July 2007

The 33rd annual Ballard SeafoodFest is slated for July 28 and 29 and its leader says they need help.

Volunteering, they say, is a fun and painless way to contribute to our vibrant, caring community and offers a chance to meet your neighbors, promote your business or just have a good time. Every year, a core group steps in to contribute countless hours of time to make this two-day event one of Seattle's favorite summer festivals.

There are many opportunities for involvement.

The city wants to take the lead this time as it decides how Ballard and Crown Hill should update its neighborhood plan.

Mayor Greg Nickels released a proposal earlier this month that outlines a city-staffed structure to examine all 38 of Seattle's neighborhood plans by dividing the city into six sectors.

Three daily openings of the Fremont Bridge from now until the Fremont Bridge project is completed early next year, will take 15 minutes, instead of the usual 3 to 5 minutes.

These longer openings will take place at 5 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 11 p.m.

The Seattle Department of Transportations says drivers headed over the bridge may want to schedule their trips accordingly, or take an alternate route at these times.

These longer openings are due to opening both halves of the bridge using a temporary winch.

Colleen E. Wilson, chief of police in Sumner for nearly five years, will take over as chief of the 130-person Port of Seattle police department around August 1.

"Colleen Wilson is exactly the right leader to make our police department one of the best in the country," said Port CEO Tay Yoshitani.

Voters who cast their ballots by mail will be assured their vote will be preserved, under a new policy adopted by the King County Council.

"The Washington State Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to cast a secret ballot," said Councilmember Dow Constantine, prime sponsor of the motion.

In relation to the article "Condo could 'entangle' traffic at busy junction," in the July 11 issue:

Weber and Thompson Architects was the firm originally hired by Kirkland based developers Rhapsody Partners to design the 250-unit, six to eight story condominium, Ballard Commons.

The company dropped the project due to scheduling conflicts. Freiheit and Ho Architects have taken over the design of the proposed development at the northwest corner of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street.

The clock is ticking on the biggest high construction closure ever.

On Aug. 10 crews of the Washington State Department of Transportation will close multiple lanes and ramps on northbound Interstate 5 between Spokane Street and I-90 around the clock for 19 days to perform extensive rehabilitation work on the freeway.

This closure will dramatically affect traffic in the greater-Seattle area.

The Burke-Gilman Trail along the Ship Canal through the Fremont neighborhood will remain closed until summer 2008.

The Seattle Department of Transportation had planned to reopen the trail section over the next few weeks after it had closed Burke-Gilman Trail through Fremont for construction work on the Fremont Bridge Approach Replacement Project.

BELLINGHAM - Two Federal Way residents, Marissa Dimick and Jonathan Georgeson, were recently awarded President's Scholarships from Western Washington University for the 2007-2008 academic year.

President's Scholarships are awarded to approximately the top 8 to 10 percent of incoming freshmen and transfer students, and are based on superior academic achievement.

Marissa Dimick, daughter of Paul Dimick and Terry Gough-Dimick, received a $1,500 scholarship. Dimick graduated from Decatur High School with a 3.96 GPA.

The City of Federal Way Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department is proud to present its 2007 Summer Sounds at the Beach concert series at Steel Lake Park.