December 2009

At the second meeting for the Ninth Avenue Northwest park, more than 30 residents were presented with four designs culled from neighborhood input at the November meeting. Amazingly, everyone seemed to gravitate toward the same design.

The clear winner was concept two, or Urban Farm and Forest, which features a large P-Patch on the north side of the park, open space and sitting areas, a play structure at the south end and curving pathways.

Barbara Hainley, who lives near the park site on Ninth Avenue between Northwest 70th Street and Northwest 73rd Street, said she favored Urban Farm and Forest because of its organic flow and the natural play space.

She said the design may still present concerns with neighbors over safety and sight lines in the park.

The four designs are not final, and the design team from Site Workshop will take neighbors' comments into account before presenting the final design in January, said Clayton Beaudoin and Mark Brands from Site Workshop.

Meeting attendees said they would add elements from concepts three and four, such as a bioswale, which removes pollution from water runoff, along the west edge of the park and additional open space.

The Ballard High School gymnastics team had a big night against Lake Washington Dec. 17, never letting more than one of Lake Washington's gymnasts into the top three spots in any event and winning 156.25-128.15.

For the first time this season, Ballard's Taylor Stern did not receive the top all-around score. Instead, Erica Redman got the honor with a score of 32.1. Maria Volk placed second all-around with 31.

Stern came in first on the bars with a score of 8.6. Redman finished third in the event with 6.7.

Redman kept her good night going, placing first on the beam with a score of 8.3. Stern was right behind her in second with 8.1.

The floor exercise was the only event the Beavers did not take first in. Redman finished second with 8.8 followed by Volk with 8.7.

Maureen Sturgeon and Volk took first and second for in the vault for Ballard with identical scores of 8.8.

The Beavers are 2-1 this season.

Their next meet is at 7 p.m. on Jan. 7 at Ballard High School against Roosevelt.

The Ballard High School wrestling team earned its first win of the season 34-30 over Franklin Dec. 17.

Six out of the seven Beaver wrestler won their matches. Madison Young, Austin Fisher, Preston Parris and Matt Kelly won by fall. Luke Fabian and Christopher Thomas won by technical fall.

"It was a great confidence builder for the kids to get a team win," coach Luke Hagler said. "The wrestlers we have on the mat right now are showing improvement and working hard."

The team was missing wrestlers in a number of weight classes, but Hagler said they were lucky that Franklin was also missing players in most of those classes, limiting forfeits.

Ballard wasn't so lucky against the O'Dea High School junior varsity and freshmen team in the second match of the evening.

Five of Ballard's six wrestlers beat their opponents, but the Beavers still lost 47-23 because of forfeits.

Soren Heinecke and Fabian won by fall. Fisher and Thomas won by major decision. Parris won by decision.

Ballard is 1-4 overall this season.

"The team is still young and will need to continue to develop their skills and conditioning as we continue with the tough KingCo schedule," Hagler said.

The Ballard Food Bank, currently located at 7001 24th Ave. N.W., is moving out of its residential location into a new building in Ballard's industrial area south of Market Street.

Nancy McKinney, executive director of the food bank, made the announcement Dec. 9 at the Ballard District Council meeting but could not give the exact address of the new location because the lease has not been signed yet.

The Ballard Food Bank serves approximately 1,100 people from Ballard, Magnolia and Queen Anne per week, and its current space was not suitable for a number of reasons, McKinney said.

The 24th Avenue building is too small, limiting food storage space and forcing patrons to line up outside the building in the rain and cold while waiting to be served, she said.

McKinney said a residential location for the food bank was not ideal anyway.

"We want to get out of the residential area," she said. "It's a bad place for us to be. It really does make my hair gray."

The new location south of Market Street features parking for food bank vans, a waiting room for patrons to get out of the elements and double the space.

The Market Street Singers helped raise $780 to benefit the Ballard Northwest Senior Center by performing in “Sister's Christmas Catechism” at ACT Theatre Dec. 6 and Dec. 13.

Donations were collected from the audience following the show in which the chorus provided several musical numbers.

Chris Vincent, director of The Market Street Singers, presented the donation to Carlye Teel, director of the senior center, Dec. 16 during the center’s annual holiday lunch.

“The performance at ACT Theatre could be described as a holiday mystery extravaganza,” Vincent said during the donation presentation. “Sister solved the mystery of what happened to the Magi’s gold. She used audience members to create a hilarious living nativity while employing forensics to solve the mystery.”

This donation to the senior center is one way The Market Street Singers has worked to cultivate neighborhood pride this year, Vincent said in a press release. It builds on last year’s donation of nearly $700 to the center.

With the light-rail train doors scheduled to pop open at the new SeaTac/Airport station about 10 a.m. on Saturday for the public, Sound Transit officials gave the media a preview ride between Tukwila and the airport on Thursday morning.

The station opening on Saturday will extend light rail another 1.7 miles from the Tukwila station at International Boulevard and South 154th Street. The new station is located at South 176th Street and International Boulevard.

The ride between Tukwila and the airport is mostly elevated with the track grade separated from vehicles.

At the SeaTac/Airport station, the trains are on the upper level. Riders enter the trains from the right or left, depending on which train is departing.

Escalators and an elevator taker riders down one floor to the mezzanine. On the east side is a sky bridge across International Boulevard to a "kiss n' ride" lot and the city of SeaTac's planned controversial city center/entertainment district.

To the west is the tunnel through the airport garage to the terminal.

This letter was sent out to neighbors after a shelter resident at Ballard's Trinity United Methodist Church stabbed another shelter resident.

To our neighbors,

As you know, a major incident happened last night at the shelter between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Two residents of the Vets Hall Shelter broke into a fight, which escalated into a stabbing.

The “victim” was taken to the hospital and will not return as a resident to the shelter.

The man who did the stabbing is known and being sought and will be charged with felony assault.

We’d like to thank the police and fire departments for their prompt and professional excellence in this emergency.

We’d also like to thank watchful neighbors, the shelter itself and our live-in security person, Randy Thompson, for their immediate calling of the police as the incident began to flare.

This is the first incident of violence with a weapon in the 10 years of our active ministry with the homeless.

Although our systems of security responded quickly and effectively, we nevertheless deeply regret the disruption of our neighborhood security.

By Sally Clark, Seattle City Council

This column originally appeared in the December issue of Sally Clark's newsletter "City View."

At the end of my first two years chairing the Seattle City Council’'s Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee, I feel a little like I'’m renovating a house with a limited set of plans. I mostly pick up a hammer and try to use common sense.

I hear from plenty of people who tell me they have the best house plan and that I should use their instructions.

For some people, no change is the right change. For others, the change can'’t be grand enough.

Re-zone, upzone, incentivize, landmark, retain, bulk up, slim down, reward, charge, bonus, demolish, protect…. Everyone has a position and a stake in what happens across the street and across town.

As 2009 comes to a close, I can say I am proud of the work we’'ve done over the past two years with neighborhoods, developers, affordability advocates, historic preservation advocates, greeners, smart city staffers and others to make at least a few smart decisions.

– Backyard cottages are a good and modest step for housing variety and affordability.

Big games from junior Salim Gloyd and senior Gary Smith, and contributions from four other players, allowed the Ballard High School boys basketball team to beat Garfield, the sixth-ranked team in the state, for its second win in a row Dec. 15.

The teams were knotted at 12 at the end of the first quarter. But, a well-played second quarter the Beavers a seven-point lead, which they were able to hang on to for the 60-57 victory.

Gloyd had a game-high 20 points, and Smith added 16. Smith is eighth in KingCo in scoring, averaging 14 points per game.

"What a night," coach Billy Rodgers said. "I was really proud of the kids and the effort. They did a super job of defending and following the game plan."

The Beavers are 2-2 overall.

"Two wins against two good teams," Rodgers said. "I think we have done a nice job of bouncing back from our game at Lake Washington."

The Ballard gym was packed and loud for the game, which Rodgers said helped the the team play better.

"Our fans were awesome," he said. "It was a great atmosphere, and the home court advantage really helped our kids."

Almost two dozen neighbors stopped by the East Ballard Community Association's planter project kickoff event Dec. 16 at Nervous Nellie's to learn about the project, eat the free food and share their optimism about the future of 14th Avenue Northwest.

The community association received a $14,000 matching fund grant and 30 planters from the city earlier this year. The planters will be installed at the median ends along 14th Avenue from Northwest 59th Street to Northwest 63rd Street.

Dawn Hemminger, president of the community association, said the planters will increase visibility and safety for pedestrians and vehicles on the street as well as beautify it with instant green.

But, those are only the most superficial goals of the project, Hemminger said.

"This project is more than just planters," she said. "It's about building community."

More than 44 individuals and businesses have pledged time, money, goods and services to the project.

Well-known Ballard staples, such as Swanson's Nursery, Salmon Bay Sand and Gravel and Ballard Market, have gotten involved.