April 2007

Children made some decisions on what playground equipment should be installed at a new park.

There were adults also at the Friends of Ballard Corners Park Design Workshop last week when Barker Landscape Architects showed design drawings of the park and offered four play structures for the kids to choose from.

The park will be built on city property between Northwest 62nd Street and Northwest 63rd Street along the west side of 17th Avenue Northwest.

This was the third public meeting on the proposed park.

Seattle School Board members have asked district staff to come up with alternatives to a proposal that would alter the districts' youth and family policy for tenants in surplus buildings because the current proposal could triple rents for some tenants.

To help stave off projected multi-million dollar budget deficits, staff has recommended the district sell or lease out long-term eight of its facilities not used by school programs to yield more funds for maintenance at other district properties.

Leases and other properties earn the district around $2.7 million annuall

The Seattle Police Department mapped out new patrol beats for Ballard and the rest of the city along with plans to beef-up the number of police officers on duty Friday and Saturday nights and during summer, when criminal activity is higher.

Ballard is part of the North Precinct, the largest precinct in the city. It covers every thing from the Ship Canal and Lake Union north to the city limits.

Inspection results show no additional settlement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct between Columbia Street and Yesler Way.

However, due to half an inch of settlement at two piers found during previous inspections over the last year, the Washington State Department of Transportation will move forward with repairs in this area.

"We are pleased with the results of this inspection, but the situation is still urgent," said Jugesh Kapur, state bridge engineer.

The top 100 school champions from throughout the state, as identified by the National Geographic Society, assembled last Friday at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, for the 19th Washington Geographic Bee.

Among the contestants were three school champions from Ballard: Genevieve Miner, a seventh-grader at Saint Alphonsus; Jackson Riepe, an eighth-grader at Salmon Bay School; and Ian Bellows, an eighth-grader at Whitman Middle School.

The morning preliminary round, of eight questions each, was necessarily brutal. Its aim - to reduce the field from 100 down to 10.

Port officials recently dedicated Dock 9, the first of the new docks at Fishermen's Terminal. Shown left to right are Port of Seattle Commissioner Bob Edwards, Fishermen's Terminal Advisory Committee Chairman David Harsila, Port of Seattle Commission President John Creighton, Fishermen's Terminal General Manager Kenny Lyles, Port of Seattle Commissioner Lloyd Hara. Don Wilson photo.

On Saturday as kids hunt for eggs at Woodland Park Zoo's Bunny Bounce, gorillas, elephants, grizzlies and more will nibble on their own Easter baskets lined with flowers, berries and other favorite treats. The sixth annual Bunny Bounce treats youngsters to amazing egg hunts for ages 1 to 8, crafts, bunny encounters, entertainment and eggs-citing zoo programs throughout the day. Each egg hunt is open on a first-come, first-serve basis. For the health and well being of zoo animals, candy will not be placed inside the eggs.

Small Faces Child Development Center is one of several youth and family service centers city wide that will face funding complications pending the school boards decision on how to deal with their surplus properties. Amber Trillo

For 10 years the Ballard Chamber of Commerce has presented the monthly Ballard Art Walk which has attracted thousands of visitors annually for a walking tour that brings together area artists, studios, galleries, restaurants, merchants and visitors of all ages in a celebration of visual art.

The tour spans the entire Ballard Avenue Landmarks District including Market Street - more than 10 city blocks of historic Ballard - and celebrates the neighborhood's vibrant professional community of artists. This event takes place every second Saturday between 6 p.m. and 9 pm.

The Des Moines waterfront is recognized by local residents and visitors alike as the crown jewel of the "waterland community."

Now plans, both modest and grand, are underway to bring new life to the waterfront and to attract more visitors to the city.

This vision for the future was unveiled by Destination Des Moines on March 27 at a meeting of the Southwest King County Chamber's Des Moines Business Committee.

Destination Des Moines was organized last year to promote local businesses and community development.

Acquiring a passenger ferry between the D