Join us for a Lid I-5 Beer & Culture panel discussion February 19, 2025 on Urban Integration, to create a connected, equitable, and sustainable Seattle by lidding a portion of I-5. Presented by Lid I-5 and co-sponsored by Allied Arts of Seattle and Seattle Parks Foundation. Hear perspectives from panelists experienced at the neighborhood, city and national level in what promises to be a rich discussion focused on how the lid fits within Seattle's urban context.

Panelists:

Sally Bagshaw, Moderator

Sally is a former Seattle City Councilmember and former board member of Allied Arts and the first chair of Waterfront for All. After ten years on Seattle City Council, Sally spent two years as a fellow at Harvard University delving deep into public health and urban design issues.

Along with Scott Bonjukian and John Feit, she co-authored an article published in the Harvard Social Impact Review titled "Reconnecting What Freeways: Addressing the Historical Toll on Communities Split by Highways."

Sally serves now on multiple boards including the Metropolitan Improvement District board and the Seattle Center Advisory Commission. She and her husband, Brad Bagshaw, have been Downtown residents for twenty five years. 

Lyle Bicknell

Lyle is a Seattle-based urban designer. Former Principal Urban Designer for the City of Seattle, he continues to promote and advocate for urban design excellence throughout the public realm. Lyle was a 2012 Scan|Design Professional Fellow and a 2019 US State Department SE Asian Fellow. He is an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Urban Design and Planning and the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington where he received his architectural degree.

Lyle serves on the boards of Allied Arts of Seattle and the Allied Arts Foundation.

Julie Meredith, PE

Julie Meredith was appointed Secretary of Transportation by Governor Bob Ferguson in 2025. She oversees an agency which stewards a complex, multimodal transportation system responsible for ensuring people and goods move safely and efficiently.  She joined the agency in 1989 where she has spent her entire professional career. She was named Deputy Assistant Secretary of Mega Programs in 2018, and Assistant Secretary of Urban Mobility & Access in December 2020.

She has been involved in improving the State Route 520 corridor across Lake Washington, including the world's longest floating bridge; replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct; and improvements along the Interstate 405, SR 167 and SR 509 corridors. In 2017, Meredith was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Design Build Institute of America for the SR 520 Program and received the Public Service Recognition Week Leadership Award. Meredith was the WTS Puget Sound Chapter Woman of the Year (2015-2016).

Sung Yang, Principal, Pacific Public Affairs

Sung has more than two decades of experience managing public policy issues, legislative advocacy, communications, political campaigns, coalition building, and public opinion research. Prior to joining Pacific Public Affairs, Sung was Deputy King County Executive and Chief of Staff for King County Executive Dow Constantine. He also served in senior positions with former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Sung is also the current Board Chair of the Downtown Seattle Association and also serves on the boards of the Seattle Center Foundation, Eastrail Partners, and Seattle Academy. 

Sung received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Washington.

Details:

Date/Time: February 19, 5-6p Social | 6-7p Panel | 7-7:30p Q&A

Location: Town Hall, | 1119 8th Avenue, Seattle

Free & open to the public | No host bar and snacks | Registration Requested - Thank You!

The event will be video-recorded and available to the public.

Save the Date: Lid I-5 Beer & Culture, Building Partnerships, April 17th. More information to follow.

Background

Lid I-5 is a volunteer group seeking to cover I-5 in Seattle from Thomas Street to Main Street, reconnecting people with streets, parks, and buildings. The project was recently awarded a $2.2 million planning grant and your input is needed as we begin to work out how to best utilize this funding. For more background, review the narrative of the grant application here and the Technical Feasibility Report (completed in 2020 by Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development) here.

Seattle Parks Foundation is uniquely positioned to support neighborhood-based efforts by bridging community to government agencies and providing fiscal services to grassroots groups. We lead the region in parks and public space partnerships and projects, and have a proven track record of success