May 2009

Seattle Parks and Recreation announced it will operate 14 wading pool sites, rather than its usual 25, in the summer of 2009, in order to complete federally mandated safety improvements required by the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.
 
The law, enacted by congress and signed into law in December 2008, requires that all owners of pools and spas install specified new drain covers and second anti-entrapment systems to protect swimmers from possible injury or death caused by getting caught in pool drains.
 
Because of the nationwide demand for the drain covers and anti-entrapment systems and the skilled labor required to install them, there are delays in the work all over the country.
 
Parks is working to install this safety equipment in 10 swimming pools, and will begin work on the wading pools as soon as it receives permits from Public Health - Seattle & King County.

The five water spray features at Ballard Commons Park and Miller Playfield are open now; those at John C. Little, Sr. Park, Pratt Park, and Judkins Park will open on Saturday, May 23.
  

The Seattle Parks and Recreation announced it will operate 14 wading pool sites, rather than its usual 25, in the summer of 2009, in order to complete federally mandated safety improvements required by the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.
 
The law, enacted by congress and signed into law in December 2008, requires that all owners of pools and spas install specified new drain covers and second anti-entrapment systems to protect swimmers from possible injury or death caused by getting caught in pool drains.
 
Because of the nationwide demand for the drain covers and anti-entrapment systems and the skilled labor required to install them, there are delays in the work all over the country.
 
Parks is working to install this safety equipment in 10 swimming pools, and will begin work on the wading pools as soon as it receives permits from Public Health - Seattle & King County.
 
Because of the schedule constraints, parks will open four wading pools on June 20, right after the Seattle Public Schools term ends. They are Green Lake Park, Volunteer Park, Lincoln Park, and Van Asselt Playground.

Fish and Wildlife agents have suspended the search for a black bear that was spotted around the city and Ballard since Saturday May 17.

Agents said the bear was last spotted around 9 p.m. Monday near Fifth Avenue Northeast and Northeast 160th Street.

The bear had to have crossed I-5, since he was first seen on the west side of the freeway.

Fish and Wildlife agents have nicknamed the young bear "Urban Phantom," due to his eluding nature.

According to a Seattle Police report, on Sunday, May 17, at approximately 10:11 p.m., residents in the 4300 Block of West Cramer Street called 911 to report a bear in their yard.

Seattle Police and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife officers responded. While investigating that sighting, officers were informed that there was an additional sighting of the bear near the intersection of 24th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 63rd Street in Ballard, just before midnight on May 18.

Both the police and game agents responded to that location. There were several sightings of the bear. The bear continued to move in a northerly direction, with sightings at 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 70th Street.

A group of neighbors, who have not released their names, living close to the former Calvary Lutheran Church, are announcing their disappointment with Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church’s recent decision to place a shelter for 20 homeless men at the building located at 7002 23rd Ave. N.W.

The group says the space has lacked an active congregation since members of the Calvary Lutheran Church joined Our Redeemer's in the spring of 2008. Neighbors have been engaged in discussions with Our Redeemer's representatives about three months regarding operating requirements for the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. SHARE (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort) homeless shelter.

While sentiments about the shelter run the gamut from negative to supportive, some neighbors were able to reach a consensus that the shelter would be acceptable to most people, provided the following three conditions were met:

1. Our Redeemer's must be accountable for what goes on at the vacant building

2. Our Redeemer's must provide direct oversight of the shelter, and

3. Our Redeemer's must conduct sex offender background checks on potential shelter residents

Interim County Executive Kurt Triplett was unanimously appointed today by the Metropolitan King County Council to serve as King County Executive.

Triplett, a resident of the North Beach neighborhood, will serve until the results of the November general election for county executive are certified.

"This government faces extraordinary challenges regarding the budget and public health and safety in the next six months," said Triplett in a recently released statement. " I believe the continuity in governing that I bring to the office as executive Sims’ chief of staff for the last five years will be a benefit to the people of King County.

"The staff and the regional relationships are in place and the team is knowledgeable and already at work. I pledge an open, collaborative relationship with our regional partners, our council and our citizens as we tackle the tough issues and deliver a sound budget and a well-functioning government to the executive that is elected in November."

West Seattle resident Russ Brubaker has been named one of 16 recipients of Gov. Chris Gregoire’s 2009 Award for Leadership in Management.

Gregoire said Brubaker, senior assistant director of tax policy for the state's Department of Revenue, has been a champion of simplicity and fairness in tax policy for more than 20 years. She called him a visionary leader and an advocate of fiscal efficiency.

Brubaker helped pave the way for Washington joining a national effort to encourage out-of-state sellers to collect sales tax on sales to Washington residents; supported passage of taxpayer rights and responsibilities legislation, championed tax simplifications in reporting for small businesses, and defended Washington’s tax system against Congressional proposals that would have eviscerated the state’s business and occupation tax.

Locally, Brubaker has served on the Northwest AIDs Foundation Legislative Committee, Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, City Neighborhood Council, Citizens Toxics Cleanup Campaign Board, and the Seattle Parks and Green Space Levy Oversight Committee.

Mayor Greg Nickels is seeking candidates for the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board, which consists of 11 members who serve two-year terms in a volunteer capacity.

The board’s primary role is to advise the mayor, city council and all city departments and offices on matters related to bicycling and the implementation of the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan.

Specifically, board members seek to improve safety, access, and mobility for bicyclists. Board members contribute to planning and developing projects, as well as evaluating and recommending changes in city policies, design guidelines and regulations.

If interested in being considered, send a letter of interest and resume, which demonstrates your knowledge, experience, and insights into bicycle-related current issues.

Applicants must reside within the city limits. The board meets in City Hall on the first Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m.

E-mail a letter of interest and resume by July 6 to Douglas.Cox@Seattle.gov or by mail to:

Doug Cox
Seattle Dept. of Transportation
700 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3900
P.O. Box 34996
Seattle, WA 98124-4996

Sven Huseby, an environmentalist and an educator, learned at an early age that the health of the natural world is inextricably linked with the fate of the people living in it.

Huseby grew up in Ballard in the 1950s as part of the area's Norwegian community. His father built homes primarily for fishermen returning from Alaska.

"Most of us in Ballard at that time were linked to the world of fish and the well-being that it provided for many," he said.

The summer after graduating from Ballard High School in 1961, Huseby read "Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold. Leopold's book revealed to Huseby that the environment is "a fragile, living and interconnected organism."

Nearly five decades later, he sees that organism in crisis.

Huseby is the producer and star of "A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish," the first-ever documentary on ocean acidification, which premiers June 1 at the Seattle International Film Festival.

"Right now we are seeing a perfect storm for our fish populations," Huseby said. "Waters are warming, pollution is increasing, and the sea is becoming more corrosive."

On May 18 the Seattle City Auditor presented a report to the city council on the management of city trees, which calls the urban forest, “a vital part of the city’s infrastructure” and recommends better management of urban trees as a valuable resource.

Seattle has specific goals to increase the urban tree canopy from 18 percent to 30 percent by 2040.

“We know that in addition to fighting climate change, a healthy and expanding tree canopy provides financial benefits to the city in managing drainage, filtering our air, and boosting property values by making neighborhoods greener,” said council president Richard Conlin, chair of the Environment, Emergency Management, and Utilities Committee, which will take up the report at its Friday meeting.

“Seattle’s rhetoric on protecting the urban forest is strong, but the auditor’s report concludes that Seattle is not doing enough to help our urban forest to grow, or to create an environment where developers choose to build in a way that maintains the character of our neighborhoods," said Conlin.

Over the weekend, the head of the seagle, a sea serpent that had been making its home in a vacant Ballard lot since April 1, was cut off and the creature tipped over.

Seagle creator Bob Jones had earlier said in an email that he planned to leave the seagle in the water-filled pit at 28th Avenue Northwest and Market Street for a little while longer before auctioning it on eBay to support the Ballard Food Bank and other local charities.

Two seagle eggs placed in a nest next to the mythical beast increased the tragedy of its slaying.

The eggs were installed on Mother's Day and will still hatch on Father's Day, Jones said.

"It was an act of giving when I made it," Jones said. "I got my joy out of making it and I'm glad people got to enjoy it."

He said there is a possibility the seagle will be resurrected next April Fool's Day.