It's Friday night and you're sitting with friends in a movie theater. The air buzzes with chatter, crunching popcorn and the squick squick of shoes sticking to the sugary floor. After several minutes, the lights begin to dim and loud company theme music starts to play. Then a thin, green, horizontal stripe appears on screen: the previews have begun.
Almost more engaging than the film itself are the previews. Everyone loves to be a critic.
The Seattle School District is considering whether to sell unneeded buildings or to significantly raise rents with an end view of increasing a troublesome revenue stream. The problem is that some of the buildings are now used by nonprofit groups that are dedicated to assisting in the education and welfare of children.
In West Seattle, the old Fauntleroy School is home to the Fauntleroy Children's Center. Fairmount Park will be vacated this fall due to a school merger and Hughes has been an interim site. Boren is now used as a temporary school while others are updated.
On March 13th our city (had) the opportunity to advise our politicians as to our preference for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct. These politicians have narrowed our choices to a four-lane tunnel, or a six-lane elevated structure.
In fact, these same politicians have narrowed our choices further, with the governor and the state legislature essentially killing the tunnel and leaving us voters to choose between a dead alternative, and an awful one.
A few observations, regarding the article in your March 7 edition, "Surplus schools could be sold to raise money." I can comment on many aspects of the proposed policy changes and drastic rent increases from many different perspectives. This letter is from a purely personal perspective, not representing any of the groups of which I am a member.
The Seattle School District presented our city with a building and maintenance levy, which we passed.
It has been said, "you cannot hurt a corporation" but it is certainly true that corporations such as Safeway can chip away at the livability of a neighborhood.
Thanks to Rebekah Schilperoort and the Ballard News-Tribune for bringing to light the possible renaming of the future Ballard Corners Park ("Favored park name called a 'missed opportunity").
We received many suggestions for new names for the park to be located along 17th Avenue Northwest between 62nd and 63rd, ranging from Fishermen's Haven to Ballard Beaver Park to Scandinavian Heritage Park.
I am susceptible to advertising gimmicks; the balloons they passed out during the 1988 Syttende Mai parade changed my life. Unfilled, the balloons came in pink and blue, imprinted with the words, "Ballard's Having Babies." In 1988 that could only mean Ballard Community Hospital and its Family Childbirth Center. Now their billboard near the Ballard Bridge makes me wistful.
Shilshole Bay Marina tenants and liveaboards are nearing an agreement with the Port of Seattle about how and where to store bicycles at the harbor, but so far there's no money to develop anything long-term.
Before major redevelopment construction began at the marina two years ago, bikes were stored in enclosed "sheds" located on the docks. The new design included a policy that prohibited keeping bikes anywhere except onboard boats.
The sheds on the old docks were meant to store garbage dumpsters, not bicycles, said Sharon Briggs, manager of the Shilshole Marina.
Students at Salmon Bay and Adams elementary schools who came close to passing the Washington Assessment of Student Learning last spring are enrolled in a new after school program aimed at boosting their test scores.
The district's chief academic officer, Carla Santorno, initiated the program to assist fourth and seventh-graders who scored just below standard in math and or reading, said Joanne Testa-Cross, who helped develop the districts' pilot program.
There are already a number of programs to help high school and primary school students who need remedial help in meetin
More open parking spaces in downtown Ballard has meant means better customer flow for businesses, now that the community has gotten used to the automated pay systems installed in late 2005.
The green pay stations replaced the old hand cranked parking meters.
