April 2009

Dear Editor,

I read with horror the account of the Conner Homes project with comments from the design team. All I can envision is a seven-story albatross in our precious little community that is insidiously becoming a congested, traffic-choked city!

How long before the whole of California Avenue will become a solid two blocks of seven-story structures? And the colors for the balconies sound hideous! What are those in charge thinking?

Is there no way to reverse this trend in West Seattle? I don’t go to Bellevue anymore for anything because of its density and traffic and parking congestion. Is this what our leaders want for West Seattle? Count me out!

Sylvia Harris
West Seattle

Dear Editor,

This month, my partner and I celebrate 12 years as a couple.

We own a home together and have two beautiful daughters. We attend church every week. We are members of the PTA. We pay our taxes. (Unfortunately, state and federal laws require us to identify as “single.”)

I feel fortunate to live in Washington where at least we have some rights as domestic partners, but it’s still not enough. Our family deserves the same rights and recognition as our heterosexual neighbors. I want my kids to feel like their family belongs at the table.

This week, I rejoiced with the citizens of Iowa, Vermont, and DC as they gained marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. It’s my feverent hope that we will be able to soon have that same celebration for our state.

We are not asking for any special rights, just equal rights. Please join me in support of the 2009 domestic partnership expansion bill and marriage equality. All families deserve true equality under the law.

Elizabeth Bucklew
Seattle

Mayor Greg Nickels announced the 21 outstanding middle school students who have earned this year’s Scholar Award for service to their schools and their communities, eight of which attend schools in West Seattle.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the mayor’s Scholars Award and in celebration, all 189 past award recipients will be honored.

Each of this year’s students will receive $500 that can be used for education or donated to a charity. Criteria for selection include overcoming obstacles or meeting challenges, giving back to the community, and maintaining good academic standing.

“With this award, we recognize Seattle’s next generation of leaders,” Nickels said. “Service to others is the foundation of a strong community, and I’m glad we can help these promising young people with their education and service goals.”

Students wrote short essays about how they contribute to their community and how they would use a $500 cash award. In addition, students were required to provide several recommendations from adults familiar with the students’ service work.

This year's award recipients from West Seattle schools are:

Five seventh-grade girls were accepted into Splash this summer, a prestigious science program at Seattle University.

Tasha Addington-Ferris, Megan Antalan, Riley Bunch, Michelle Raney and Alex Valenti, will spend July 24 through August 18 at Seattle University studying environmental engineering, aerodynamics, mathematics and computer science along with 25 other girls.

In the competitive process, the students wrote essays and collected recommendations from their science teacher, Liz Olivere.

Student's in Seattle University's program do what America's top scientists do every day: perform experiments and gather data, analyze the results with charts, graphs, and computers, and ask questions about the significance of the outcomes.

They will work with scientists on research projects and learn about career opportunities.

(Editor's note: This article appears originally in council member Nick Licata's Urban Politics newsletter.)

Sometimes it's the little things that make me glad to be a public servant.

It was approaching eight o'clock in the evening at the (Seattle) City Council's budget hearing. What once was a chamber packed with more than 200 people, now held fewer than a dozen. We were closing in on three hours of citizens pleading their cases.

We, as council members, were trying to figure out how to cut more than $20 million from this year's budget; one that had already been approved. We would be taking things away from people. Which constituency would receive cuts? Our youth, our elderly, our disabled, our neglected neighborhoods, our over taxed local businesses?

One of the last citizens to approach the podium was Tammara Stroud, a Queen Anne resident who had not come as a member of any group, but rather as a lone citizen. With a slight look of befuddlement, she spoke briefly.  In a rather matter-of-fact manner, she posed a question to us.

According to her pastor Rev. David Kratz, longtime Fauntleroy resident Myrtle Elizabeth (Beth) Hedges Morse was “a great person in her own quiet way. She wasn’t a headline grabber.”

She was not always quiet, however, as she volunteered to play piano at age 95 for the children’s music program at Fauntleroy Church, United Church of Christ, where she was very active until her death, Jan. 21. She was 102.

“She didn’t dwell on herself,” recalled Rev. David Kratz, who gave the prayer of invocation at her worship service.

“You’d visit her and end up talking about your own family,” added Kratz. He said she did not dwell on her own aches and pains.

“I can’t tell you how impressive she was.,” he continued. “During Bible study last Christmas she was still grappling with how we can (better) protect our children from war, and from class warfare. She was still very sensitive to the suffering of others.”

Samantha Foote, 4, zeros in on an obvious egg out in the open. While she was distracted, her family scattered the eggs there for her to hunt following a family brunch at nearby Salty's Saturday.

Despite blowing an early 5-0 lead, the Ballard High School lacrosse team found themselves tied with North Kitsap with two minutes to play, giving themselves a chance for the win. But, North Kitsap was able to score the final two goals and hold on for an 8-6 victory.

After winning their first game of the season, Ballard has lost four in a row.

In most of those losses, the team has been able to stay close in the first half before being allowing a barrage of second-half points. North Kitsap outscored the Beavers 5-1 in the second half.

In their last three losses, both the Beavers and their opponents are averaging 2.7 first-half points. But in the second half, their scoring average drops to two points flat while their opponents' skyrockets to 10.7.

Against North Kitsap, Jessica Bryan and Krista Nelson had two goals apiece. Goalie Hannah Breton had 12 saves, moving her back into the number-one spot in the league with 72 total saves.

The Beavers face Bellevue East at 5 p.m., April 14 at Ballard High School.

Streets were closed Friday, April 10 and residents took to them on bicyles, skateboards and feet for a 22 block long street party in Phinney Ridge and Greenwood.

For three hours from 6 to 9 p.m., Greenwood Avenue North was opened up from North 65th to North 87th Street so that pedestrians and bicyclists could come out to play and explore local businesses.

The event was sponsored by the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce and the City of Seattle. It builds on the chamber's successful monthly art walk Art Up/Open Up. It offers residents a cheap way to do family activities and reconnect with neighbors.

It was also a chance for businesses to showcase products or services. So, bring your own interests to the street-play music, dance, ride bikes, or do art-let your imagination run wild, the chamber asks.

It's also part of "Seattle Summer Streets," a city-initiative to get people out of their cars.

From April to September, six city streets are being opened for residents to get out and have fun, celebrate the spirit of the community and explore local businesses.

The White Center Food Bank has announced that the raised beds in the community garden at White Center Heights Park are available by application to community members.

The community garden was part of the Starbucks Ultimate Park Makeover in 2007. The Garden is located at Southwest 102nd and 7th Avenue Southwest. The raised beds measuring seven feet by three feet are available to do organic gardening. The garden features compost bins. There is no cost to use a raised bed for the 2009 gardening season and tools will be available to borrow.

The raised beds will be given to households and community groups based on a lottery to be drawn April 21. Interested people or community groups must apply. Applications are available by contacting Audrey Zemke at the White Center Food Bank at (206) 762-2848 or audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org .

Only one raised bed will be given to each household or community group.