Money

The Ballard Food Bank has done their part by assisting those who are struggling in these hard economic times and in return for their hard work they have been named the 2009 winner of Food Lifeline’s “Agency Excellence Award” for Excellence in Food Resource Development.

For their achievement they have been awarded $5,000 to continue expanding its mission, and to increase and better its capabilities to serve the hungry people in the Ballard community.

Food Lifeline presented the Agency Excellence Awards at its Annual Agency Conference in Shoreline, on Monday March 24. The conference hosts expert leaders from Food Lifeline’s 300 member agencies all throughout Western Washington, connecting with each other, opening channels of communication and highlighting their successes.

As the Excellence in Food Resource Development award-winner, Ballard Food Bank demonstrated its exemplary approaches to ending hunger through its efforts to develop food programs and strengthen donor relations, according to the Food Lifeline. The winning best practices included creating a new avenue to distribute food with the Mobile Distribution Project.

Gov. Chris Gregoire forecasted growth in the Seattle shipping industry in response to the 2009 Marine Cago Forecast. She spoke at a press conference at Todd Shipyards, about one mile due east of Alki's Seacrest Park, on Harbor Island.

The forecast projects 20 years ahead, and shows growth from 2.9 million containers in 2007 to 9.7 million containers in 2030.

"The forecast gives hope to our economy to jobs that could come to Seattle," said Gregoire. "This is a message of opportunity. We will have a chance to provide waterfront and freight jobs which are good family wage jobs."

Gregoire pointed out that the state must keep up infrastructure to stay competitive with Canadian, California, and East Coast ports.

"The Panama Canal is being widened to accommodate ships twice the size that now enter," said the governor. "That means more Asian cargo ships will have a more direct route and may bypass Seattle, and instead pass through the canal and use harbors in the East Coast."

The Panama Canal project is scheduled to be finished in five years.

Amongst the number of apartments and condos popping up in Ballard, Ballard Apartments, LLC, an affiliate of the Pacific Northwest division of Trammell Crow Residential, has announced the completion of its construction of Leva on Market apartments.

The new 260-unit apartment building is located on the south side of Market Street between 15th and 17th avenues.

One building is eight stories, while the other is six stories tall above an underground parking garage.

Trammell Crow expects residents to begin moving in the 22 studios, 162 one-bedrooms, 67 two-bedrooms and nine live-work lofts, this month.

The new housing is also accompanied with an outdoor plaza and ground-floor retail space along Market Street.

“These new apartment homes will offer residents the opportunity to live in the first new luxury apartment community to be created in Ballard in almost 20 years,” said Sean G. Hyatt, managingin director of TCR’s local office in a news release.

Other recent condo and apartment developments like Hjarta and Canal Station II, both condos in Ballard, still have open units in their buildings.

Though Seattle's housing and economic situation are not good, it's not as dire as some parts of the country, said experts in the industries at a panel discussion in front of the Seattle City Council Monday.

Susan Greenwald, director of single-family operations at Homestreet Bank, said nationally the percentage of homes either in foreclosure or with loans in delinquency is roughly just below 12 percent. In Washington State, it's 6.58 percent.

While it's better than the national average, Greenwald said she has never seen numbers that high in Seattle during her 30 years in the business.

"We have some real challenges ahead," she said.

Greenwald spoke with four other panelists from 10 a.m to noon, March 23 at a special council briefing titled,“The State of the Regional Economy:  A Panel Discussion Among Local Experts," chaired by council president Richard Conlin.

Greenwald attributes the state's lower number to less mortgage fraud against lenders here than other parts of the nation, such as Michigan.

Last week we received more devastating, albeit expected, news. Our national recession and our state’s rapidly increasing unemployment rate, now at 8.4 percent, the highest our state has faced since 1987, have significantly reduced our tax collections.

The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council’s latest forecast projects our historic revenue shortfall to a daunting $9 billion — a quarter of our state’s budget. This figure represents the gap between our current budget commitments in education, health care, public safety and environmental protections and the revenues needed to support these commitments. This shortfall is higher than any witnessed in modern times and is among our nation’s most severe.

In fact, if we eliminated all state funding for our total state’s correctional system, our total higher education system, all the care for our seniors, and all the care for those with developmental disabilities — all those cuts combined would not bridge our shortfall.

The White Center Food Bank is now open the third Saturday of every month, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Their first Saturday was today, March 21 and 28 families were served.

The staff and volunteers said that number will greatly increase as word gets out about expanded hours. The food bank is located at 10829 8th Ave. S.W.

“Our evening program has been so overwhelming with families that we decided to open one Saturday a month,” said Rick Jump, the food bank’s executive director. “If demand continues to increase, we will consider opening on more Saturdays. We have seen a 70 to 80 percent increase of families we now serve over the same time last year. The bad economy definitely has a lot to do with that.”

Registration begins at 10 a.m. and proof of address is required on each visit. The White Center Food Bank service area includes between Southwest 140th Street and Southwest Myrtle Street and between Highway 509 and Puget Sound.

The White Center Food Bank also welcomes donations to help meet the increased need in the community. Donations may be mailed to 10829 8th Ave. S.W.

The Seattle City Council will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers to hear from citizens their priorities for city government, including programs and services that they would like to see preserved as the city faces a budget gap of more than $25 million.

“Designing a city budget works best when there is thoughtful and constructive input from citizens,” said council member Jean Godden, chair of the council’s budget committee. “It’s going to take all of us to make the difficult choices and steer us in the right direction."

Since the budget was passed just about three months ago, the city’s sales tax and other revenues have significantly declined and are continuing to do so. This steep drop mirrors what is happening across the country, according to the city.

As a result, the City finds itself facing an estimated budget gap of more than $25 million dollars - and growing - for 2009.

The King County Budget Director has announced a possible $40 to $50 million general fund shortfall for 2010.

The 2009 county budget started with a $93.4 million gap.

The revenue forecast was heard in the King County Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee meeting, prompting the committee chair to again call on the state Legislature to provide counties across the state with the revenue tools they need to provide essential services.  

“King County—and counties throughout Washington—are facing hard choices,” said Council Budget Chair Larry Gossett. “Declining revenues are forcing us to decide which of the programs that protect the lives, health and safety of county residents will be reduced or eliminated. The state Legislature is still working on a proposal that would provide counties with the revenue options that will allow us to fund these programs. Without those options, the only choice we may have is to stop providing the services.”  

Bob Cowan, Director of the County’s Office of Management and Budget, today told the committee that he is forecasting a drop in property tax revenue and up to a 5.3 percent decline in sales tax revenue.

These are tough times. It’s tough to stay calm when you lose your job. It’s tough to stay focused when you are worried about money. It’s tough to stay present for your children when you are stressed. And, it’s tough to stay healthy when fast food beckons.

Everything in our culture tells us fast food is easier, that it can fit more easily in a busy parenting day. At the YMCA, we believe there are ways to stay healthy and fit – and save money in this economic climate.

One of our biggest challenges is how busy we all are and it may feel like it takes too much work to feed your family healthy meals. According to Molly Rapozo, a registered dietician with the West Seattle and Fauntleroy YMCA, there are easy steps you can take to eat healthy in this economy.

“Make a big pot of something on a Sunday like soup or chili. Then reheat it during the week or turn your rotisserie chicken into enchiladas the next day. Be creative in re-using what you have,” she says.

Tomorrow, March 17, the King County Council Budget Committee will hear an update on the County's revenue forecast

The County's Budget Director, Bob Cowan, will discuss the challenges of maintaining services in the face of the current economic recession.

King County Council chambers, 10th floor, King County Courthouse, at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 17.

Cowan will brief committee members on the department’s revenue forecast and the likely impacts that decreased revenues will have on the ability to maintain current levels of services for County programs.