July 2008

Council sends park levy to ballot

The Seattle City Council last week voted unanimously to place a six-year, $145 million Parks and Green Spaces Levy on November's ballot.

The Council voted in favor of a levy package that would fund acquiring parks and green belts; developing playgrounds, athletic fields, trails, and skate parks; creating new green space on reservoir lids; funding environmental projects like forest and stream restoration, shoreline access, and community food gardens.

"This levy will fund parks and playgrounds in neighborhoods across the city.

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New Dean of Transit at South

Bennett Taves is the new Dean of Transportation at South Seattle Community College.

He will have instructional and operational responsibility for the college's Automotive Technology, Automotive Collision Repair, Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology, Welding Fabrication Technology, and Commercial Driver Training programs.

Taves joins South from Lake Washington Technical College where as a tenured welding instructor, he led a major expansion of the program. He also served as faculty union president.

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Alki Art Fair

Dozens of artists gathered on the promenade south of the Alki Bathhouse on Saturday and Sunday, July 26th and 27th. Among those exhibiting were Pham Quoc Hung (pictured above) who has been painting for decades and said, "I work on 5 or 6 paintings at a time." The band Pretty Penny (next photo) played their eclectic mix of rock and folk as part of the musical entertainment.Also at the show was Floyd of Mr.

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Stranger at the door

Officers responded to a home on 26th SW where a stranger had come to the door, demanded money, and then disappeared around the corner toward the backyard. They checked the residence and found the man hiding in the basement. An ID check showed that he was wanted on $67,000 worth of felony and misdemeanor warrants for theft, drug charges, and driving with a suspended license. The suspect, a 46-year-old Youngstown resident, was booked into King County Jail.

A citizen brought a lost and confused elderly woman to the SW Precinct on Tuesday afternoon.

To fly a kite

One Sunday I just lie on my back on the beach at Golden Gardens watching a man and a boy fly a kite together. My job is to watch.

Occasionally wiping the sand from my elbows I keep my face pointed in their direction. Given the distance and dark glasses I may only appear to be observing them, but why would they doubt me? I'm the designated audience for their dance, one "Big" and one "Little" in the common parlance of King County Big Brothers/Little Brothers program.

Martin and Miguel.

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Council sends park levy to ballot

The Seattle City Council voted unanimously to place a six-year, $145 million Parks and Green Spaces Levy on November's ballot.

The Council voted in favor of a levy package that would fund acquiring parks and green belts; developing playgrounds, athletic fields, trails, and skate parks; creating new green space; funding environmental projects like forest and stream restoration, shoreline access, and community food gardens.

"This levy will fund parks and playgrounds in neighborhoods across the city. Now it's up to the people to vote on these investments ...

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Better design could come with a price

It's about time Seattle leaders do something to address the thoughtless design of some developments that have been sprouting up in our neighborhoods the last several years, especially when there are no signs of the trend abating.

Mayor Greg Nickels attempts to do just that with regulations he's proposing that would, as his office puts it, "improve the character and design of townhouses and require environmentally sesitive buildng and landscape."

The change would affect about 10 percent of the city, the amount zoned for multi-family constriction.

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