April 2010

After a four-year hiatus, the Seattle Parks and Recreation project team and the Crown Hill community reassembled April 28 to discuss the design for the renovated Crown Hill Elementary Park in the project's first public meeting since 2006.

The single design presented by Parks at the meeting was culled from public input on three previous designs presented at two public meetings. Parks' Pamela Alspaugh said there were more than 30 people at each of the previous meetings, and there was extensive participation and community input.

The April 28 design features a play field with a baseball diamond and two soccer fields for young children, an oval of open lawn with trees, a walking loop around the open lawn and play field, seating and picnic tables, a multiple-use plaza for potential community performances, adult fitness stations, and a 1,600-square-foot plaza that could become either a skate dot or a play area with artistic elements.

The main entrance for park, which is located next to the Crown Hill Center at 9250 14th Ave. W., will be at the intersection of Holman Road and 13th Avenue Northwest near the pedestrian overpass.

On April 7, a residence in the 3000 block of 44th Avenue West was burglarized while the victim was asleep. A purse containing credit cards and keys to the victim’s car was taken, and the car was subsequently stolen.

The car was recovered a week later downtown.

Approximately two hours after the burglary, the suspect used the victim’s credit cards at a grocery store in Ballard. The images above were captured on the store’s video surveillance.

Anyone with any information on the possible idenity of this person is asked to call Det. Gaedcke at 206.684.5730.

Ballard, the Ship Canal, Queen Anne and the rest of the city stretch off into the horizon in the view from the roof of the new Ballard on the Park Apartments after the rain let up April 28.

Construction is still underway on the apartments above the Ballard QFC adjacent to Ballard Commons Park, but leasing began in mid-February.

In that time, about 50 of the more than 250 unites have been filled, a Ballard on the Park representative said.

Click the image above for more photos from downtown Ballard's tallest vantage point.

Ballard Big Picture is a column of scenes from around the neighborhood. If you would like to submit a photo for use on this site and in the Ballard News-Tribune, please send it to Michael Harthorne at michaelh@robinsonnews.com. Be sure to include your name and information about your photo.

Chief Sealth High School’s auditorium became hip and hopping as members of the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz visited, including six musicians from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, or the “LACHSA “ Jazz Sextet performed Satin Doll and others through improvisation to a packed house of students Wednesday, April 28.

They were joined by special musical guests including Thelonious Monk, Jr. as part of the “Peer-to-Peer” jazz education program in Seattle Public Schools April 26-30. Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson said some words and then clapped her hands with the students.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

Many of us have heard of jazz legend Thelonious Monk, who lived from 1917-1982. His son and other family members founded the institute in his honor. Monk, Jr. has made his own mark in the jazz world.

The Ballard High School girls golf team suffered its most lopsided defeat of the season and was shutout of the top five spots April 27 against Mercer Island in a 316-227 loss.

The Beavers were without a top-five finisher for the first time this season.

Coach Casey McMullin said the inclement weather worked against Ballard and Mercer Island is an awfully good team.

"Seems like they play year round to be that polished," McMullin said of Mercer Island.

Mercer Island's Chelsea Saylee took first place with a score of 41 on the 37-par West Seattle Golf Course.

Ballard is 2-4 with one match remaining – 3:30 p.m. on May 4 at West Seattle Golf Course against Bellevue.

Goldman Sachs execs were on the hot seat Tuesday April 27, and just a few hours later, and a lot closer to home, King County Department of Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi was on the hot seat at the standing-room only South Park Bridge Closure Plan meeting held at Machinists Hall, 9125 15th Place South.

The meeting began as a non-emotional, business-like PowerPoint lecture led by KCDOT leaders including Taniguchi outlining alternative bus routes between South Park and downtown Seattle resulting from the fast-approaching date of June 30 when the bridge closes for good, and siting potential funding sources for a new South Park Bridge, since national funding requests have so far been turned down.

Mayor Mike McGinn today named Christopher Williams as Acting Superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation, following the resignation on Monday of Superintendent Timothy Gallagher.

Williams, a Parks and Recreation employee for nearly 20 years and the deputy superintendent under Gallagher, will take over management of the department immediately, Mayor McGinn said.

"Like the rest of City government, the Parks Department is facing serious budget challenges. Christopher Williams has been working with my office to address them over the past few weeks, and I'm pleased to have his experience, dedication and management expertise at the helm as we find ways to preserve our excellent parks services," the mayor said.

Mayor McGinn and Williams both said they were interested in finding budget savings or exploring revenue options that would minimize reductions in Parks and Recreation programs or services.

The mayor and his budget office directed Williams to provide management plans for three potential scenarios, given the city's budget:

A Parks system that maintains the current array of services and obligations

Skyline, third-place team in KingCo and eighth-ranked team in the state, outshot the Ballard High School boys soccer team early and often on the way to a 5-1 victory April 28.

Skyline was up 2-0 by halftime, but the Beavers avoided the shutout when Cody Hulsey scored in the 41st minute with an assist from Conner Jarvie.

Skyline then scored three unanswered goals, including two in the final five minutes, to ice the match.

Skyline's five goals were the most given up by Ballard all season.

Ballard is 2-4-3 in KingCo and 3-6-4 overall this season.

With two matches left for the Beavers, things don't get much easier. The team takes on Garfield, the second-place team in KingCo, at 7:30 p.m. on April 30 at Memorial Stadium.

After a two-game winning streak, the Ballard High School baseball team has dropped two games in a row, most recently April 27 against Inglemoor in a game that was rained out April 26.

The 11-0 loss was the team's worst in three weeks, as the Beavers managed two hits to the nine hits of Inglemoor, a team that is in first place in KingCo.

Freshman Rory Graf-Brennen went one-for-two for Ballard with a double.

More worrisome for the Beavers than the two losses is the loss of senior pitcher Charlie Beaudoin to a back injury sustained midway through the April 22 loss to Lake Washington.

Coach John Lamm, who has called Beaudoin the team's ace, said the pitcher is likely done for the season.

The loss against an 11-2 Inglemoor team dropped Ballard's record to 5-8 in KingCo and 5-10 overall, meaning the team has to win its final three games to finish with a .500 conference record.

First up for the Beavers is Roosevelt at 3:45 p.m. on April 28 at Whitman Middle School. Ballard earned its first win of the season when it beat Roosevelt on March 30.

In response to an April 16 ruling by the King County Superior Court, the Seattle Department of Transportation announced April 28 that it will conduct an environmental review of the Burke-Gilman Trail’s future alignment along Shilshole Avenue Northwest.

Because the Superior Court’s ruling upholding eight of the nine issues regarding the existing environmental assessment, the Department of Transportation opted to complete the additional evaluation instead of appealing the decision, according to a Department of Transportation press release.

The city seeks to complete the Burke-Gilman Trail by building a trail segment, known as the Missing Link, from 11th Avenue Northwest to the Ballard Locks.

Though the department had previously reviewed the environmental impact of an interim alignment along Ballard Avenue Northwest, the court ruled that the department also needed to study the future alignment on Shilshole Avenue from 17th Avenue Northwest to Northwest Vernon Place.

This additional work is estimated to take up to six months and its final form will be determined once the environmental review is underway.