Seattle Department of Transportation engineers will close the northbound, right-hand lane at the south end of the Ballard Bridge from 10 a.m to noon on May 7.
The closure will enable them to complete the inspection from the fire that occurred March 5.
Furnishing Peaceful Homes: Shalom Bayit, a front line agency that provides furniture to women and children escaping domestic violence situations, and Seattle-based TrashBusters junk removal, are partnering to furnish three to five homes for those most in need in Seattle during a time when the economy and ongoing lack of affordable housing are translating into heightened demand for basic furnishings, especially from women with children.
“Once people are housed, choices have to be made between buying dressers and beds to sleep on, and having enough groceries for the week,” said Mia Reyes, program director of Shalom Bayit, which works with more than 25 agencies across Seattle, including Solid Ground and Eastside Domestic Violence Program, to provide basic furnishings. “We know demand is up. Times are definitely worse, which is why we’ve made this appeal.”
Laura Wood, a domestic violence advocate for Solid Ground, said there has been a 12 percent increase between March 2009 and March 2010 in the number of people inquiring into housing. The difficult economic climate has increased stresses on families resulting in more families needing help.
Ed. Note: This is a copy of a letter sent to Ballard District Coordinator Rob Mattson and forwarded to city officials and neighborhood figures.
With concern for the beauty of Ballard and the costs flowed down to the residents and customers of this community, who holds the end responsibility to collect the dozens of filth-filled shopping carts that our one bag lady has left on Ballard Avenue and the streets around downtown Ballard?
This one lady is, in my eyes, a criminal who steals shopping carts that cost, I am sure, at least $200 to $400 each from our local stores. The cost of these losses ends up being flowed down to the customers in higher prices of the goods we buy.
The trash filled shopping carts left for weeks on end in the business areas of Ballard shows a disregard for the community by the business owners and local leaders.
Currently there are six carts on Ballard Avenue, several around the park at 22nd Avenue and Market Street, and more scattered around the downtown area.
A fire that caused $100,000 worth of damage under the south end of the Ballard Bridge late on May 5 was ruled to have been accidentally caused by the cooking fire of transients, Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Helen Fitzpatrick said.
The fire started at approximately 11:30 p.m. on a piece of private property in the 4400 block of 15th Ave. N.W. and was completely put out a few minutes after midnight, Fitzpatrick said.
Four small boats, a truck and wooden palettes were involved in the fire, according to the Seattle Fire Department.
The Seattle Department of Transportation closed the Ballard Bridge for two hours after the blaze to check for damage.
Department of Transportation spokesperson Richard Sheriden said no structural damage was found to the bridge.
The fire cause minor cracking in the concrete and paint damage over a 40-foot area, he said.
There was further inspection on the morning of May 6 that will guide bridge repairs, Sheridan said.
The East Texas Baptist University School of Fine Arts presented its annual department student awards during its Honors Chapel ceremony on Wednesday, April 14, 2010, for the 2009-2010 Academic Year.
The Outstanding New Student Award, which is presented to outstanding students that represent the ideals of academic excellence, professionalism, musical excellence, and personal maturity, went to David Buroker of Federal Way, Grace Harper of Atlanta, Texas, and Brent Hetherington of Gladewater, Texas.
The Clara Dona Stoker Music Scholarship was presented to Buroker. Buroker is also the TAMS Clara Freshour Nelson Music Scholarship nominee.
Grocery Outlet is now open in the former location of the Crown Hill Value Village at 8700 15th Ave. N.W.. The store, which offers savings of up to 50 percent on brand name foods and merchandise, will have its grand opening celebration May 8.
Owner of the Crown Hill Grocery Outlet, Edmonds resident Steve Campbell has been in the retail grocery business for the past 25 years. He started as a grocery bagger in northern California out of high school and worked his way up through the retail chain, eventually serving in management for Food-4-Less, Cala Foods and Whole Foods Market.
“Having worked in the grocery industry for many years, I’m excited to be able to offer Crown Hill and surrounding area Seattle residents the opportunity to save a significant amount of money through Grocery Outlet,” Campbell said in a press release. “Our customers will notice that discount shoppers don’t have to shop in a discount atmosphere, nor sacrifice on name brands or quality. “
For the Crown Hill store, Campbell and his wife and co-owner Blanca have hired 30 local residents, most of whom live within a five-mile radius of the store, according to the press release.
For the second year in a row, the City of Federal Way earned the Association of Washington Cities’ WellCity Award of Achievement for its outstanding workplace wellness program.
The City won the award in 2009 and also in 2001.
Federal Way was one of 34 Washington cities recognized by AWC this year. The awards will be presented in June at the AWC's annual conference in Vancouver.
The WellCity Award recognizes cities and towns that demonstrate best practices in employee health promotion. WellCities must meet minimum criteria in nine standards including policies and procedures, leadership support, wellness committee, internal and external resources, needs assessment, worksite environment, operating plan, mix of program activities and evaluation.
Kimberly Shelton, the fitness coordinator at the Federal Way Community Center and the City’s wellness coordinator, organizes a year’s worth of healthy activities for employees including competitions between departments covering athletics, math and spelling. Shelton and the City’s Wellness Committee also put out a quarterly newsletter and facilitate healthy potlucks and nutrition lectures.
Stacking the doubles tandems put the Decatur girls tennis team back to the top of the SPSL 4A Central title chase with cross-district rival Thomas Jefferson, but not without a struggle and some doubts. against its opponents and the, at times, stormlike winds that billowed the nets.
On Monday, May 3, the home Gators reversed an earlier loss to the Raider 3-2 to send Decatur to 7-1 and TJ to 8-1. If Jefferson wins its final match and Decatur wins its closing two, there would be a co-championship.
"All the players were hitting too hard," noted Decatur coach John Cassens. "Players had to make adjustments in the ultimate wind."
Cassens paired his normal No. 1 singles player Sara Lin with Salena Shugarts in No. 2 doubles to try for a sweep in the trio of doubles encounters. Meghan Cassens would team up with Jessica Kim as Chanel Carlson moved to No. 1 singles. Results of the first four matches produced a close encounter of the tough kind at the end.
Locked in a 2-2 tie, the fate of each team on this day depended upon the results of the No. 2 doubles challenge.
Volunteers will build free wheelchair ramps for the 17th Annual ‘Rampathon’ on May 15. Rampathon, a program of the Master Builders Care Foundation and the Remodelors Council, will organize 300 volunteers who have already signed up into teams of 10-30 to build free wheelchair ramps for disabled low-income homeowners. Since 1993, Master Builders Association members have built more than 200 free wheelchair ramps in King and Snohomish Counties.
One West Seattle resident, Amanda Temmeraj, was selected for a free ramp based on need and design viability.
"It takes two people to carry her and to get her up and down the stairs," said Gavin Layton, 'Ramp Captain' with Potter construction. "A ramp would allow her to leave the house more often.”
Potter construction and Gavin Layton will be in charge of building the ramp.
Free access ramps will be designed and constructed on a single day for disabled persons throughout King and Snohomish Counties: West Seattle (1), Everett (1), Auburn (3), Kent (2), Kirkland (2), Seattle (1), Shoreline/Northgate (2), Snohomish (1), Renton (3), Bellevue (1) and Woodinville (2) – with additional ramp recipients to be announced.
King County Department of Transportation's Linda Dougherty and Tim Lane, she of the Road Services Division, he, an engineer and guru of bridge maintenance, officially declared on a media tour May 5 that the South Park Bridge will be laid to rest 7:00 p.m., June 30. With its failing joints, antiquated musculature, and cracking skeletal system, not even Dr. House, the Coast Guard, or Viagra can resuscitate the 80 year-old bascule span. Unlike the little engine that could, the little bridge no longer can.
That, according to a newly-released independent engineer report that confirms what Tim Lane and other County engineers already knew. Like a doctor's second opinion, the bridge is doomed, and no x-rays were needed as the metal teeth obviously no longer line up in the bridge's down-position. Concrete is disintegrating and the spans are out of line. So no more bandages will be applied to the hemorraging.
As the West Seattle reported May 4, County Executive Dow Constantine is currently in Washington, D.C. to fight for Federal funding for a new bridge, planned to be placed immediately to the north of the existing bridge. See that article here:
