July 2007

While mom straps little sister Carlyn into her stroller 2-and-a-half-year-old Elsa Anderson darts across the slanted water fountain at Ballard Commons Park trying not to fall off.

A few residents met at Baker Park last week for weeding, chatting and pizza. It was the first meeting of the Whittier Heights Community Council in more than a year, the few remaining members discussed how they might renew community interest in the group. Pam Cahn left and Andrea Faste prune back shrubs and clean up the park. To get involved in the Whittier group, contact Andrea Faste at andrea@sustainableballard.org.

Once upon a time in what was a much smaller and less toney Washington State, there was a fellow from Spokane who served as both the state's insurance commissioner and its fire marshal. He was an elected official and had every intention of retaining his office for as long as possible.

Even in those dark days before the Internet and continual political polling, this Democrat had learned that if the voters remembered his name, he was likely to keep his job.

At Large in Ballard by Peggy Sturdivant

"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." - Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)

The doors closed for good on Ballard's own Dandelion Restaurant in the last week, as did the glass door (repaired since the incident of the police cruiser) of Matt's Gourmet Hot Dogs. When a friend emailed me that Dandelion had closed I put on my shoes at 9 p.m. and trotted over to NW 24th Street hoping to debunk a rumor.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association held its second annual Summer Beer Taste Saturday, rhis year it fell on "quatorze juillet," or Bastille Day, so the event was coined "Beerstille Day."

Bright red t-shirts worn by staff, and for sale, pictured a cartoon guillotine "beheading" a mug of beer with the phrase: "Quaff With Their Heads!"

A thirsty mob of over 200 stormed the Phinney Center's courtyard to taste over 20 ales offered by 14 area brewers.

Marcia Lee Brunner, 60, a volunteer who donated her time to many community activities in Ballard and Greenwood, passed away on June 16 after a long fight with leukemia.

The day after her passing, husband Dan Brunner posted a message on http://www.hopeformarcia.com.

"It is with unbelievable sadness, mixed with too many other emotions to describe, that I must tell everyone that Marcia's long battle with leukemia has ended, and she has moved on to a kinder, gentler place," he wrote.

"At 11:15 Saturday morn

Ballard's Kvichak Marine and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island have joined forces to build two149-passenger ferries that will be 85 percent cleaner than the 2007 Environmental Protection Agency regulations require.

The first of the two boats, destined for the San Francisco Bay Area, will be completed this summer, with each boat taking seven months to build at a cost of $8 million each.

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority is a regional agency with a mandate to create a comprehensive public water transit system of ferries, feeder buses an

The 33rd annual Ballard SeafoodFest is slated for July 28 and 29 and its leader says they need help.

Volunteering, they say, is a fun and painless way to contribute to our vibrant, caring community and offers a chance to meet your neighbors, promote your business or just have a good time. Every year, a core group steps in to contribute countless hours of time to make this two-day event one of Seattle's favorite summer festivals.

There are many opportunities for involvement.

The city wants to take the lead this time as it decides how Ballard and Crown Hill should update its neighborhood plan.

Mayor Greg Nickels released a proposal earlier this month that outlines a city-staffed structure to examine all 38 of Seattle's neighborhood plans by dividing the city into six sectors.

Three daily openings of the Fremont Bridge from now until the Fremont Bridge project is completed early next year, will take 15 minutes, instead of the usual 3 to 5 minutes.

These longer openings will take place at 5 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 11 p.m.

The Seattle Department of Transportations says drivers headed over the bridge may want to schedule their trips accordingly, or take an alternate route at these times.

These longer openings are due to opening both halves of the bridge using a temporary winch.