14th Ave a bit greener thanks to volunteers

A group of volunteers worked along 14th Ave NW Saturday morning, picking up trash, planting plants and preparing the medians for more planters.

Volunteers grab supplies and snacks donated by Ballard Market.

Dawn Hemminger with the East Ballard Community Association was impressed with Saturday’s turnout. “Every time we do a clean up we get more and more people, so the word is spreading. It’s very exciting,” Hemminger tells us.

Volunteers dig trench for weed barrier.

Some volunteers picked up garbage from the waterfront to NW 65th St, while others worked on the six planters that have been placed at NW 60th. The six planters are part of the “dry run” as Hemminger put it, before the remaining 21 planters can be installed. Before the planters can be moved in, volunteers will dig out weeds, lay down a landscape barrier and rake gravel donated by Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel into place. The majority of the potting soil is donated by Cedar Grove and Swanson’s has donated the plants.

Three completed planters.

Hemminger says to stay tuned for more work parties in the next few weeks, as much more work is needed to complete this project. Once all the planters are in place, the end of each median from 59th to 63rd will have either planters or existing landscaping.