September 2008

on viaduct

Three open houses scheduled on options for replacement. Two meetings have already been held however they have not been reported by the major news media. It must be evident the meetings and public input wasn't important enough for media coverage. Most people feel that the downtown section of the viaduct is already a done deal and any comment is a waste of time and effort. Our research over the past year of meetings has proved to us that the City Surface Street option plan has been adopted and all we're getting now is lip service.

The proposed design for the new Admiral Safeway store was presented Thursday night at the Hiawatha Community Center. Nearly 30 attended. Representatives from Fuller Sears Architects, the firm retained for the project, Steve Johnson and Bill Fuller, presented with Safeway representative Sara Corn.

A Seattle City Council committee has approved legislation to update the city's 38 neighborhood plans created a decade ago, and neighborhood's gaining more mass transit service will likely go first.

In 1999, the Seattle City Council approved 38 neighborhood plans in many of the city's neighborhoods designed to support anticipated population growth around the city over the next 20 years.

In the Sept. 10 issue of the Ballard News-Tribune ("Pay parking coming to Fremont"), Seattle Department of Transportation spokesman Richard Sheridan was misquoted. The correct quotation is, "It's an obstacle for community members to collect signatures..." said Sheridan. "Fremont's percentage of parking utilized is more than 75 percent..."

We regret the error.

With the snip of a scissors the purple ribbon dropped and Brandon Roy basketball court was reborn Wednesday afternoon. The refurbished outdoor court, south of the Delridge Community Center, was once the healthy hangout for the Portland Trailblazer who fans call "Broy." The court was renamed in his honor.

"It's incredible to be back with my family," said Roy, a 6-6 guard, following the ceremony. He was toting his 18 month-old son, Brandon Jr. "I've had so many memories from this court when I worked on my game.

Earlier this month Mayor Greg Nickels announced the city will begin construction on the missing Ballard link of the Burke-Gilman Trail in 2009.

Public art that was removed in 2006 will be restored to the Ballard Bridge Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Seattle Department of Transportation crews will reinstall eight sculptures on the 15th Avenue Northwest approach to the Bridge.

On 15th Avenue Northwest, north of the Ballard Bridge. crews will close the northbound right lane on Tuesday to reinstall four sculptures and the southbound right lane on Wednesday to replace the remaining four sculptures.

One lane on Northwest Leary Way will also be closed.

The work will be done between 9 a.m.

This has to be one of least thought-out ideas I've ever heard of in this city, ("City proposes dumpster free alleys" Sept. 10) and there have been some doozies.

Isn't the city AGAINST plastic bags? Currently any method of transport from business-to-dumpster works (paper bags, boxes, dumping straight from small receptacle). What about raccoons, dogs, and animals?

Waste goes out in afternoon, doesn't get picked up till tomorrow - they don't think that waste will be strewn from one block to another?

I am writing in response to the Sept. 3 article written by Michael Harthorne titled "Noise complaints start already." Ballard Landmark is a brand new retirement community and the residents and staff are thrilled to be a part of this wonderful community. We have been welcomed by the businesses and the people of Ballard and feel we will be an asset to this community.

The residents living here realize that a certain amount of noise comes with urban living and to date; we have only had one 'complaint' regarding the noise.

The economic news is downright gloomy: King County is looking at a large budget shortfall. So is the state. And we all know the federal government has been borrowing to meet its obligations at home and abroad.

Energy prices are up; housing prices are down. As energy prices cycle through the economy, food and commodity prices are on the rise, and real wages are eroding.

For those of us living in Seattle, the situation is not quite as dismal as elsewhere.