March 2007

When Lauren Bullington first came to the Ballard Boys and Girls Club 10 years ago, she was shy and nervous.

Now she has been voted 2007 Youth of the Year at the Ballard club and represented the organization at the Boys and Girls Club of King County's Annual Awards Luncheon on February 8.

She was interviewed by a panel and gave a speech in front of the audience at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle.

Judges chose one boy and one girl from among 12 Boys and Girls Clubs in the county as finalists.

Raise the B&O

tax exemption

By Carl Gipson

The Business & Occupation (B&O) tax is widely referred to as a draconian tax that particularly punishes new and small businesses. Year after year, legislators try to find ways to fix this tax, and year after year, it remains an unrelieved burden to the business community.

The B&O tax is levied on all gross receipts of all businesses in Washington as a privilege of engaging in business. The term gross receipts means gross income, gross sales, or the value of products, whichever is applicable.

In light of recent articles published about the viaduct controversy, I find it disappointing that the media or public officials have not thought "out-of-the-box" (or rather off the waterfront) to present alternative routes for SR-99.

Mayorie, mayorie quite contrary,

How will your condo wall grow?

To one-sixty feet at its peak

Such is now what we know.

Mayorie, mayorie quite contrary,

What would you post "SOLD!"

Freedom of assembly? our scenic commute?

Bartered for condo tax gold!

Mayorie, mayorie quite contrary,

Upon our eyes Elliot's glories show.

Leif Erickson simply did not want to move after 45 years at Shilshole Bay Marina, causing anguish to workmen who struggled five days, encountering unexpected brass rods and the statue's legs full of concrete.

It was finally removed Saturday and has been trucked off to be shined up for its next location at a new park a few hundred feet away.

The statue stubbornly remained on its perch as crews from the Artech used drills, roto-hammers, hydralic jacks, electrical jack hammers and a huge crane in an attempt to take it down.

Finally on Friday afternoon, crews made

The Seattle Parks Board has given final approval to the name Ballard Corners Park after the retired park director suggested a more historic name would be better.

The park is located on the southwest corner of 17th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 63rd Street. The park consists of two land parcels, one of which was purchased with funding from the Pro Parks Levy Opportunity Fund in 2003.

The Seattle Department of Transportation had to file an official public records request with the Washington State Department of Transportation to obtain a copy of a contractor's review saying there are no insurmountable problems with the city's slimmed-down hybrid tunnel proposal.

State officials pronounced the hybrid tunnel plan unsafe because emergency vehicles would not be able to get through traffic during the morning and evening commute times.

The 43rd District Democrats held a successful panel and endorsement vote on the Alaskan Way Viaduct on Feb. 21 at the University Heights Community Center.

Panelists Cary Moon (People's Waterfront Coalition), Todd Vogel (Allied Arts of Seattle), Peter Sherwin (Repair and Prepare), and Gene Hoglund (No Tunnel Alliance) and moderator C.R.

Community groups and other organizations that rent surplus Seattle School buildings, including three in the Ballard area, could get a chance to purchase the sites if they can come up with millions of dollars.

The district is currently evaluating its lease agreements with tenants in 19 surplus buildings across the city to determine whether or not to sell or increase rents to make more money. Seven are school buildings slated for closure this fall.

The Daniel Webster School in the Sunset Hill neighborhood has been home to the Nordic Heritage Museum for the past 25 years.

The city of Seattle has approved Safeway's controversial proposal to build a 12-pump gas station at its location in Crown Hill with the condition the corporation install speed bumps on side streets that would be affected by increased traffic.

A group of neighbors who oppose the discount gas station have been raising funds to appeal the decision.