April 2010

The Ballard High School girls tennis team lost 6-1 to Bothell April 14 but showed a lot of promise in what coach Charles Brenner said was a great day for the team.

"It showed the mental hurdle that our girls need to get over," he said. "It also showed that they are capable of winning if they want it enough."

Hannah Murphy and Sarah Gilmore earned the one point for the Beavers in their doubles match victory over Bothell's Alina Epinoza and Raven Anderson, but Brenner said there were three or four close matches that could have gone either way.

Ballard faces Woodinville at 3:45 p.m. on April 15 at the Woodinville Tennis Courts.

Complete results from the April 14 match:

In # 1 Singles Nicole Henderson from Bothell High School beat Anna Brokhaug from Ballard High School 6-2, 6-0.

In #2 Singles Isabelle Nguyen from Bothell High School beat Jimena Diaz from Ballard High School 6-1, 6-3.

In #3 Singles Rebekah You from Bothell High School beat Zoe Kasperzyk from Ballard High School 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

In #4 Singles Ana Samora from Bothell High School beat Stephanie Loo from Ballard High School 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

The third annual Community Oyster Roast is on May 9 at the Golden Gardens Bathhouse with two seatings at the shoreside location with a spectacular view of the Sound are from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Proceeds will go to the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance to support its work to keep the Puget Sound clean.

Tickets, advance purchase only, are $50 for all the roasted oysters you can eat, CasCioppo Bros. sausage, coleslaw, baked beans, beverage and rhubarb crisp for dessert. Slurp up at the Oyster Raw Bar as an added bonus.

Foot stomping entertainment will be provided by The Tallboys.

The Oyster Roast, based on the popular roll-up-your-sleeves southern tradition, features sacks of fresh Taylor oysters in the shell dumped on hot metal plates over outdoor grills and covered with wet coffee sacks until juice starts to bubble out of the shells.

Then they are shoveled onto platters and delivered to tables where they need a nudge from an oyster knife to release the top shell and seductive aromas.

Attendees are urged to bring a favorite oyster knife; oyster knives can also be purchased onsite.

Sausages and side dishes are served family style.

Last month Metro surveyed West Seattle residents and Route 22 riders about a proposal to revise Route 22 so that it would no longer travel on SW Ida Street and 41st Avenue SW and instead would operate directly between California Avenue SW and SW Thistle Street.

Metro was considering this change because it would have created more direct routing through the neighborhood and avoided several difficult street crossings along 41st Avenue SW.

Based on the comments we received from residents and transit riders and further review by the City of Seattle Department of Transportation, Metro is now recommending that there be no change to Route 22. It will continue to follow the existing routing through the neighborhood.

Metro received comments from Route 22 riders expressing concern that they would have to walk farther to and from California Avenue SW, since most riders reside east of California. Others expressed concerns about impacts to residents along California and about traffic conditions at the intersection of California and Thistle, where buses would be turning.

SDOT crews will close single curb lanes on the Alaskan Way Viaduct between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the next three weeks to clean the viaduct’s curb areas and perform other maintenance work. The crews plan to close one southbound lane at a time from April 19 to April 27.

They plan to close one northbound lane at a time from April 28 to May 7.

SDOT crews will close the northbound, left-hand lane in the Battery Street Tunnel on Wednesday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and will close the northbound, right-hand lane in the tunnel on Thursday, April 22 from 9 a.m to 2:30 p.m., to complete work on the sprinkler system.

The East Ballard Community Association is starting to install large planters on the medians along 14th Avenue Northwest this week. But, Ballard resident Vivian Brady has been doing her part to beautify the street for the better part of the past eight years.

Brady started tending a small garden on the median end outside her apartment near the intersection of 14th Avenue and Northwest 62nd Street shortly after moving there because she didn't have a yard and it was open space.

"I'm a farmer from Montana," she said. "I have to dig in the dirt someplace."

Brady is modest about her small garden, and her daughter Lucy Brady jokes that it won't win any gardening awards because they can't tell the difference between the flowers and the weeds.

But, like the much larger East Ballard planter project, the point isn't necessarily the garden itself, it's the community it builds and improves.

Vivian said there are often car accidents on 14th Avenue, and she thought people might be more careful if they saw someone out there working.

The Northwest Design Review Board was largely supportive of the revised, simpler design for the Ballard Washington Federal Savings Building presented to them April 12.

Gone is the slanting roof from the designs presented Oct. 12 for the building located at 2020 N.W. Market St., creating a structure that fits better in the context of the surrounding buildings, according to the board.

One of the concerns from the Oct. 12 meeting was that the slanted roof, meant as a tribute to the roof of the Ballard Library, would take away from the distinctiveness of the neighboring Carnegie's building.

The developers of the property also improved on the pedestrian walkway that connects Market Street and Northwest 56th Street to the west of the Washington Federal Savings building.

Windows have been added to the wall that faces the walkway as well as additional aesthetic improvements, though no agreement with Carnegie's, on whose property the walkway sits, has been reached for a canopy.

The board's major concern with the design proposed April 12 is the composition of the south and west sides of the building.

There will be a special three day filing period, April 26 to 28, for the upcoming North Highline Unincorporated Area Council election to be held on May 20, 2010. Applications will be accepted for a two year term for Dist 2 and At Large positions and a one year term for Dist 1 and Dist 3. Dist 1 is the unincorporated area east of highway 509. District 2 is between 509 and 4th Ave SW. Dist 3 is between 4 Ave SW and 16th Ave SW. To obtain a Candidate Filing Statement or to learn more about the position contact Ronald Johnson, Chairman, Elections Committee, (206) 767-3053 or visit our website: www.northhighlineuac.org.

The council represents residents and business/property owners of the North Highline Unincorporated Area in their dealings with King County and surrounding cities. Some of the issues of concern include annexation/incorporation, zoning/rezoning, parks, human services, surface water management, land use, transportation/ roads/ Metro issues, 3rd runway, adult entertainment, drug houses, public safety and projects to improve the quality or delivery of county services.

A cluster of bluebells carpet Terminal-7 Park on West Marginal Way across the street from the Duwamish Longhouse.

After falling behind 2-0 April 12 against Lake Washington, the Ballard High School softball team climbed its way back to take a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the final inning.

The Beavers couldn't hold on to the lead, giving up four straight hits to allow Lake Washington to walk off with a 4-3 victory.

It appeared as if Ballard took revenge for that close loss April 13 against Garfield as the team scored 21 unanswered runs on the way to a 21-3 win, its first in KingCo play this season.

Coach Kyle Gray said the team played pretty well against a great Lake Washington team and didn't want that loss to carry over to the Garfield game.

The players decided they were going to get their bats going earlier and were able to score some early runs against Garfield, he said.

Freshman Julia Boone went two-for-three with three RBIs and four runs scored, junior Bernie Cardon hit three-for-four with four RBIs, and junior Jamie Thelen added a two-run home run for the Beavers.

Senior Sophie Overlock-Pauley threw four strikeouts in three innings of work.

The win ended a two-game skid for Ballard and brought the team's record to 1-2 in KingCo and 5-2 overall.

The Ballard High School girls golf team got its first win of the season 301-323 April 13 against Bothell.

Sophomore Diana Shyue medaled with a score of 50.

"It's always good to get a win," coach Casey McMullin said.

He said the team needs to keep working and focusing on its skills near the pin in order to improve.

The Beavers are 1-2 on the season.

Ballard tees off against Lake Washington at 3:30 p.m. on April 15 at Bellevue Golf Course.