July 2006

Carkeek Park, filled with its forest of trees and brush, is one of the best places to get out of town. But the park that hides you from the city is also hiding a part of the city from you. A concentrated, repellant part, unmentionable in polite circles, locked behind a door and obscured by sword ferns. Unfiltered Ballard pools there, in all its pungent glory. The legend is that the nose never forgets the smell of raw sewage. It wasn't the kind of thing I wanted to know about. But I had to ask.

The question; what is the deal with that place?

Ballard High School Librarian Susan Weiss has retired after 39 years in the educational field. Weiss graduated from Ballard in 1963 and returned to her old school in 1988.

Under her leadership the John Stanford Library made big changes to keep up with the pace of technology while overcoming a small budget. By 2004, books in the library had become outdated and there were no funds to replace them. The copyrights went back as far as 1976 and some books had not been checked out in ten years.

"We had very little money," said Weiss.

Ballardite Brian Wynne knows how fragile a community can be. Having been at law school in Tulane University in New Orleans last year when Hurricane Katrina touched land, he's seen first hand a community dissolve.

"That whole thing with Katrina - it can show you how fleeting things can be," Wynne said last weekend, recounting the experience in a coffee shop on Market Street.

If you're considering volunteer work, you have to decide how much your time is worth, and what you'll get for it. In the case of the Municipal League, it's an opportunity to help make government better. It's a no less lofty goal than many other good ways to spend your spare time, but it has an advantage over many because you get to see the benefits of your labor right away. Maybe you won't see a marked improvement in government.

COUNTY OF KING

NO. 06-4-04041-1SEA

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

In the matter of the estate of: CECELIA SCHICK ROOP, Deceased.

The Personal Representative named below has been appointed Personal Representative of this estate.

NO: 05-4-01632-6SEA

AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING ON FINAL REPORT PETITION FOR DISTRIBUTION

CLERK'S ACTION REQUIRED

In the matter of the Estate of TIMOTHY P. CHAFFIN Deceased.

TO: THE CLERK OF THE COURT, EX PARTE DEPARTMENT; and to parties requiring notice under RCW 11.68.100 and/or 11.76.040.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT:

IN AND FOR

THE COUNTY OF KING

NO: 06-4-04047-1SEA

PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS RCW 11.40.030

In the matter of the estate of: GRACE T. HARKINS, Deceased.

THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE NAMED BELOW has been appointed as personal representative of this estate.

IN AND FOR

THE COUNTY OF KING

NO: 06-4-04044-6SEA

PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS RCW 11.40.030

In the matter of the estate of: EMMETT JOEL PETERSON, Deceased.

THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE NAMED BELOW has been appointed as personal representative of this estate.

AND FOR THE

COUNTY OF KING

No. 06-4-04077-2SEA

PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS

(RCW 11.40.030)

In the matter of the Estate BERNICE F. ROBERTSON, Deceased.

After being harassed by dogs a number of times, a Ballard woman is hesitant to walk her Jack Russell terrier around her neighborhood.

Saraina would only provide her first name for fear of reprisal. She lives on Northwest 57th Street and is a vocational counselor who works from home. She normally walks her dog three times a day and alleges that on April 23, she was walking the dog on Northwest 57th Street near 15th Avenue Northwest when a large Rottweiler came down off of a neighbor's porch and started pursuing.