May 2009

Mayor Greg Nickels announced today his proposal to allow Seattle City Light to fix more street lights this year.

“We are committed to replacing and fixing street light fixtures as a matter of public safety and good customer service,” Nickels said in a statement.

In April, City Light responded to the mayor’s call for no rate increase in 2009 and to declining revenue from its surplus power sales by cutting its 2009 operating and capital budgets. These cuts include substantial restrictions in the use of overtime that result in longer times to complete street light repairs and other services.

The city’s general fund pays City Light more than $9 million annually for the costs of building, operating, and maintaining streetlights. The mayor is proposing that $2.1 million allocated in the 2009-2010 general fund budget for street light repairs be spent earlier to speed up street lamp replacement.

Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Energy and Technology Committee supports the plan.

Cheryl Chow, a long-time educator who served two terms as a Seattle City Council member and is a former Seattle School Board president, has decided she will not run for a second term on the Seattle School Board.

Chow, 63, said that it was time for her to close the chapter on politics and public office in her life in order to focus on other priorities.

“I’m very proud of how far we have come in the last four years to put the Seattle School District back on the right path and lay a firm foundation to ensure the success of our kids,” she said in a news release. “With the loss of my mom, Ruby Chow, last year, I’ve come to realize that there comes a time to walk way from the public spotlight and focus my energy on other personal goals. Now is the time.”

Chow won as position on the School Board four years ago. Chow credits herself with the following:

-Leading the School Board and the community through an inclusive and thorough superintendent selection process that brought Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson to Seattle

-Making a hard decision to determine a balanced and sustainable budget

Gazing outside at the bountiful greenery and colorful blossoms of rhododendrons, unmown grass, and myriad wildflowers that have planted themselves on my doorstep, I heave a sigh at the thought of running the gamut.

Spending time outside or even sleeping with the windows open can lead to a runny or stuffy nose and crusty eyes for many of us who suffer from seasonal allergies. But what can we do?

This happens every year and there’s no getting around it, right? While we may never be able to completely eliminate some allergies, there are some ways to minimize them to an almost unnoticeable irritation.

Capers is almost finished rearranging their store so that the home decor and gift shop will be consolidated to the lower half of the store.

Lisa Myers said that the change will utilize the space better. Since some employees were cut the store will be able to offer better customer service in a smaller space.

"It's another incarnation," said Myers. "We're trying to keep up with the needs of the customers and their demands."

A wall that separated the two buildings until 2000 will be replaced, and a new retail space will be maded available in the Alaska Junction.

"Of course we would like something complimentary and a draw to the neighborhood (to move in)," said Myers. "I think it could be a great opportunity."

The 2009 West Seattle Garden Fest will be coming to South Seattle Community College on June 6. It will be a celebration of edible and sustainable gardening that showcases important concepts, practical applications and knowledgeable speakers.

Tickets to the event are available by emailing arboretum@sscc.edu.

The event schedule will be as follows:

10 a.m. Garden Center opens

10:30 a.m. Arboretum tours begin

11 a.m. Speaker Lynne Thompson, Great Plant Picks coordinator, will introduce the 2009 Great Plant Picks selections

12 p.m. Dedication of the new Waterwise Perennial Garden, plus a highlight of the new path and patio in the upper rose garden and a rededication of the gazebo.

12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Demonstrations throughout the arboretum on composting, straw bale gardens, gardening for kids and exotic edible containers

1 p.m. Speaker Sue Goetz, CPH, The Creative Gardener, will talk about vegetable gardens for urban spaces and sustainable gardening.

3 p.m. Afternoon tea with Ed Hume

The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division is inviting the public to a series of nine community meetings from June 1 to 15. At these meetings, the ferries division will present information on a variety of issues, respond to public questions and listen to comments.

“I am looking forward to discussing what came out of legislative session,” said David Moseley, Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries. “There many important tasks ahead (...) and the communities are critical to the future of the ferry system.”

Issues on the agenda for the meetings include: recap of the 2009 legislative session, the Washington State Ferries long-range plan, vehicle reservations pre-design report and tariff process.

The community meeting schedule is as follows:

- Monday, June 1, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside, 100 Washington Ave., Bremerton

- Tuesday, June 2, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Clinton Community Hall, 6411 Central Ave., Clinton

- Wednesday, June 3, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
McMurray Middle School, 9329 SW Cemetery Road, Vashon Island

- Monday, June 8, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Starting July 1, small music venues, such as the Sunset Tavern in Ballard and the High Dive in Fremont, will no longer be charged a 5-percent admissions tax by the city.

The Seattle City Council voted 5-3 May 26 to waive the tax for all venues that have a maximum occupancy less than 1,000 people and meet a number of other stipulations.

Tate Rogers, owner of Nectar Lounge in Fremont, said exemptions will help because even though 5 percent doesn't seem like a lot, it adds up for small businesses.

"There are some months where it's a pretty good chunk of change," Rogers said.

The tax provided $300,000 per year to the city's general fund.

Council member Jean Godden, who voted against the exemption along with Richard McIver and Tom Rasmussen, said she supported the idea, but with the city facing budget cuts, now is not the time to repeal any taxes.

"I actually had voted in the affirmative last fall," Godden said. "But, that was $40 million ago."

The West Seattle Kiwanis Club is celebrating 80 years of community service with a gala event at South Seattle Community College, this Sunday, May 31.

The event begins with a social hour at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and program at 6. The keynote speaker is University of Washington All-American and Seahawk star Nesby Glasgow. Mistress of Ceremonies is Kammie Lisenby, a business woman and former SeaGal.

There will also be a gourmet dessert raffle. The food is catered by the South Seattle Community College Culinary Arts program and the desserts are also being crafted by culinary arts students. The dessert creators will be identified to further recognize their skills.

Cost is 65.00 per person or you can purchase a table for eight for $450.00, for a savings of $70.00.

Location:

Jerry M. Brockey Student Center
South Seattle Community College
6000 16th Ave. S.W. 

For tickets:

www.kiwaniswestseattle.com, or  phone  (206) 330-6843

Twelve year-old Waylon Robert, a sixth-grader at St. Alphonsus School in Ballard, nominated the Bush House in Index, Wash. to be on the list of the 2009 Most Endangered Historic Properties.

The 1898 building has made the list, along with 12 others in the state, as designated by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, a statewide, non-profit organization founded in 1976 "to safeguard Washington’s historic places through advocacy, education, collaboration and stewardship," according to its Web site.

Built in 1898 the Bush House is one of five hotels that once served Index during the railway boom. In 2005 it was ordered shut for structural deficiences. It is currently for sale.

"It was a really fun place to go when I was little," said Robert at a May 26 event by the Seattle Sculpture Garden officially unveiling all 13 properties on the most endangered list.

The Peacemakers’ Task Force at Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church is inviting the public to hear Yael Maritz, an Israeli woman who will share her story about growing up in the small town of Ramat –Yishai in the Jezreel Valley.

The event is on Saturday, June 6, at 7 p.m., at Our Redeemer's, on the corner of 24th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 85th.

"Continuing in our effort to see the many perspectives of Middle East life (in March, we heard from a Palestinian woman), we feel these are opportunities to gain knowledge first-hand from people who have experienced this part of the world," said church organizers.

Refreshments will be served and all members of the public are welcome to attend.

Maritz was born in 1982 (during the first Lebanon war) on a Kibbutz named Dovrat, attended a Kibbutz high school, was on an Israeli national team in Karate, winning 3rd place in Europe at age 16. 

Maritz joined the Israeli Defense Force at 18. She spent an extra year in the military by taking a Military Intelligence officers’ course; Maritz is still technically a 'Senior Lieutenant Reserve.