April 2009

The East Ballard Community Association has created a "beautification branding plan" that aims to create more character in the neighborhood, building on successes last year to improve the safety of 14th Avenue Northwest with a new curb bulb and planted median.

In December, at 58th and 14th Avenue Northwest, the curb bulb was installed, a raised crosswalk that provides better visibility to pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the intersection. Also a curb extension, bioswale and planted median were installed to calm traffic as well as filter rainwater before it reaches Salmon Bay.

It's part of the neighbor's long-term project to beautify and improve safety on 14th Avenue Northwest, which started in 2005.

“Realizing that project will take a lot of money and years, I sat down and kind of drew up a plan that I think we can implement in the meantime to still get the affects of beautifying Ballard with sort of working with what we have,” said Shannon Dunn, member of East Ballard Community Association and the 14th Avenue Steering Committee.

The Highland Park Improvement Club held its first annual Wine for our Times event. More than 60 wine tasters paid a $10 admission and bought a bottle of their favorite $10 wine to contribute. The proceeds, including those collected from their raffle, will benefit the club’s 90th anniversary party in November.

The club is located at 1116 Southwest Holden and is a sister organization with the Highland Park Action Committee.

“This is the oldest community club in Seattle,” said Becca Fong, a three-year club member who was host of the event. “People always ask me ‘What is this club trying to improve?’ It tries to improve our community by helping us meet neighbors and friends.”

Bonnie Jeuris was the wine steward, which is her career at the Westwood Village QFC.

Allan Robertson, a Northwest Wine Academy student at South Seattle Community College, provided special pours.

“This club had a great tradition for holding dances during the war with our large dance floor,” said Kay Kirkpatrick, club secretary.

The Seattle City Council delivered a letter today to King County Executive Ron Sims and King County Council Chair Dow Constantine requesting a “10-year (or longer) extension of the current agreement” that provides jail beds for misdemeanor prisoners arrested by Seattle police officers.

The letter from the Seattle City Council is attached, along with King County Ordinance 16200 (which states that “it is the intent of the council that the county should continue to be the primary regional provider of secure detention”) and the King County Executive’s signing letter for Ordinance 16200.

A statement was also released from Mayor Greg Nickels.

“I appreciate the support of the city council in urging King County Executive Ron Sims and the King County Council to continue to provide
regional detention and community corrections programs," said Nickels. "The city of Seattle has long advocated for a long-term extension of the current agreement with King County to house our misdemeanants. However, King County has maintained that it doesn’t have long-term jail capacity and a new facility must be built.

"State of Play"
Dir. Kevin Macdonald
PG-13, 127 min.

If you have seen a preview for "State of Play," you already know whether or not you would enjoy it. It is what it advertises itself as, a political thriller, and offers nothing new to convert non-fans of the genre but nothing to turn fans off either.

When a congressman's (Ben Affleck) aide is killed in the middle of investigating a Blackwater-like personal security company, reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) and blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) are left to untangle a plot involving corporate greed, illicit romances and political corruption.

Crowe plays McAffrey as a slovenly, bear of a man. Much of what is interesting about "State of Play" comes from watching Crowe navigate the life of a reporter in a bustling newsroom. He downs Cheetos in his 1990 Saab, he works amidst mountain ranges of papers and books, and he battles his demanding editor (Helen Mirren).

The Seattle City Council’s Joint Pedestrian Safety and Transportation Committee today, April 24, got a look at the recommendations for the city's first Pedestrian Master Plan.

The Pedestrian Master Plan Advisory Group was convened soon after the council created an Ad Hoc Pedestrian Safety Committee in January 2007. The committee's vision is that Seattle become a “walking city” that recognizes that as we grow, people will walk in ever-increasing numbers.

In the committee's own words, “the plan:

Cites the best of what Seattle has done thus far and encourages a continuing sense of pride in accomplishment;

Demands respect and safety for pedestrians;

Requires that pedestrian connections be made to and among parks, schools, transit, shops, civic spaces, work spaces, and other land uses;

Encourages people to walk for their own benefit, for the life of the city, and for the good of the natural environment;

Obligates all branches and sectors of city government to conduct their work with reference to the vision; and

Names the public and private investment that will be necessary to meet the vision.”

If you are into art glass you probably know her. If you go to the local garden shows around the town, you’ve probably seen her work, or maybe spoken to her. Barbara Sanderson of Glass Gardens NW is working away to “the next best thing” in the world of glass. Yes, Chihuly, step aside.

Barbara has the honor of gracing the front cover of a national magazine, "Better Homes and Gardens," next month - the June issue that will hit the newsstands in mid-May. I have written about her before in regards to her wonderful glass bubble terrariums, which are perfectly darling. "Better Homes and Gardens" chose to highlight her floats.

But, neither of these two products even scratches the surface of what Barbara really creates.

After all, she makes carrots, too.

Barbara has done a public installation here in Seattle where you can go to see her work. In August of 2007, she was commissioned to create glass sculptures for the US Bank Center at 1420 5th Ave. between Pike and Union.

This year 68 businesses in the neighborhoods will transform themselves into temporary art galleries during the Greenwood Arts Council’s 14th Annual Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk.

From 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 8 and 12 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 9, along Greenwood and Phinney Avenues between 59th and 87th Streets, more than 100 local artists will be featuring their work in businesses.

There will be entertainment like aerialists, dance and musical performances, featured by participating businesses and churches. Children can enjoy street performers and sidewalk chalk art and activities catered for them.

The art work will be judged by this year’s jurors, Charlie Kitchings, director and co-founder of Ambach and Rice (formerly known as OKOK Gallery) in Ballard; Barbara Luecke, manger of the art program for Sound Transit and co-founder of Fremont Solstice Parade; and Peggy Weiss, director of the interdisciplinary art program at Harborview Medical Center.

The jurors’ top picks will be featured at the Phinney Center Gallery, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., and will be up during the ArtWalk and on view at the Gallery though May 29.

The Ballard girls tennis team lost 6-3 April 23 but gave Roosevelt a run for its money.

Coach Charles Brenner said the team match could have gone either way because there were three singles matches that very close and went to a third set.

"Roosevelt pulled each one of them out," he said. "But it very easily could have gone the other way and our girl's know it."

Ballard's Anna Brokhaug, Emiko Kobayashi and Zoe Kasperzyk each took their opponent to a third set in singles matches.

The Beavers are 0-7 this season with four matches left, but Brenner said the team is showing improvement.

"All in all I was very pleased with the way the girls played in the match yesterday," he said. "They played much better than they have all season."

Ballard takes the court against Bellevue at 3:45 p.m., April 28 at the Lower Woodland tennis courts.

Camp Long is offering many opportunities to help participants discover what they can do to help the planet.

Camp Long is a 68-acre forested park and environmental learning center located at 5200 35th Ave. S.W.

Visitors can enjoy nature, hike, camp overnight in rustic cabins, rock climb, and learn about nature. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Free Class
May 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ages 12 and older
Come learn how to incorporate solar hot water into your home or workplace. This course is presented by NW Sustainable Energy for Economic Development.
Location: Lodge
Course 40557

Owls and Bats Camp Long
May 9, 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Adult Fee $8, Child Fee $6
Ages 5 and older
Will Barred Owl young be hissing or will they be missing? Parents might be ripping up rats into choice chunks for their baby birds. We’ll poke around for pellets to pull apart and hear how to hoot. Though not as numerous as they once were, we may find bats with our bat detector. Please register by May 8. Instructor: Stewart Wechsler
Course 39661

Mucking at Me-Kwa-Mooks
May 24, 10 a.m. to Noon
Adult Fee $8, Child Fee $6

King County Council member Dow Constantine, now running for King County Executive, held a fundraiser for a crowd of supporters at the Crocodile Lounge Thursday night.

The lounge reopened its doors last month after being shut since December 2007. It once hosted Pearl Jam and Nirvana. So it was fitting that Constantine supporter and former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic opened the event with a speech. The theme shared by both Constantine and Novoselic was free artistic expression, particularly music, and railed against city and state laws attempting to control what is heard and who gets to hear it.

In his speech, Constantine thanked club owner Marcus Charles for reopening the Crocodile, and West Seattle resident and club investor Susan Silver, also in attendance.

Said Constantine from the dramatically lit stage, "Krist touched on this. People undervalue the role of arts in our (city's) economy. Think about sporting events and conventions that generate a lot of money for Seattle. For every football game there are hundreds of art openings and museum events. That adds up...It's critical in local economy.