May 2009

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Alki Homestead, among 13 other Washington landmarks, as an endangered historic property.

Chris Moore is field director for the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. He spoke Tuesday, May 26, from a podium set up on very windy bicycle trail by the Sculpture Garden.

Andrea Mercado is executive director of the Southwest Historical Society.

"This could not be a more ideal location for this (event) because we are right over there, the birthplace of Seattle," said Mercado, as she pointed to Alki Point across Elliott Bay from the podium.

"The Log House Museum is in the landmark carriage house, one of five originally that surrounded (the Alki Homestead Inn)," she said. "So historically it is a very significant property. When you ate there you walked through that door and were back to a different era, plus (there was) the fried chicken on the menu we were all hooked on since the 1950's. The museum itself cost close to a million dollars to restore and is just a quarter to a third the size (of the Alki Homestead Inn)."

Ballard's Haven Salon will be offering free hair washes, blow-outs and hair tips in celebration of the launch of one of their styling products, AVEENO’s first hair care collection, NOURISH+.

The first 100 women to visit the salon on Wednesday, May 27 will get a chance to find a new look all at the cost of nothing. The salon is located at 5810 24th Ave. N.W. and the free event is between 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“It’s a new product launch but they’re using our salon because it’s upscale yet comfortable,” said Crysdian Llemson, owner of Haven Salon.

Llemson will also be offering expert advice to visitors on healthy hair; products suited for certain types of hair; what women should be doing to their hair and how to get the right cut from a stylist.

Women attending the event will also be given free, eco-friendly pedi-cab lifts to and from the salon, product samples and a chance to receive Haven gift certificates.

For more information call Haven Salon at 783-0537.

The Seattle City Council has approved to allow the expenditure of $3.2 million in Community Development Block Grant funds by amending amend the City’s approved 2009 budget.

The City will receive these funds as part of the Federal Economic Stimulus Funding Legislation, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The money will support small business lending and facilities improvements for local food banks, child care programs, a teen parent home, and rental housing for seniors, according to the city.

“In order to get our local economy back on track, we have to provide direct monetary support to small businesses and funding for organizations helping people impacted by the economic slow-down,” said Council member Richard McIver, chair of the council’s Housing and Economic Development Committee.  “I am pleased that federal stimulus monies have been made available to give Seattle citizens and small business owners the support they need during these difficult times.”

The $3.2 million in Community Development Block Grant funding will go toward:

On Wednesday evenings in West Seattle, teens from around the neighborhood get together and hang out at one of their favorite places—church.

Skate Church is nothing like the typical religious centers that most of these young people grew up in. Instead of a cathedral, the church operates out of a small storefront called TORN in the Alaska Junction.

Looking more like a Zumiez or Guitar Center store than a sanctuary, TORN is stocked with discounted skate decks, several guitars for the momentary jam session and even a recording studio.

Walls are covered in pictures and poetry, all which lie below a large cross, constructed from skateboards, in the middle of the room.

Instead of kneeling in pews, kids lounge on sofas and large comfy chairs.

Visitors won’t hear the sounds of a choir or hushed, reverent voices, instead they will hear Christian alternative rock and the loud chatter of boys and girls in middle and high school.

Clearly, Skate Church is unlike most other Christian youth groups.

Skate Church has successfully attracted a strong following by tapping into secular culture to capture the energy of today’s youth.

Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close Fourth Avenue South in SODO for three nights this week, from May 27 through 29.

Each night at 7 p.m. from Wednesday to Friday crews will close all lanes of Fourth Avenue South between South Royal Brougham Way and South Atlantic Street/Edgar Martinez Drive South. The street will reopen by 5 a.m. each morning.

A signed detour will divert drivers to Sixth Avenue South.

During the closures crews will remove a sign bridge, move median curbing and restripe the southbound lanes of Fourth Avenue South. The work will create a work area in the middle of the southbound lanes just south of South Royal Brougham Way.

The work area will give crews room to safely build a portion of the new westbound I-90 and I-5 off-ramp to South Atlantic Street/Edgar Martinez Drive South.

The next Southwest District Council meeting is on June 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. and will include a presentation of the City of Seattle's Pedestrian Master Plan, which was released in draft form on May 7.

Read about it here.

View the draft plan here.

The meeting will be held in the President's Board Room at South Seattle Community College, 6000 16th Ave. S.W.

Starting this September, schools in the West Seattle area could see their start and end times changed by five to 55 minutes.

The Seattle School Board will vote June 3 on schedule changes introduced May 20 that it says will make the school transportation system more efficient.

Under the proposal, most West Seattle schools would start 20 to 25 minutes later. But, West Seattle High School would start 10 minutes earlier. And, in the biggest proposed change, Pathfinder K-8 would start 55 minutes earlier and dismiss 45 minutes earlier.

According to Seattle Public Schools, the proposed schedule changes come after input from families, principals and staff and will allow students to be picked up and dropped off while there is still adequate daylight.

The proposed changes are part of new school transportation standards adopted by the School Board in March.

The new transportation standards will save $2.2. million and allow the Seattle School District to transport the same number of students using 49 fewer buses, according to the district.

Starting this September, Ballard-area schools could see their start and end times changed by 10 to 40 minutes.

The Seattle School Board will vote June 3 on schedule changes introduced May 20 that it says will make the school transportation system more efficient.

Under the proposal, most Ballard schools would start 20 minutes later. But, Ballard High School would start 20 minutes earlier. And, in the biggest proposed change, Broadview-Thomson would start 40 minutes earlier and dismiss 35 minutes earlier.

According to Seattle Public Schools, the proposed schedule changes come after input from families, principals and staff and will allow students to be picked up and dropped off while there is still adequate daylight.

The proposed changes are part of new school transportation standards adopted by the School Board in March.

The new transportation standards will save $2.2. million and allow the Seattle School District to transport the same number of students using 49 fewer buses, according to the district.

The June 3 meeting will be held at the John Stanford Center, 2445 3rd Ave. S., from 6 to 9 p.m. It is also broadcast on cable channel 26.

Hello readers. In this week's column I'd like to touch on a couple of topics I've been thinking about this past week.

First, I went last week out to Issaquah for the Spring Opener at the XXX Drive in. There were so many great cars to see, and whether they were restored classics or modified muscle cars, it was plain to see that great care and love were poured into these vehicles (along with countless hours of labor). It got me to thinking about how people connect with their vehicles.

We all are aware of the economy right now, and the trouble that car manufacturers are having, but anyone with enough growth-rings in their trunks like the ol' Car Counselor here can remember what an impact the automotive culture has had on America.

That “freedom of the road” you felt when you first got your license and your first car. The road trips that you took with your family that seems to have become a symbol of Americana. The roadside attractions, drive-ins, drive-thru's, and hot rods.

This morning, May 26, at about 2:30 a.m. officers responded to the 1200 block of Harbor Avenue Southwest to a report of a vehicle that struck a city light pole then plunged into the water. The driver was not injured.

Witnesses reported that the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed when he apparently lost control while driving east bound on the 1200 Block of Harbor. The vehicle left the roadway and jumped the seawall entering the water in a depth of 10 feet.

Seattle Harbor Patrol and Seattle Fire assisted at the scene. The driver was uninjured.

The driver, a 54-year-old male, was driving a 1991 Porsche 911. Investigators believe drugs and or alcohol in addtion to speed may have contributed to the collision.

Charges are pending toxicology results.