October 2009

By Anna Markee, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County

The Seattle Housing Levy creates and preserves housing for our most vulnerable neighbors including seniors, people with disabilities, domestic violence victims, veterans and formerly homeless individuals and families.

Seattle voters have supported the Housing Levy since 1981. In today’s tough economic times, it is more important than ever that we renew our commitment to housing people in need. Many people who never thought they would struggle to find a place to live now face homelessness.

King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) unveiled the city’s new winter weather plan, which includes using salt to clear the roads, during a recent public meeting.

Following last winter’s adverse weather, SDOT made significant changes to the way they approach these situations. Most notably, road maintenance crews should be dropping salt—a departure from the sand used during last year’s storm—out on city’s main arterials to keep surfaces wet and bare.

Under the new plan, if city workers see a 50 percent or greater chance of snow, they should be out covering the roads with liquid or granule salt 12 hours prior to the first snowflake falling over the Seattle skyline.

To implement the new strategy, SDOT does not plan to add new vehicles to its maintenance division.

“It's not a good investment for the taxpayer to double, triple, or quadruple the size of your street maintenance fleet because we don't need it for 360 of the 365 days a year,” said Charles Bookman, SDOT’s interim street maintenance director.

King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) unveiled the city’s new winter weather plan, which includes using salt to clear the roads, during a meeting last night at the Delridge Community Center.

Following last winter’s adverse weather, SDOT made significant changes to the way they approach these situations. Most notably, road maintenance crews should be dropping salt—a departure from the sand used during last year’s storm—out on city’s main arterials to keep surfaces wet and bare.

For West Seattle, this means keeping 35th Avenue Southwest free from snow while also keeping one lane in each direction open on secondary arterials such as Southwest Admiral Way and California Avenue Southwest.

Under the new plan, if city workers see a 50 percent or greater chance of snow, they should be out covering the roads with liquid or granule salt 12 hours prior to the first snowflake falling over the Seattle skyline.

To implement the new strategy, SDOT does not plan to add new vehicles to its maintenance division.

Dear Editor,

Ref. 71 opponents say the measure will force schools to teach students that gays and lesbians are normal. Should we instead teach them that discrimination is acceptable?

Critics of the domestic partners law argue the measure will lead to same-sex marriage in Washington. But even those with religious-based objections to homosexuality should defend Americans’ rights to legal equality through domestic partnerships.

Our national history is largely the story of equality and tolerance growing to include Americans of all races, religions, and yes, sexual orientations. To attack the legal rights of a minority group violates country’s ideals and our Constitution, which requires “equal protection of the laws.”

It’s also hateful, unChristian and wrong.

By voting yes on Ref. 71, Washington voters could be among the nation’s first to say that religion does not justify intolerance and that all Americans deserve fairness, respect and dignity. Let’s set an example for our nation by standing up for our fellow citizens.

Matt Johanson
Castro Valley, Calif.

It's no secret that Ballard is changing rapidly. But, one particular area, the north side of Market Street from 24th Avenue Northwest to 22nd Avenue Northwest, is virtually unrecognizable from one year ago.

In the span of one year, six businesses closed or moved, leaving gaps of vacant storefronts where iconic neighborhood businesses, such as Olsen's Scandinavian Foods, once operated.

In a possibly unexpected turnaround considering the recession gripping the country, all six storefronts have been filled with new and familiar faces.

The final piece of the picture will be completed when Pho Big Bowl, currently awaiting permits, opens in the former Olsen's space in the coming months.

"It's exciting to see who's moving in and how they're going to last," Janelle Hopkins said.

Hopkins is the manager of Kitchen 'n Things, located on the corner of Northwest Market Street and 24th Avenue Northwest. The store has been around for 35 years and could be considered the crafty veteran to the block's new class of rookies.

By Steve Shay

Mayor Greg Nickels took a 45-minute tour of the West Seattle reservoir project under construction Wednesday morning Oct. 21. The tour was led by Stephanie Murphy, senior civil engineer and project manager for the site, and Bill Duyungan, senior civil engineering specialist and construction manager, both with Seattle Public Utilities.

The existing reservoir was once the 68-million gallon “pond” surrounded by barbwire fencing perched above Westcrest Park and its off-leash dog park.

Now waterless in West Seattle, the new, downsized 30 million gallon reservoir will have a cement roof cover. On it will sit a 21.5-acre grass park for public recreational use. The construction phase of the $36 million project is scheduled for completion by the end of the year, the entire project to be finished by summer.

According to Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Parks and Recreation, the cement cover will guard against contamination from birds and the potential of someone deliberately contaminating the water.

After a 2-0 shutout at the hands of Woodinville Oct. 20, the team's second loss in a row, the Ballard High School girls soccer team must win its final two matches to even have a shot at making the post season.

The Beavers are in ninth place in KingCo with a 2-5-2 conference record and 3-8-3 overall record.

Only the top six teams in the conference make the playoffs, but Ballard coach Val Seid said the playoff picture is pretty good for his team.

Ballard must win against eight-place Inglemoor and 10th-place Lake Washington. If that happens, there are a number of situations, which Seid said look likely, where other teams lose one or both of their final matches and the Beavers make the playoffs.

Seid said his team doesn't need any more motivation heading into the final two matches than they have shown all season.

He said Ballard has almost always looked like the better team this season but suffered a number of unlucky breaks.

"It's just a matter of will luck be on our side this time," Seid said. "In soccer, the better team doesn't always win."

The Beavers take the first step toward the playoffs against Inglemoor at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 at Nathan Hale High School.

The wet and windy weather of winter in Seattle is returning, and the bus shelters at the major Metro hub on eastbound Market Street between 24th Avenue and 22nd Avenue remain without windows and walls.

Metro crews removed the windows and walls for cleaning and repair Aug. 12.

Metro spokesperson Linda Thielke said the windows and walls were removed from the purple structures outside Root Table and Market Street Shoes as part of ongoing maintenance for those types of bus shelters.

Thielke said she is not sure when the windows and walls will be replaced.

One woman waiting for the bus on a rainy October morning said it would be nice to have some shelter from the winter elements.

But, Annabelle Fogerty, who commutes from the Market Street stop, said the lack of walls and windows doesn't make much of a difference.

Fogerty said the eastbound shelters at least have the long benches, whereas the stop across the street has uncomfortable small ones.

This weekend, Oct. 24 and 25, the historic Admiral Theater welcomes back the 2009 Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Tickets can be pre-purchased by clicking here, 2343 California Ave. S.W., or at the Admiral Theater starting this Saturday.

The film fest is Oct. 16 through 25. View a full schedule here.

The event is produced by Three Dollar Bill Cinema. Its mission is to strengthen and connects diverse communities by supporting queer film and by producing the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and other events

Results:

Tuesday, Sept. 22
Lakeside 7 Chief Sealth 0

Thursday, Sept. 24
Franklin 1 Chief Sealth 4

Tuesday, Sept. 29
Ingraham 3 Chief Sealth 1

Tues, Oct. 6
Chief Sealth 0 Seattle Prep 7

Thurs, Oct. 8
West Seattle 3 Chief Sealth 0

Tues, Oct. 13
Chief Sealth 3 Nathan Hale 4

Thurs, Oct. 15
Franklin 0 Chief Sealth 5

Tues, Oct. 20
Ingraham 5 Chief Sealth 0

Upcoming:

Thurs, Oct. 22
Vs. West Seattle at 3:30 p.m. (home)

Mon, Oct. 26
Vs. Rainier Beach at 3:30 p.m. (away)

For a full schedule, click here.