March 2009

David Bloom and Dorsol Plants spoke at tonight's Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting. They are not only running against each other for the 2009 Seattle City Council election, they are running against five others in the "Not Designated Position," and eight others, collectively, in "Position 4" and "Position 8."

Jan Drago and Richard McIver are not running for reelection while Richard Conlin and Nick Licata are. Declaring a designated position is not required.

Plants talked about his five years of service in the army, including two missions in Iraq in 2003 and 2005. His website states that he earned the rank of Sergeant and his Airborne Parachutist Wings.

Today March 10, the concrete pad for the bus stop  that was in front of the tennis courts on Fauntleroy Way was jack hammered out and removed.  

It was pointed out not long ago, that it was on the chopping block.  The government did a great job of wasting more tax money on yet another project that was absolutely useless and not necessary.  When you drive by there look at the aftermath and think of how government reduces spending. This is the before picture, it's gone now!

Dave Durkoop
West Seattle

After a continuation of the 2000 Pro Parks Levy was passed last November, Groundswell NW is now creating a plan on how to help the neighborhood implement the six year levy to future parks in Ballard.

At the non-profit's annual meeting March 9, board director Dave Boyd, shared the process of the levy's success while Tim Gallagher, superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation was also invited to discuss and answer questions on how the new levy would affect and benefit Ballard in the coming years.

“This was an effort that a couple of our members very early on, almost two years ago, got involved with,” Boyd said. “A citywide group, we called ourselves the Green Legacy Coalition, a coalition of groups that were parks and growth advocates.”

Boyd said the coalition felt it was important to push the levy in part because of cuts in the city budget, so they worked hard to get the Seattle City Council to appoint a Citizen Advisory Committee and put together the parks levy.

“I think it's quite amazing that we got it passed,” Boyd said.

The levy will take in $144, 720,000 starting this year until 2014.

The 27,000 square foot White Center Square development is on track to break ground by the end of April, weather permitting, said project manager Aso Jaff, with KSI Architecture and Planning.

Currently, the project is going through King County permitting processes for land use and construction permits. The site is in the unincorporated area of White Center at 9988 15th Ave. S.W.

It will be the new home of Vong's Market, also the developer's behind the project. There will be eight other retail units and a restaurant attached to the the market. A central plaza will include 58 surface parking spaces.

John Harshman is very proud of his America Bulldog Spaghetti because not only has she come through some surgery a whlle back with flying colors but she hasn't lost an ounce of her zest for life. She had a broken leg and had some pins put in to repair it.

But now she can "do a handstand," said John, sometimes able to balance on her front paws for as long as three seconds at a time. She learned this trick because she loves to get low to the ground and sniff things which causes her center of gravity to shift forward.

Spaghetti is only 5 months old so she still does act like a pup. "She's a crybaby," says John.

How to nominate your pet:

Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Veterinary Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.

Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.

(Editor's note: The following was written in memory of Dr. Madison Moores by Alison Krupnick.)

I live in a neighborhood that used to be made fun of on a local late night comedy show.




We were known for driving with the blinker on, eating smelly lard-preserved fish and responding to everything with a deadpan repetitious catch-phrase.


 Now we are impossibly hip and are regularly spotlighted whenever national publications feature Seattle.




But before all that, before we were cool, there was Maddy.




I first noticed him shortly after quitting my job to stay home with my first child, around 10 years ago. The neighborhood renaissance was just beginning and as I walked the 'hood with my stroller, wondering how I would keep myself occupied during the long days, I noticed I wasn't the only one walking.




Our first independent coffee shop had opened, with fabulous European-style pastries. I used it as my reward, trying to get through as many hours as I could before allowing myself to visit. I even tried to structure naptime around it. 




Is “Watchmen,” Zack Snyder’s (“300”) adaptation of the best-selling comic, brutally dark? Yes. Could it stand to lose 30 minutes of runtime? Also, yes. Was it overly ambitious for Snyder to create a movie out of source material that famed-director Terry Gilliam once called “unfilmable?” Possibly. But, is “Watchmen” also one of the most engrossing film experiences in recent memory? Absolutely.

“Watchmen” takes place in an alternate vision of Cold War America. It is 1985 and still-President Nixon has won the Vietnam War with the help of masked crime-fighters and the superhuman Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup). When one of these heros is murdered, it launches the vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) into an investigation of a sinister conspiracy.

The main strengths of “Watchmen” are the arresting visuals Snyder, who used the comic’s original panels as storyboards, brings to the screen. Each shot is a painting full of rich color and breathtakingly composed. It is impossible not to be drawn into a film this visually appealing, especially during the magnificent opening credit sequence.

The Southwest Design Review Board, and six others in the city, review projects at public meetings, at least twice per development, Early Design Guidance and a Recommendation phase, for mixd-use projects of a certain size.

Administered by the Department of Planning and Development, the board reviews private development projects in the city and make recommendations to the city regarding massing, scale and character of the projects.

Here are some upcoming major projects under review in West Seattle:

4706 California Ave. S.W.
Project: 3007764, 3007765

The Design Review Board will meet Thursday, March 12 at the High Point Library, 6:30 p.m. for the first in a recommendation meeting. The project has been through two Early Design Guidance Board meetings on April 10 and May 29, 2008.

The proposal, being developed by Conner Homes, is for a seven-story building containing 12,745 square feet of commercial and 72 residential unit above.  Three levels of below grade parking to be provided for 307 vehicles. Existing structures to be demolished. 

This weekend I sent out a letter to supporters announcing that I would be seeking another term on the Seattle City Council and not running for mayor or retiring entirely from Municipal government.

Below is copy from the letter that was sent to Licata’s supporters:

“After considerable reflection on how to best serve the community I love, I am happy to announce that I will run for re-election to the City Council.

A number of you urged me to run for mayor, but I feel my role as a legislator, writing the laws that govern our city, is the one that suits me best. And while I had considered working on a national level, as a council member, I will continue bringing other municipal officials together to work with the new Obama administration towards the improvement of our long neglected cities.

Grants totaling roughly $9 million from local and national foundations were announced for Seattle Public Schools today.

The grants will go toward college readiness, staff development, and data and performance management in support of the district's five-year strategic plan.

The plan, Excellence for All, aims to raise achievement of all students by providing students and teachers with the resources they need to succeed, such as college ready work and stronger professional development opportunities.

The grants come from:

$7.2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

$1.2 million from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

$308,000 from the Boeing Company

$254,000 from the Stuart Foundation

The goal is to set measurable targets for improving academic performance and closing the education gap, including increasing the college-ready graduation rate, according to the district. Today, fewer than one in five graduates of Seattle Public Schools meet the requirements to enroll in a four-year college.