March 2009

The mayor's office announced Seattle has received $37 million in federal stimulus funding to date, which is to go toward supporting community development, energy, environmental, social services and transportation projects.

For community Development:

Community Development Block Grant (formula) $3.3 million

For energy:

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (formula) $6 million

For the environment:

Maple Leaf Reservoir Burial Project (competitive) $6 million

For social services:

Homeless Assistance Grant (formula) $5 million

For transportation (all competitive)

Spokane Street Viaduct $15.4 million
Seattle Streetcar South Lake Union line preventive maintenance $314,011
Seattle Monorail safety improvements $1 million

Seattle has launched its “recovery.seattle.gov” Web site to track its progress seeking federal stimulus funds.

“President Obama’s economic recovery strategy will provide jobs, improve our environment, and help our most vulnerable,” said Nickels in a statement. “With transparency and accountability, we will do our part to jump start the local economy and make wise investments for the people of Seattle.”

Sustainable West Seattle needs helpers for its second annual Sustainable West Seattle Festival.

Organizers say the festival is an opportunity to get involved with growing a sustainable, resilient community. This year's festival Sunday, May 3, focuses on the theme of resilience.

"There will be a bumper crop of exhibits and workshops with free information on everydaychoices that lead to a fuller, healthier and resilient life style," according to the group.

Help is needed for the following:

Poster distribution to localbusinesses starting Monday, March 30.

West Seattle Farmers Market Tablecrews April 5, 12, 19 and 26.

Festival Setup Saturday, May 2, 6 to 9 p.m.

Festival Setup Sunday, May 3, 7 to 8:30 a.m.

Festival day of operations Sunday, May 3, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Festival exiting Sunday, May 3, 3 p.m. to finish.

Farmer's Market table crews and Day of Festival volunteer tasks are divided into shifts. Indicate weather youwould like a morning shift or an afternoon shift and which volunteer segment(s) you could donate time to.

The Seattle Department of Transportation proposed modifications on 15th Avenue Northwest to support RapidRide bus service if Metro pursues to replace the Metro 15 route, rather than the Metro 18 route through downtown Ballard and up 24th Avenue Northwest. The announcement met with positive reactions from members of the Ballard and Uptown communities.

Representatives from the Ballard District Council, Crown Hill Business Association, 15th Avenue Northwest, BINMIC, Ballard Chamber of Commerce and Sustainable Ballard were a few of the groups that attended the March 25 presentation.

“We were there to talk to the community about what we see happening to 15th,” said Bill Bryant, planner for the Department of Transportation. “We see designing bus bulbs on the segments of 65th and 80th, and we’re designing queue jumps to let the bus jump in front of other traffic in three locations, Prospect, Market Street and 67th.”

The kinds of roadway improvements the department is looking into for the RapidRide are transit signal priority, queue jumps and sidewalk extensions.

To increase safety for pedestrians and to help create a sense of identity for their community, groups in Crown HIll are working on getting a median installed to help slow speeding traffic on 15th Avenue Northwest and Holman Road.

Groups Envision 15th Avenue Northwest and Walkable Crown Hill teamed up with the Crown Hill Business Association to develop plans for a median that could be both accident prevention and an economic development strategy.

“Since we’ve come out with this idea, other groups have identified that getting a median put in as one of the priorities for different reasons,” Ryan McFarland, board member of the Crown Hill Neighborhood Association said.

Most recently, the Crown Hill Business Association did a Greening Crown Hill study while Walkable Crown Hill used a Small and Simple Grant from the Department of Neighborhoods to come up with its own study, the Pedestrian Improvement Plan.

The Greening Crown Hill study describes a strategic approach, criteria, design concepts and art and landscape opportunities throughout the Crown Hill neighborhood that could improve the neighborhood’s identity and to make businesses more prominent.

Recently, Dr. Maya Angelou told a story about being suicidal when she was a young woman. She ran to get help at a clinic, but wasn't comfortable with the clinician.

Utilizing her Personal Safety Net, Maya contacted her singing teacher for advice and direction. He asked, "What is wrong?" She told him she wanted to kill herself or somebody else! He responded "No, what is WRONG?" She said, "I told you! I want to die. I want to kill myself!"

Dr. Angelou's teacher handed her a yellow legal pad and said,

* Write down how you can see this yellow pad.
* Then write about the people who can't see.
* Read the words aloud and then write about those who cannot hear words.
* Write about the people who cannot read nor write words on a yellow pad.

In thinking about others, and of her relative good fortune, Maya's depression was eased. The physical act of writing helped too.

Dr. Angelou continues to speak of being thankful. Her favorite prayer is "Thank you!" She says this prayer very often. "I walk around my house and look at the abundance and say: thank you, thank you, thank you!"

We are now finishing the 16th month of the recession, which began in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Not only is this a long recession, but it’s also a severe one, marked by painfully high levels of job losses, a sharply reduced credit flow and a drop in the value of many investments.

Still, despite all the bad news, there are valid reasons to believe that brighter days lie ahead. But you don’t have to wait for things to turn around before taking steps to help your own financial future.

Here are some actions to consider:

Don’t cut back on your 401(k).

Ballard resident David Ortman, who turns 56 March 28, returned last week from the U.S.A. Track and Field National Masters Indoor Championships in Maryland with a handful of medals in tow.

Ortman, competing in the 55 to 59 age group, took silver in the pentathlon with 4,126 points, breaking the previous world record for the age group by 23 points.

He also took home silver in the triple jump and bronze in the high jump. He finished fourth place in the long jump.

It's a balancing act competing in the pentathlon as well as other events because the pentathlon occurs early on in the competition and can be exhausting, Ortman said. But, he decided to do it anyway.

"I just like to compete in lots of events if I'm going to fly a 1,000 miles for a track meet," he said.

Ortman won six medals in the Outdoor Championships in August to go with the six he won at the Washington State Senior Games in July, qualifying him for the National Senior Games next summer.

Myrna Hoffman (award-winning West Seattle toy inventor and manufacturer) is scheduling filming at Curious Kidstuff, 4740 California Ave. S.W., for OOZ & OZ’s Morph-O-Scope optical illusion toys.

The photo shoots have two goals: to capture children’s candid interactions with the company’s toys - videos to be posted on the company’s Web site www.OOZandOZ.com, on Amazon.com, and on YouTube - and to supply still shots for use in the company’s sales materials.

The immediate upcoming event is for Fairies and Princesses ages 5-8 (in their favorite costumes). Future shoots will include tween girls (Pajama Party) and boys ages 5-14 (Dinosaurs, Pets, Sports of All Sorts).

Model Release Forms will be provided.  All children receive sample Morph-O-Scope toys and a gold dollar for their play time (about one to two hours).

Ms. Hoffman can be reached directly at 206.344.3338 and Myrna@OOZandOZ.com.

If you didn't know any better, you might think Ballard was populated with reserved Scandinavians who show little emotion.  At last Monday's Alaskan Way Viaduct and Tunnel forum in Ballard, home of the only group to endorse Speaker Chopp's proposal, there were only two shows of emotion:  a polite round of applause when the retrofit was proposed, and a tiny outburst from a resident who didn't want to wait until presentations were done before asking questions.  

Moderator Peter Philips did a nice job of retaining control of the event and allowing everyone to ask their questions or make comments.  Many of the guests had clipboards and took notes, and most took handouts that project team had in the hallway.

More than 60 people and six staff were in the auditorium at the start, and 102 people half an hour in.  The presentations were similar to those you've all seen describing the components of the tunnel hybrid, the timeline, the cost and funding plans, and answers to the standard questions.  

New information:
- The city department of transportation is holding off on the Road Diet for Nickerson

Conor McClure almost single-handedly snapped the Ballard High School baseball team's two-game losing streak in a March 26 win over Inglemoor.

McClure went three-for-four with a home run, a double and five RBIs in the 6-2 victory

Thursday's performance came one day after McClure went two-for-three in a losing effort.

"He's swinging the stick well," coach John Lamm said.

McClure got some help from starting pitcher Nick Palewicz, who threw five strikeouts in five innings and gave up only one run.

Nico Van Der Ven added a solo shot for the Beavers.

The win puts Ballard at 2-1 in the conference and 3-2 overall.

The Beavers take on Roosevelt at 3:45 p.m., March 30 at Whitman Middle School.