October 2009

The city currently offers funds for the city’s various neighborhoods through its Department of Neighborhoods division, and council members questioned city officials about changes that might affect this funding at the Southwest District Council meeting Oct. 7.

Decision makers at that department floated the idea that they might divert money from their department to fund some citywide projects that failed to fit squarely under any one district’s jurisdiction. Council members, however, asked if this change might actually divert funds away from the neighborhoods on a large scale because city officials had not yet determined whether they might place a cap on the amount of funds diverted to citywide projects.

The department currently offers the city’s neighborhoods funding for projects with costs ranging from several 100 dollars to upwards of $100,000. The smallest funds even support food costs for neighborhood gatherings.

“The word ‘neighborhoods’ is in there for a reason,” said Vlad Oustimovitch, Fauntleroy Community Association delegate. “It’s the Department of Neighborhoods.”

The Value Village thrift store in Ballard will be be relocating a few blocks south after the Crown Hill QFC closes next week.

Value Village is currently located at 8700 15th Ave. N.W. The QFC, which is closing Oct. 17, is located at 8532 15th Ave. N.W.

Kaitlin Goodall, spokesperson for Value Village, said Value Village could open in the new location around March, thought it is still early in the planning process.

She said Value Village is making the move because the Crown Hill QFC location offers a larger parking lot and more retail space.

A Crown Hill QFC employee told the Ballard News-Tribune in May that the QFC was closing because it has too much competition in the area and barely makes a profit.

The new Ballard QFC adjacent to Ballard Commons Park on 24th Avenue Northwest is scheduled to open this winter, further impacting sales at the Crown Hill QFC.

From now until Oct. 17, the Crown Hill QFC is offering discounted prices on selected merchandise left in the store.

More information on the Value Village relocation coming soon.

It was my first “layout.”

I was invited to a meeting of the Puget Sound Garden Railway Society several years ago, and asked to bring some of my plants and accessories to show them what I did. It was a bright and sunny day when I ventured down, southeast of the Seattle city limits, to see what my new friend was on about.

“Watch out, step over the track, there!” was one of the first things I was told.

The voice belonged to the owner, who had set up a railroad in his backyard – and his backyard wasn’t a small one. I looked down, then up, and saw a lot of track going every which way.

A train meandered by at my feet.

A “layout” is the insider’s term for any model railroad.

The train track was on a shelf, built right onto the fence, and went all the way around the yard. Further down, on the far side of the grass, the track moved toward the center of the backyard, through the vegetable garden, around another bed, and then looped around the pond.

Boeing Employees Credit Union spent part of Oct. 7 filming a commercial in Ballard.

As part of an ad that features real BECU members, crews set up inside Cupcake Royale on Market Street before heading to Golden Gardens for another shot.

The commercial will feature sights all over Seattle.

Cupcake Roayle customers entering the shop expressed surprise at the sight of the cameras and lights and concern over whether or not they could get their cupcake fix.

The store remained open during the shoot.

BECU, the largest credit union in Washington, opened a new location at 2232 N.W. Market St. over the summer.

Cupcake Royale recently received a small business award from Mayor Greg Nickels.

The Samoan community in and around the West Seattle area has been hit hard with tragedy by the recent tsunami that took the lives of some of their loved ones back in their South Pacific homeland.

You can help by contacting Southwest Youth & Family Services at (206) 937-7680 and donating specific items on their list including:

-washcloths
-shampoo and conditioner
-combs and brushes
-toothbrush and toothpaste
-crayons and coloring books
-soaps
-pens and pencils
-paper (tablets, filler paper, notebooks)
-diapers
-personal care items
-backpacks

The agency is also connecting with World Vision for Samoan relief.

Final designs were presented Monday, Oct. 5 to the community for improvements and additions to the existing Greenwood Park, located at 602 N. 87th St.

It was the culmination of work by residents, the Vision Greenwood Park Steering Committee and landscape architecture firm Site Workshop LLC.

Dozens of Greenwood neighbors gathered at the Greenwood Senior Center where Mike Stringer, steering committee member, pointed out that “this was the place where the whole process started.”

“We’ve been working for about nine months on thinking about improvements and expansion opportunities throughout the park,” Stringer said. “We’ve had support from the city, we’ve gotten a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods and help from the Seattle Parks Department.”

The Seattle Parks Department purchased two of the four plots, located on Fremont Avenue North from North 87th Street to North 90th Street, in 2005 with Pro Parks Levy Opportunity funds. However, the other two properties are still privately owned, but the steering committee hopes to acquire them in the near future.

Two fare changes will go into effect on Sunday, Oct. 11, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division. On that date, the peak season surcharge ends and a systemwide 2.5 percent fare increase goes into effect.

Per state tariff law, the state ferries implements a 25 percent peak season surcharge for full fare vehicle/driver tickets each year from May 1 until the second Sunday in October. On the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route passenger single fares increase 20 percent during the peak season and vehicle/driver fares increase 35 percent.

Fares will return to the lower, non-peak season rates on Sunday, Oct. 11.

Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division will also implement a 2.5 percent fare increase on all routes on Oct. 11.

Central Puget Sound passenger fares will rise from $6.70 to $6.90; the car and driver rate will go from $11.55 to $11.85. This fare increase was set by the Washington State Transportation Commission, the statewide authority that sets all highway and bridge tolls and ferry fares.

This is the first across-the-board ferry fare increase since May 2007.

School cafeteria lunches can be full of salt, fat and concentrated sugars, none of which are good for kids.

Many school lunches have more than 2,000 milligrams of sodium (salt)—more than a whole day’s suggested intake for an adult—in just one child-sized meal.

We know one in seven children is salt-sensitive. That means, if they eat a high-salt diet for several years, they will develop high blood pressure and all the diseases that come along with it. So, how can you prevent future health problems and be sure your children get the best nutrition when they are away from home?

Pack school lunches with your family. This will teach all of you a lot about good nutrition.

Pick a quiet time to sit down with your children and make a list of foods they like and will eat. Children are much more likely to eat foods that they have helped pick out, so take them shopping with you.

Focus on good nutrition as a goal for their meals. Just like doing homework is important, so is eating right.

Here are some ideas to get you started. Remember, lunch doesn’t always have to mean a sandwich.


The next Southwest District Council meeting will discuss the Community Parking Program, the Neighborhood Matching Fund Program and other topics at its next gathering Wednesday, Oct. 7.

The meeting will take place at its usual location from 7 to 9 p.m. in the President's Board Room at South Seattle Community College, 6000 16th Ave. S.W.

The agenda is as follows:

7:10 p.m. - Neighborhood Projects Fund Process – Krista Bunch/Therese Casper, Seattle Department of Transportation

7:30 p.m. - Community Parking Program – Dante Taylor, Seattle Department of Transportation. The Seattle Department of Transportation recently conducted a parking study in the West Seattle Junction and future studies are slated for the Morgan Junction and Admiral areas

7:50 p.m. - Neighborhood Matching Fund Process – Stella Chao, Department of Neighborhoods

8:10 p.m. - City Neighborhood Council Report – Chas Redmond and Vlad Oustimovitch

8:30 p.m. - Membership and Public Comment

8:35 p.m. - Written Delegate Reports:

8:40 p.m. - Slate Nov. 4 meeting

8:45 p.m. - Adjourn

The Ballard High School boys golf team played two matches Oct. 6, a make-up match against Roosevelt and the regularly scheduled match against Mercer Island, and lost both of them.

The Beavers shot 213, losing to Roosevelt's 189 and to Mercer Island's 185.

Eric Frank had the best day for Ballard, shooting a 37 on the par 36 Jackson Park course.

Coach Casey McMullin said the Beavers had a decent match, but Roosevelt and Mercer Island played really well.

Ballard's team score of 213 was its best all season, and McMullin said the team is improving.

The Beavers (1-6) have their final regular season match at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 at Jackson Park Golf Club against Bellevue.