Study



A resident on NE Surber Drive sent us email wondering how effective the speed cushions are, because he has seen cars, especially larger vehicles, such as SUVS, avoiding the speed cushions, thus still maintaining a high rate of speed.

The speed cushions, which are three inches high, were installed in  December of 2011 between NE 41st Street and 41st Avenue NE, due to numerous neighbors raising concerns about speeding cars over the last several years.

The City put in the speed cushions after more than 60 percent of affected neighbors signed a petition submitted in July of the same year.  The well-travelled corridor had been on SDOT’s priority funding list and SDOT wrote to the Laurelhurst Community Club last June that funds were finally available to "address the relatively high speeds." the Laurelhurst Community Club said. 

A resident wrote:

I have lived on Surber Drive for about four years.  I am shocked by the speed of many cars in this residential neighborhood. I helped gather signatures for installing the speed bumps thinking it would reduce speeds. Sadly, the change has been insignificant.

The width of the bumps allows cars with a wide wheel base (SUVs) to avoid contact.  Cars are still barreling around the corner into the construction zone and making it hazardous to back out of driveways.  The bumps have a shallow design and are not that intimidating to speeders.  Cars that do slow for the bumps have a long stretch to pick up speed after they clear them. 

I am sure the city engineers have reasons for this minimum design.  But for those seeking a solution to other speed problem areas in the neighborhood, realize that speed bumps, such as those installed on Surber, may not be a complete solution.

And another neighbor commented:

At the yield sign at Surber Drive and 42nd Avenue NE there used to be round bumps (I'm sure there is another name for them) and painted stripes to the right of the yield sign. Drivers going right onto 42nd Avenue NE cut to the right of the sign and sometimes even pass cars that are turning right from the correct side of the sign. Twice I have even witnessed drivers coming from Webster Point area and turning left onto Surber left of the sign on the left side of the road. Very scary!

 

Another resident commented:

I drove along Surber recently and had to pull to one side as a large, dark blue, SUV came ripping along the other way doing at least 30mph. The speed cushions had no effect on him at all. 

I think the SPD are the only ones to stop these folks. With all the construction vans and trucks either side of the road I was amazed the driver would even attempt 20 mph let alone 30mph.

The Laurelhurst Community Club told us that speeding along Surber continues to be a problem despite the speed cushions that were installed in 2011.   

LCC recently contacted the City after hearing from residents that certain vehicles are able to avoid any impact with the cushions due to a wide wheel base. Neighbors were also concerned about cars speeing around the curve in the road about at Belvoir when other cars are coming in the opposite direction. 

John Marek, SDOT Neighborhood Traffic Operations Supervisory wrote in response:

The speed cushions that were installed on Surber Drive NE were designed in accordance with federal guidelines outlined by the Institute for Traffic Engineers and the National Association of City Transportation Officials. 

These guidelines provide jurisdictions the ability to modify the design in accordance with street design and city policies, as we have done in Seattle. SDOT uses a design intended to maximize the traffic calming effects while minimizing the risk of property damage to vehicles and the impact to emergency service access to the neighborhood.  

While the installation of any traffic calming device on a roadway is intended to encourage slower traffic speeds, they are not able to make all motorists responsible drivers.   

SDOT will be conducting traffic studies on Surber Drive NE to help determine the effectiveness of the existing devices.  

Thank you also for sharing the information regarding Belvoir Place.  It is important to SDOT that we receive this type of information to continually provide our residents with excellent service.  

We ask that the neighborhood for this area participate in Seattle’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program to address these concerns on 42nd Avenue NE.  

Also, if neighbors are aware of vehicles that are travelling well above the posted speed limit, please contact SPD’s traffic unit at (206) 684-8757.  For questions or concerns, please contact our office directly at neighborhood.traffic@seattle.gov or (206) 684-0353.

Recently Installed Speed Cushions Help To Calm Traffic On NE Surber Drive

In case you haven't noticed, speed cushions have been installed on NE Surber Drive between NE 41st Street and 41st Avenue NE, due to numerous neighbors raising concerns about speeding cars, over the last several years.

This corridor has been on SDOT’s priority funding list and SDOT wrote to the Laurelhurst Community Club in June of this year, that funds were finally available to "address the relatively high speeds three inch high asphalt speed cushions," after more than 60 percent of affected neighbors signed a petition submitted in July.

Recently, these speed cushions were installed to calm traffic on the long stretch, along with "Speed Bump Ahead" signs. 
The three inch high asphalt speed cushions do not affect on street parking, SDOT says. 

Surber Drive is a very well travelled road used by pedestrians going to various locations, including walking to the park, Husky games, University VIllage, Yesler Swamp, or the Talaris site.

"Slowing traffic for the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists is a LCC priority, and the Surber Drive project is a welcome move,"  the Laurelhurst Community Club told us.