January 2011

The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is hosting three free workshops to educate neighborhood groups and community organizations on the funding process and requirements for the Large Projects Fund, the matching fund that awards up to $100,000 for community projects.

Participants will learn about revised 2011 guidelines, project proposal development, community match requirements, and coordination with other city departments.

The Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) program supports projects initiated, planned, and implemented by community members in partnership with Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Every award is matched by neighborhoods’ or communities’ resources of volunteer labor and donated materials, professional services, or cash.

Since it was created 22 years ago, NMF has awarded nearly $47 million with a community match of more than $68 million. Projects have involved 85,000+ volunteers who have donated more than 566,000 work hours.

The nearest workshop,led by Neighborhood Matching Fund project managers, will take place at the Ballard Library on January 27th at 6 p.m.

The deadline for the Letter of Intent is Monday, Feb 14.

PRESS RELEASE:

Help KCTS 9 and PCC Natural Markets collect thousands of sweaters for neighbors in need during the annual Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Sweater Drive. All donated sweaters will go to Seattle nonprofits Wellspring Family Services and Northwest Center. This is the third year that KCTS 9 and PCC have teamed up for the drive.

The greatest need is for children's items, but all new or gently used adult and children’s sweaters and coats will be accepted for donation. Collection bins will be located in all nine Puget Sound PCC stores and in the KCTS 9 lobby at 401 Mercer Street in Seattle for five weeks beginning January 10, 2011 through February 13, 2011.

“All of us, at some time or other, need help,” said Fred Rogers. “Whether we’re giving or receiving a sweater, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our way, everyone is a giver and receiver."

UPDATE for Jan. 21: Ahmed Mohamed,22, was sentenced today to 69 months in prison (5 and 3/4 years)after pleading guilty to first degree robbery and malicious harassment charges. The sentencing was handed down by King County Superior Court Judge Carol Shapira. Mohamed's co-defendant Jonathan Baquiring's trial is scheduled to begin of Feb. 22 according to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

In the case of 16-year-old Shane McClellan’s beating on the night of May 25, 2010 in West Seattle, one of the two alleged attackers pleaded guilty to his charges, according to court documents.

McClellan, who is white, was attacked and tortured on a set of stairs on the corner of Holden s.w. and 14th Ave s.w. over four hours by two men, one African American (Mohamed) and one Pacific Asian (allegedly Jonathan Baquiring). The attack received national attention as a hate crime since one of the attackers screamed racial slurs about McClellan being white while he was beaten.

Melissa Baldwin got her golden labrador retriever Georgia from a breeder in Orting, named For the Love of Labs 3 and a half years ago.

"We had a lab growing up, "Baldwin explained. "and I've always wanted one. She's a great companion, great to run with and keeps me active."

Her name comes from Baldwin's destination on business trips. "I was traveling to Atlanta, Georgia a lot for work and she's been on my mind for a really long time."

Most recently Georgia has been going to Doggy Day Care through Super Fun Happy Dog, a local group that "Picks her up and they go on a bus and take her down to ten acres of play and she gets a report card. She is worn out afterward. She has a lot of friends because of it. She's very social because of it."

"I always tell people that she is the light of my life," Baldwin said. She loves to be on her back for tummy scratching but mostly she's a big fan of her ball (she's a retriever after all) and loves to swim, even taking part in a Polar Bear Plunge at Lincoln Park on New Year's Day.

The print deadline for calendar submissions is two weeks before the date of the event to be publicized. Email calendar@ballardnewstribune.com, or to get it posted online immediately, email anner@robinsonnews.com.

Breakfast & Neighborhood Cleanup
Jan 8th, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
8018 Fremont Ave N.

Celebrate the NEW YEAR by participating in GAIN's next litter cleanup. Join us for a FREE breakfast hosted by Greenwood Christian Church followed by a neighborhood cleanup.
We will be doing both a leaf / stormdrain cleanup as well as litter cleanup. 

Crab Feed Dinner
January 22, 2011
Leif Erikson Hall
2245 NW 57th
Crab feed with Silent and Dessert Auctions for Leif Erikson Lodge 2-001 Scholarship Fund
After dinner dance to the jazz/blues music of Victoria and the Sometimes, a young group lead by singer Victoria Mjolsnes who trained at the Cornish College of the Arts!

Ballard Little League Free Pitching Clinics
Salmon Bay Elementary East Gym
1810 N.W. 65th St.
Session 3: Jan. 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 24, 25 & 27.

The following is an excerpt from the autobiography of our Publisher, Jerry Robinson called "Listen to Your Father". At age 90 he is still actively writing and contributing to the newspapers. In this excerpt he recalls his mother and life with his family in the 1920's in Portland Oregon.

Mom was born Eva Mae Scott in Newark, New Jersey in 1881. She had two older sisters and a little brother.

Her father was a moderately successful pattern maker in East Orange and on Sundays he took his family out in the family carriage. The horses' name was Ben and he was 17 hands high. I guess that is a pretty big horse because Mom bragged about it numerous times.

Grandpa Scott was apparently a very bright guy but better with his hands than his head. According to Mom, Grandpa invented a machine that wound the core of a golf ball with a continuous strip of thin rubber. He took in a partner who promised to raise money to develop the working model. The partner stole the idea and later filed for the patent.

Mom never got farther than a grade school education but she had a natural gift for writing and hand skills.

Trader Joes new West Seattle location at 4545 Fauntleroy Way s.w., the 17th store in the state is going to see some changes soon based on the latest Land Use Application for the site filed with the Department of Planning and Development. The new store will be 14,200 square feet in size so the parking lot revisions are required. The comment period for the application ends Jan. 9.

The application reads:

"Land Use Application to allow 29 parking stalls for a total of 53 parking stalls in an environmentally critical area. Project includes change of use from automotives sales and service to general retail sales and service (Trader Joes), modifications to front façade to create new entry and exit tower, elevator and stairwell. Related to Project #3011929.

Our original story about the store is here.

The full story from the company itself that the Herald told you about first is here.

Burien attorney Gerald Robison was sworn in Jan. 3 as Burien's newest council member, replacing Kathy Keane.
First-term Councilman Brian Bennett was also picked by his colleagues as the new deputy mayor.
Robison was selected by a 5-1 vote with Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak as the lone dissenting vote. No one else was nominated.
The attorney had been named in December as the other council' top candidate after the lawmakers interviewed five finalists. He could not be formally elected until Keane's resignation was effective at the first of the year. Bennett must win election in November to remain on the council.
Keane is retiring and moving to Florida.
Robison has been involved in property and real estate law for 30 years. Before attending law school, Robison had a real-estate office in White Center. He graduated with a J.D. from the University of Puget Sound/Seattle University in 1993.
He has also been a Burien Planning Commission member.
In an interview with the Times/News' Keith Daigle, Robison said he would like to see more businesses locate in Burien.
"Burien should have more thriving successful businesses than it does," Robison declared.

At the Second Design Review meeting for the proposed development at 6559 15th Ave N.W. the design changes satisfied the board but left the neighbors unhappy.

The proposed development is a four-story live-and-work building containing 101 residential units and parking for 67 vehicles intended for the currently vacant lot on 15th Avenue across from Ballard High School.

In the last meeting, the Northwest Design Review Board had asked the designers to relocate the building’s transformer room, change the bike parking, add additional safety measures to the garage exit, consider a cantilever, and make setback adjustments.

The neighbors at that time called the design "recipe for disaster" as it creates a serious safety hazard for neighborhood school children because of its planned parking garage entrance off N.W. 67th Street.

David Rosen, of SlickPix Photography here in West Seattle, took advantage of our recent run of cold clear days to capture this outstanding photo of Mt. Rainier from Harbor Avenue, with Salty's at Alki Restaurant in the foreground.

For those who are interested in the photographic details, David shot this photo with a Canon EOS 7D, on Dec. 30, just before 5:00 pm.

He used shutter priority mode at 1/60 of second and F 7.1 and a focal length of 180mm at ISO 100.