November 2009

When you come to the door of a home, what is first thing you interact with?

Sometimes, it's the door itself but often it's the doorbell, or more specifically the doorbell button. A home based business in West Seattle called Spore makes some truly beautiful doorbell buttons and they been at it since 1997.

When Ted Pierson and a partner began the business they had looked at a number of options and saw high quality, well built and well designed doorbell buttons as a business worth exploring.

Working from his basement design studio Ted and his wife Lily (who handles the marketing and promotion), now design, package and ship a complete line of doorbell buttons and chimes.

The Pierson's acknowledge that theirs is a niche business. "Our market is for the most part homeowners who are building custom homes, architect design homes, or not. A lot of times it's people remodeling, spending some money, upgrading their house. When they get to their entry way we give them a choice of putting a nice piece there," said Pierson.

Mountain to Sound Outfitters, the newest business venture from Alki Kayak's Greg Whittaker is not even open yet (that happens November 27th) but it made it's debut at the Ski Fever and Snowboard show at the Convention Center downtown.

Whittaker took out a 1000 sq.ft space at the show but said sales,"are going well" with many of the products he plans to carry in his new space at 50 percent off his retail ski goods. When the new store opens he will carry Tyrolia bindings, Head skis, Technica boots, Lang boots, Scott goggles and more.

His new location is located at 3602 S.W. Alaska Street and they are featuring a "Community Barbecue" for the store's grand opening Nov. 27th beginning at noon.

The show at the convention center runs until 6 pm Sunday.

Mark Brands quieted the crowd as voices rang out from every table in Whittier Elementary School’s library last night. Then he looked on as each group gave their presentation.

“We want a playground and an area for sledding,” one man said.

Rather than children, about 40 neighbors had gathered to give advice to Brands, a landscape architect, about how they would like the city to use the space reserved for a new park on Ninth Avenue.

The city set aside a space the size of about a dozen single-family residences along Ninth Avenue Northwest and Northwest 70th Street for the community park.

With $500,000 available, members of Seattle Parks and Recreation and landscape architects from Site Workshop are reaching out to residents to see what they want in their neighborhood park.

Thus far, neighbors have brainstormed many uses of the space, offering pathways, playgrounds, pea patches, picnic areas and more to the Site Workshop landscape architects who will oversee the park’s construction late next year.

“We try to tailor it to the community,” Brands said. “It’s all about being inclusive with the community.”

With the disbanding of the Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project the responsibility for the area was turned over to Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR).
SPR has recently concluded an agreement with the Alki Community Council (ACC) allowing the Council to sponsor the sale of additional engraved bricks and Tribute Plaques. The ACC will also be the organization working with the community to coordinate the future maintenance of the Plaza with Parks.

The news release from the Alki Community Council reads:

Long-time West Seattle resident Bill Hoffman is an independent film writer and producer who believes Seattle is ready for a new script. That’s why he has announced he is challenging veteran congressman James McDermott in the August primaries Aug. 17. Hoffman said that he is in pre-production mode with his campaign and will soon amp it up as people begin to focus on the next election cycle.

Hoffman believes in term limits and said McDermott has lost touch with his local constituents. He points out that McDermott will run for his 12th term in the 7th district. Before that McDermott served 16 years in the State Senate, since 1971.

“Eighty-four- percent in McDermott’s last election voted for a liberal when they voted for him,” said Hoffman, also a liberal. “The conservative voter here in Seattle won’t have a voice, so if a conservative runs against this liberal (McDermott) there won’t be any discussion on a lot of significant issues. The conversation in the next election has to be a conversation between two liberals before the primaries.

Federal Way, Decatur, Thomas Jefferson and Todd Beamer all at least got one of their swimmers into the second day of competition (finals or consolation finals). Two of rhe schools --TJ and Beamer -- finished high as teams in third and fifth, respectively, at the prestigious WIAA 4A girls swimming and diving state championship meet at the Weyerhaueser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way Nov. 12-14.

TJ had the most smiles afterward as a team, since finishing third meant they got on the podium where first through fourth places get their pictures taken and a trophy to go with it.

"One spot out," said Beamer coach Malcolm Neeley of being fifth.

But his wife Wendy, who coaches the TJ team, helped the Raiders to get their highest finish in some time, maybe forever time. The TJ boys won state under her back in mid-2000s and this girls team is young so they will be back again next season ready to do some more damage to the 4A ranks.

“I’m happy for the girls of TJ and us,” Malcom said. “Two good finishes."

Betty Kent and Ned Skavlen are tired of feeling like they are taking a leap of faith every time they cross the street outside of their home at the Ballard Landmark on Leary Avenue. And, they have the signatures of more than 300 people who feel the same way.

"I almost got hit," Kent said of braving the crosswalk that connects the front door of the Landmark senior living facility with the Canal Station condos across Leary. "And, a lot of other residents have said the same thing."

Skavlen said slow-moving seniors with walkers become paralyzed by fast-moving traffic mid-crossing and don't know whether to keep going or turn back.

"You're taking your life into your hands to cross that street," he said.

Kent and Skavlen, as well as the more than 300 residents and visitors of the Landmark and Canal Station who have signed their petition, want to see flashing beacons installed at the crosswalk that sits between 20th Avenue and Market Street on Leary.

When Canal Station and the Landmark were completed, they brought approximately 400 residential units, plus a handful of commercial spaces, to an area that had been dominated by a car dealership.

Fifty years after penning the Whitman Alma Mater for Whitman Middle School, former music teacher Bob Cathey stood against a wall in the school cafeteria, watching a new generation of Whitman Wildcats give tribute to their school with his song.

The Third Annual All School International Potluck Nov. 19 at Whitman Middle School was also the 50-year anniversary of the dedication of the school, located at 9201 15th Ave. N.W.

According to a history of Whitman Middle School by Seattle Public Schools, Northwest Elementary School opened on the site of the former Olympic Golf Course as an overflow building for the Crown Hill School in 1953.

The building temporarily became the Northwest Junior High School after the Crown Hill School moved.

Whitman Junior High School was officially dedicated on Nov. 19, 1959. The dedication served as the debut for the Whitman Alma Mater, "Salute to Whitman," by Cathey.

Whitman, named after a Protestant missionary who settled in Walla Walla in 1836, became a middle school in 1981.

Westwood Village shopping center presented its first West Seattle Chamber of Commerce After Hours open house. In addition to merchants leaving their doors open and offering food and beverages Thursday night, Nov. 19, the center's Santa House officially opened. It occupies a storefront a few doors east of Bed Bath & Beyond.

Stuart Crandall, Westwood Village property manager, and Patricia Mullen, president of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon to Santa's House which Crandall designed and built.

Participating merchants donating food included Wyatt's Jewelers, Chicos, Giannoni's Pizza, Reflections Dental Center, State Farm, Rain Day Spa, the Sub Shop and others.

The White Center Food Bank set out containers to donate food in Santa's House.

Nancy Woodland of WestSide Baby discussed the Santa Diaper Drive which supplies White Center Food Bank and West Seattle Food Bank with diapers. Diaper donations are also accepted at the Santa House.

"We are a neighborhood shopping center and so the whole neighborhood can shop here, said Crandell. "We have seen increased sales and anticipate a busy Christmas shopping season."

In PLAID TIDINGS, The Plaids (Frankie, Sparky, Jinx, and Smudge) from Forever Plaid are transported back from the ethereal cosmos to croon their tight harmonic renditions of musical hits from the ’50s and ’60s. Suddenly, as ordered by a heavenly phone call from Rosemary Clooney, they stage a nostalgic holiday extravaganza for world-weary mortals on Earth. . .including a new episode of “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Returning for PLAID TIDINGS: John Bartley, Aaron Finley, Ryan McCabe and Daniel Stoltenberg

Directed by Jeff Church (from the Las Vegas cast of Forever Plaid) and Jeannette LeGault, with Music Direction by R.J. Tancioco (Bat Boy).

Food Collection during the run of the show

ArtsWest will be collecting food for The West Seattle Food Bank during the run of PLAID TIDINGS, from December 2-27.

The West Seattle Food Bank works to eliminate hunger in West Seattle, not only providing nutritious food to clients, but also working to eliminate the root causes of hunger by educating clients on nutrition, generating public awareness of hunger in our community and coordinating a range of community services for clients.