March 2008

Students of the University of Washington Geography Department will evaluate and track Ballard and Crown Hill's development growth during the past 10 years as part of their spring quarter class project.

Dr. Sarah Elwood teaches the class and introduced the assignment at last week's Ballard District Council meeting.

Elwood's spring quarter Geographic Information Systems class will focus on a project that was proposed by the Ballard District Council.

Mayor Greg Nickels says the city has acquired a 37,000 square foot piece of property in east Ballard for a new public park, the largest piece of land secured for open space here since Ballard Commons Park, which opened in 2005.

The lot between Northwest 70th and 73rd on 9th Avenue Northwest is a little less than one acre and will be purchased for $3 million from the Pro Parks Levy Opportunity Fund and some grants from King County.

(Editor's Note: This was Tim St. Clair's last story for the West Seattle Herald, sister paper to the Ballard News-Tribune. Tim was a regular bus rider to downtown and about anywhere else. He did this story shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer.)

By Tim St. Clair

With gas prices topping $3 per gallon, there are a lot more people riding buses these days, said a Metro bus driver, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Metro recently released figures showing ridership was up 7 percent between 2006 and 2007.

A new city has taken root in Ballard with their own elected officials, laws, housing regulations and a group of citizens looking to better their lives.

Tent City 3, a homeless encampment moved to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church's parking lot and will stay during the months of March and April.

There are 90 residents, both men and women, in this current version of Tent City. The residents are glad to be pitching their tents on concrete.

After three years of building the Ballard Beavers girl's basketball team into a state playoff contender, head coach Karen Blair has resigned.

Blair had been critical of the school administration for not providing her team with a room for team meetings. The boy's basketball team had a room remodeled for their use.

Last season, the team had been meeting in the varsity girl's locker room with two of their male assistant coaches in attendance. A girl on the wrestling team was uncomfortable with the two men in the locker room.

Team will lean on its pitching

By Dean Wong

Last season the Ballard Beavers baseball team became the first Seattle high school to make the KingCo playoffs and their success earned Kevin Miller Coach of the Year honors in KingCo.

The Beavers finished the season with a 13-10 record. They beat Lake Washington in the playoffs to earn fourth place in the league. The Kangeroos were favored and went down 9-7 to the Beavers.

In the first game of the season, Ballard lost to Juanita 4-3.

Team off to rocky start

By Dean Wong

A roster full of seniors will lead the Ballard Beavers this season as they take on the best fast-pitch softball teams in KingCo once again.

Unfortunately, the Beavers opened the regular season last week with a 10-0 loss to perennial softball power Woodinville.

Last year the team battled to a .500 record and made the league playoffs.

Robert Brownlee, a sixth grade student at Whitman Middle School won the Elks Club's Regional "Hoop Shoot" competition to in Portland on Mar. 1 and is advancing to the nationals in Springfield, Mass., on April 26.

Brownlee traveled to the regionals where he faced the top shooters representing Alaska, Idaho and Oregon.

Brownlee made 23 of 25 free throws. He was the last shooter and needed one more shot to beat the next best competitor.

"It is a pleasure and honor for Kim Nesselquist, Consul of Norway, to announce that His Majesty the King of Norway on January 7, 2008 has bestowed upon Marianne Forssblad the Medal of St. Olav for her outstanding service of Norwegian and Nordic interests during her 27 years of service as the Director of the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle.

I think the people of the Ballard community are thrilled to see that the owners of Olympic Athletic Club are fighting to preserve this reminder of "Old Ballard" to accentuate their upcoming hotel.

This community is rapidly being over populated with modern condominiums and real estate moguls changing and distorting the old world charm of Ballard.

It's so refreshing to read an article of a family business fighting to restore the spirit of this wonderful community.