October 2006

Not 'just' a hospital

It will take a lot of tender care by Swedish Hospital folks to keep Ballard residents from worrying that its ownership will not mean the slow dismantling of the proud hospital so many local people helped found and then kept vibrant all these years. The history and the value of the hospital are outlined in an excellent in-depth package starting on Page One of today's paper.

We fully recognize that hospitals change and maybe Swedish has to as well.

Neighborhood
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Sales tax increase to pay for more buses

This November voters will decide on a ballot measure proposed by King County, called "Transit Now."

The measure would raise the County sales tax by 0.1 percent and use the new revenue to expand transit services. The package would increase the tax burden on citizens by an estimated $50 million a year by 2008. The new tax has no expiration date. The size of Metro would be permanently expanded by about 20 percent.

The County would use the new money to buy 175 more buses over the next four years.

Category

Concern for Crown Hill

School's future

Editor's Note: This letter was written to the Seattle School Board and the Seattle City Council and a copy sent to the Ballard News-Tribune.

The Sunset Hill Community Association is extremely concerned by the Seattle School District's reported plans to change the way surplus school properties are used. Our neighborhoods depend on these public properties for untold numbers of active, vital, and essential community organizations.

Neighborhood
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