September 2009

The sign for the new Shipwreck Tavern was being painted today at about 1 p.m., captured by West Seattle Herald employee Richard Sherman.

The new bar will be staffed by some former Alki Homestead employees and managed by former Homestead general manager, Chris Long.

Tom Lin, owner of the Homestead, which has been closed since damaged in a fire this past January, helped get the enterprise going.

Read the story from June here.

The new bar will be located on the 4200 block of Southwest Admiral Way across the street from the Metropolitan Market. The bar is expected to open later this year. Long has a five-year lease on the property.

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development has proposed a rezone of three industrial areas within the Ballard Hub Urban Village.

The proposal stems from a policy approved by the Seattle City Council in 2007 that states that certain industrial zones should not be located in urban villages.

The rezone will not impact areas within the Ballard-Interbay Manufacturing and Industrial Center.

Bryan Stevens, spokesperson for the Department of Planing and Development, said zoning changes are an attempt to cut down on the conflict between industrial areas and areas of residential use and to provide a more sensitive transition between the two.

"It's an opportunity to create and increase the job growth we'd like to see in our urban villages," he said.

The first area of the rezone is on the north side of Market Street, below Northwest 56th Street, between 25th Avenue Northwest and 30th Avenue Northwest.

The bulk of this area will be changed from an Industrial Buffer zone, which has a residential orientation, to a neighborhood commercial zone, which typically means retail, housing and office space.

On Monday, Sept. 28, just shortly before 8 a.m., officers responded to report of a burglary at a house in the 3800 block of 46th Avenue Southwest. The victim got a good look at the suspects and their vehicle and gave the description to dispatch.

Officers located the suspect vehicle getting on the West Seattle Freeway from 35th and Fauntleroy. A felony stop was conducted on the high rise, and both suspects were taken into custody without incident.

Detectives brought the victim to the scene, where he identified both suspects. He also identified his stolen property in the suspect's vehicle, and this property was returned to him.

Also inside the suspect vehicle was a bag of golf clubs, a large hard plastic tool chest and a blue motorcycle. Both suspects were booked into King County Jail for investigation of burglary.

As part of the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening and Ramp Project, westbound lower Spokane Street will be closed starting Oct. 19 to through traffic between Fourth and First avenues. 

This closure is in preparation for widening the Spokane Street Viaduct.  Local access for businesses in the closed segment will be maintained, but a detour route will be in effect through year 2011 for all other traffic, according to a release from the city's department of transportation.
 
The closure of westbound lanes will allow underground utility work to begin before construction starts on the new upper roadway structure.  This new structure, which will add 41 feet of width to the existing Spokane Street Viaduct, will be positioned directly over the westbound lanes of lower Spokane Street. 
 
Portions of eastbound lower Spokane Street, which are now closed to through traffic, will remain closed while construction of the Fourth Avenue Ramp continues.  Traffic on the upper roadway (the Spokane Street Viaduct) will not yet be affected. 
 

Car washes are an important fundraising tool for many community groups, but they can be bad for the environment if not carried out properly.

Sending oily, soapy water down storm drains is not only harmful to streams, lakes, wetlands and wildlife, it also violates pollution laws.

Federal Way’s Surface Water Management Division proposes two solutions for sponsoring car washes that are both legal and fish-friendly

Puget Sound Car Wash Association and Brown Bear Car Wash Programs

Through these programs, a charity sells car wash tickets that can be used at several different car washes around Puget Sound.

Tickets are preprinted with the charity’s name and sold to groups for approximately $2 each, then usually resold for $6 to $8 each.

This makes the programs easy to use, and tickets are easy to sell. For more information, call the Puget Sound Car Wash Association at 800.509.9274 or Brown Bear Car Wash at 206.774.3742.

Parking Lot Charity Car Wash Kit

While not the preferred choice, parking lot car washes can still be environmentally safe.

The City of Federal Way Parks and Recreation Department is teaming up with the staff of the
Federal Way Community Center to provide full day camp activities for elementary and middle
school-age kids on non-school days this October.

Camp will be held on October 9, 16, 29 and 30, and Nov. 11 (Veteran’s Day). Hours are 6:30
a.m. until 6 p.m.

Camp is open to students from all elementaries and middle schools, and to
home-schoolers in the same age range. Parents are responsible for drop off and pick up.

Children will have full access to the community center for swimming, rock climbing, gym
games, arts & crafts, snacks and other weather-dependant activities. Campers must bring their
own lunch each day. Cost is $40/day for elementary age children and $35/day for middle school
students.

Register at 253.835.6900. For more information, call Gina Shaw, Recreation Coordinator,
253.835.6924.

After three impressive wins to open the season, the Ballard High School volleyball team appears to have hit a wall, getting shutout in two straight matches.

The Beavers' most recent loss was Sept. 28 to a tough Bothell team that is undefeated in conference play.

Ballard was outscored by 25 points in the first two games of the match but made a run in the third, hanging with Bothell until eventually falling 26-24.

Lisa Day had nine kills for the Beavers, and Madelyn Voelker added five of her own. Monique Marques finished the day with 15 assists.

The Beavers (1-2 conference, 3-2 overall) take on Inglemoor (2-1 conference. 3-3 overall) at 7 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Ballard High School.

Outside a Sept. 28 Northwest Design Review Board meeting, one of the developers of the new Greenwood Fred Meyer project attracted controversy with a handful of picketers decrying his business practices. Inside the meeting, the development itself was only slightly less controversial.

Dozens of neighbors attended the second early design guidance meeting to hear how the plans for the $77 million, 7.31 acre project that stretches from Third Avenue Northwest to First Avenue Northwest along Northwest 85th Street have changed since the first meeting on July 13.

The defining features of the project remain intact with a few modifications in the new design, and the Design Review Board gave their approval for the project to move forward to the recommendation stage.

The 160,000 square foot Fred Meyer is sunken underground, except in the northeast corner where the elevation of the site is significantly lower.

The project's parking garage is located on the northeast corner near the Fred Meyer entrances, though it is now two stories instead of three and includes no housing surrounding or on top of it.

To gather further public input from families, Seattle Public Schools has expanded the schedule of community meetings to review proposed attendance area boundary maps that, if adopted, will play a significant role in where students will attend public school in Seattle.  

In West Seattle

Thursday, Oct. 15 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
West Seattle High School ~ 3000 California Ave. S.W.

Friday, Oct. 16 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Denny Middle School ~ 8402 30th Ave. S.W.

The updated schedule adds opportunities in the central, northeast, and southwest parts of Seattle. 

The proposed maps will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at a work session of the Seattle School Board to be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the John Stanford Center auditorium.  

After reviewing comments, the district will formally introduce recommended boundary maps—including any revisions—at the School Board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The School Board will vote on the recommended boundary maps on Nov. 18.

Last week Mayor Greg Nickels presented his 2010 proposed budget to the Seattle City Council. One of the major elements accompanying his final budget is legislation to the council requesting that we approve a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the state signing off on $787 million for the city’s obligations to fund projects related to the bored tunnel.

The council is receiving this legislation eight months after he signed an agreement with the governor and King County executive. The council is scheduled to take a week to evaluate his proposal and approve the MOA.

The legislation will be introduced Monday (Sept. 28) and up for a vote Tuesday in the Transportation Committee, with a final vote expected the following Monday.

There is something wrong with this picture. Why rush to sign an agreement that is barely off the press? What is motivating this breakneck speed after no action for months?

I fear that the public may get the impression that the current mayoral election may have something to do with it. There is no clear reason for the council to bypass our budget deliberations.